Campaign Against Grey Boxes

Right, that's it, enough is enough. I'm fed up of computers in grey boxes. I have always believed that black was a very cool colour for a computer but then this started there were very few of them around. They are much more common now and that can only be a good thing.

Many did not like the cannary yellow nature of the aborted Acorn Phoebe but personally I thought it struck a blow against the legions of grey boxes. Spurred on by this I have started a guirilla war against this institutionalised corporate blandness.

The first blow has been made. I have painted my RISC PC black. Well, that was the plan however the sprey can I got had a less than perfect valve mechanism which caused it to splutter more than sprey. At first I thought everything was about to go pear shaped but then I realised that the effect was very cool. It made the machine look like it had been caught in a bomb blast.

I have recently taken delivery of a second slice for the RISC PC which will also have to get the bomb blast make-over. In the imediate future, however, I have also recently taken delivery of a shiny new ATX full tower case into which I intend to build a Linux box. This case is destined for a dark green paint job. If at all possible, British Racing Green. I will pop some photos on here as soon as it is done.

But wait, I'm not the only mad-man involved in all this case painting nonsense. I also have a few pictures of a friends various attempts to get away from grey boxes. His favoured technique is plasti-coat textured paint. This is best applied over a good layer of solid colour or so he tells me. Of course his Indigo does not require painting as it was not grey to start of with. Its peripherals on the other hand are a different matter. There was also a Sun system in need of a good spraying. In fact now I come to think of it, there was another Sun. Finally he has worked his magic on an external drive box.

A note to those inspired

If you are inspired to paint your computer after seeing my effort I would encourage you to go ahead. I would also like to share a few hints and tips with you.

• It may seem obvious but I feel I should make the effort to mention it just in case: It is very important to take all the electronics out of the case before you paint it.
• It is well worth the time and effort to scrub the casing down with warm soapy water and a toothbrush before hand. If you don't you are liable to find bits of dust and other muck stuck to the paint. The paint is also likely to be less robust if it doesn't have a clean surface to stick to. Leave it until it is absolutely dry before painting.
• As well as washing the case you may find a light sanding with some glass-paper provides a better surface for the paint to key into.
• Use masking tape to cover things which you do not wish to be painted: Logos, information plates, etc.
• Don't try to lay down all the paint in one pass. Put down many light coats leaving the surface to dry to a tacky finish (probably best to do this by eye rather than leaving sticky thumb prints all over the place) before applying the next.
• When applying a coat do so by moving the sprey can back an forth over the area to be painted. Each coat should be applyed with a motion 90° to the previous one. i.e. alternately horizontal and vertical.