Introduction:
I work with a professional painter who has gotten quite good at
phone painting over the past couple of years. We use polyurethane paint, the
same material the phone companies used when they refurbished phone. It's an
incredibly durable finish that works well on both plastic and metal.
Since these paints are all custom color, minimum quantities of paint need to
be purchased. For this reason, I need to send things for painting in
batches, not just single phones. These batch sizes depend on the color.
Popular colors that are painted frequently can be done in smaller batches
because the paint can be used from batch to batch.
What's being painted?
We have been having great success painting plastic, Bakelite, and metal
phone parts.
When will painting be done?
Painting will be done depending on a number of factors. When I have time (I am in a very
seasonal business, that has a big impact on scheduling) and when there is enough demand
for a particular color. I will send out notifications on the ATCA and TCI listservs
as to when and what color will be done. If you're not on either of these
lists, let me know and I will keep you on a special email list.
Finding Cords:
I know that colors are limited to the availability of cords. Sometimes I can
provide cords for you. Any color I do, you can count on my having cords available in
modular. Spade/spade is another story. I offer discounted prices to paint customers, let
me know what you need.
Surface preparation:
Plastic: The phones need to be ready to paint. You need to remove all dirt and
debris and also stickers and glues. For optimal finish, use a hand sander with
180 to remove gouges and dings, then 400
grit paper for smoothing off the sanding lines to a smooth finish. The paint goes
on thin which helps keep lines and logos razor sharp. The downside of this
is that it also shows through defects such as scratches and gouges. Even
scratches from scraping off a sticker will show through. Make sure anything
you don't want painted is removed, such as plungers, rubber feet, etc. Be sure each and
every part is marked with your initials and a two letter abbreviation of the color to be
painted.
Metal: Be sure any existing paint is smooth. You don't need to remove
the old paint, the polyurethane will adhere just fine. The key is smoothness. I
like to say that "If you can feel it, you'll see it". Run your fingers over
the transition between paint layers or paint to metal, if you can feel it,
it will show through the new paint. And remember, smooth, smooth smooth.
Once a year in the late summer I gather metal phones for bead blasting.
There is a separate pricing for that HERE.
Dealing with Surface Issues:
I can help out with repairing cracks, chips, dings, and gouges
for you. If a crack is cosmetic and not structural, then I make a repair
with glue and body filler. This works well with cosmetic cracks like
Princess phones with end cracks. This does not work well with structural
cracks such as corner cracks on 302's. These cracks will likely reopen when
the shrunken shell has been forced back onto the metal base.
If you have a phone with some surface issues or cracks, be sure to bring
them to my attention and I can take care of them for you. If you send me a
whole box of parts to repair, then there will be a minor charge. I'll make a
judgment call on each case.
Just remember, even the finest hairline crack will show through the paint. I
use body filler to cover the repaired cracks.
Marking Parts With Identification:
I like to have
everything marked in a similar fashion, it makes it easier when sorting. On
handsets, keep the caps on half way
and put your initials inside the transmitter end
of the handle. Marking the inside of the caps will help should they become
separated from the handle. On phone bodies, find the largest open flat space
inside for marking. Since the painter has instructions to paint all edges,
if you mark too closely to the edge your initials could become covered. On
small parts mark the side that doesn't get painted. A lot of times ID
markings get painted over, so you'll get back a part the same as you sent,
but not necessarily the exact one you sent in. If you want to insure you get
exactly your parts back, put a piece of masking tape over your ID so that
paint won't cover it.
Packing:
I've seen a lot of phone shells come in for painting and I've seen what can go wrong.
Here's some guidelines to follow to insure your phones make it safely.
| 1. Never nest shells. When they get compressed, they split |
6. Don't ship in a giant box, the bottom pieces end up crushed under the
weight |
| 2. Keep heavier items, such as handsets at the bottom of the box |
7. Wrap a single layer of foam or paper around each piece. |
| 3. Never ship a handset on it's cradle |
8. If there's threaded machine screw holes you don't want paint in, tape
them over. |
| 4. Bag up small items together so they don't get lost in the packing
material |
9. Send in handsets with the caps screwed on about half way. |
| 5. Include an inventory of what's in the box |
|
Warranty:
Nobody is perfect, once in a while paint doesn't always cooperate. A batch of
plastics for painting can be several hundred individual pieces. I don't have time to do
quality inspections of each one. If I do find a defect, I will have the
painter fix it. But since there are a lot of parts, I don't get to do a
close inspection of each and every part, I give them a quick once over.
Should you have a defect you want fixed, send the part back and I will have
it repaired.
Prices:
If you don't see your phone listed, just look for something similar in size
and go by that. For certain phones, multiple parts constitute "1 phone", the
table below will explain what you get. If you don't see your phone listed,
then assume it's piece by piece. If you're not sure, ask.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a minimum charge of $10. If you only send one
part or a couple of small items that don't add up to $10 on the chart, then
your cost to paint will be $10 plus return shipping. Sorry for the high
minimum, but there's a great deal involved in taking in, inventorying,
painting, sorting, and packing.
| Model |
Included in paint price |
| 500 |
Shell, handset & caps, grip cover |
| 2500 |
Shell, handset & caps, grip cover (dial face NOT
included) |
| 554 |
Shell, handset & caps |
| 2554 |
Shell, handset & caps (cradle NOT included) |
| Princess |
Shell, handset & caps |
| Trimline handset |
2 shell halves, screw cover, and dial center in the case of rotary |
| Trimline base |
Base shell (wall or desk) |
| Sculptura |
2 base halves, 2 handset halves, 2 caps |
| Noteworthy |
2 body halves, shelf, front frame, chassis cover (handset handled as
Trimline) |
| Genie |
2 body halves, 2 handset halves, dial center |
| AE Space Maker |
Body cap, front cover, pivot cover, head, handset and caps |
Important Notice, Please Read:
As much as I beg and plead to send paint ready plastics, I still end up
doing a lot of cleaning and prepping, or, more honestly, my wife ends up
doing a lot of cleaning and prepping. I do not offer this service, I just
don't have time for it. I also don't want to just paint over dirt and
sticker goo because then I'll just get a complaint. Therefore, I will make a
judgment call on final prep surfaces, and if I need to do any additional
work, there will be an additional charge proportional to what I have to do.
| Model |
Price |
| 500 & 2500 |
12.00 |
| 554 & 2554 |
12.00 |
| Princess |
12.00 |
| Trimline Base |
6.00 |
| Trimline Handset |
6.00 |
| Genie |
12.00 |
| Sculptura |
15.00 |
| Noteworthy |
22.00 |
| AE Space Maker |
15.00 |
| 2554 Cradle |
3.00 |
| 4-prong plugs (1pc) |
3.00 |
| 4-Prong Plugs (2pc) |
3.00 |
| TouchTone face plate |
2.00 |
| 3554 TT Dial Adapter |
2.00 |
| Single Handset |
4.00 |
| Speaker box - small |
7.00 |
| Speaker box - med. |
8.00 |
| Speaker box - Lrg |
9.00 |
| Misc small parts 1 sided |
2.00 each |
| Misc small parts 2 sided |
3.00 each |
For more information and questions, email:
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