Window Switch Cover Brushed Mod
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 22
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From: Phx, AZ
Window Switch Cover Brushed Mod
Hey guys, I was so sick and tired of getting new door switch covers all the time.
As we all know the original ones had this rubberized paint that is known to scratch very easily. I was going to get the carbon ones but don't like the carbon look unless everything else is carbon. Then I looked at painting it. As I was sanding off all the rubber coating and then the primer coating underneath I noticed that the plastic that Nissan used was a high Quality gun metal ABS plastic that is made with Aluminum powder for strength.
I used to own a Delorean so I know a bit about graining (Did the whole car by hand!) so I wanted to try it on this piece to see how it would look. I think it came out great and has that Dark Aluminum Brushed look. It took about 3 hours to do each side but can't wait to get it in the car tomorrow!
PS.. The great part is I never have to worry about a paint chip or scratch again!
DIY
180Grit wet/dry paper
400Grit wet/dry paper
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
1. Remove Window Switch Cover from Armrest. Remove all switches etc..
2. Take 180 Grit Wet/Dry sandpaper and wet the paper + cover generously. Helps to use a spay bottle or under a sink faucet.
3. Sand down the entire cover until the entire Black Rubbery material is removed along with the gray primer that is underneath. (The reason why the paper needs to be wet is because the paper will clog up very easily due to the rubber material.)
**note** it is important to try to sand in the same direction (left to right lengthwise) Try to avoid going up and down while sanding when it gets close to the plastic. This will avoid more work later.
4. Remove every trace of Black Rubber + Gray primer. Once you made it through both the rubber and primer make sure not to keep sanding the spot over and over to avoid distorting the plastic. The plastic is very tough and hard to sand so it would be hard to make a mistake
.
5. Once that step is done you are ready to start graining the material. To do this Use the 180 grit paper while wet and sand in one stroke from left to right. You don't want to go back and forth. Place the sand paper down and move it in one swipe and then lift the paper and do it again etc... Its hard to explain but you will get the idea when you start doing it. You also want to keep your hand as straight as possible. A wavy swipe will show up in the final piece.
6. Once that is done and you are happy with the grain (if there are parts where the lines are not straight, you can go over it as many times as you need to get it straight) go over the entire piece with the 400grit. You only want to do this a little bit so the grain does not get to small. The more you go over it with 400 the smaller the lines will appear.
7. Once that is done take out the Polishing compound and put a little on the cover. Move in the same direction as the grain. Repeat this stepuntil you are happy with the shine. (This is what gives off the metal like reflection on the plastic.)
8. Once that is done your almost there! Take some windex or a soap and water solution and clean the piece. There will be some white compound and dust in the grain that should be removed when done polishing.
9. Put it back in the car and admire your work! Don't be afraid if it doesn't come out perfect. Its fairly easy to remove from the car and very easy to fix mistakes etc.. The best part is you never have to worry about a scratch again!
As we all know the original ones had this rubberized paint that is known to scratch very easily. I was going to get the carbon ones but don't like the carbon look unless everything else is carbon. Then I looked at painting it. As I was sanding off all the rubber coating and then the primer coating underneath I noticed that the plastic that Nissan used was a high Quality gun metal ABS plastic that is made with Aluminum powder for strength.
I used to own a Delorean so I know a bit about graining (Did the whole car by hand!) so I wanted to try it on this piece to see how it would look. I think it came out great and has that Dark Aluminum Brushed look. It took about 3 hours to do each side but can't wait to get it in the car tomorrow!
PS.. The great part is I never have to worry about a paint chip or scratch again!
DIY
180Grit wet/dry paper
400Grit wet/dry paper
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
1. Remove Window Switch Cover from Armrest. Remove all switches etc..
2. Take 180 Grit Wet/Dry sandpaper and wet the paper + cover generously. Helps to use a spay bottle or under a sink faucet.
3. Sand down the entire cover until the entire Black Rubbery material is removed along with the gray primer that is underneath. (The reason why the paper needs to be wet is because the paper will clog up very easily due to the rubber material.)
**note** it is important to try to sand in the same direction (left to right lengthwise) Try to avoid going up and down while sanding when it gets close to the plastic. This will avoid more work later.
4. Remove every trace of Black Rubber + Gray primer. Once you made it through both the rubber and primer make sure not to keep sanding the spot over and over to avoid distorting the plastic. The plastic is very tough and hard to sand so it would be hard to make a mistake
.5. Once that step is done you are ready to start graining the material. To do this Use the 180 grit paper while wet and sand in one stroke from left to right. You don't want to go back and forth. Place the sand paper down and move it in one swipe and then lift the paper and do it again etc... Its hard to explain but you will get the idea when you start doing it. You also want to keep your hand as straight as possible. A wavy swipe will show up in the final piece.
6. Once that is done and you are happy with the grain (if there are parts where the lines are not straight, you can go over it as many times as you need to get it straight) go over the entire piece with the 400grit. You only want to do this a little bit so the grain does not get to small. The more you go over it with 400 the smaller the lines will appear.
7. Once that is done take out the Polishing compound and put a little on the cover. Move in the same direction as the grain. Repeat this stepuntil you are happy with the shine. (This is what gives off the metal like reflection on the plastic.)
8. Once that is done your almost there! Take some windex or a soap and water solution and clean the piece. There will be some white compound and dust in the grain that should be removed when done polishing.
9. Put it back in the car and admire your work! Don't be afraid if it doesn't come out perfect. Its fairly easy to remove from the car and very easy to fix mistakes etc.. The best part is you never have to worry about a scratch again!
Last edited by silvercrow; Aug 28, 2011 at 08:37 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2009
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From: Georgia
ABS is used because it's very tough and has excellent electrical insulation properties. I doubt they'd add aluminum powder to it. You're probably seeing some other additive, or maybe something that got into it through recycling.
Please post some pictures. I'd like to see how it looks after all that work.
Please post some pictures. I'd like to see how it looks after all that work.
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Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 22
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From: Phx, AZ
Thanks for all the compliments guys! The greatest part is that it won't scratch again! I will do a DIY later on today.
You will need:
180Grit wet/dry paper
400Grit wet/dry paper
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Oh yea and a real steady hand!
You will need:
180Grit wet/dry paper
400Grit wet/dry paper
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Oh yea and a real steady hand!
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Phx, AZ
Here are some more pics in daylight. I am going to touch up the lines a bit today when I do the DIY since I can see better now that its sunny!
The more polish you use the more like metal it will look like.
The more polish you use the more like metal it will look like.
Last edited by silvercrow; Aug 27, 2011 at 11:32 AM.
