An option to restore the appearance of "ugly" brushed dluminum coverings, or to add it to 3rd-party cases...

CLBrown · December 18, 2023

Hey guys...

I've got only the black hand brushed aluminum type devices in my possession, no beige parts... but while both of my consoles are pristine, by speech box housings aren't, and my black housing for my joystick adapter lacks aluminum entirely.

I've really wanted to fix those things... and we all know "refinishing" the aluminum at home is... impractical, at best.

But I've come across this stuff. It's intended for use on automobile exteriors, but I see no reason it wouldn't work on any smaller surface as well. It's a heat activated, adhesive, stretchable vinyl film with the appearance of brushed aluminum.

By default, 3M sells it in big rolls, but 3rd party sellers sell cut off lengths in sizes more practical for our use.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/dc/v100832803/

https://www.amazon.com/BR120-BRUSHED-ALUMINUM-Application-Vehicle/dp/B078X3P5YC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1A42YALHBG694&keywords=3m+brushed+aluminum+vinyl+wrap+2080&qid=1702896830&sprefix=3m+brushed+aluminum+vinyl+wrap+2080%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-3

I'm ordering a 1' x 5' piece... the smallest I've found for sale... and plan to try it out in my joystick adapter case, to make it match my TI case better. (I suspect I'll need to wet sand the "printed" housing with fine to ultra fine sandpaper to remove printing lines first.) If that works well, it looks like this may be a good option for restoring the appearance of "age-uglified" TI's.

Of course, this will cover up pre-printed markings, too... so recreation of the original markings (or new markings which fit the TI theme) will be necessary. I'm thinking transfer markings covered with a fixative spray (laquer?) but have no idea if that would cause issues with the film.

But if it works, my Tipi32k and my joystick adapters will get the treatment, definitely.

Edited December 18, 2023 by CLBrown
Typos