Reupholstering a joystick with carbon fiber wrap. Is it all right to?

[Jess Ragan]

Here's the sitch. I bought an Edladdin joystick kit for my ColecoVision, along with a couple of nine pin extension cables. I've got an old Playstation 3 joystick which I've taken apart in preparation for the kit, but the old decal on the face of the stick is still there, complete with Playstation button symbols... and I'd rather have something there that's relevant to the ColecoVision, or at least console agnostic.

 

So my renovation options are as follows: either cover the top of the stick with a carbon fiber wrap (roughly six dollars at Amazon), drill four holes in the corners of the stick and cover it with plexiglass (allowing me to change the artwork at will), or just sticker-bomb the thing with classic video game stickers. The carbon fiber wrap is an appealing option, but carbon fiber is typically used for cars, and I'm not sure if it would be the right choice for a controller I'd frequently have my hands all over. I have the plexi right now, and there's enough to cover the stick, but it could affect the fitment of the buttons. Sticker-bombing feels kind of cheap and probably won't last long with my hands rubbing against the stickers. What's my best option here?

[Stephen Moss]

If the existing decal is not raised have you considered, taking the case apart and spraying it with can of car repair paint of your preferred colour to obscure the existing decals?

I am not sure it that would affect the plastic, I know there has been the occasional post from people who have custom painted their Jaguar so maybe ask them what they used. 

[Jess Ragan]

I wasn't gonna do it this way, but ten million air bubbles in the cheap vinyl I bought later, I guess I didn't have a choice! Spraypainting it is. I had some left over from a previous project years earlier, and surprisingly, it still worked. I'll hit it with an enamel coat once the spraypaint dries.

[BassGuitari]

What joystick was ever upholstered to begin with? 

 

That would actually be kind of a neat idea: an arcade-style joystick with something like a microsuede or velour top surface, with the side/front/back panels done with vinyl or leather. Keeping it clean might be tricky, but that would be a pretty tony controller. 😄

[Jess Ragan]

Click the "old Playstation 3 joystick" link at the top of the page. All will be revealed!