my Carbon Fiber vinyl wrapped Atrix 4G

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Well, after as much as I loved my Samsung Captivate that I had previously wrapped in 3M Di-Noc Carbon Fiber vinyl, I decided to wrap the front and sides of my Atrix, as well as modify the back of it a bit. Here's the work done:

  • Wrap the entire front panel using one solid piece of vinyl, pre-cut prior to installation using templates - including the cut outs!
  • Cut out out the front camera hole, the speaker, the proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and the status indicator light - then trimmed down the bottom with the microphone port - all prior to installation so as not to scratch the screen!
  • Wrapped over the excess on the sides to enable a better grip of the phone since the 3M Di-Noc material is TEXTURED just like real carbon fiber, then cut a relief cut on the edge of the screen so the vinyl could wrap successfully around the edge, went around it a bunch with the heat gun to seal it all up
  • Cut out the volume buttons but left the panel over them - we'll see how long it lasts in my pocket, but I heated it pretty well to ensure it wouldn't lift....
  • Wet sanded the back cover to remove the AT&T logo, the "HD VIDEO" text by the camera, and the word "blur" next to the Motorola logo for the ultimate in clean....

And now for the pics......

184792_830636904948_12702760_44129353_3722612_n.jpg


185733_830637044668_12702760_44129358_6671487_n.jpg


183733_830637134488_12702760_44129360_6329360_n.jpg


You can see higher resolution pics by going to my album on Picasa:

https://picasaweb.google.com/garciam25/MotorolaAtrix4G3MDiNocCarbonFiber#

Now remember.... I am not taking any commissions on doing this to your phone, sorry.... the other vinyls available on eBay will just have to do because this stuff is too expensive and this was too time consuming to do for any customer, plus, I am NOT soliciting my services on here to do it, so don't ask! I do this professionally and install the material, I do NOT sell it for you to buy. Google it if you want this for yourself, but expect to spend well over the 2 hours this took me to do if you don't have any experience. Don't forget your heat gun and X-Acto knife with lots of fresh blades!

Again, all the buttons function exactly as they did from the factory. I have NO issues with this, so don't try and bash this concept because you think the buttons don't work - if they didn't work, I wouldn't leave this on! FUNCTION over FORM

What do you think? Better looking that my Captivate? Yeah, I think so too.... I am a carbon fiber junkie - if this isn't your thing, that's okay! I appreciate you being able to appreciate my hard work on the day after this phone was officially released!
 
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loztboy

Senior Member
Jan 25, 2008
87
3
That looks sick bro. I'm assuming it's 3m Di-noc film. Can you see the touch buttons when they are lit up through the vinyl?
 
That looks sick bro. I'm assuming it's 3m Di-noc film. Can you see the touch buttons when they are lit up through the vinyl?

It sure is 3M - first line of the original post - and no, you cannot see the softkeys. I liked my Captivate that way, especially since I used NoLED and it required you to hit the Home key in order to bring up the screen if you had received a text, email, missed call, etc, as the power button didn't work any longer. With this phone, I guess my security is a little tougher with a fingerprint scanner!

Thanks for the compliments! First day "road testing" it with my younger cousin messing with it and she went out to buy one with me after 5 minutes of messing with it, so I guess it didn't hinder much of the stock capabilities, haha
 

LaZ8787

Member
Feb 20, 2011
10
4
Really like the clean look on the back after you wetsanded the logo off. I'm definitely going to attempt this myself, I hope it turns out just as nice!
 

cegna09

Senior Member
Jun 20, 2009
310
31
looks good.

any advice for trying to do the back cover? I can't get it to wrap nicely on the corners. It just seems too thick to properly pull cleanly over the rounded bits.
 
Really like the clean look on the back after you wetsanded the logo off. I'm definitely going to attempt this myself, I hope it turns out just as nice!

I used 2000 grit and a decent amount of water from the faucet. Just take your time and remember - NEVER press too hard when wetsanding. The whole point of using such fine paper is to let the grit do the work when it's good and ready, not pressing too hard that it burns up the material you are sanding! Good luck!

looks good.

any advice for trying to do the back cover? I can't get it to wrap nicely on the corners. It just seems too thick to properly pull cleanly over the rounded bits.

Heat gun. I could have done the back too, but I liked how it came out so far and I love the cool home desktop "dock" I have, which is more of a stand with a cord to plug in manually. The material will bend around just about anything, as evidenced by the fact that I bent the material 90 degrees around the two sides of the phone, as I applied heat to it very carefully.

Post your pics when you get stuck or done with it, I'll see if I can help remotely, haha! Just cut more than you need so you have something to grip onto, heat smoothly and evenly, do NOT overheat the vinyl, and pull it straight around the corners and edges. It can EASILY stretch too far and ruin the natural looking 2 x 2 weave of the carbon, and then you mind as well just have bought the cheap stuff....
 
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Deleted member 2488575

Guest
Very nice I love carbon fiber as well


can you at least post instructions on how to remove the blur and HD logo on the back please.
 
Very nice I love carbon fiber as well


can you at least post instructions on how to remove the blur and HD logo on the back please.

I kind of did in my last post, the post above yours, but I'll add a few things for those completely new to wet sanding altogether. As with anything, read through ALL the steps before you get so excited you'll have a phone rid of that blasted AT&T branding - inside AND out!

Things you'll need (not in bullet format because there's only three) - 2000 grit sandpaper that clearly states on it that it can be used for wet sanding, a sink with adjustable spray pressure levels, and patience!!! :D Wet sanding is probably the easiest way to sand, but you have to know what you're doing so as not to ruin the material you are protecting with the addition of water to the normal sanding process. If we tried this without sanding, it would require a good amount of buffing afterwards -that is, if we didn't burn right through the top, protective layer of the panel, the glossy part above the fake carbon fiber pattern!

  1. Most important step of all - TAKE OFF THE BATTERY COVER BEFORE STARTING WORK!!!! I hope no one misses this step.....
  2. Tear off a piece of sandpaper about 1" by 3" - the width of the paper should be around 3" so just cut or tear by folding a few times the 1" section. If you bought a square piece, grab some scissors and cut this size out.
  3. Turn on the faucet to more than a drip and less than medium pressure. You want a steady stream but not too heavy pressure.
  4. Hold the back panel so you can angle it such that the water runs on to it and off of it ONLY on the spots you will be sanding off! Now re-read what I just said - don't soak the whole thing in the water, just make the line of water hit the AT&T logo (or whatever else you're sanding off) and run off, not onto everything on the panel!
  5. The water will rush off the panel because of how smooth it is. That's cool, with your other hand, rub the water onto the soon-to-be-removed logo, I use my thumb to utilize the most surface area.
  6. Hold the paper in your hand such that the finger you are most comfortable with applying light pressure with is holding a 1" x 1" square at the end of the 3" section - this can be your thumb as it is in my case or your pointer and middle fingers together. Either way you feel comfortable NOT pressing down too hard, the better. Sometimes I've seen people not able to control the level of pressure their thumb emits, so I've told them to use their fingers instead and it has worked better for them.
  7. Be aware of where the paper is in your hands in relation to the back panel. The reason I said to cut such a small piece is that anything bigger can "get away from you." You can easily let the paper grind up against other spots of the panel, ones that AREN'T being protected by the water! You might get the AT&T logo off, but your friends will all be saying "what happened here??" when they see a mistake.....
  8. Wet the sandpaper thoroughly and then L I G H T L Y rub a section of the sandpaper onto the logo in a circle pattern while you alternate between 1 second under the stream of water and 3 seconds out of water. DO NOT go up and down, left and right, etc! Let the paper do the work for you and rub it every so gently.... The grit is actually strong enough to burn right through the logo and ruin the fake carbon fiber pattern below, so the lighter you press, the better chance you have of making the paper burn off just the logo and not the pattern below. You don't have to worry about JUST sanding off the logo and not touching the material - small circles about 1CM in diameter will work just fine and the water will protect the material from scratches - so don't be SO precise as to what you're sanding here!
  9. Keep applying water! Keep up the pattern of 1 second under / 3 seconds out of water. You want it to get enough moisture between the sand paper and the material so that it doesn't scratch up the protection on the cover. Don't be afraid, as if you keep enough water between the two, you'll get it off in no time.
  10. A Warning from Captain Obvious - items that have a lot of paint, like the Motorola logo, will take longer to remove than thin lettering like the "HD VIDEO" text! That means you have to ensure you're not burning off the protective layer below when you're sanding longer!
  11. Once you're done with removing all that you want to remove, ensure that there aren't any traces of paint left on the outside cover by using water and / or a wet paper towel or napkin. You're not DRYING the piece just yet, you're making sure there aren't anything left on the panel that can be abrasive BEFORE drying it!
  12. Dry the panel completely. You can do this with cool air like from a compressor (best option) or hair dryer on the cold setting, leaving outside NOT in the sun but in an area that wind blows, leaving it out to dry indoors for an hour, or a terry cloth or paper towel (both are last resort options because they can scratch up your nice work even if you don't think there's any chance they can). The point is.... give it some time to ENSURE it is dry before reinstalling it!!!
  13. Inspect the panel. If you see some areas that look burned up or scratched, grab a clean, wet paper towel or napkin and gently rub over it. Then dry again, and then start using your fingers to rub over it and smooth it all out. You'll be surprised to see that some "blemishes" are just the oil from your skin or residue from the cleaning process!
  14. Slap that sucker back together and post your pics!

Any questions, of course, post them here!
 

neotekz

Senior Member
Oct 7, 2007
1,414
170
Ottawa
another method to remove the logo is to use a penny. took me about a minute and didnt scratch the surface.

where do you get the 3m tape? have you thought about putting it on the back cover to give it more grip?
 

TfzSCVang

Senior Member
Jan 26, 2011
201
21
Gonna have to try this! Thanks for the detailed instructions also! That'll prove to be very resourceful when i do this for my Atrix!
 
another method to remove the logo is to use a penny. took me about a minute and didnt scratch the surface.

where do you get the 3m tape? have you thought about putting it on the back cover to give it more grip?

The best place to get it from (cheap plug for the awesome staff over there) is Carbon Fiber Gear's sister website, CarbonFiberFilm.com - best prices hands down!

Someone asked earlier HOW to do the back, and I guess I didn't get into WHY I didn't do the back on mine. I kinda like the tacky fake carbon on the back of the phone! Plus, with wet sanding, it gives it a TINY bit more grip, but then again, think about where you grip the phone anyways - the sides. These sides are wrapped and have tons more grip, so I haven't dropped it since I pulled it out of the box.... a couple times.... haha!

Gonna have to try this! Thanks for the detailed instructions also! That'll prove to be very resourceful when i do this for my Atrix!

You're welcome, good luck and post pics when you're done!
 

Tennis11

Senior Member
Nov 25, 2010
236
16
I couldn't get the lock and power logos off the top of the cover. I think they're different paint.
 

neotekz

Senior Member
Oct 7, 2007
1,414
170
Ottawa
i just got the tape and cant seem to figure out how to make the outline for the sides.

i did the battery cover by putting the tape on first and then cut the holes after but i cant do that with the sides and dont want to scratch the phone.
 
i just got the tape and cant seem to figure out how to make the outline for the sides.

i did the battery cover by putting the tape on first and then cut the holes after but i cant do that with the sides and dont want to scratch the phone.

Just PM'd you about the same question you asked here - there isn't an outline or template you need to make first, you cut the vinyl once it is heated ON the phone, not beforehand, using an X-Acto
 

neotekz

Senior Member
Oct 7, 2007
1,414
170
Ottawa
i just finished. i found an easy way of making an outline for the sides. i put teh tape on and then take it off which leaves a good impression of all the holes and made it easy to cut.

here's teh finished product, i did the sides and battery cover as well as my candyshell case. thanks for the great idea GarciaM25

IMG_2088-1.jpg

IMG_2090.jpg
 

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    Well, after as much as I loved my Samsung Captivate that I had previously wrapped in 3M Di-Noc Carbon Fiber vinyl, I decided to wrap the front and sides of my Atrix, as well as modify the back of it a bit. Here's the work done:

    • Wrap the entire front panel using one solid piece of vinyl, pre-cut prior to installation using templates - including the cut outs!
    • Cut out out the front camera hole, the speaker, the proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and the status indicator light - then trimmed down the bottom with the microphone port - all prior to installation so as not to scratch the screen!
    • Wrapped over the excess on the sides to enable a better grip of the phone since the 3M Di-Noc material is TEXTURED just like real carbon fiber, then cut a relief cut on the edge of the screen so the vinyl could wrap successfully around the edge, went around it a bunch with the heat gun to seal it all up
    • Cut out the volume buttons but left the panel over them - we'll see how long it lasts in my pocket, but I heated it pretty well to ensure it wouldn't lift....
    • Wet sanded the back cover to remove the AT&T logo, the "HD VIDEO" text by the camera, and the word "blur" next to the Motorola logo for the ultimate in clean....

    And now for the pics......

    184792_830636904948_12702760_44129353_3722612_n.jpg


    185733_830637044668_12702760_44129358_6671487_n.jpg


    183733_830637134488_12702760_44129360_6329360_n.jpg


    You can see higher resolution pics by going to my album on Picasa:

    https://picasaweb.google.com/garciam25/MotorolaAtrix4G3MDiNocCarbonFiber#

    Now remember.... I am not taking any commissions on doing this to your phone, sorry.... the other vinyls available on eBay will just have to do because this stuff is too expensive and this was too time consuming to do for any customer, plus, I am NOT soliciting my services on here to do it, so don't ask! I do this professionally and install the material, I do NOT sell it for you to buy. Google it if you want this for yourself, but expect to spend well over the 2 hours this took me to do if you don't have any experience. Don't forget your heat gun and X-Acto knife with lots of fresh blades!

    Again, all the buttons function exactly as they did from the factory. I have NO issues with this, so don't try and bash this concept because you think the buttons don't work - if they didn't work, I wouldn't leave this on! FUNCTION over FORM

    What do you think? Better looking that my Captivate? Yeah, I think so too.... I am a carbon fiber junkie - if this isn't your thing, that's okay! I appreciate you being able to appreciate my hard work on the day after this phone was officially released!
    2
    Very nice I love carbon fiber as well


    can you at least post instructions on how to remove the blur and HD logo on the back please.

    I kind of did in my last post, the post above yours, but I'll add a few things for those completely new to wet sanding altogether. As with anything, read through ALL the steps before you get so excited you'll have a phone rid of that blasted AT&T branding - inside AND out!

    Things you'll need (not in bullet format because there's only three) - 2000 grit sandpaper that clearly states on it that it can be used for wet sanding, a sink with adjustable spray pressure levels, and patience!!! :D Wet sanding is probably the easiest way to sand, but you have to know what you're doing so as not to ruin the material you are protecting with the addition of water to the normal sanding process. If we tried this without sanding, it would require a good amount of buffing afterwards -that is, if we didn't burn right through the top, protective layer of the panel, the glossy part above the fake carbon fiber pattern!

    1. Most important step of all - TAKE OFF THE BATTERY COVER BEFORE STARTING WORK!!!! I hope no one misses this step.....
    2. Tear off a piece of sandpaper about 1" by 3" - the width of the paper should be around 3" so just cut or tear by folding a few times the 1" section. If you bought a square piece, grab some scissors and cut this size out.
    3. Turn on the faucet to more than a drip and less than medium pressure. You want a steady stream but not too heavy pressure.
    4. Hold the back panel so you can angle it such that the water runs on to it and off of it ONLY on the spots you will be sanding off! Now re-read what I just said - don't soak the whole thing in the water, just make the line of water hit the AT&T logo (or whatever else you're sanding off) and run off, not onto everything on the panel!
    5. The water will rush off the panel because of how smooth it is. That's cool, with your other hand, rub the water onto the soon-to-be-removed logo, I use my thumb to utilize the most surface area.
    6. Hold the paper in your hand such that the finger you are most comfortable with applying light pressure with is holding a 1" x 1" square at the end of the 3" section - this can be your thumb as it is in my case or your pointer and middle fingers together. Either way you feel comfortable NOT pressing down too hard, the better. Sometimes I've seen people not able to control the level of pressure their thumb emits, so I've told them to use their fingers instead and it has worked better for them.
    7. Be aware of where the paper is in your hands in relation to the back panel. The reason I said to cut such a small piece is that anything bigger can "get away from you." You can easily let the paper grind up against other spots of the panel, ones that AREN'T being protected by the water! You might get the AT&T logo off, but your friends will all be saying "what happened here??" when they see a mistake.....
    8. Wet the sandpaper thoroughly and then L I G H T L Y rub a section of the sandpaper onto the logo in a circle pattern while you alternate between 1 second under the stream of water and 3 seconds out of water. DO NOT go up and down, left and right, etc! Let the paper do the work for you and rub it every so gently.... The grit is actually strong enough to burn right through the logo and ruin the fake carbon fiber pattern below, so the lighter you press, the better chance you have of making the paper burn off just the logo and not the pattern below. You don't have to worry about JUST sanding off the logo and not touching the material - small circles about 1CM in diameter will work just fine and the water will protect the material from scratches - so don't be SO precise as to what you're sanding here!
    9. Keep applying water! Keep up the pattern of 1 second under / 3 seconds out of water. You want it to get enough moisture between the sand paper and the material so that it doesn't scratch up the protection on the cover. Don't be afraid, as if you keep enough water between the two, you'll get it off in no time.
    10. A Warning from Captain Obvious - items that have a lot of paint, like the Motorola logo, will take longer to remove than thin lettering like the "HD VIDEO" text! That means you have to ensure you're not burning off the protective layer below when you're sanding longer!
    11. Once you're done with removing all that you want to remove, ensure that there aren't any traces of paint left on the outside cover by using water and / or a wet paper towel or napkin. You're not DRYING the piece just yet, you're making sure there aren't anything left on the panel that can be abrasive BEFORE drying it!
    12. Dry the panel completely. You can do this with cool air like from a compressor (best option) or hair dryer on the cold setting, leaving outside NOT in the sun but in an area that wind blows, leaving it out to dry indoors for an hour, or a terry cloth or paper towel (both are last resort options because they can scratch up your nice work even if you don't think there's any chance they can). The point is.... give it some time to ENSURE it is dry before reinstalling it!!!
    13. Inspect the panel. If you see some areas that look burned up or scratched, grab a clean, wet paper towel or napkin and gently rub over it. Then dry again, and then start using your fingers to rub over it and smooth it all out. You'll be surprised to see that some "blemishes" are just the oil from your skin or residue from the cleaning process!
    14. Slap that sucker back together and post your pics!

    Any questions, of course, post them here!
    1
    Really like the clean look on the back after you wetsanded the logo off. I'm definitely going to attempt this myself, I hope it turns out just as nice!

    I used 2000 grit and a decent amount of water from the faucet. Just take your time and remember - NEVER press too hard when wetsanding. The whole point of using such fine paper is to let the grit do the work when it's good and ready, not pressing too hard that it burns up the material you are sanding! Good luck!

    looks good.

    any advice for trying to do the back cover? I can't get it to wrap nicely on the corners. It just seems too thick to properly pull cleanly over the rounded bits.

    Heat gun. I could have done the back too, but I liked how it came out so far and I love the cool home desktop "dock" I have, which is more of a stand with a cord to plug in manually. The material will bend around just about anything, as evidenced by the fact that I bent the material 90 degrees around the two sides of the phone, as I applied heat to it very carefully.

    Post your pics when you get stuck or done with it, I'll see if I can help remotely, haha! Just cut more than you need so you have something to grip onto, heat smoothly and evenly, do NOT overheat the vinyl, and pull it straight around the corners and edges. It can EASILY stretch too far and ruin the natural looking 2 x 2 weave of the carbon, and then you mind as well just have bought the cheap stuff....