As of 20 minutes ago, I am one of those people!
Yes, it's a full metal case, but from what I understood it's zinc rather than steel, so it's more prone to bending. Weighs a ton, apparently, though.just_add_coffee wrote:As of 20 minutes ago, I am one of those people!
The FedEx guy got a workout ...
The 4704 feels much more like my F XT than the AT. My XT's springs seem a bit stiffer and the ping is ... ummmm ... "ringier" (think I'm making up word there).
The XT's case bottom is metal, but the AT's is plastic. I love Model Fs and I bought this (from Orihalcon) because of the amazing layout, and I don't know much about the 4704 yet ... but I think the entire case is metal. It's a beast for sure!
My father always called it "pot metal" but it is probably some form of Zamak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamak
Refurbishing the exterior doesn't sound like a lot of fun. I think this one might call for professional powder coating.fohat wrote: My father always called it "pot metal" but it is probably some form of Zamak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamak
It is lightweight metal, I don't think that there is very much weight difference between my 122 and 107 models. And it is probably more brittle rather than flexible.
It's probably worth the money if you have it to spare. Did you see my guide?
I had not seen that guide. That looks beautiful!fohat wrote:
It's probably worth the money if you have it to spare. Did you see my guide?
workshop-f7/ibm-model-f-107-key-termina ... arry%20107
Take it to someone that does powdercoat paint jobs for a living, they will remove the old paint for you.just_add_coffee wrote:I had not seen that guide. That looks beautiful!fohat wrote:
It's probably worth the money if you have it to spare. Did you see my guide?
workshop-f7/ibm-model-f-107-key-termina ... arry%20107
Any advice on sanding/removing the old paint? Because that seems to be the most critical point on these projects, at least for me.
Would they get upset if I opted to do the paint job myself?
I can't see why they'd be upset as they're still making money from you, though I do wonder why you'd opt to paint it yourself. When I got my f107 done it cost me £50 to have the metal stripped and re-painted and I got it back the next day. Or maybe you just enjoy the DIY aspect? Either way, good luck with the paint job. Hope to see pics when it's complete!
Glutton for punishment?
If you've got the skill and the tools to do it then go for it dude, and don't worry about breaking or bending the case, it's a massive lump of metal so it'll probably laugh at you even if you tried to break it.just_add_coffee wrote:Glutton for punishment?
Part of it probably is the DIY aspect, but mostly ... between the paints on the market and my OCD, I think I can end up with something more awesome than a shop would do. And fohat's link kinda won me over. A few years back, I redid an old laminated dining room table with Rustoleum's hammered copper and it was absolutely beautiful.
But all of that goes out the window if I bend or break the keyboard case in the process.
Your worry is justified ...
What I REALLY wanted was something like the middle example in this photo, but the guys at the shop said that it was impossible with the "very low-quality" metal that I had.
I opted not to do it now, but on a future project, I've considered bringing a keyboard case to a chrome shop and seeing what they could do. I've seen chrome on metal and plastic, so I don't know why a keyboard case would be different. I don't know if I'd want an entirely chrome keyboard, but maybe some parts and accents?