Hello,
Due to my envy of the black MacBooks and my inability to purchase one, I want to paint an iBook black. I have previously painted the screen case of an iBook, but I want to try it differently this time. This is an iBook G3 12 inch 700 mhz (16 VRAM) model. I believe the white paint can be removed with Isypropyl alcohol. I have a few questions:

1) I want it to look as much as possible similar to the black of the MacBooks, I don't know if this can be done with spray paint, or another type of paint. So I'd like to figure out what kind of paint to use.

2) Is it possible to paint the trackpad without damaging it?

3) I've seen that the black keys on the Titanium PowerBook G4 are compatible with the iBook's keyboard. Can someone please confirm that?

I want to paint pretty much the entire laptop black, so this includes the top case with the trackpad. This is pretty much what I want to do, but in black: http://www.macmod.com/content/view/778/192/

That's all for now, if there's any resources, tips, or advice, please let me know.

Your help is greatly appreciated!

You might be better off trying to dye the trackpad. Not sure you'll get the colour you want that way.

The black keyboard from the early (400-500) Titaniums will fit in your ibook, not sure when the connector changed, the 550 may work too but the earliest for sure. Otherwise you have to pop off and replace each key, its a pain.

As for the trackpad, War's idea may be a good one. Paint will not hurt it but may not last long, your fingers will quickly wear through.

Most people paint the inside of the ibooks with transparent shells, not sure if yours is one or an opaque one. Paint on the inside is more durable and has a cool look, but wont match the matte finish of the new macbooks. Krylon Semi-Flat Black is a pretty good match for the finish if you decide to paint the outside.

I used RIT dye on my keyboard to make it blue, I guess you could do the same thing with black, the only downside it that wou have to take off every key,  Mine looked great when I was done, I painted the top and bottom from the inside then dyed the keyboard, i killed it when I was de-soldering a usb to add internal wireless G, it was nice whiel it lasted

I was planning on painting the inside, since it's the model just before the Opaque iBooks. Do you suggest the same paint mordaskyt suggested? And dying the keyboard would cover the lettering right? But if I dye the trackpad black, then it will still be usable but will it come off over time?

Thanks, I really appreciate the help!

When I dyed the keyboard I could still see the letters, they didn't come off, I would of liked them to though.... How would you dye the trackpad? Usually dyeing it involvs boiling it...  I left the trackpad alone... The button you should be able to strip and then dye.... I used 400grit, then some 1200 wet sanding paper

Yeah, I realized that if I dye the keyboard, it would fill the white space between the keys.

Is there a procedure I need to follow to dye the case, like sanding it? I would like to paint the inside of the top and botom case, and maybe dye the palmrest case part. I want to go to the hardware store and buy materials, so if I need to buy sandpaper or anything, please tell me.

And I should dye the palmrest instead of painting it, since it doesnt' come off?

Thanks again!

I reccomend sanding it with 400grit then painting it with very light coats of krylon fusion, no matter how monotonus it gets you MUST sand all the paint off if you want it to stick.... It took me 6hours, its worth it though... When your done be sure to post pics!

Ok, so to paint the top screen case and the bottom case, I should remove the paint with alcohol, sand it, then paint it. For dying the palmrests, I shouldn't need to do any sanding?

Also, qwertyuiop, how did you dye your keyboard? Did you remove the keys or submerge the whole keyboard assembly in dye? Sorry for all the questions, but I want to try to do it right the first time 

Thanks!

I took all the keys off, the palm rest needs alot of sanding, sand all the paint off it, do the same with the bezil, 400grit sandpaper works good... I used krylon fusion, it bonds to plastic...  If your going to dye your palm rest (I just painted mine) I think you should sond all the paint off with 400grit then wet sand it with 2000grit, it makes it really smooth, you won't even know its sanded... yes, doing it right the first time... I had to strip mine and paint it again after I found a peice of dirt under the paint, it was one of my homer simpson moments Do'h

krylon and other companies make flat black spray bombs for bbqs that are heat resistant.  If your going to go for rattle can than it couldn't hurt to use that.

Ok, I bought the paint and waiting overnight for the alcohol to remove the paint before I apply it.

For the palmrest/screen bezel/port face/CD door I want to dye it. http://www.macmod.com/content/view/778/192/ gives some guidance, but how much water and how hot should it be for the dye to be absorbed, and how many packets should I buy? Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for your helpful responses!

Ok, well I just ended up dying it all black, it looks OK so far, I'm gonna wait overnight and maybe sand it or buy some plastic protectors for a smooth touch, then try to get some black keys. I tried dying the keys but they all warped.

You could try dying the keys with alot less heat. Just leave them in for longer. Heat should just speed the process up.