From: John Goodman (jgood_at_well.com)
Date: Thu Aug 03 2000 - 08:58:22 EDT
I have a 5/98 vintage TP600 that's been a stalwart performer in
all respects except finish... I don't think my sweat is particularly
corrosive, but after regular use the "paint" where my wrists
rested (near the speakers) started to blister and peel away.
Seeing what looked like bare bright metal underneath the paint,
I thought I'd clean things up and applied some aromatic
solvents. Unfortunately, the metallic-looking surface then
started to give way, so I stopped in a hurry.
What's especially curious is that the bright chrome-appearing
areas, after cleaning the blistered paint away, gradually became
black due to skin contact over time. And this evolved black
finish doesn't scratch, seems a lot more durable than the
original paint. At this point, the only possible cosmetic repair
for my laptop would be to replace the entire upper part,
embracing the keyboard, speakers, and including the RGB IBM
Thinkpad logo next to the LCD screen close switch... :-)
I'd really like to know what's going on with these reactions.
How can plated plastic acquire a durable flat-black finish just
by skin contact? What I hope is that newer models have a far
more durable "finish", or are much more resistant to this kind
of trouble. Is this the case? I don't mind matte plastic finishes
being burnished to glossy by usage over time, like my TP space-
bar where my thumb touches. But graceful aging is important
for expensive machinery, is it not? At least the letters on the
keys have yet to wear away.
JG
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