Building a Stealthwork: Space Cadet edition

Framework Laptop 13
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Hey guys! I’ve been watching Framework for probably over a year now, and recently got my hands on my very own 13 inch. It’s been a great experience! I love the DIY aesthetic of everything, and I was inspired to try a new challenge: a Stealthwork. This is, essentially, an all-black Framework. It was coined by someone else who did their very own version, doing a vinyl wrap. An image of their laptop is below:

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It looks great, but it seems that it was a fingerprint magnet and I can’t get in contact with the guy to see how it’s holding up today. That’s why I wanna try my own version. I’m calling it Space Cadet Edition to differentiate it from his, and also it’s a cool name. Who knows, I might get some white specs on it to look like space.
This thread is designed as a documentation/journal of the process of getting this working. The order that I have is these:

  1. Get Materials List
  2. Get Plan worked out
  3. Gather all materials
  4. Practice run
  5. Do Input Cover
  6. Do Bottom Chassis
  7. Do Top cover

I am at Step 1: Get a materials list.

So for right now, I am probably going with a vinyl wrap. I think that is the smartest, least destructive way to go about it. The only question is, what wrap do I get? Which would be good for a place where my hands rest, meaning residue/oils get on it frequently? I did some rudimentary research and found the 3M 2080 Matte Black roll, however I don’t know how it will hold up.

I’m thinking I will be getting an actual wrap for the bottom cover, and then get the Dbrand skin for the top cover. I am looking for suggestions, however, and any help will be greatly appreciated!

Also, it doesn’t have to be a vinyl wrap, it could be something like anodization or painting.

I am looking to complete this before Fall 2024 (so we have a few months, definitely feasable). I am currently in university, so that will make this harder to do, as I will need to make sure I have a stretch of time where I don’t need a working laptop in case this takes a few days.

I hope you all follow along with this adventure!

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Very cool project idea. I’ll be following along. One thing I may offer is, I believe at one point I was reading an article about wrapping when looking into it for my vehicle. The wrap tech recommended going a satin rather than a matte for most people. In your use case, satin might not be as much a fingerprint magnet, though it may lessen the desired stealth/space asthetic.

“In general, a matte wrap is a good choice for people who plan to leave their vehicle parked inside most of the time. A satin wrap is a better option for those who plan to use their vehicle outside regularly.”

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Interestingly, it seems that Rvinyl (which sells that 3M wrap I was talking about) has a dedicated laptop wrapping section!

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you can also check out dbrand they make a black keyboard and bottom skin you can add onto most of the top cover skins. I didn’t realize there were options to do that when i got a top skin so i missed out on the keyboard/body skin options.

I didn’t see a way to buy those without buying a cover skin.

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That’s one of the things that makes me want to do it myself. The bottom covers are good, but there’s a lot of missing pieces that I think could be done better. I understand why they did it, but I want it all black.

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I just purchased this to see how it works. I’ll be making a quick test application soon, and we’ll see how it holds up. This might go faster than I intended (damn you hyperfixations!).

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I’m also reaching out to a local anodizing company to see whether that’s an option. It would be the first framework to be color anodized from what I can gather if I do that.

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My dbrand skin is kind of an in between, I do like how the silver between the keys remains but the rest is black-ish. And the transparent bezel was definitely a good decision XD

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okay so after a quick chat with them, they would want to do anodizing. but even if possible, i realized that the trackpad would not be able to be anodized. Anodization is off the table.

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they’re here! im going to do a practice round with the input cover :slight_smile:

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update: i did two tests, and neither did really well. the first try, i cut too short and some silver same out. the second one, it looks good but the trackpad didn’t work once replacing. any other ideas?

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Any update on this project?

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i haven’t done much with, as i’ve been having issues with docking (support said they can’t do anything), so i haven’t been using it for a while. once i get a new mainboard (or i get sudden motivation), i will try again/something else.

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I wrapped myself in ORACAL 641 over the weekend and I dont recommend it.

I wanted to achieve the same full-matte-black stealth look, but skins (dbrand, etc) leave huge cutouts for all geometry (sides, curves, keyboard between keys, etc). Turns out it was done for a reason: ORACAL film does not stretch, so I had to cut and fold, leaving me to compromise on execution quality.

So, if you want vinyl wrap, go with high quality automotive film, that can be stretched, and take your time with small details. If I ever decide to re-do the project with wrapping, I would even consider wrapping topcase and bottom tray together.

Alternative way to make laptop black would be:

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