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Accessories HTC 2150 + Dremel + VZW Red Case

Rhuston502 said:
For those of you who used a Dremel....what type of attachment did you use? a cutting wheel or something else? thanks
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Don't know if these are the proper names but I used the flat circular saw to make the cut, then the round cylinder one to smooth out the corners and edge, and then the little brush looking one to clean up.
 
Don't use a brush. That's how the "painted" surface gets chewed up. Use the cutting disc, barrel shaped grinders for refining, and then sandpaper to clean up the rough spots. I have photos at home of the Red/Black case I recently made for someone, and I'll post them up soon
 
drPheta said:
Don't use a brush. That's how the "painted" surface gets chewed up. Use the cutting disc, barrel shaped grinders for refining, and then sandpaper to clean up the rough spots. I have photos at home of the Red/Black case I recently made for someone, and I'll post them up soon
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The same red/black one as mine? How did the top edges come out? Does the red show through at all?
 
he is talking about my red/black case that he recently did. and WOW it turned out great. if you dont feel comfortable doing it your self or have a dremel, then i recommend sending it to drPheta
 
Both the red/black as well as the all red cases have the painted rubbery texture on them. Here's the picture of jwill's case. Don't mind the white streaks. I didn't wipe away the dust well enough before the photos and was in a rush to get out the door for the holiday weekend

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Thanks for the idea.

Here's how mine came out. I used a Roto-zip mounted in a vice. Did a rough cut, then used a circular grinding bit to finish shaping, then lightly sandpapered the edge. It's not perfect, but it works.

Will do my gradient case next.
 

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Here is my attempt at fitting my existing black silicone case. While it came out good, I really like the original posters better. Something about the red on black looks too cool. Plus, the silicone is tough to work with ... it is very hard silicone, making it difficult to get a perfectly straight cut and it is not sand-able. Sanding just buggers up the edge. I ended up doing everything with an exact-o knife. If I did not already have my case I would get him to make one for me since he does such a great job. Though, I am really enjoying mine too. Almost doubling my battery life was well worth the $45 (I get a 20% discount). I hope this helps others ...
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Man the red and black just goes soooo well together and it's the colors of the Blackhawks and Bulls so can't really go wrong lol

If I decided to go back to the 2150 I'm all over a red case like this.
 
ChiTownJim said:
Man the red and black just goes soooo well together and it's the colors of the Blackhawks and Bulls so can't really go wrong lol

If I decided to go back to the 2150 I'm all over a red case like this.
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Yea I dunno. I kinda like the black/red gradient one a little better since it's more subtle. I am going to edit in pics up top of my finished work.
 
Hand76 said:
Yea I dunno. I kinda like the black/red gradient one a little better since it's more subtle. I am going to edit in pics up top of my finished work.
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How did you trace the area of the bulge so well? I mean, the borders of the cutout are perfect. How did you do that?

I'm looking at picking up a dremel but don't see the proper attachment; the included heads all look like they are used for sanding/filing. I thought it should look like a disk for cutting into something.

Am I wrong?

drPheta,

Have you done this with a Seidio Innocase Active?
 
I freehand the entire cuts, that's really all there is to it. I haven't done the Active case, because I've been leary of how thin the top camera area would be after modding. Well, after seeing the cuts from the other thread, I'd be willing to cut the Active case for people if they wanted me to.

As for dremel bits, it's cutting disc and grinding barrels for this job.
 
Bearly said:
How did you trace the area of the bulge so well? I mean, the borders of the cutout are perfect. How did you do that?
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The keys to dremeling a case for me were:

1) Take your time and don't worry about perfection from the start...Straight lines don't have to be perfectly straight & curves don't have to be perfectly circular. I also used small circle attachments I had in my dremel case but you can do it carefully with just the straight blade going around at small angles.

2) Cut out all the basics and keep seeing if the case will fit the extended back, just keep taking off little bits and pieces until it will start to make it over.

3) SANDING! This is the most important part. I think I used a 300 grit sandpaper to start and I just ripped off little pieces and went pretty hard around all the edges of the case for about 15-20 minutes. This is what will make uneven lines even, it will also help shapen curves (by rubbing them out with a little piece of sandpaper rapped around in your finger) Also don't be affraid to use your fingernail around the edge of the case to get rid of any little (don't know what they are called) "shavings" that are still slightly stuck on. They will come off with some force and won't remove the paint on the rest of the case when doing so.
 
I also highly recommend drPheta's work! Great service, great communication, great final product (modded red/black gradient case), and an overall great experience!
 
After three weeks of using my converted holster/shell with the extended battery, I must say I really like the feel of the phone. My original concern in doing this was that I might loose some protection on the back side but that's not at all. The cover that came with the extended battery actually provides better protection for the camera and the cover has a rubbery feel to it that feels like a case in itself.
 
Thanks animal! Dan, I agree with the feel of the phone with this mod and battery. It's probably the best extended battery sized phone I've ever had. It's even more comfortable than my previous BlackBerry.
 
I started to use my Dremel to modify my gradient case. After one small incision, I realized I was NOT as good at this as I thought. The cut, about 1 cm, was crooked and .5 mm too far from the edge of the battery bulge. :eek:

I sent my case to drPheta with $25.00 to modify it and ship it back. I asked him to tell me whether he could hide my bad incision or not. If it was not possible to make it look good, I was ready to pay extra for drPheta to buy and modify a new gradient case for me.

drPheta sent me back a picture with his modification.

His mod was PERFECT. You couldn't see my error at all. And he is FAST! I didn't have to buy a new case, and I got the whole thing turned around in 5 business days!! My case looks just like the pictures in drPheta's original email (below, with links).

:):):) I HIGHLY RECOMMEND drPheta for your case-remodeling needs!!!! He's the MAN! :):):)

drPheta said:
I got my HTC 2150mAH battery today from VZW. It's HUGE, but I've been thinking about how to make it more streamlined since I heard about it. Enter my dremel work.

Dremel out the rear of the VZW snap case to match the bulge on the new battery door. Sand it down smooth, and here you have it. It's pretty nice feeling, and it doesn't bulge out too much. It's still bulkier than before, however if you had a protective case already it isn't much of a difference.

Now, my phone looks good and holds a charge longer.

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NOTE:
I will do this on a per request basis for $45 including the case (add $5 for the gradient case), and $25 if you mail me the case yourself. This includes shipping the case to you (you pay for shipping to me). If I grab the case myself, I simply run to the VZW store and pick one up, and this saves you on shipping to me.

PM me if you want me to do this. Just give me about 5 days or so turnaround time, as I have full time obligations elsewhere.
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