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Filing the corners off my MacBooks

kentwalters.com

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Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#421

Post by tonyedgecombe »

sublinear wrote: post #76
kvuj wrote: post #17

Maybe I'm autistic, but I loooove the sharp edges near the opening. They've become almost a nervous tick of playing with them with my fingers. I've got no idea why, but the sharp feeling is amazing.

I don't think there's anything inherently autistic about that. We just finally have these technologies sufficiently mature that materials and design are no longer strictly dictated by their function. These objects are becoming more like clothing and less like unyielding industrial machines. It's to the point that I'd be genuinely disgusted to handle any used laptop regardless of how "clean" it is.

>We just finally have these technologies sufficiently mature that materials and design are no longer strictly dictated by their function.

It's not a new thing, cars started getting fins in 1948.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_tailfin

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#422

Post by varjag »

Lio wrote: post #357
compounding_it wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d suggest if you are going to do this to your MacBooks to get the silver one. The silver one is actually aluminum and no one would notice.

I’d actually be interested to see it on a black one. It might look like “brassing” on an old, well used camera. Whilst I like that it increases the “tooliness” of the Mac it’s not of me I think. I like mine pristine. ”There are many like it but this one is mine” , yada, yada.

Worn anodizing on aluminium doesn't look anywhere as good as brass under lacquer.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#423

Post by tonyedgecombe »

kzrdude wrote: post #332
inatreecrown2 wrote: post #168

Lovely writing! And I think the understanding that one can and should modify their tools to their needs is rather rare and should be appreciated.

Presumably the understanding on the forum is greater when it comes to software tools. And I would usually say: don't be your computer's tool! :)

When it comes to software I've moved in the opposite direction. I want to customise my system as little as possible.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#424

Post by tonyedgecombe »

guelo wrote: post #36
gruez wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I wonder why they made these so sharp So the seam looks neat when the macbook is closed, eg. https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MacBo...

Form over function

Yes although every time I open the lid with one hand I wonder why no other manufacturer seems to get their hinge friction so perfect.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#425

Post by tecoholic »

hadlock wrote: post #224
tecoholic wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Europe and America really call the summer solstice the “start” of summer. Wow. In India our summer holidays start at the end of March and finish in the start of June. That’s usually our hottest months too. And a lot of our regional “New Year” calendar’s and related festivals are on April 14th and can probably be considered the start of summer.

Hottest day of the year in the US varies by 3 months from California to Texas, which is only about half the width of the country. I would imagine the region you're in has a different hottest day of the year from say Kashmir or your neighbor Sri Lanka.

3 months? Wow. It should be impossible to put seasons on a shared calendar for the whole country.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#426

Post by cultofmetatron »

wereHamster wrote: post #368
mmsc wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As long as it's not hydrofluoric acid...

I bought a light HF acid (rust remover) so I can properly clean titanium parts before anodizing. Worked like a charm...

just don't let any of it get on your skin. only takes a splash to land you in intensive care.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#427

Post by ant6n »

twalla wrote: post #307
jagged-chisel wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re all actually aluminum, anodized to the color you choose. The silver one is the only one not anodized. Filing off the anodized layer is indeed bound to look awful.

Not to well actually your well actually but they’re all anodized to prevent corrosion and scratches (the oxide layer is harder than the underlying aluminum) - the silver one is just undyed.

Well actually, your not well actually to the well actually was actually a well actually of the well actually. Just sayin’.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#428

Post by dryadin »

Nice initiative but I would personally prefer adding some kind of padding, which is an easier solution to the problem, not as drastic, reversible, and less controversial. Unless doing something controversial is one of the goals here, which is also fair.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#430

Post by justinclift »

numpad0 wrote: post #399
justinclift wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Take the MacBook apart Otherwise known as "remove everything from the chassis, leaving only the chassis." But do so in a way that lets you fully re-assemble it later on, after you've finished the re-anodising. > 7. Dye it. Why the dye? I thought anodising's colour comes only from the voltage used, with no dye needed. ie you can pick the colour you want, but you need to get the voltage correct for that colour

> Why the dye? I thought anodising's colour comes only from the voltage used, with no dye needed. That's true for anodization processes for some other metals like titanium and stainless steel, but aluminum is dyed. Also the process is material specific. Anodization for Al is only possible because Al does that unique self organizing micropore thing.

Yep, you're right. I was thinking of titanium. :)

If anyone's interested in details of Aluminium anodising, this seems like a decently thorough introduction: https://nzic.org.nz/unsecure_files/book/8E.pdf

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