PerplexG3

by Bryan Falchuk

I got some mineral spirits from Home Depot, rubber gloves, some coarse steel wool pads (6 or so), and a couple of fine steel wool pads. I started on the bottom in case it didn't work out so I wouldn't have to look at my mistake all the time. I would recommend putting some strong, thick tape over the serial number (unfortunately, I didn't do so...bye bye serial number), and, if you can, run tape over all the seams, and frame the rubber section, though the mineral spirits will not harm the plastic. It is just easier for clean up because the rubber becomes mush, and goes into every nook and cranny. Also, cover the Apple logo so it doesn't get scratched. Lastly, be sure to have both media bays FULL or else you will get guck in the indsides of your 'book.

With a puddle of mineral spirits on the rubber part, take the steel wool, apply a good amount of pressure, and work a small area (2-4 inches), over and over again until you start to break through. The color will change to brown as you near the bottom of a layer of rubber. Switching directions can help break through a weakened area. For the edges, I used an X-Acto knife to get the rubber off because it is quite stubborn there. The bottom will come off much easier than the top. Apparently, this is because the heat of the PowerBook when it operates breaks down the rubber on the bottom. I have heard of the rubber easily bubbling off. Do not expect the mineral spirits to simply melt the rubber off...this stuff is very stubborn.

For the top, again, prep the area as with the bottom. The more prep you do, the less cleaning you will have to do later. Also, be careful of the monitor joint...cover this with tape so that your monitor moves easily after the job is done. The top took much more work, and the steel wool was not enough. I also used some sand paper to try and break through the rubber. Be sure you have ample amounts of mineral spirits on the rubber before using anything abbrasive. I also took a swiss army knife, and scraped off some of the rubber because it was so stubborn. The top took about 3 hours to get clear, where as the bottom took under an hour. To finish, use some very fine steel wool, and make little circles. You will see how shiny the book gets. I found that baby oil is a good way to restore the luster of the plastic, and clean off any residue that has gotten on the plastic. A quirky problem was that, as you get down to the metal, you will notice silver staining on your fingers from the metal liquifying. This problem ended after the book had a few hours to dry. I ended up painting my Apple Logo silver because it got quite stained from the liquidy metal residue (as shown in the smaller pictures, it was quite dull, versus the shiny version in the pictures with the BookEndz). A word of caution: some have used machines such as Dremels and Drills to get the rubber off. Someone has also sandblasted his book. Do not do this. It will remove the galvinization, and lead your book to rust. If you see signs of rust, perhaps a laquer or seeler would be a wise choice. I did try a laquer, but had to remove it (with steel wool) because it was dirty looking.

Caution!

A reader notes that only the WallStreet G3 has the metal layering. Attempt this hack with a Pismo or Lombard and you'll have a mess on your hands.