Saturday
Sep122009
Back to School Part Deux; DIY Laptop Cases
Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 4:00AM 
Just imagine your laptop protected with a clear hard-shell plastic cover and pretty fabric or paper underneath.
Here's our alternate and modestly subversive laptop cover with graphics by Ken Brown: imagine: "La Sullen Teen", "El Gameshow Host" "La Lawn Butt!"
These go for $49 retail but you'd have to be high to buy them for that price. You can get them on (uhg) Ebay for $25.Speck
Consider this; who wants to be like the PC guy in the Mac commercials?
Lets be honest, we all prefer the benign hipster guy who briefly dated Drew Barrymore. So if you have a PC, sell it on Craigslist to someone with a Hummer and a roof rack full of hunting rifles. Excuse me? Why are you still reading this? Go, PC user, go. Turn off your Céline Dion 8-track, jump start your Yugo and run, don't walk, to a locally owned Apple Reseller and buy a laptop for under $995. Then email me and I will send you a secret decoder ring and two tickets to Modest Mouse. You will INSTANTLY be cooler, I swear to God. And then you can make this laptop cover.*
Start by ironing your fabric.
To make the fabric more erect and easier to trim without fraying, get a piece of paper and some Super 77 (any strong, spray adhesive will do.)
(These are not my hairy arms) Spray the paper evenly and wait a minute until it's tacky dry.
Place paper on back side of fabric, sticky side down of course...
Smooth it out with your hands (we're using a rubber scraper / burnisher.)
Draw and cut out a template (I made mine from outlining my Macbook and taking off about 3/4" all around). Then trace the template onto your paper that is glued to your fabric.
Cut it out with GOOD scissors. "Good" scissors are typically hidden from the kids. These are nice expensive ones that someone left at my house after a party this summer. Lucky me.
The "piece de resistance:" underneath the bottom panel I put a label with my name and address and reward information in case I leave it at the race track during a bender.
I have read reviews that say these hard-shell covers have busted people's laptop hinges. Not a problem for me because I'm not a spaz. So when you first install, open it slowly and use a butter knife to take it on and off to change your design.*Disclaimer: I have lots of friends who are PC users (and they aren't all as doughy as the PC guy.) No hate mail please!
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Reader Comments (3)
I will forgive you for your PC hate, but only if you can figure out a way to disguise my PC with a super awesome cover like this. Deal? No? Sigh.
Those are too your hairy arms! ha ha! Just kidding. you are too funny.
Wow, very cool and a guaranteed way to not have your wife use your laptop in public. That is say, if you put a decal of the A-Team or Transformers on there. Wow! It's like a modern day lunch box for adults. Dukes of Hazzard or Super Mario Bros..... I'm really torn.