I'm sure all of us here love the look of our iPhones - 3G or otherwise. The glossy chrome bezel look spectacular out of the box. To maintain the same elegant look, most of us here have been over-zealously protecting it. But alas, these scratches are close to impossible to avoid. My chrome bezel had its fair share of scratches too. Honestly, it wasn't too bad but that evening i was bored. So i decided to give this simple mod a go.

Of course this mod is nothing new. We've seen the same mod many years ago on the first iPod. But no one seems to talk about it here and i thought, hey why not share this with the community? This simple guide was done based on the actual process i went through. And as always, do it at your own risk.

So, here are what you guys need:
- Scotch-Brite™ Power Sponge (any brand would just do actually)
- Electrical tape (or anything similar)
- An iPhone, of course!

1. First up, use the electrical tape to cover the area (eg: back cover and screen) around the chrome bezel while leaving the chrome bezel itself exposed (obviously!). This to make sure other parts of the phone will not be damaged in the process.


2. When everything is all well and taped up, use the rough side of the sponge and start brushing. Don't be afraid to apply some pressure when you're doing so. I don't have my own image for this part, so i took this from some where:

TIPS: Make sure you have a steady hand when you brush. Give it a long, consistent and straight brush. The result will be marvelous.

Repeat the process for all sides. Be more careful when it comes to the edges. I realized that the edges are the hardest part to give the bezel a consistent brush.

3. And.....we're done! Simple? You bet it is.

Here are some of my own Before & After photos:

Before


After


Sorry for the lack of photos. It is quite difficult to capture the details with my ancient digicam. But you get the idea. There are several good photos available here. There is also a video tutorial available here should you need more detailed explanations.

I actually prefer the look of the chrome bezel now. Sure it isn't glossy anymore, but it is still as elegant in my opinion. Finger prints on the bezel aren't as visible as before and scratches can hardly be seen now. The verdict? I am absolutely happy with it.

Hope you guys like this simple guide. Adios.

This post has been edited by zc_squash: Oct 23 2008, 02:41 PM

Thanks all

Initially i was thinking to get one of those chrome scratch removers. But couldn't get myself to fork out so much money for a small bottle of solution which is only somewhat effective. I guess this cheap mod was just right for me

This post has been edited by zc_squash: Oct 23 2008, 03:59 PM

@Fighteden

Yeah you can do it over a several times as i did it to polish up the look a lil.

@Jaslyn

I can't answer you for sure but I don't notice the bezel got thinner. Perhaps it did, but it is so little that it is negligible.

I tatau man...so far don't notice it got thinner. Like i say, it's negligible. But of course, overdoing anything would mean destruction.

@Nokia

LOL, and i'll be busy 'stroking' everyone's iPhone!

@Samanoske Akechi

Yeah mate, it does give professional-looking brushed metal. What i am really happy with this is no more fingerprints!!!

haha yeah that's the whole point!

Back to the topic, with a lil creativity, you guys can have something like this:



But since our bezel is so tiny, it is close to impossible to have any 'pattern' on them. Anyway for those that wants to try with their iPods, do post up your photos here next time

Not more than RM 5 i believe. And it's not magic sponge. 'Magic sponge' a.k.a melamine foam is something like this:



That not what you need. The one you need is often found at your kitchen to cuci pinggan mangkuk.

This post has been edited by zc_squash: Oct 26 2008, 12:47 AM

@Frozzbyte

Yeah but i'm a lil sick of its tendency to attract fingerprints. Plus, i don't wanna look like i have an OCD towards the iPhone

@Ryuuga

You could either get GelaSkin or wrap ur iPod at handphone stalls that offer wrapping service.

I think 3rd party replacement parts have always been available. The LCD screen, the back cover, etc etc. So the chrome bezel is just one of the many spare parts sell online. How to fix that thing by the way?

@Balok

It doesn't magically fix all your scratches. Don't be alarmed but what you're doing with this mod is actually adding more scratches. It does conceal your current scratches though. I'd call this a controlled damage exercise. And it'd turn out to be nice.

To answer your question, yes you can re-brush it if necessary.

@Putera_Stephen

I would suggest you only do it when your iPod condition is beyond your tolerable threshold.

@Alexio82

I guess you will need a steady enough hand. But since the chrome bezel of the iPhone is so small, you can hardly go wrong (read: brushed pattern not straight).