Thinkpads Forum

So i bought a very cheap used x200 off the internet, its in overall good condition with the exception of the lid, it has some smudges that look kinda like fingerprint oil, but i had no luck removing them with a dry cloth... Is there a proper way to clean the lid? I was thinking about trying isopropyl alcohol or a damp cloth but thought i might end up damaging it even more, the other option is to wrap it in 3M Di-Noc Carbon Fibre Vinyl (i did some googling but couldn't find much info on how to apply it on a thinkpad, i've seen a guy who took the entire screen panel apart and applied the vinyl and some people on youtube who did it on other laptops by just applying it to the top and removing the excess with a blade) anyone here ever tried it?

It would take some practice I think.
I have tried the process on a T60 and X61S.
it does get some time getting used to, I use scissors to cut the general shape and then an xacto knife afterwards.
Edges seems to be the most problematic, especially when they are rounded ones and not sharp edges, makes it harder to crease for the vinyl wrap.

I posted in the ThinkPad desk setup part of the forum, here's a link to my imgur.
The last 5 photos are the CF wrap applications, I think other than the creases, getting the shape of Lenovo and ThinkPad will be the hardest because of the circles and curves in the font of those stickers.
It was easy in my T60 and X61 because they were straight lines and 90 degree angles.
As far as applying, I just cleaned the surfaces with glasscleaner, waited for it to dry and applied. If you make a mistake with the vinyl, you can take it off and reapply.
The stuff I got from eBay doesn't leave nasty sticker glue like some small stickers do, but I haven't taken the stuff out since, so I don't know the long term affects.
I had an older TP lose its paint/finish when I removed a sticker, but that was a 13 year old laptop compared to a 6 year old one with a "fresh" sticker applied.


Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the help, your thinkpad turned out great. Just one question, did you disassemble the screen panel or just applied it?

alcohol and water works fine. Acetone does wonders too, but I recommend against it because its very, very easy to splash some on the plastic and permanently ruin it. Methanol is also a good cleaner.

Ldestri wrote:did you disassemble the screen panel or just applied it?

I did not disassemble the screen, currently that lid wrapped T60 is being lent out, otherwise I would take close up photos. You will see that its off by a millimeter or two on some areas. Also some glue would need to be applied because in some if the edges aren't sticking on due to normal wear and tear from my laptop bag.

Thanks, it was quite fun! I had gotten a 30 foot roll from eBay for about 10 or so bucks.
It doesn't have that nice clear coat finish on top, so you feel the texture of the carbon fiber crosshatches.
I did have to disassemble the keyboard bezel, palmrest, and touchpad.