MS Mouse Painting - Applies To Almost ANY Plastic Components

Step 1:

Remove the 4 oval shaped 'glide pads' on the underside of the mouse, and unscrew the screws behind them

Step 2:

Separate the red base from the rest of the mouse's body, then undo the two screws on the inside top of the button\body assembly

Step 3:

sand down the body assembly with 1200 grit wet and dry sandpaper, then wash with fairy liquid and water, dry well.

If u wish to spray the button assembly..........IT TAKES AGES! Mainly due to the fact MS have used a rubberised coating on all the dark grey areas on the mouse...............which reacts with paint
I scraped it off gently with a Stanley knife blade, and then sanded with 1200, and washed\Dried

Step 4:

spray the mouse parts with plastic primer, and allow to dry. Then give them a very light sanding again......wash\dry.......then.......spray them the desired colours

for more detail on the spraying process check the 'paint your drives in 8 easy steps' guide

Step 5:

Once dry (24 hours) re-assemble the mouse, and give it a polish

By Iver Athlon

Update

Spraying Plastic Components

If you have a plastic computer component [mouse, keyboard, monitor . . . ] and want to spray it a standard colour, black for example, you will get a much better result if you use dye. Halfords sell spray dye called flexible vinyl paint, and it's very good for spraying. The advantage of a dye is that it doesn't need any surface preparation other than a clean, and if scratched it is black underneath. It keeps the original texture of the plastic too, so if using a mouse it won't make it slippy and shiny.

By Caged

Yet Another Update

In this case I believe a little more info is needed :

any surface that is going to painted needs to be prepared. the more time spent doing this the better the results.

Sanding

Sanding of items, be they metal or plastic is absolutely necessary, this gives the paint a good surface to stick to, and so will not flake off.

For computer related products i suggest the coarsest paper u consider using is 600grit. On detailed components like drive fronts I suggest 800-1000grit as the coarsest. Always use 'Wet & Dry' sandpaper.....wet

Cleaning

Cleaning is best done with fairy liquid and a tooth brush. This removes all the nasty grease (finger prints etc...), waxes (polishes etc...), and the mess left behind from all that Wet & Dry sanding. Make sure the object is dried straight after rinsing, and that its done very well. just 1 drop of water will make a right mess when spraying. i always use a compressor to blast out the water that gets into the crannies as its easier and faster

Priming

Like sanding this gives the top coat a better surface to adhere to. Primer will fill in minor sanding scratches as well as acting as a 'grip'. it will also act as a barrier if the object has something nasty on it (like a small amount of polish or a incompatible paint...see 'important info' at bottom) that would make the top coat 'react' or 'pickle'.

Plastic items need a 'plastic primer' whilst metal items need normal primer.

Get a primer closest to the colour of your top coat. to my knowledge only.....grey.....white....red.....yellow are available

Make sure the primer can is at room temp.

Shake it like a mad man for at least 5 mins.

Hold the can 30cm or 12" away from the object at all times when spraying.

Use constant sweeping motions to ensure even cover.

When spraying large areas....spray left -2- right, until covered....then spray up -2- down. This will also ensure even cover

Primer will be suitably dry in around 5 hours if at room temp+

A Primed surface should be very lightly sanded with 1200+ grit paper and washed before top coat is applied, this will give nice smooth results.

Top coat

Use exactly the same methods as with primer. Only extra things to watch are:
Don’t spray on a cold day or the paint will 'bloom' or go misty

Top coat takes at least 24 hours to dry properly.

if using a cutting compound like t-cut (see below) the paint must be left for around two weeks

Lacquer

EXACTLY the same as 'top coat'. Don’t spray lacquer on too thick, only a couple of dust coats are needed

Cutting compounds & Waxes

Cutting compounds like T-Cut are mild abrasives in liquid form. These will smooth out and polish painted surfaces and give even more impressive results, but be warned use too much\rub to hard and say goodbye to Mr topcoat and hello to Mr primer. Waxes like Turtle wax are non abrasive polishes that will add that 'showroom sparkle' and finishing touch to any painted surface

Important Info

There are many different types of paint. ie. enamel\acrylic\cellulose etc.... these different paints will react with each other, this is bad. To avoid this only use 1 type of paint on your project, Acrylic is best and most widely available.

Spray in a dust free, warm, well ventilated area. This will give your project the best results and be a bit kinder on your lungs

Spray cans are far from ideal for large areas like side panels due to their small spray area. a compressor will give much better results as the nozzle is adjustable to give virtually any size\shape jet u could ever want

Update by the uber-helpful Iver Athlon