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Touch-up paint

Anybody know what type of touch-up paint to use for the metal housing on the Thunderbolt?

Unfortunately its not metal, its plastic, and it breaks very easy..... Not much help on the post sorry... I just needed to vent... 2 day old Tbolt fell from lap to floor and broke the corner... If it had been metal it would have just brushed it off like it was nothing. poopoohead plastic...

Yeah I can second that its not metal. I have paint chipping at the top corner and above the kickstand. I would strip the whole thing if I could....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Bummer. Could still try some touch-up paint though. I am kind of anal retentive about my phones.

Prob the best match you'll find is a car touch up pen from autozone etc....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

never mind

ad0131065 said:
Yeah I can second that its not metal. I have paint chipping at the top corner and above the kickstand. I would strip the whole thing if I could....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
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Yeah, some if the finish is also chipping off of my kickstand. It's pretty annoying, but considering that I pocket carry it with no case I can't really complain

Anything you put on will come off anyways, I say leave it go, gives the phone character
Sent from my Thunderbolt using XDA App

What's the lens cover made out of?

Is it plastic? Glass? Gorilla Glass? Just wondering because hard to tell from looking at it or tapping it. I'm hoping its some type of fortified glass.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

adamantium

unobtanium
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Diamond

Chuck Norris hair

I think it's a very clear type of plastic. I work in a lab and we have all kinds of glass and plastics. It resembles the kind I use on some test tubes.

vitaminxero said:
I think it's a very clear type of plastic. I work in a lab and we have all kinds of glass and plastics. It resembles the kind I use on some test tubes.
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Really, clear plastic? Lol. Sorry, I just had to.
Sent from my HTC One X

I'd guess it's just standard glass.

high grade plastic.. Just judging by the way you can see some distortions (for lack of a better word) in really bright light.

I heard its made of gorilla glass

ECEXCURSION said:
Really, clear plastic? Lol. Sorry, I just had to.
Sent from my HTC One X
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Haha... well I also suppose they would go for something a bit clearer knowing that there's a camera behind it. If not clear, a plastic that's a bit more scratch resistant. I really doubt it's glass let alone gorilla glass.

I think its the same type of plastic used on the lens cover of the Desire. For that reason i'm a but worried because the desire's scratched easily and became blurry from carrying the phone around in a pocket. Mine even had a crack in it.
Since the Desire had a removable back this was not a problem, you could replace the back or, as i did, push out the lens cover completely. But this is not possible One X. One X takes very good videos and photos and i dont want to ruin it with damaging the lens cover so i will definitely place a protector on it asap.

Wondered the same thing when buying it because it seems without a case the phone rests on the lens when played on its back. Got a case soon after just incase though, but i'd love to know for sure.
Sent from my HTC One X

bryyte said:
Wondered the same thing when buying it because it seems without a case the phone rests on the lens when played on its back. Got a case soon after just incase though, but i'd love to know for sure.
Sent from my HTC One X
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It doesn't actually rest on the lens, per se. It rests on the lower edge of the metal ring.

stnguyen09 said:
It doesn't actually rest on the lens, per se. It rests on the lower edge of the metal ring.
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The ring's edges do not seem to stick out, so it is exactly on the same level as the metal ring. For that reason whenever i place my phone on the table, i place it with the screen down.
oh well, first world problems

tyshemi said:
Chuck Norris hair
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+1
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

plaktoets said:
The ring's edges do not seem to stick out, so it is exactly on the same level as the metal ring. For that reason whenever i place my phone on the table, i place it with the screen down.
oh well, first world problems
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It sticks out, compared to the international HOX
---------- Post added at 01:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 PM ----------
joooch said:
I heard its made of gorilla glass
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It's not. It isn't cost effective, the optics wouldn't gain much from it because they're not the best. And the lens focuses past the lens cover.Just like a filter on a dslr.

Camera lens smudges easily?

So i have had my fair share of smartphones but I have to say that my only pet peeve about this phone is how easily it is for the lens to smudge. I constantly have to find myself wiping the lens before taking any pictures. Is anyone else also having this issue?

Lol is this thread serious?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

im so cereal right now brah

Dammit. The bottom of my shoes always get dirty. Does anyone else have this problem?
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RCOVA said:
Dammit. The bottom of my shoes always get dirty. Does anyone else have this problem?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
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You wear trash bags over your shoes problem solved =-p

blackguy101 said:
You wear trash bags over your shoes problem solved =-p
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I lol'd
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

blackguy101 said:
So i have had my fair share of smartphones but I have to say that my only pet peeve about this phone is how easily it is for the lens to smudge. I constantly have to find myself wiping the lens before taking any pictures. Is anyone else also having this issue?
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Maybe you should return it then. Get one with smudge free glass.
Sent from my SGS3 on Synergy Nightlies

Actually this is a good thread.
Why does not ONE single phone have a #@)*%@#ing shutter that closes over the lens? Like a regular friggin' camera. It seems so blindingly obvious. I've had to resort to using a loop made out of scotch tape to keep it from getting scratched or dirty in my pocket with all other stuff I throw in there.
Now sure maybe that'd add too much cost for phones. But what is even easier/cheaper? With less excuse?
Why do phone cases not simply have a little latched door that closes over it? Or a shutter that slides over the opening, to cover the lens and protect it? This is actually a much better question.. they have no excuse. I mean what is the purpose OF a "case" anyway? Protection.
The fact cases only have a dumb hole there and no protection is nuts. Even "good ones" don't have this. I haven't seen a single case with it... has anyone else?

Doors on the lens inevitably lead to scratches. Over time dust/dirt builds up between the lens and cover. Slide the door, scratch the lens. This is why I have an Otterbox Commuter case. The phone is already too slim to hold (for me), and the rear shell has tapered cavities for the speaker, flash, and lens. I put a thin strip of painter's tape on the back to cover the lens and flash. This is better than scotch tape since you can easily peel it off and reapply it several times, and you don't need a loop on the end which can get caught on things.

macdroid01 said:
Actually this is a good thread.
Why does not ONE single phone have a #@)*%@#ing shutter that closes over the lens? Like a regular friggin' camera. It seems so blindingly obvious. I've had to resort to using a loop made out of scotch tape to keep it from getting scratched or dirty in my pocket with all other stuff I throw in there.
Now sure maybe that'd add too much cost for phones. But what is even easier/cheaper? With less excuse?
Why do phone cases not simply have a little latched door that closes over it? Or a shutter that slides over the opening, to cover the lens and protect it? This is actually a much better question.. they have no excuse. I mean what is the purpose OF a "case" anyway? Protection.
The fact cases only have a dumb hole there and no protection is nuts. Even "good ones" don't have this. I haven't seen a single case with it... has anyone else?
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Like bob said the dirt scratches the lense and also the space constraints I would imagine. Looking at the camera there is physically no way to put a mechnical cover on it especially since it protrudes out. It just isn't possible.

Imatoasta said:
Like bob said the dirt scratches the lense and also the space constraints I would imagine. Looking at the camera there is physically no way to put a mechnical cover on it especially since it protrudes out. It just isn't possible.
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Well of course it's possible, but it would probably make the camera lens bump rather ungainly.
Sent from my unlocked/rooted SCH-I535 running CleanROM 1.3 using XDA Premium HD app

Jaegermeiste said:
Well of course it's possible, but it would probably make the camera lens bump rather ungainly.
Sent from my unlocked/rooted SCH-I535 running CleanROM 1.3 using XDA Premium HD app
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They would have to make the bump way wider to house the cover when it retracts and it would look so ugly. Then they'd have to axe the little silver ring around it which would make it even uglier.

Hmm painter's tape..thank you bobj0e. Will need to get some.
Still I think cases should have a door or something. Sure the phone itself does not have room such a thing with today's tech. But cases should easily have room since they are adding thickness. Which means they are adding space between a door and the lens, there should be several mm between the two at least. Right? Doesn't it make sense some case should have such a thing, to protect the camera?

Carbon fiber laminate replacement for rear glass

Hello everyone,
I just wanted to share a recent modification done to my Nexus 4. Like many people my rear glass basically spontaneously cracked in a spiderweb pattern across the entire surface of the rear glass. Frustrated I looked and looked for a replacement back possibly made of plastic or some other material...anything but glass!
Unfortunately I could not find what I was after, so I ordered a Nexus 4 rear housing with glass. Once it arrived and installed everything was great except I was constantly worried about the glass shattering again. Now that I had the original back off I could experiment a bit. It took me quite a while to chip all the glass shards away. Using a heat gun softened the adhesive and made it a lot easier. Also the wireless charging coil gave extra frustration to the glass removal, as its flexible and quite fragile.
Eventually all the glass was removed. At first I was thinking of going with wood, but after working with a veneer of Brazilian rosewood I realized that the wood was so thin that it was going to be a real pain to work with to get a precision form.
I really like the look of carbon fiber so I searched and found a piece of carbon fiber laminate 1/32" thick (.030" when measured). It came 3" wide and 12" long. I rough cut the basic shape with a band saw and then sanded the edge down to a 2.445" width. I then used a fine hand file to create the arched corners and ends. Eventually I got the perfect shape and then used a carbide end mill to create the holes for camera, flash and speaker holes. I also used a bit larger end-mill to make an inset on the rear side of the camera hole to drop in a new lens protector so that it would end up flush and not interfere with the camera once I installed it.
Finally I used some really nice double sided 3M 468 MP adhesive to bond the new back to the housing.
I was curious about heat dispersion, so I ran the phone through a few stress tests with both the glass and the laminate and the laminate actually came back with a slightly cooler result. So basically without strict data collecting I'd say my concern about heat is null.
I was really pleased with the results and wanted to share. Photo's don't quite do it justice like seeing in person. As you shift the phone in light there is a very dynamic weaved pattern reflecting similar but more intensely that the original glass. It's not as scratch resistant as the original glass but that was not exactly impervious to scratches either. I'm happy knowing there is basically zero chance of shattering. believe me I tried on a scrap piece.

That looks really nice! Be aware that carbon fiber will block/attenuate some signals like WiFi.

gdekatt said:
That looks really nice! Be aware that carbon fiber will block/attenuate some signals like WiFi.
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Thanks!
Hmm, I'll do a comparison next to my coworkers Nexus and find out if there's a difference.
Edit: I was not able to notice any discernable difference in signal strength on WiFi or the cell radio in comparison. Basically identical to the non-modded Nexus in signal strength and speed tests. Bluetooth works as it should. I have not tested NFC yet but I will when I get the opportunity.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

Really like what you've done with your nexus 4. Only thing is, when it broke in the first place, why didn't you just put a dbrand vinyl on the back? They look amazing, fit perfectly and it's not too expensive.

22sl22 said:
Really like what you've done with your nexus 4. Only thing is, when it broke in the first place, why didn't you just put a dbrand vinyl on the back? They look amazing, fit perfectly and it's not too expensive.
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Thanks. I did put something similar over it but unfortunately there was a crack in the glass right above the camera lens and light would refract through causing photos to come out terrible. Having kids and a new baby just arriving, I can't live without those spontaneous photos when needed on the spot. Otherwise I would have left it with the skin.
Oh and the carbon fiber laminate was only $10.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

Very cool!!! I like it a lot It would be even better to write "nexus" on the rear in the carbon, but i think it could cost a lot.

Where did you get the carbon fiber laminate?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

JoshP84 said:
Where did you get the carbon fiber laminate?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
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http://www.mcmaster.com/#8194k52/=oaipze
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

perfoliate said:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#8194k52/=oaipze
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
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If you plan to keep the phone a while, or resell it, keep the carbon fiber out of the sunlight. Unless they put some sort of UV protection on it? It will fade otherwise.
Looks great though. I have always been a fan of CF. I def give you a +10 for the project.

Covart said:
If you plan to keep the phone a while, or resell it, keep the carbon fiber out of the sunlight. Unless they put some sort of UV protection on it? It will fade otherwise.
Looks great though. I have always been a fan of CF. I def give you a +10 for the project.
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Thanks. It won't be spending much time in direct sunlight, but I think I'll do a test with a scrap piece and leave it outside and see how it holds up.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

I think you should make more and sell just the carbon fiber part.
SENT FROM MY RAGING NEXUS⁴ ?

rebj2007 said:
I think you should make more and sell just the carbon fiber part.
SENT FROM MY RAGING NEXUS⁴ ?
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If I had access to a water jet cutter I would definitely do that. Doing it manually by hand takes a lot of time and would drive the cost up more than I think people would be willing to spend.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

perfoliate said:
If I had access to a water jet cutter I would definitely do that. Doing it manually by hand takes a lot of time and would drive the cost up more than I think people would be willing to spend.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
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I get a hard on every time I see carbon fiber Is there a glossy coat over it or is it just the CF so that you can feel the texture? I am quite curious to see the radio reception test results. If they turn out to be minor, please let me know how much you would charge to make one for me. If only I had such skills
22sl22 said:
Really like what you've done with your nexus 4. Only thing is, when it broke in the first place, why didn't you just put a dbrand vinyl on the back? They look amazing, fit perfectly and it's not too expensive.
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No, just no! Real CF shall not be replaced with vinyls. NEVER!!!

anirudh412 said:
I get a hard on every time I see carbon fiber Is there a glossy coat over it or is it just the CF so that you can feel the texture? I am quite curious to see the radio reception test results. If they turn out to be minor, please let me know how much you would charge to make one for me. If only I had such skills
No, just no! Real CF shall not be replaced with vinyls. NEVER!!!
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Haha, I just said vinyl because it would be cheaper and less time consuming than doing the whole replacement thing, but the real CF does look really nice

anirudh412 said:
Is there a glossy coat over it or is it just the CF so that you can feel the texture? I am quite curious to see the radio reception test results.
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Generally in a carbon fiber laminate the weave is sandwiched between layers of epoxy to hold its form. This provides a smooth semi-glossy surface which also adds to the optical effect of the light bending as your viewing angle changes. There is a very, very subtle texture to it but its mostly smooth in characteristic.
So far I have not noticed a difference in radio reception, I will continue testing. If I had a second nexus with me it would be easy. There are so many environmental factors that make it nearly impossible to compare any current results with the previous glass back.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

perfoliate said:
Generally in a carbon fiber laminate the weave is sandwiched between layers of epoxy to hold its form. This provides a smooth semi-glossy surface which also adds to the optical effect of the light bending as your viewing angle changes. There is a very, very subtle texture to it but its mostly smooth in characteristic.
So far I have not noticed a difference in radio reception, I will continue testing. If I had a second nexus with me it would be easy. There are so many environmental factors that make it nearly impossible to compare any current results with the previous glass back.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
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Yeah I know about the epoxy. I have had car parts molded out of CF. However, some case manufacturers provide an extra glossy layer over the finished product (which I am not a big fan of). But it seems its not the case here.
I am wondering what would happen if the laminate were to be glued to the glass directly. Any ideas?

anirudh412 said:
Yeah I know about the epoxy. I have had car parts molded out of CF. However, some case manufacturers provide an extra glossy layer over the finished product (which I am not a big fan of). But it seems its not the case here.
I am wondering what would happen if the laminate were to be glued to the glass directly. Any ideas?
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Definitely possible. It would just thicken the phone by about 1/32" which would probably make it a little less than even with the official bumper edge. I would bevel the outer edge in that case so it smooths out with the edge of the phone. I used a rubber based back like this at first with a nice grip to it. It worked great. The only issue i had was was a crack over my camera lens so the glass ultimately needed to be removed.
They make a special epoxy glue specifically for this but the double sided adhesive I used works great. Its more of a gummy adhesive than a tape so it conforms a bit and has great yield strength.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

I'm impressed, looks very clean. Makes more sense than spending money on another glass back.

Metallic backplate...

Just bought this off eBay the other day....
Arrived this morning and I have to say I'm loving the feel of a metal back.
It's a replacement back so doesn't add any more to the size and is brushed aluminum. Signal strength hasn't been affected either so I'm happy.
Cost £8 and just a quick search on eBay haha.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

jongilluley said:
Just bought this off eBay the other day....
Arrived this morning and I have to say I'm loving the feel of a metal back.
It's a replacement back so doesn't add any more to the size and is brushed aluminum. Signal strength hasn't been affected either so I'm happy.
Cost £8 and just a quick search on eBay haha.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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How's the reception ? Does it affect it much?

hemlockwalter said:
How's the reception ? Does it affect it much?
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How about IP67? Is it still protected with rubber rings inside the backplate? Is it real aluminum or fake? Can you send us a link to the ebay seller?

jongilluley said:
Just bought this off eBay the other day....
Arrived this morning and I have to say I'm loving the feel of a metal back.
It's a replacement back so doesn't add any more to the size and is brushed aluminum. Signal strength hasn't been affected either so I'm happy.
Cost £8 and just a quick search on eBay haha.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Mine is in the mail today too! Can't wait to check it out. Same color.
hemlockwalter said:
How's the reception ? Does it affect it much?
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Supposedly reception is affected a bit. I'll gladly let you know later today if OP doesn't beat me to it.
Renzo4000 said:
How about IP67? Is it still protected with rubber rings inside the backplate? Is it real aluminum or fake? Can you send us a link to the ebay seller?
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It is not IP67 with no rubber. It's real aluminum according to the people in another thread who got this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151273219078

Does your backplate vibrate at high volumes?

Yeh I can confirm after being out with it today that I have dropped maybe one bar for reception overall...
It's real metal and feels nice thanks to the brushed effect...
And no it doesn't have the rubber seal so no ip67 protection. This doesn't bother me though as I don't get my phones wet even if they say they are water proof to any degree.
I'm really happy with this and think I'll stick with it... I've now ordered the green and blue one.
If u search eBay for s5 metal housing u will find loads in the us, uk and China...
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

neugenusis said:
Does your backplate vibrate at high volumes?
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Nope no vibrations at any level of volume.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Having a metal back must have some effect on reception. It MAY be too small to make it go from x bars to y bars and it will possibly have more or less effect depending on which direction the transmitters are in, but lets be realistic here, radio waves will travel much easier through rubber and plastic than they will through any kind of metal.
So the difference in some situations may be very small, and in others may be significant. Personally I would rather have the strange rubbery back that comes with the S5, knowing 1: I am guaranteed the best possible reception at all times, and 2: because of what it is made of, I cannot easily dent, scratch, or damage the back and 3: It's construction will allow for better grip than a hard metal back so I am less likely to drop it.
Samsung themselves have said the reason for lack of metal back is due to the effect it has on reception. And this is what worries me, if they get pushed by idiots and the media into putting metal cases all over it for no good reason, we lose points 1-3 AND inevitably have to pay more for the privalege. No problem if people want to buy a 3rd party or even Samsung original metal back but I hope to god they don't start shipping them as standard.

All I can say is the back I bought is no less grippy than the original backplate... and the signal loss is slight. Your usage may vary but for me it's fine.
I also think u could scratch the plastic cases or damage them as easy as a metal one... plastic isn't invicible to damage.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

jongilluley said:
All I can say is the back I bought is no less grippy than the original backplate... and the signal loss is slight. Your usage may vary but for me it's fine.
I also think u could scratch the plastic cases or damage them as easy as a metal one... plastic isn't invicible to damage.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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I concur. Using it right now. Feels pretty good.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Definitely looks thicker than the original back. I might jump on the wood back though

Based on my experience with a metal back plate on my S3, I didn't find any issues for reception (but there probably might have some effect).
It's usually slightly thicker but feels good.
One reason why I didn't go for metal is because I intend to go for a wireless charging solution and a metal back would interfere. I ordered a plastic blue one instead

jongilluley said:
Nope no vibrations at any level of volume.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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I just recieved mines in the mail. It definately does vibrate at high volumes. As other's have said, it has extra thickness. I have 5+ difference cases and none will properly fit with this backplate on. Kinda dissappointed.
At closer inspection, the backplate is pretty much a plastic back cover with a thin aluminum layer glued to it.

neugenusis said:
At closer inspection, the backplate is pretty much a plastic back cover with a thin aluminum layer glued to it.
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Quoted directly from the auction page that was linked a few posts up
"replacement hard plastic with metal on the surface" There shouldnt be any surprises here with the materials.

jay-red said:
Quoted directly from the auction page that was linked a few posts up
"replacement hard plastic with metal on the surface" There shouldnt be any surprises here with the materials.
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My bad. I should have said that I bought it from here.