How to Remove Logos From Your PDA / Cell Phone With Sugar

Please don't try this if you are unsure about putting you phone in slight danger... i can't repair phones... (Although there should not be any damage as it is quite easy)

updateNOTE: This does not work with plastic covers! The sugar will leave scratch marks on it. (if you are careful only vary few)

This instructable is to show you how easy it is to remove some unwanted logo's from cell phones and other plastic / metal products. The logo has to be of the type glued onto the surface rather then etched in (which generally is the case 90% of the time) as we will scratch them off. There are many ways which you can go about this from fingernails, to pin, but there is one trick, which i have tested and will show you...

sugar.

The key is to scratch of the logo without leaving and marks on the surface of the phone (in my case PDA). Sugar works perfectly. The idea of using sugar is admittedly not my own. I first came across it on the following forum. Yet, I was not sure whether it actually works, and how to go about it. So I just decided to do it: and the results are good. Apparently the sugars -crystals are strong enough to remove the logo (sticker) but too soft to scratch the casing leaving it thus unscathed.

Whatever the reasons: it works!

Note: I edited the pictures so that important parts stand out.

movie.mpg
Download

Step 1: The Utensils:

Really all you need is

Your logo infested cell-phone, pager, whatever
Several cubes of sugar: I hardly used one, but according to other sources they need up to twelve, so a few extra can’t hurt [you can eat the leftovers ;)] )

Additional things which might be useful:

TAPE!! It is important as you don’t want sugar getting into your phone
a newspaper: you might want to limit any mess by using a newspaper as protection for your desk/workstation.
a pin to remove any sugar in niche
cloth to wipe off the sugar

The tape really is essential as you don’t want sugar in your phone. Having that said, I did not get any hands-on experience of any device malfunctioning because of sugar in the mechanics, but it certainly is not a good idea. Especially the spaces between the buttons provide excellent sugar traps. So in case you are extra picky (like me) you might want to have a pin handy in case you see some sugar trying to get in. I was extra careful and put on new tape ever so often. Firstly some sugar might just sneak under it, and more importantly my continuous rubbing did not leave the tape unharmed, so I replaced the tape a few times to be on the safe side.

Step 2: Applying the Tape

The point of the tape is to stop sugar from getting into the phone. So I have applied it all around the area of the logo. Even further where there were obvious slits where sugar could easily enter.

As one can see in the picture, there is still some slits exposed, (I covered them up afterwards).

Make sure that right at the logo, the tape is applied firmly so that nothing can slip through. On the other ends it is not so important to have the tape as tight. (you can see that I even just let it stand over the edge)

Step 3: Rubbing the Sugar

Now, it’s time to get rid of the logo by firmly rubbing it with the sugar. I made a video just to show how strong you can be with it. The main concern is actually not that you scratch the casing but that you scratch off the tape.

This actually takes a long time until you actually see results. It is easiest to use the corners of the sugar cubes. As they provide more control. It is easiest to scratch with one hand and hold the phone steady with the other. (it should just come naturally)

Periodically you will have to remove the tape, and put new tape on as you might have damaged and loosened it with too vigorous rubbing. This should not be a problem if you make sure before you put on the new tape the all the sugar is wiped off using some cloth. (fingers might get sweaty and make the sugar sticky)

Once the whole logo is off, you can use the cloth (my t-shirt) to wipe of the sugar as some will inevitably stick. Now you might get the impression that there are several scratches in the casing. In my case that was just ‘leftover’ of the logo (the glue I believe). This means some more rubbing with the sugar.

The tapes may have left a mark but with some dry cleaning with cloth and continuous use these should disappear quickly.