Mac-O-Lanterns

This Halloween season, bring an old computer back from the dead. Here's all you need to turn that dusty old Mac Classic into a glowing, Halloween treat. Besides a working computer and a little technical know-how (very little), all you need is three cans of spray paint and a bit of epoxy. And here's the best part...no slimy guts to clean out!

Step 1: Paint the Entire Body Orange.

Give your old Mac a nice cleaning and then mask off the screen with tape. We used clear shipping tape. For the painting, we used Krylon Fusion Pumpkin Orange spray paint. We started with another type of paint, but it didn't adhere very well. The Fusion line is made especially for plastic and worked great.

Step 2: Paint the Mouse Brown for a Stem.

We used Krylon Fusion Satin Espresso.

Step 3: Cut the Keyboard Cord Into Leaf and Vine Sections and Paint Them Green.

We used Krylon Fusion Hunter Green.

Step 4: Let the Paint Dry Completely.

Preferably overnight.

Step 5: Attach the Mouse and Cord Pieces With Epoxy.

Put a vine on each side of the stem.

Step 6: Create Your Face.

We made ours in Illustrator and then turned it into a JPEG through Photoshop. We had to dig around a bit, but we found an old external floppy drive and transferred the artwork via disk.

Step 7: Display Your Face.

We downloaded JPEGView from The Mac Orchard and have multiple faces rotating on the screen like a slide show. Feel free to add animation or bring sound into the mix. Here's your chance to show off your old-school programming skills.