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A roll of Macintosh color-matched PLA – Image Credit: Polar Filament
A collector of classic computers has worked on a 3D printer filament designed to color-match classic Macintosh casings, which should help future restoration projects.
The 3D printer has become an invaluable part of classic computing restoration, due to its ability to replicate parts of casings that need replacing. Being able to create a one-off print of a part that simply isn’t being manufactured anymore has been extremely useful to projects restoring older hardware.
However, while you can create the replacement part, it may not necessarily look like the original. Lines from filament deposit layers aside, there’s the problem of getting the actual color of Apple’s plastic correct.
Add in that the casings from the time eventually discolor with age, and it becomes hard to get a bead on the exact shade of gray needed for the replacement.
Computer collector Joe Strosnider decided to come up with a solution to the problem, by commissioning a very specific color of 3D filament, reports Ars Technica. This filament is special in that it that mimics the platinum color of Macintosh casings from the 1980s and 1990s, commonly used in “Snow White” designs.
Tricky and expensive
Strosnider has been working on the project for a few years, trying to color-match to Apple’s shade. That research led to Strosnider paying $900 out to develop the color itself, as well as an initial 25-kilo order for the filament.
While Strosnider could’ve kept the filament development private, he arranged for supplier Polar Filament to make the color available to anyone who wants it. It’s now available through the company’s website under the color “Retro Platinum.”
The version on sale is PLA at a 1.75mm thickness, meaning it will work with the vast majority of filament-based 3D printers.
The price, $21.99 per kilo, matches others in Polar Filament’s premium color range, which is $3 more than the company’s basic colors for the same specifications. It’s also reasonably expensive compared to the mass-produced filaments on Amazon, priced around $10 to $15 per reel, but it’s on a par with other high-quality or specialist filament options.
“I paid them a fee to color match the speaker box from inside my Mac Color Classic,” said Strosnider. “In exchange, I asked them to release the color to the public so anyone can use it.”
Beige preset
The move will hopefully open up more attempts to replace damaged classic Mac parts to 3D printing, now there is an appropriate color available. By using the filament, projects could get away without needing to add further touch-ups to get the right effect.
For example, one 2024 project 3D-printed a replica enclosure of a Macintosh Plus, which was fitted with a Raspberry Pi. The grey filament wasn’t quite right, so the correct color was applied as part of finishing the component, to great effect.
It’s also possible that Apple enthusiasts will buy the filament to create other non-Apple items, using the color for nostalgic purposes.
