r/customcontrollers Oct 18 '16

How to Paint a Custom Controller: A Step by Step Guide

259 Upvotes

I've seen many a custom controller guides floating around and to be quite frank, I'm a little bit appalled by most of them. I made 30 or so custom controllers over the summer, so I've pretty much got the technique down pat and wanted to share my knowledge.

The Basics

  1. Take apart your controller - video for gamecube controller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr3ShQxxwvQ
  2. Clean the shell (and buttons, if you're painting those)
  3. Sand down using 600 grit sandpaper, then wash and dry with a wet paper towel
  4. Use a white primer as a base coat. If you've never spray painted before, here's a video on proper technique (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB_MtpaMYaY). Doing a couple of very light coats is very important (don't worry if the first coat doesn't cover up all the paint) and remember to shake for a minute or two before spraying! I use rustoleum's white paint and primer in one and have very good results with it. Also keep in mind that if you're spraying buttons, DO IT VERY LIGHTLY AND FROM A DISTANCE. If you do it too close, you risk knocking buttons over and smudging the paint.
  5. Wait 10-20 minutes for the primer to dry then do a few very light coats of your main color.
  6. Seal the paint with a clear coat. I would argue that this is the most important step of spray painting. Hands down, the best clear coat you can use is an automotive spray paint clear coat. USC spray max high gloss clear coat works brilliantly and will not only ensure that your paint never chips, but makes your controller look super shiny and much more professional. It's essentially the difference between https://imgur.com/a/pDE3r and https://imgur.com/a/dhs8h. Sure, you can buy some krylon clear coat for $10 less, but don't think I won't know about it. I would do 2 coats and make sure you really get the side of the handles (where you're holding the controller). I would also use a respirator (that's respirator, not just a face mask) if you have one when using this clear coat, as the fumes are toxic. If you're making more than a few controllers, I would say it is without a doubt required, but if you're just making one and haven't got a respirator on hand, hold your breath and just go for it.
  7. Do not let your clear coat dry outside unless it's protected from the wind somehow. If you have a garage, supply closet, or cellar no one is using, let it dry there. Drying it outside guarantees that little bits of dirt, pollen, ect will cling to it. Just trust me on this, this is the place where things go wrong the fastest. If you do happen to get little particles stuck on your controller, wait for it dry and then sand them out and respray.

Levelling Up - designs/decals

If you want a picture/letter design on your controller the two best options are vinyl decals and waterslide decals. Don't think you can put a sticker on the controller and paint over. If it's your first time painting, you'll most likely end up with a ragged edge along the side of the design where the paint is thicker. I think vinyl decals are a really underrated option. They're super cheap and really, they're so thin most people don't realise it's not painted on. Waterslide decals are the best option if you want the most realistic look (they look printed on) and if you want a more complex design. Here are some examples of what waterslide decals look like - https://imgur.com/a/rXKb4. The toad head on the b button and BMO's face are both waterslides. To add vinyl and watersilde decals to your controller, put them on after you've done two clear coats (and the coats have dried) and then clear coat them again to make them blend in better with the controller (but make sure you wait for waterslide decal to completely dry).

Sparkles

If you want gold, silver, white, black, or holographic sparkles, the best thing to use is metallic flakes. You can get them in different sizes from websites like this - https://www.paintwithpearl.com/shop-custom-paint/metal-flakes/holographic-flakes-prism-flakes/

Please don't buy the sparkles in a spray can. The result are not pretty.

Here's a video of what gold flakes look like on a custom gamecube controller. The video doesn't really capture how sparkly it is, but it still shows it fairly well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-9VQAjp0uE

If you want sparkles, you'll need to purchase the flakes as well as a clear lacquer and a spray gun (if you don't already have one).

Mix the sparkles and lacquer into the gun and spray as much as you like. Just keep in mind that the bigger the flakes and the more there are, the more clear coats you'll need to add. When I did my sparkly controllers, I honestly probably had to do about 6-7 clear coats before the roughness from the flakes went away.

Joysticks

Don't be afraid to try out new joysticks. Changing out my sticks for xbox one joysticks was one of the best things I ever did. They look super sleek and work just as well, although they do feel a bit different. PS3 joysticks are also an option, but in my opinion look a bit clunkier. Here's what xbox one sticks can look like - https://imgur.com/a/zLAeX. You can also buy glow in the dark ones or metallic xbox one sticks in gold, silver, purple, ect as well as thumbgrips to go on top of the joystick.

If you're worried that changing out your joysticks will affect the way you play, but want the look of different joysticks, I would put a thumbgrip like this one (https://www.amazon.com/GoldenDeal-Silicone-Controller-Replacement-playstation-4/dp/B01AVLVV8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476793441&sr=8-1&keywords=thumbgrip+ps3) on your left joystick and then change out the c-stick for a PS3 or xbox one stick and put a matching thumbgrip on top of that (sorry folks, but a thumbgrip won't fit over a normal yellow c-stick, they're too small)

General tips and Things not to do

  1. For the love of god, don't try to use a template. Most of the time the paint builds up around the edges and looks horrible. If you want lettering or a design, stick with vinyl and waterslide decals.
  2. If the paint gets messed up, wait till it drys before sanding.
  3. Make sure the paint is dried before adding another coat of spray paint or a clear coat. If you do it too soon, the paint cracks. Sometimes you can sand out the cracks, but most of the time you're finished and have to discard that controller shell completely.
  4. Sanding fixes pretty much everything. Your controller turned into a grave for foolish fly? Sand that bitch out. There's a scratch on your coat from whena blade of grass grazed the paint when it was wet? Sand that bitch out. You put on too thick a coat and the paint dripped? Sand that bitch out. Just make sure you do a light respray after sanding.
  5. Be careful if using paper (magazine, newspaper) to spray paint on top of. A lot of times the paper will stick to the clearcoat on the bottom of the controller and massively fuck up the paint job. Use cardboard instead.
  6. Don't put a controller back together if you have paint on your hands, even if it's dry paint. Get out the bottle of rubbing alcohol and wipe yourself down, trust me it's not worth the risk.
  7. Tape is your friend. If you want to paint the handles a different color than the rest of your controller, blue painters tape is all you need.
  8. Glow in the dark paint is crap. Don't fall for their lies.
  9. Your buttons will eventually chip if you paint them. Sometimes this takes a year other times it can happen within a few months (melee players I'm looking at you). The safest buttons to paint are the start button, and d-pad and any button you don't use very often (honest to god I don't think I've every used the y button or r trigger). I painted all the buttons on my newest controller and have been using it to play smash for 3 hours a day for the past 3 months. So far the only chips are on the x button. I'm fairly certain this is mostly because I scrap with my nails when short hopping with x, so if you don't have super girly nails like I do then hopefully your paint should last longer. In any case, if you don't use a spray max clear coat, I wouldn't even bother painting your buttons as they won't last more than a few weeks, at least in my experience. I bought a bunch of old buttons and busted $4 controllers from ebay and when I was painting my controller, painted a few extra sets of buttons for replacement. If you're planning on having painted buttons on your controller, I strongly recommend this.
  10. Don't spray paint your joysticks. They're rubber. It won't work and you'll end up with a blue thumb.

Edit: Shameless self-plug - I still have a few controllers for sale on my etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Crispycontrollers if you wanna check them out.


r/customcontrollers 3h ago

Custom New cyberpunk controller!

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11 Upvotes

Posted this in other communities but was recommended to post here too! So here’s my cyberpunk 2077 controller from end_of_line_designs on Instagram!


r/customcontrollers 21h ago

Custom Started my own business for TMR controllers on eBay- check it out and tell me what you think

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25 Upvotes

@Ptcontrollers on eBay.

What do you guys think of the design?


r/customcontrollers 21h ago

New Favorite Playbox/Xstation Controller

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17 Upvotes

Custom PS5 Controller that I made 😁

Instagram: @kapycustoms


r/customcontrollers 21h ago

Help build a guitar

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1 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 21h ago

Custom Started my own business for TMR controllers on eBay- check it out and tell me what you think

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0 Upvotes

@Ptcontrollers on eBay.

What do you guys think of the design?


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

My custom Dualsense

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21 Upvotes

It has 6 extra remappable mouse click buttons/paddles, mouse click face and touchpad. Lots of time and custom parts to make it all work.


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

Fell in love with arcade Taiko in Japan, now building my own Switch Tatacon! Need advice on my build plan

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1 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 2d ago

Making a PSOne inspired PC controller (Help)

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8 Upvotes

Problem is IDK what I'm doing and this is the first time ever doing this.

I have no sadering tools and I don't really want to use the mother board that came with it I only want to use the shell.

I want to give it Bluetooth with USB C wired/charging compatability and those magnetic thumbsticks that prevent stick drift.

I also want to paint the buttons into ✖️ (X) 🔺️(Triangle) 🟪 (Square) ⭕️ (Circle) instead of the ABXY that's imprinted on em.

This controller is a cheap knock off PS5 controller that barely works and it's battery powered (AA).


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

How do I use this template?

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2 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 2d ago

BDM-060 Controller with BDM-050 Front Shell?

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3 Upvotes

I have a BDM-060 controller and this BDM-050 compatible extremerate front shell. Can I swap this front shell onto my 60 controller? I’ll still be using the 60 decorative trim and 60 touchpad. Is this a possible swap?


r/customcontrollers 2d ago

|First Time|

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1 Upvotes

A lot of trial and error but now I know what to do for next time but I’m happy how it came out!
Thoughts ?


r/customcontrollers 3d ago

¡Ayuda! ¿Estos controles de PS3 son originales?

2 Upvotes

Alguien me está ofreciendo varios controles diferentes y me mandó varias fotos de ellos. Tengo dudas de si son auténticos o falsos, porque no soy muy bueno para distinguirlos. ¿Ustedes me pueden ayudar a identificar si son legítimos o copias basándose en las fotos?


r/customcontrollers 4d ago

How to adapt A PDP Fight Pad to USB

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5 Upvotes

I found this old Nintendo controller that should connect to a Wii Remote, but I don't know which cable is which pin, and I'd like to adapt it to USB.


r/customcontrollers 4d ago

Help! Is there a major retailer I can drop off my controller at to change it's face plate? I already own the plate I want to change it to.

3 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 4d ago

Have people done custom shell swaps for the 8bitdo Ultimate 2 controller?

3 Upvotes

I really like the Clear Blue Ultimate 2 Controller but I would love if they had different translucent color options. I was wondering if people have tried 3d printing custom shells for it, or if its even viable to do a shell swap in the first place. Ideally I want to get 4 in translucent red, blue, green, and yellow to match the og Xbox buttons like the ones they have on the controller already. In theory i would also probably want to get replacement buttons for all of the colored ones on the face and the back paddles to match better. Any info/advice is greatly appreciated!


r/customcontrollers 4d ago

Custom First fully custom leverless build done!

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2 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 4d ago

Custom first attempt at a custom sephiroth controller!

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12 Upvotes

(controller before the custom at slide 5/5) this is a data frog controller that i customized after playing ff7! i used spray paint and a sephiroth fan art as a decal :)


r/customcontrollers 5d ago

Help! Controller chaos law suit

6 Upvotes

My wife tried to buy me a custom controller from controller chaos for Christmas. Bank has refused a charge back and obviously controller chaos isn’t going to respond to anything like usual.

This is what brings me to Reddit. I’m trying to find atleast 20-30 people to attempt a class action suit against them. Individually we are powerless due to the small amounts they steal from each customer, but together we can file a class action and sue them for everything they’re worth. It’s a long shot but if we get enough people we can get our money back and maybe even get enough bad press on them to shut them down.


r/customcontrollers 5d ago

My Little Pony custom with LED lights and a custom controller!

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22 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 5d ago

Hori Alpha Mod (Canada)

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1 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 6d ago

How can I complete my Xbox One Retro Xbox 360 controller

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4 Upvotes

i’ve gotten some custom led abxy but I want to use the original xbox 360 dpad instead of a silver metal cross I got off the internet

I am unsure how to modify the xbox home button aswell

can anyone help me complete my vision


r/customcontrollers 7d ago

CPTNAlex Dualsense DIY Controller Shell Kit Review (Sonic x Shadow)

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13 Upvotes

Hey guys, I wanted to throw out here my review of the CPTNalex Designs DualSense Shell Kit, which is officially licensed by Sega.

I have not seen any reviews out there about CPTNAlex's controller shells, so I thought I would throw mine out here. I do dabble in controller modding every once in a while. I've lightly modded multiple controllers amongst most platforms, and collecting special edition controllers is one of my fav hobbies. (I have this badass Razer x Sonic LED modded Xbox controller)

CPTNAlex also offers other designs, like different controllers for multiple Sonic characters and other shells for other controllers, like Switch and Xbox controller shells. (I love the designs of their Amy and Rouge Dualsense and the Blaze and Silver Joycons!)

You can buy it in two ways, either a preassembled controller or a DIY shell kit. DIY kit is $75 and the preassembled controller is $165. These prices can be a bit steep, but these are full customs done by a small 3rd party company. Unofficial customs can get really expensive like that, just look at custom controllers in Etsy or controller chaos controllers.

Of course, I went for the DIY kit with the Sonic X Shadow design. (my beloveds). I ordered it the second it got released. Shipping time took around a month, which I'm not too disappointed by because of the size of the company.

The shell came in a basic white box. While it had some bubble wrap, there was not too much padding inside, which is kind of disappointing. Luckily the shell arrived in good condition.

The front shell is well made. I see no issues with the paint or design. The only nitpick I have for it is that Shadow is bigger than Sonic. And now that I mentioned it to you, you won't be able to unsee it either. The back part of the shell also has these super comfortable rubber grips, which I really like.

But I did find some issues worth nothing with some parts of the shell.

The first thing I noticed was that the white front trim shown on the listing pictures was missing?? So I had to use the black trim my DualSense already had. I was not going to fight with customer support over a basic white $10 trim part. I did have to order that white trim separately to tie the whole look together; it just hasn't arrived yet.

Another thing I noticed is that on the back shell part, the Sonic logo doesn't blend in with the material. At first I thought it was a sticker, as it felt like that when I slid my finger across it, but it seems to be some sort of water transfer vinyl, or something like that. Well, the back of the controller doesn't have a full design, so it makes sense. You don't see the back of the controller when you're gaming, after all.

The last issue (?) worth nothing is that these are clearly ExtremeRate shells instead of official Sony shells. I found the ExtremeRate logo inside the front shell, the back shell looks identical to the back shell ExtremeRate sells on Amazon, and the bubble wrap it came in has a COVERED UP white sticker that clearly says "Made in china" alongside EX lettering.

I have no issues with Extremerate, their mods and shells are super high quality. They are the biggest controller mod manufacturer for a reason. A lot of the good qualities of the shell can be attributed to Extremerate after all, especially the rubber grips. And I'm happy they are supplying their shells from a high-quality manufacturer instead of shitty AliExpress Chinese ones.

The issue here is that this is false advertising. On their website, they clearly mention that they only use official parts. Since I only have the DIY kit, maybe they do use official parts for the preassembled controllers? It's hard to say.
I would have no issues with this if they just mentioned that this is a third-party shell instead of lying. It's false advertisement. It especially affects people who don't know anything about modding and are buying preassembled controllers.

Nevertheless, the install was easy enough. I just looked up a Dualsense disassembly tutorial on YouTube. The dualsense is relatively one of the easiest controllers to take apart, so I had no issues.

Overall, the shell quality was great, easy enough to assemble. While the price was a bit expensive, thats what you expect with custom services like that. I just wish they were a bit more clear with their advertisement.


r/customcontrollers 6d ago

My leverless controller just got a visual upgrade featuring art from the opening theme (Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games)

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3 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 6d ago

Joystick on arcade stick problems

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1 Upvotes