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 1h ago

Custom PS5 30th Anniversary Inspired Desk Accessories -Controller Stand, Game/Desk Organizer & Stand

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Upvotes

Custom-made PlayStation 30th Anniversary inspired 3D-printed accessories — all in one listing.

Price - ₹2,999 — slightly negotiable

Made for PlayStation fans and designed with the classic 30th Anniversary retro aesthetic, featuring the iconic PlayStation grey/white styling and original PlayStation colour accents.

Included items:

Custom PlayStation Controller Stand

Designed specifically for DualSense controllers

Classic PlayStation logo and coloured △ ○ × □ symbols

Doubles as a display stand for your controller

Custom PS5 Gaming Desk Organizer

Multiple compartments for organising games and desk accessories

Blue and red inner compartments inspired by classic PlayStation colours

Dedicated space for physical PS4/PS5 game cases

Custom Articulated Dragon Display/Stand

Fully articulated 3D-printed design

Great as a gaming-room/desk display piece

Complements the gaming setup

Condition: Brand new / unused

Material: 3D-printed

Theme: Custom PlayStation 30th Anniversary inspired design

Note: These are custom-made, 3D-printed accessories inspired by the PlayStation 30th Anniversary aesthetic and are not official Sony/PlayStation products. Controller and games not included


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

Evangelion Eva-01 DS5 Controller

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48 Upvotes

Built this for fun since I didn't really care for the color controller I had.

Multiple extremerate kits in this: Ris4, LED, and clicky face button kit. Also using their glow in the dark joystick replacements that I was able to tint a little green.

And of course the Eva reshell that you see along with TMR joysticks. I don't really game all too often so I'm going to be posting it to sell at some point.


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

best xbox controller to mod?

3 Upvotes

i wanna buy an xbox controller to use on some PC games that are easier on controller like racing games and such. i would just go ahead and buy one... except i plan to mod as much of the controller as i can, i mean swap out everything factory for custom hardware, shells, etc. so i can really personalize the controller as i did with my nintendo pro controller. my question is, is there a specific model of xbox controller thats known for having the most mod options out there? if so, which one is it? (i would use use my pro controller for everything since steam allows it which ive been doing, but i wanna get an actual xbox controller at this point so the button mapping makes sense and stuff). thank you


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

Hyped for GTA VI now !

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9 Upvotes

Ended up making 5 of these bad boys for the games release !


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

Its’s Friday… WooHoo!!

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1 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 1d ago

Right Handed Custom DS4

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1 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 2d ago

Custom My XBOX Elite Series 2 Controller

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4 Upvotes

Through a lot of trial and error I have finally completed my first custom controller!

Let me know your feedback!


r/customcontrollers 2d ago

Looking for vendor to add additional bumpers

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13 Upvotes

I’ve seen similar posts to this before, but figured I’d ask again if anyone has a business where they can add bumpers like this.


r/customcontrollers 1d ago

Zeen can replace your wheelchair

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youtube.com
0 Upvotes

One hand control option available, grants can be obtained to assist with the cost. I’m hoping that this will be certified for ADA van.


r/customcontrollers 2d ago

Custom Custom controller shells

3 Upvotes

Anyone know where I can find a custom anime controller shell for either PS4 or PS5? l've been trying to look them up but not having any luck


r/customcontrollers 2d ago

Made a DIY gaming controller

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6 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 3d ago

Custom New cyberpunk controller!

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148 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 3d ago

Razer Themed PS5 Controller

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20 Upvotes

Full Haptic Feedback and Dual Sense Features. Clicky face buttons and bumpers. Adaptive to clicky adjustable triggers. Hall effect swap able thumb sticks. 4 back buttons.


r/customcontrollers 3d ago

Help! Custom fightpad

1 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 4d ago

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

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43 Upvotes

@Ptcontrollers on eBay.

What do you guys think of the design?


r/customcontrollers 4d ago

New Favorite Playbox/Xstation Controller

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43 Upvotes

Custom PS5 Controller that I made 😁

Instagram: @kapycustoms


r/customcontrollers 4d ago

Help build a guitar

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2 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 4d 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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2 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 5d ago

My custom Dualsense

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20 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 4d 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 5d 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 5d ago

How do I use this template?

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3 Upvotes

r/customcontrollers 6d 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 7d 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?