# How to remove backing paper from custom vid card backplate?



## FlynHawn (Jul 14, 2018)

Hoping some of you knowledgable people here can answer this question.


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## qubit (Jul 14, 2018)

I don't get the question. What backing paper?


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## FlynHawn (Jul 14, 2018)

The backplate has a custom design on it in blue and white and there is brown backing paper covering it. The paper is attached somehow, maybe glued on I don't know; but I'm hesitant to start peeeling it off with a knife or something..


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## Vario (Jul 14, 2018)

wet it?


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## FlynHawn (Jul 14, 2018)

Ok, I can try that I guess.. here's a picture of it:


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## jsfitz54 (Jul 14, 2018)

Vario said:


> wet it?



I was thinking, soak it off, but the OP might not get the humor.

I've never seen brown craft paper backing an a new card.  Most come with a plastic film to prevent scratching.

*Try peeling the edge free with a plastic credit card.*

*Lightly blow some warm air on it with a blow dryer to soften the adhesive.*

*EDIT: that looks like plexiglass so be careful with heat.*


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## robot zombie (Jul 14, 2018)

Alcohol maybe? Soak it and let it sit on there for a little bit to loosen it up.

Plastic scrapers are good to have for stuff like this. They're just like those little single-edged scraper blades, only made of pretty soft plastic, so they don't mar things. If you use too much force, the blade will give before the material does, unless you drag the corner of the "blade" accidentally. Ace hardware for sure has them. Other hardware stores and craft stores should have them too. Hell, walmart probably has them.                     


 

In a pinch maybe credit card + alcohol.


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## FlynHawn (Jul 14, 2018)

Ok, thanks everyone. The alcohol/plastic scraper method sounds good. I tried to get ahold of the company that made it, but their 'contact us' links on their website don't go anywhere and their emails are from no-reply@. Company is V1 Tech.


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## jsfitz54 (Jul 14, 2018)

Solvents and Paints don't mix sometimes. 

Be warned, Alcohol may not be the way to go.


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## Final_Fighter (Jul 14, 2018)

just use a finger nail and get a little bit to peel off and the rest will come up without any issues. ive done this tons of times on 3d printer hardware that had that same stuff on it.


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## INSTG8R (Jul 14, 2018)

This is standard with plastics.Just pick at an edge it will just peel off(might give you some trouble in places)


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## robot zombie (Jul 14, 2018)

jsfitz54 said:


> Solvents and Paints don't mix sometimes.
> 
> Be warned, Alcohol may not be the way to go.


I hadn't considered that it might be painted. Some clear finishes are just as bad (ever put alcohol on a soft-cure varnish? I have ) Alcohol seems generally safe on plastics, but yeah if there's any kind of finish on it it's definitely dodgy. I guess I just kind of assume an aftermarket, manufactured cover isn't gonna be blasted with weak paint or finishes. Ideally the plastic itself has the color/texture you want. Much more durable/repeatable. Better yields and so on.

My usual technique with this stuff is careful working of a plastic scraper. The trick is to first get a corner loose and then follow the angle of the peel in a straight line with short pushes of the scraper and a little pulling on the loose end of the sticker/cover/whatever. Just push up a mm or two running up and down the line. The key is to keep that line straight, at its original angle. Deviate too much and it'll rip or leave behind bits of the backing that are a lot harder to get off without using too much force. But often if you're patient, it'll come up clean. Somebody mentioned heat. I can say that it works, but with plastics and finishes you have to be VERY conservative. No more heat than it could see attached to the card.

Even if it does have a finish, I'd still use a weak concentration of alcohol (50% at most) to remove leftover residue.  I'm talking little bits here and there. Probably not direct either... ...lightly soaked microfiber or shop towel. But it's probably best to try and mechanically remove as much as possible before resorting to solvents, water included.

Good catch jsfitz. Definitely got me thinking twice about my advice.


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## FlynHawn (Jul 14, 2018)

Ok, so the fingernails are actually working.. sorta.. Do I remove the paper of the back of it too? I mean I would think so. How do you attach it to the vid card? It doesn't just lay on top of it, does it?


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## Solaris17 (Jul 14, 2018)

does it have mount holes? how do you not know how to mount it? You didnt comission this to be made without actually checking to see if this can be put on your card did you? The paper (which should just peel off) will do one of 2 things generally.

1: protect the finish of the surface underneath.
2:  provide access to the adhesive because it is meant to stick to something.


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## FlynHawn (Jul 14, 2018)

When I ordered it from the V1 Tech, their site had me first choose which vid card I had to ensure whichever one I ordered would fit. It didn't come with any instructions and is the 1st time I've had a custom anything for a PC. There are no mounting holes. Maybe the back will be adhesive..


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## robot zombie (Jul 14, 2018)

I'd say it would have to be adhesive in that case.


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## RealNeil (Jul 14, 2018)

FlynHawn said:


> There are no mounting holes. Maybe the back will be adhesive..



From their website:
"Clean, custom made one of a kind backplates with innovative magnetic attaching solution. No interference, 100% safe, and without removing screws our backplates do not void your warranty! "

Try setting it on top of the existing backplate and see if it sticks with a slight magnetic force,.......

*Look Here*


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## HUSKIE (Jul 14, 2018)

Blow with hair dryer...


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## MrGenius (Jul 14, 2018)

RealNeil said:


> From their website:
> "Clean, custom made one of a kind backplates with innovative magnetic attaching solution. No interference, 100% safe, and without removing screws our backplates do not void your warranty! "
> 
> Try setting it on top of the existing backplate and see if it sticks with a slight magnetic force,.......


Somehow I don't see that working very well. For one thing the backplate isn't very likely to be magnetic(almost certainly going to be made of aluminum, or should be if it isn't) . For another, the mounting screws would be magnetic, but their size isn't going to be big enough for a magnet to grab onto with sufficient holding power(probably good enough for a horizontally mounted card in a case that isn't being moved/transported though). That's assuming it even has a stock backplate and mounting screws for it.


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## RealNeil (Jul 15, 2018)

I just checked the backplates on my two Gigabyte GTX-1070s and also my two Gigabyte GTX-1070Ti cards.
All of them are magnetic.

His Gigabyte RX-580 has a backplate.


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## R00kie (Jul 15, 2018)

try peeling with a bit of tape, stick it to the paper on the edge and peel it that way. That stuff is always on acrylic sheets ti prevent if from scratching and melting while laser cutting.


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## robot zombie (Jul 15, 2018)

This is starting to feel like "How many TPU members does it take to install a GPU backplate?"


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## jboydgolfer (Jul 15, 2018)

What company makes a backplate & leaves it like that? Please post the maker


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## INSTG8R (Jul 15, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> What company makes a backplate & leaves it like that? Please post the maker


It’s acrylic it always comes like that. As a former CNC machinist this is perfectly normal it’s to protect the surface.


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## MrGenius (Jul 15, 2018)

RealNeil said:


> His Gigabyte RX-580 has a backplate.


Well...he screwed up then. Because he bought plastic heat trapper/decorative backplate add-on for it that says it's an RX 480. 

Anyhow...I don't presume to know which Gigabyte RX 480 he has. But I do know one thing for sure. If it's a reference model, it has a non-magnetic aluminum backplate.


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## jboydgolfer (Jul 15, 2018)

INSTG8R said:


> It’s acrylic it always comes like that. As a former CNC machinist this is perfectly normal it’s to protect the surface.



  I understand how acrylic comes, but one would think that a finished retail product ,that has been cut & designed ,would be packaged properly and ready to use.  I have cases that were built using acrylic plastic for side panels, they only had a clear plastic sheet to peel off ,not paper backing.  And none of it was difficult to remove, certainly not to the point where I would need to start a thread about it

@FlynHawn * what company makes that backplate?*


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## INSTG8R (Jul 15, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I understand how acrylic comes, but one would think that a finished retail product ,that has been cut & designed ,would be packaged properly and ready to use.  I have cases that were built using acrylic plastic for side panels, they only had a clear plastic sheet to peel off ,not paper backing.  And none of it was difficult to remove, certainly not to the point where I would need to start a thread about it
> 
> @FlynHawn * what company makes that backplate?*


That how it all comes, just like that and I’m sure they leave it on to protect until it’s in the customers hands.


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## newtekie1 (Jul 15, 2018)

INSTG8R said:


> It’s acrylic it always comes like that. As a former CNC machinist this is perfectly normal it’s to protect the surface.



I can confirm, I've ordered a lot of custom cut acrylic and it almost always comes with the protective paper.


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## RealNeil (Jul 15, 2018)

MrGenius said:


> Well...he screwed up then. Because he bought plastic heat trapper/decorative backplate add-on for it that says it's an RX 480.
> 
> Anyhow...I don't presume to know which Gigabyte RX 480 he has. But I do know one thing for sure. If it's a reference model, it has a non-magnetic aluminum backplate.



I stand corrected. Looking back I can see that his backplate says RX-480 on it.


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## Jetster (Jul 15, 2018)

really? Just peel it off


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## eidairaman1 (Jul 15, 2018)

Looks like a knock off card, Gigabyte style eyeball...


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## MrGenius (Jul 15, 2018)

The real kicker...and I can't really believe nobody's mentioned this yet...is...*THE PRICE!!! *

*$49.99 on sale!!! Regular Price $59.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!***

*HOLY BALLS BATMAN!!! *

It is supposed to be RGB(though I can't see how, must be some kind of hidden connector, or comes with an LED strip you attach, or something). Even if it is RGB, what a *RIDICULOUS* waste of money. For something that has a pretty high likelihood of causing your card to run hot, potentially to the point of thermal throttling. Shortening its lifespan, and hurting its performance. Just to _look cool for your friends_.


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## FlynHawn (Jul 18, 2018)

Ha! I guess I shoulda posted a resolved issue post. Well, I have an Asus Dual RX 480 4GB. It has no backplate, just a pcb. And to jboydgolfer, I named the company in at least 2 posts prior to yours. I paid $39.99 for it a few months ago, just never had time to mess with my PC until recently. Is that too much for a custom backplate? It's not RGB. In fact it doesn't light up by itself at all. No included LED strip, no connections to it. I dunno, I like it. I don't give a rat's a$$ what my friends think of it.  Next I want to get a lightbox with a custom logo. Any suggested companies to deal with?


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## Vario (Jul 18, 2018)

FlynHawn said:


> Ha! I guess I shoulda posted a resolved issue post. Well, I have an Asus Dual RX 480 4GB. It has no backplate, just a pcb. And to jboydgolfer, I named the company in at least 2 posts prior to yours. I paid $39.99 for it a few months ago, just never had time to mess with my PC until recently. Is that too much for a custom backplate? I dunno, I like it. Next I want to get a lightbox with a custom logo. Any suggested companies to deal with?


If you like the backplate that is what matters.


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## RealNeil (Jul 18, 2018)

FlynHawn said:


> Ha! I guess I shoulda posted a resolved issue post.



You just did!
Did the backplate just set down onto the card's PCB and stick to it?


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## BadFrog (Jul 18, 2018)

Post pics of the final install. Curious how this looks.


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## FlynHawn (Jul 23, 2018)

@RealNeil: No, I found a bag of small magnets and even smaller stickers that came with the backplate. Reason I had to post in here was there were no instructions included. After finding the bag I went on YouTube and found this vid:  







  in which he clearly shows the instructions. The screws on his GTX1080 are HUGE compared to the ones on my RX480 and so were the magnets. xD But they did indeed attach the backplate to the vid card, tho I am not completely convinced of the solidity of the attachment.

@BadFrog: I will def post a pic of the finished product. I have been waiting on some parts which have now all arrived and will be working on my PC probably this entire day. I need to wipe my C drive to dual boot (I'll be asking a question re that somewhere on these forums) and install a bunch of parts. Stay tuned!

Edit to add: When I first got the backplate I tossed that little bag of magnets aside because I thought they were some kind of freshening agent like those little bags you find in shoe boxes! XD


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## BadFrog (Jul 24, 2018)

Oh so it sticks onto a magnetic adhesive to ur factory backplate. Cool.


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## Vayra86 (Jul 24, 2018)

FlynHawn said:


> @RealNeil: No, I found a bag of small magnets and even smaller stickers that came with the backplate. Reason I had to post in here was there were no instructions included. After finding the bag I went on YouTube and found this vid:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



AWESOMESTPOWER

Oh wow. How to look like a total oblivious sucker with a single purchase and no room for doubt.

Not talking about you OP. Just the whole idiocy of that video. Its not even a word.


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## Goopeas (Jul 24, 2018)

jboydgolfer said:


> I understand how acrylic comes, but one would think that a finished retail product ,that has been cut & designed ,would be packaged properly and ready to use.  I have cases that were built using acrylic plastic for side panels, they only had a clear plastic sheet to peel off ,not paper backing.  And none of it was difficult to remove, certainly not to the point where I would need to start a thread about it
> 
> @FlynHawn * what company makes that backplate?*


It's best to keep them ......


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## FlynHawn (Jul 26, 2018)

Ok, so here's a pic of the finished product (finally). Took me 3 days to get dual booting sorted out. :\ I bought a customized lightbox intending to put it in the bottom to cover my HDDs, but it's too wide :'( and now I have to contact the manufacturer (Acrylikustoms) who is apparently in Italy or maybe Portugal. xD The inside of my case definitely needs more light. It looks lit up in the pic, but irl it's pretty dark.

Here's a pic of the lightbox which would've looked gorgeous except it doesn't fit. :\


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## RealNeil (Jul 26, 2018)

Looks good to me,.....


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## Caring1 (Jul 26, 2018)

FlynHawn said:


> ........ I bought a customized lightbox intending to put it in the bottom to cover my HDDs, but it's too wide :'( and now I have to contact the manufacturer (Acrylikustoms) who is apparently in Italy or maybe Portugal. xD The inside of my case definitely needs more light. It looks lit up in the pic, but irl it's pretty dark.
> 
> Here's a pic of the lightbox which would've looked gorgeous except it doesn't fit. :\


Contact a local company that deals in acrylic sheeting, it would be a lot easier to get it trimmed down a bit if it's too big.


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## FlynHawn (Jul 26, 2018)

I got in touch with the manuf and he said they prefit the lightbox prior to mailing it. He included pics and a vid and explained I could not have HDDs in the front. Somewhere along the email conversation I must have gotten confused between a midplate install and the lightbox. So all I need is to find a dual 3.5" to 5.25" converter to mount my HDDs in the optical cage in the rear of the case and I should be good to go.

Edit to add: So I'm thinking something like this: https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=169 or this: https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=175 would work, although I'm not sure how I would mount the actual cage in the latter example. Any thoughts or suggestions?


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## Caring1 (Jul 27, 2018)

FlynHawn said:


> So all I need is to find a dual 3.5" to 5.25" converter to mount my HDDs in the optical cage in the rear of the case and I should be good to go.
> 
> Edit to add: So I'm thinking something like this: https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=169 or this: https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=175 would work, although I'm not sure how I would mount the actual cage in the latter example. Any thoughts or suggestions?


There's quite a few 3.5" to 5.25" drive adapters for optical bay mount, depends if you require hot swap or not.
If you only have the one 5.25 slot you are restricted what you can install.
This type would be suitable: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...o_5.25_bay_adapter-_-9SIACJF54D3091-_-Product

You would have more luck finding a dual drive dock for 2.5" drives.


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## FlynHawn (Jul 27, 2018)

I have 2 3.5" HDDs and 2 5.25" bays in my case, one of which is currently occupied by a DVD drive; but I'd rather remove that and have access to both of my HDDs. I don't require hot swap; I put them in the front simply because it was easiest to mount them there.

Edit to add:  I ended up getting 2 of these:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SNCLGL4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1GQQIQD0YQTUY&psc=1  They're supposed to get here by Sunday. Will (hopefully) post a pic of the lightbox installed.


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## Caring1 (Jul 27, 2018)

Nice, I can't wait to see the finished product.


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