[SanFrancisco]

I installed another Best Skins Ever skin this morning. I did it one hour before a show was going to air on TV, so I could see that it took 45 minutes to do the install. This install was with experience on knowing how to do it, so if it is taking you only 15 minutes or so to do the install, you are probably doing it wrong.

Since some Members have sworn off the skins [because they goofed up the install], thought it might be helpful to post some directions [especially for those of you whom do not read directions that come with a product].

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Get everything ready ahead of time.

Filled a bowl with cold water and placed 4 drops of dish soap in it [liquid hand soap works too]. Stir the soap with a finger so it mixes in the water. NO SPECIAL SOLUTION IS NEEDED, that is, the stuff that comes with some of the other skins [I would bet it's simply soapy water].

The precut skin pieces are on one sheet. I cut each piece so that during install I can grab each one for application and not have to keep touching one large sheet.

I had a flat plastic card to act as a squeegee. A credit card will work.

I also had a magnifying glass so I could see how the edges lined up, especially around the trackball and display. [With the naked eye it is difficult to see how things line up, especially in a steamy bathroom].

I got three sheets of paper towel, one as a mat for the phone to sit on, one to absorb water that gets on the Pearl and one as a spare. The one to act as a sponge I cut into three small pieces. More manageable that way when dabbing the Pearl to get excess water off the surfaces.

Cut some masking tape strips to apply to the phone.

Had Windex and canned air standing by.

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FIRST THING, REMOVE THE BATTERY!!! Set it aside on a desk or table.

-- If you are concerned about the water damage detector "going off," you can take a piece of tissue or paper towel, fold it up so it fits into the battery compartment, then cover it with some masking tape [I did not do this as I was not concerned. But I guess someone could get water on one of the detectors].

-- I then turned on the shower to get the bathroom steamy. [for those who don't know, the moisture in the air "captures" all the dust in the air and prevents dust settling on the Pearl or the skin's adhesive].

-- Outside the bathroom, I cleaned the surface to receive the skin with Windex and a paper towel. I then checked each surface against a bright light and used canned air to blow off any dust or debris. I blew the canned air even if the surface looked clean.

-- I then quickly went into the steamy bathroom, checked the surface again and placed the phone on to a paper towel. Then checked the surface one more time.

-- For the display area skin I placed a small strip of masking tape across the top edge of the keyboard so that no water/moisture could get through at that point.

-- I then stripped each skin off the its paper backing and dipped each skin completely into water [The soapy water acts as an activator and also makes it easy to slide the skin into position].

-- While holding the skin with your fingers [e.g., thumb and index fingers] hit your wrist against the sink counter-top so that excess water falls off the BSE skin. Do this a few times so that the skin is not dripping with water when coming into contact with the Pearl.

-- Eyeball the surface to receive the skin one more time to make sure nothing has settled on it, such as dust or debris. Place the skin on to the phone surface and quickly slide and adjust into place.

-- If a finger is stuck to the skin surface, take your other hand, dip a finger into the water, then hold down the skin and remove the finger that is stuck to the skin.

-- Again adjust the skin by sliding into place. Do this quickly BEFORE pressing on the skin to make the bond semi-permanent.

-- If the skin is stuck in place but not straight, for the first few minutes you can simply rip off or lift off the skin to readjust it. Worse case, you can dip the skin into the water and start over.

-- Once the skin is in place and straight, put a finger in a corner or an edge to hold it into place. GENTLY start running a finger over the skin to press so to work out the bubbles and water. As water works its way out the edges, soak up excess water with a paper towel that has been sitting next to the phone.

-- For round edges and bends where the skin has difficulty sticking in place, use the cup of the hand or the length of a finger to hold the entire edge into place until it sticks. May take about 30 seconds, max.

-- If it appears the edge is or has dried out, and that is why it is not sticking, dip a finger into the water and apply a drop of water to the edge giving you problems. Then using a hand or finger hold the skin into place until it sticks.

-- There is no sequence of application to which skin goes on first, at least not that I could tell. I installed the display area first, then the bottom -- front and back -- then the battery cover. I apply the display area first because that is the most critical skin to get right, so I want to tackle it first.

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Bonus Tip - Remember to take out the battery!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEFORE starting the skin install.

Bonus Tip - You should install the skin on the battery cover by itself, meaning remove the cover from the phone, leave the phone in another room and install the skin in the steamy bathroom. Do NOT install the skin on the battery cover while the cover is on the phone, it's too easy to get water inside the battery compartment and when on the phone, the cover has too much flex.

Bonus Tip - Generally, the best way to smooth out the skin and remove air bubbles is to first hold the skin down with a finger then use another finger to GENTLY push bubbles and water out to the edges. After that, see how it is going, then press a little harder to remove stubborn bubbles. After that you can use a plastic card to lightly press the area to adhere the skin to the Pearl surface and work out any bubbles.

Bonus Tip - Check the surface closely with a magnifying glass and against a light to check alignment [its hard to see how things have lined up against the trackball and the black edges/surfaces].

Bonus Tip - Look often and closely for any air bubbles, especially in the display area. Nothing angers one more than finishing the project only to find one hour later that there is an air bubble in the middle of the display [or in my case when doing a rush job on the display only the day before, a cat hair].

Bonus Tip - Don't go crazy with the water. The Pearl should NOT be getting all that wet during the install. You should NOT be letting water drip inside the Pearl, especially in the keyboard area or other openings.

Bonus Tip: It's recommended that you wait at least 24 hours before toting the phone around. I think that is a bit much. After about an hour I put my phone back into the Seidio rubberized case. I feel that was fine.

Truth be told, after about 1/2 hour the skin is on the phone pretty tight. But if you can let the phone rest for at least an hour after skin install, that should be sufficient. Just don't be tossing it around for the first few hours, say in a pocket or purse.

[b3n_asian_freak]

Very nice and well writen guide. I wasn't that careful when I'm install mine on but well, one bubble doesn't hurt me anyway. Great bonus tips also. Good for people who have no idea what and how to do it.

[secrecyguy]

You provide better directions than I did.

As everybody already know, I advise not to use soap and water. Instead use denatured alcohol (if you can find it) (the best) or rubbing alcohol. That way, if any get inside the phone, it dry out fast.

[secrecyguy]

If anyone got the Shield Zone's Invisible Shield, I have directions on how to install those here:

http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...d-8100-a.html?

[phungy]

Wow, that's very detailed. I thought the instructions BSE had on their website was helpful enough. The first time it may have taken me about 10-15 mins for the 8100 cause I wanted to make sure there were no bubbles etc. The second I did it for my camera seriously took me less than 5 mins. I recently purchased a BSE full body skin for my Macbook

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by phungy

Wow, that's very detailed. I thought the instructions BSE had on their website was helpful enough. The first time it may have taken me about 10-15 mins for the 8100 cause I wanted to make sure there were no bubbles etc. The second I did it for my camera seriously took me less than 5 mins. I recently purchased a BSE full body skin for my Macbook

Well my estimate included starting with getting all the stuff together before the actual install, maybe about 10 minutes, but 10 to 15 minutes for a total install? That's robotic fast. Guess some people are studs and the rest of us are clods.

[Steve7]

Just got my 8100 from T-Mo Friday where can I get the Best Skins Ever kit?

[secrecyguy]

Here...

Best Skins Ever Storefront

[Damager]

GREAT guide. My main advice to people is: BE PATIENT. Some of the flaps and edges wont stick until they dry a bit, so just take your time and keep pressing on the edges until they stick.

[norbertk]

The skin really does look great once it finally adhere's itself. Unfortunately I did a subpar job on it and got sorta good results..

[srotman]

excellent guide! i wish this was around before i put my first one on.

im on pearl #2 now and ill get around to installing my skin tomorrow i think.

one piece of advice i WISH someone told me and no one has mentioned yet is to EXPECT YOUR APPLICATION TO LOOK LIKE COMPLETE CRAP UNTIL IT HAS DRIED!!!

when i put the skin on the first time i let it sit properly and removed the water but i thought there was something wrong because it looked like there were "water stains" under the skin. i didnt realize it was just accumulated moisture that needs to slowly release over time (hence the recommended 24 waiting period). so i removed the skin and re-wet and re-applied 4 times!!! before i gave up and just accepted the skin would be as it would be. the next morning when i woke up it looked... AMAZING!!! (except the pre-cut hole that fits nicely around the earpiece speaker was SLIGHTLY stretched from re-applying so many times).

so please. to all that havent used the BSE skin yet, be prepared for it to look kinda crappy when you first put it on. just make sure its in place and there are no bubbles/hairs/dust, etc. and then let it dry a bit. and then be prepared to be so friggin happy with the way it looks in the end.

PS. sanfrancisco, see if u can get this thread made into a sticky for the whole forum. i think its great advice for all those out there who get skins for any BB device and i wouldnt be surprised if most ppl do if theyre the kind that use a forum like this

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by srotman

excellent guide! i wish this was around before i put my first one on....

PS. sanfrancisco, see if u can get this thread made into a sticky for the whole forum. i think its great advice for all those out there who get skins for any BB device and i wouldnt be surprised if most ppl do if theyre the kind that use a forum like this

Thanks. Nice to hear that in light of yesterday a Member sent me a rude personal message:

matrixixix
Knows Where the Search Button Is
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Eastchester, NY
Posts: 30

Whats with you?
I'm willing to bet you don't lead an action packed lifestyle... That skin post eas weird and odd.
__________________
"Some Of My Best Berries Are Black"

[wirelessandy]

Pshaw. Never have too many Skin/shield install tips!

Nicely done, San Francisco.

(By the way, I read your Pearl-dropping on BART story. I shuddered when I read it.)

Just got my Pearl from the Van Ness store Saturday. Invisible Shield ordered an on the way. I'll be sure to re-read your post when it arrives.

[SanFrancisco]

Here is a pic of the BSE skin installed on the Pearl display area. That's the Seidio rubberized case surrounding the phone.

[wirelessandy]

I thought the Seidio rubberized case covered the Send/End, Menu/Back keys...? Did you cut that portion out?

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by wirelessandy

I thought the Seidio rubberized case covered the Send/End, Menu/Back keys...? Did you cut that portion out?

The rubberized case is a hard plastic case that has been "rubberized" with a coating of rubber.

You are thinking of the Seidio "skins" that come in various colors. Those are flexible rubber, much like thick rubber gloves. Those are the ones with rubber covering the keys.

[wirelessandy]

Ah got it. I just ordered the "crystal" version the other day myself.

Nice closeup pic on the installed skin, by the way.

[Mandizzle]

Great how-to on installing the skin SanFran.

I did mine a couple weeks back but this guide sure could have helped. The most important thing I think is to just be super patient. The skin looked completely different the morning after. BSE makes a great skin and it's barely undetectable...

[geekdaddy]

Thanks for posting directions. I've got a set of skins coming for my new cingular pearl (I'm an experienced pocketpc/palm smartphone user and REALLY like the 8100).

Noticed that you use paper towel as a surface to lay out the pearl while you're working on it. Surprised you didn't have problem with dust/fibers coming off the paper towel -- any concerns there?

[SanFrancisco]

Originally Posted by geekdaddy

Thanks for posting directions. I've got a set of skins coming for my new cingular pearl (I'm an experienced pocketpc/palm smartphone user and REALLY like the 8100).

Noticed that you use paper towel as a surface to lay out the pearl while you're working on it. Surprised you didn't have problem with dust/fibers coming off the paper towel -- any concerns there?

Good observation. I was going to point out to make sure the paper towel is "dust free" type but I forgot.

The towel I used was fiberous, if that is a good description.

What fibers may have been in the air were controlled by the steam, plus the steam prevented the fibers on the towel from becoming airborne.

And when I soaked up water on the Pearl, the paper towel did not release fibers under the skin because the skin along the edges were sealed, so to speak.

I was also going to post that one should NOT use toilet tissue or kleenex because those are too fiberous and will let off "lint" so to speak.

Hope that makes sense.