Modified Steelbooks

[theatom]

Originally Posted by Vangeli

Just added Oblivion!

Oblivion (Worldwide Art)
4K + 2D + Bonus + DVD

[Show spoiler]

What's the best way to add more discs? I'm going to be adding a 4K of Black Panther to the 3D Steelbook. Thanks so much. Great collection!

[Vangeli]

Originally Posted by theatom

What's the best way to add more discs? I'm going to be adding a 4K of Black Panther to the 3D Steelbook. Thanks so much. Great collection!

Thanks!

First you should watch a tutorial on YouTube; there are a few ways to go about accomplishing the same end. I prefer the hairdryer method to soften the adhesive on the spine, then use a plastic party knife to slowly wedge it off without bending it. Apparently the boiling method doesn't always work (and water makes steel rust) so the hairdryer method is probably the best way to go.

You'll need a frame with more discs, I prefer the Steve Austin 4-movie collection because it has a 4-disc tray frame and can be found very cheap. Might be good to start with the Steelbook you're taking the frame from; can remove the front and back panels and the spine before doing so on the Steelbook you want to modify. If you bend/damage the spine on this one it doesn't ruin the frame itself, so it's a good practice run with the steel panels themselves.

The spine and the frame will need to be cleaned of all adhesive if you want the interior spine to look clean; this can be accomplished by dabbing it with the balled up remnants of adhesive, or with tape. Can be a bit tedious and/or take a long while, and you need to be careful not to bend the spine when lifting up adhesive. I prefer to not use chemicals just because the paint could possibly be damaged when you scrape the adhesive away.

The front and back panels are easy to remove. I find using tools can actually damage the paint on the edges so I stopped doing that long ago. The interior corners closest to the spine are where you need to separate. Can try pinching the plastic frame with the metal edge on the bottom corner, creating a gap at the top corner where you can usually pop that corner out with your fingernail while pulling on the spine/frame, then gently pull the frame up and away from the bottom corner to create a gap there and pop that corner off as well, then the frame just slides out and you have one of the panels removed. I've gotten so quick at it I can do both in ten seconds without damaging either. Every once in a while there's a Steelbook (usually from a premium/botique vendor) that's super tight on the frame and a tool is necessary, so again watching a tutorial with that is a good idea to start out.

Then once the donor frame is clean, the spine is clean, and the panels are both removed, just plop the panels on the donor frame, take a 1/4" double-sided scotch tape (not the thick rubber type, the paper-thin type) and press it onto the frame, then align and press the spine into place on the tape and BAM, you swapped the frame on a Steelbook!

Took me an hour on my first one and now I can do it in ten minutes, with most of that being adhesive removal.

[casperuk]

Originally Posted by Vangeli

Thanks!

First you should watch a tutorial on YouTube; there are a few ways to go about accomplishing the same end. I prefer the hairdryer method to soften the adhesive on the spine, then use a plastic party knife to slowly wedge it off without bending it. Apparently the boiling method doesn't always work (and water makes steel rust) so the hairdryer method is probably the best way to go.

You'll need a frame with more discs, I prefer the Steve Austin 4-movie collection because it has a 4-disc tray frame and can be found very cheap. Might be good to start with the Steelbook you're taking the frame from; can remove the front and back panels and the spine before doing so on the Steelbook you want to modify. If you bend/damage the spine on this one it doesn't ruin the frame itself, so it's a good practice run with the steel panels themselves.

The spine and the frame will need to be cleaned of all adhesive if you want the interior spine to look clean; this can be accomplished by dabbing it with the balled up remnants of adhesive, or with tape. Can be a bit tedious and/or take a long while, and you need to be careful not to bend the spine when lifting up adhesive. I prefer to not use chemicals just because the paint could possibly be damaged when you scrape the adhesive away.

The front and back panels are easy to remove. I find using tools can actually damage the paint on the edges so I stopped doing that long ago. The interior corners closest to the spine are where you need to separate. Can try pinching the plastic frame with the metal edge on the bottom corner, creating a gap at the top corner where you can usually pop that corner out with your fingernail while pulling on the spine/frame, then gently pull the frame up and away from the bottom corner to create a gap there and pop that corner off as well, then the frame just slides out and you have one of the panels removed. I've gotten so quick at it I can do both in ten seconds without damaging either. Every once in a while there's a Steelbook (usually from a premium/botique vendor) that's super tight on the frame and a tool is necessary, so again watching a tutorial with that is a good idea to start out.

Then once the donor frame is clean, the spine is clean, and the panels are both removed, just plop the panels on the donor frame, take a 1/4" double-sided scotch tape (not the thick rubber type, the paper-thin type) and press it onto the frame, then align and press the spine into place on the tape and BAM, you swapped the frame on a Steelbook!

Took me an hour on my first one and now I can do it in ten minutes, with most of that being adhesive removal.

i find old credit/debt/store cards work great for getting the front and back plates off. saves your fingers and the paint work

[MattPerdue]

Really glad I found this thread. I accidentally had my Jessica Jones S1 steelbook fall off the shelf about a year or so back and one of the hubs broke as a result. I've dealt with it but I've really been to wanting to know if there was a way to fix it.Probably not great for a first attempt but I may just to have try it at some point.

[DarkEco910]

Modified my HDZeta steelbook of Gladiator from a 2-disc tray to a triple disc one to accommodate the new 4K disc and the previous 2 BDs.

458E0039-3CED-4957-8547-3253518B7438.jpg

[Blu-Dre]

Anyone know of some cheap 3-disc steelbooks to convert?

[GenPion]

You should get into the business of doing custom requests on this kind of thing.

I feel like I might be too intimated about damaging the steelbook to do this myself but would pay some to send ya steelbooks to be updated like this. There are a few I’ve wanted but haven’t gotten or didn’t complete as a Set because of there not being enough disc hubs.

[Kedrix]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dre

Anyone know of some cheap 3-disc steelbooks to convert?

Your best bet after scouring Ebay looks to be the Total Recall remake. It's 3 disc and has the same setup as what's show above. Also the Dark Knight Rises steelbook should be fairly reasonable. Though that one personally might be harder to mess up .

[Vangeli]

Oh my, I've done a few more and completely forgot to update this thread for a while. Will refresh everything soon as there's lots of pics to take.

And I wouldn't offer to do it to anyone else's Steelbooks, goodness no! So many points along the process where a Steelbook could be damaged and I don't want that responsibility. I'd never send my own Steelbooks off to someone else, that's just crazy.

[newtonp01]

Modded some new steelbooks!

Man of Steel (4K+3D+BD+Bonus):

[Show spoiler]

Avengers: Age of Ultron (4K+3D+BD):

[Show spoiler]

X-Men: United (4K+BD):

[Show spoiler]

[Vangeli]

Nice! I've been wanting to do Man of Steel for so long (using the Collector's Edition Tin discs with colorful disc art) but I don't like any of the Steelbooks and hope there's a new design with the upcoming DCEU UHD Steelbook wave.

Also forgot about this thread again. My collection is getting out of hand so I'll be organizing it and redoing the first post soon with new images for everything and whatnot. Just did Prometheus with the new FilmArena Steelbook, though!

[newtonp01]

That's an awesome Prometheus steelbook, I wish I had that one! Gonna be modding that one myself as soon as the I see a good deal on the 4K.

Do you usually use a specific set for your 3-discers? Soon enough the rest of the MCU will be coming to 4K and I won't have enough 3-disc hubs

[Vangeli]

I only use the four-disc flip tray frames or the fairly difficult to find two-disc side by side frames, so I'm not sure.

[imsounoriginal]

My Steels are mostly boxed up at the moment but when I get a chance I'll post some pics. Don't think I have quite as many as some of you but I have a few.

[severe conservative]

I have converted the Karate Kid steelbook to house the entire trilogy. I also added some custom inside artwork.

[severe conservative]

Originally Posted by casperuk

i find old credit/debt/store cards work great for getting the front and back plates off. saves your fingers and the paint work

I was at work and some person that worked for Chick fil a gave me a chick fil a promotional card entitled "Be our guest" . This was made out of the same material as credit cards and gift cards, except it was even thinner than than those other cards. I figured it would be perfect to use on steelbooks. It works great at breaking in the steelbook without damaging it. Unfortunately on some steel books it is not strong enough to pop out the plastic case. In that case you still have to use a regular credit card. But after breaking the steelbook in with the chick fil a card, it makes it easier to get in with a regular credit card. So I recommend trying to find the chick fil a thin card, which will at the very least break in the steelbook without damaging it so a regular credit card can get in there more easily.

I also use this chick fil a card to remove the very top part of the spine from the plastic case, and then use an exacto knife to remove the rest of the spine. The card allows you to find separation between the spine and the case without accidentally cutting the plastic case, and then the exacto knife allows you to take the spine off without bending the spine. It also helps to make sure the spine is good and hot. I set the burner at medium heat and hover the spine over the burner back and forth for about one minute.

[Vangeli]

Oh I forgot about this thread again, there’s so many updates I need to make lol

That Karate Kid steelbook looks fantastic!

[severe conservative]

Originally Posted by casperuk

Very nice. What do you use to stick the spine back into place?

If you are not adding custom artwork and you keep plastic case hot and you used an exacto knife to get the spine off, the remaining glue residue should be enough to get the spine back into place and keep it stuck on. Also you might use a hair dryer on the spine to keep the spine hot. After you get the spine back on, prop up the plastic case so that the spine is facing down on the table, and use a couple of small boxes of envelopes (one on each side of the case) to keep the case propped up (you can also use two bookends). This will help make sure the spine sticks on and stays stuck on.

I have found that this usually works even with custom art on the spine. But if you want to use something extra I would use silicone in between the custom art and the spine. Put only a very small amount on your finger and rub it onto the custom art . It is very easy to use too much. If you find that you didnt apply enough you can always use more. Try not to saturate you finger with the silicone. Try to make sure there is only a small amount in the middle of your finger tip. If you feel you didnt get enough on the spine artwork, you can always add more. Run the hair dryer over the metal spine to make sure the glue is still hot, then put the spine back on. Prop up the case with the spine facing down and keep it propped up with bookends or envelope boxes to ensure it sticks.

[severe conservative]

So Im a fan of Predator 1 and 2 but don't really care for Predators 2010, but I love the Predator collection steelbook, so I converted it to house only the first two Predator movies. Trying to figure out the best way to blot out the number "3" on the cover and spine. So far the best way I know how is to use a sharpie. Which works very well - you would need to scratch it and rub it very hard to get the ink off - things you would not want to do to a steelbook anyway. If anybody has a better idea on how to blot it out it would be appreciated.




pix upload

[casperuk]

Not been in here in a while.

Some really good ideas.

Where in the hell are you guys getting the 4 disc inserts? The cheapest 3 disc one is normally twilight as it goes for about £3 on eBay.