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Repair information, troubleshooting tips, and guides for the sixth iteration of Apple iPhone, announced on September 12, 2012. Model: A1428, A1429

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Aluminum Bezel/Back Housing - scraped and dented after falling

I fell while jogging with my iphone 5 in hand. Not only did the screen shatter down to the LCD, but the bezel in the bottom right corner got scraped down/dented in. Thanks to the ifixit tool kit and repair manuals I was able to replace the screen, but I had to scrape away even more of the bezel to get the old screen out and new screen in.

MY QUESTION: Is there a way to at least clean the aluminum up without replacing the whole back housing?

I watched a video about polishing it to get rid of nicks and scratches, but because of the black anodized aluminum, it would turn silver. That said, now seeing the new gold iphone 5s, does gold anodize any deeper than black, or would that have the same result when polished?

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Your best bet for buffing out the dent/scratches is a small dremel, or similar device, with an attachment to grind down and smooth the metal out. It will take the color off, but with a bit of nail polish, and a clear epoxy topcoat should be able to cover that up and be relatively resilient.

As to the gold iPhone 5S, I haven't gotten to play with one yet (obviously), but I suspect the gold coloring is only as deep as the white/black colorings go. If I get a chance to scratch one up, I'll update this with more information, but it'll be a few months, I suspect.

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You don't polish anodized aluminum, it simply comes off. If you really insist, try sanding off the defects and reapply some paint, but it is best to replace the case.

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Yeah I suspected so.. I'm thinking it would be pretty tough to match paint after, anyways. For now, my case almost completely covers the defect, so I'm thinking I'll just live with it. When it's time to upgrade, I just hope someone else will be too. The complete housing repair may be biting off more than I can chew..

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If you wan't to replace the houseing, i would recomment to use this guide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHos6VNr_...

In the comment under the video, there is a link to a picture of a screw chart, witch you can print and use. Saves alot of time.

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ifixit should sell bezel colorant. I did a little research which paint would work well on aluminum, and have a similar color.

I have some nicked edges on my phone and am wondering if anybody has tried an anodized aluminum paint, such as this?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WHA...

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I have the same problem too but, I have no idea how to fix it.

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trzeb51 will be eternally grateful.
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