Can I make a window this way?

[FireChoice]

I was wanting to make a window that didn't have that nasty car door trim on it. ;)

Anyways, I was planning on using a dremmel to cut out a whole in the side of my case and then put a piece of plexiglass on the other side. After that I was going to screw the plexiglass in with 9 chrome screws

Why do all the window mod kits I see come with that trim stuff?

Won't the whole dremmel then screw in deal work just fine?

I do plan on painting the panel after I cut it to make sure no metal shows.

[daniel_dynasty]

its just to protect you from the sharp edges

[Skiing Squirrel]

You don't even have to screw it. You can just glue it. Mine doesn't have the molding on it. I just sanded the areas down on the sides so no one could get cut.

[Prot]

Most people like the finished look the chrome door trim or rubber gasket material gives. Also, it's pretty cheap and readily available.

[Evil T C]

why not use the dremmel to shave a mm or so off the outside edge of the plexi so that when it is mounted it sits flush with the metal.

[Altima]

I just used 3M double sided tape and no trim, just flush...

[thorilan]

the reason most people have the molding is because a lot of mainstreem modders ( aka first time people with little modding exp.) are not very skilled with tools and do not make beautiful straight cuts and they dont debur or file thier edges. the use of the molding hides the tiny mistakes .
while this is just my opinion i have had a dozen or so people make the same statement that i have met .

you can use screws bolts glue rivets or even tape to hold the plexy or acrylic on or even a a peice of metal afixed to the insite

[magick_man]

yeah, because long wavy lines that were supposed to be straight aren't that pretty.
so people chose to cover the edges with the trim so their cut is hidden.

~Magick_Man~

[Prisoner1138]

it hides mistakes and saves you the trouble of having to finish the edges. if you trust your cutting skills to looke nice, then you don't need it.

[Tabrin]

I made a little harness out of a coat hanger for cutting straight edges with my dremel...wraps around the base of the tool and two wires go out to form a triangle (so the length remains constant) with the corners bent down so that it will run along the side of the case door. I tested it out on an old door and it worked beautifully, was perfectly straight.

You'd have to re-adjust it for each corner, but I think taking 30 seconds to do that is worth the straight lines.

[Tabrin]

I'm sure that there's commercially available things you can use out there two, cutting guides or whatever...clamp the buggers to the metal so it doesn't move.

[FireChoice]

Wow Tabrin, that is a really good idea. However, I keep looking for my dremmel but I seem to have lost it. :(

[stikphysh]

i actually prefer the look of not using that trim stuff... i made my first window without it, cut some nice long striaght lines, and if you draw a line and use the dremel cutting tools, its simple... or u can clamp a 2x4 or something to hold the dremel or jig saw against to get the straight line... plus not using the trim leaves you with a lot more ways to make your window detailed. the window i used in my case would never have worked with that trim crap. i just used heavy duty epoxy to hold mine in place, but screws would be more solid
if you want i can send or post a picture if you would like to see how it looks

[k3nshin]

Why do people ask if they can make a window this way? You can do anything to you case that you want, any way you please. This is what modding is about. Making the case look like you want it to. If it serves its purpose than why not do it?. There is no right or wrong. No rule book.

[stikphysh]

this is true, but it never hurts to ask for advice... id rather know something will work out before i do it instead of building a smokin hott case, then showin it off at my lan party, watching the window fall out, knock the water block off the cpu fan, thus spraying water all over the power supply, shorting out the entire box, leaking onto peoples feet and electicuting everyone in the room, which only ends in a blazing inferno that is nearly flooded out with infectious screams of pain...
ok, so i have a bit of a twisted imagination.. dont mind me :rolleyes: