Interior color

[edwardaune]

I am trying to figure out a paint sceme for the interior of a case that Im modding for my girlie. I want something thats going to stick out without be gaudy. Ive heard, or at least I think I have, that using flat black in combination with some cathodes really sets off the interior. Dunno, Im wanting to something different than the average and Im not afraid to do a little work. I plan on posting pics as I go to show the status. I would appreciate any ideas that you guys have.

[alinosa]

i've painted the inside of my case flat black, but i think that would swallow the light pretty bad. i used metallic black paint and didn't bother to polish it or clearcoat it and it darken the inside kind of a lot. Everything else that has color stands out though.

http://img59.exs.cx/img59/4291/case0027jn.jpg

i don't know if this helps at all. Lemme know if you could use a different pic or angle...

[edwardaune]

Well, I see what your saying, but if you had UV colored cables dont you thing the flat black color would really make those cable stand out. I think I remember someone painting their mobo flat black and painted all the capisitors with a UV paint, really set off the mobo. Mind you this is for my fiance as a "little" gift, so Im trying to set it off as much as possible without going overboard. I want it to look nice and clean but still a little showy. I plan on wrapping ps cables and such.

[DuckManParkey]

Well flat black, with the red uv cables and molex connectors since they are actually pink... i wasted my money on red molexes and stuff and they turn out to be pink so now im gonna switch to blue, it doesnt look bad in my case but yea im gonna paint mine black with blue cables

[syberspy9]

...
Why didnt you paint the hd/floppy bays??
or the sideof the PSU??(or even better put abig sticker on the psu)
in fact seeing that ur mobo is dark i would have painted the inside of the side case so it blends with the mobo..

more painting i think (and then clear coat it while ur at it)

[srv540]

I went green with clear coat and electric blue panels and a case window to come.

http://home.golden.net/~rz350/green1.JPG

http://home.golden.net/~rz350/green2.JPG

[Veland]

Why not go the other route? Glossy White interior!

[alinosa]

i completely forgot about the hdd bays because they were set aside in a closet unti i was ready to put it back together. then, after rubbing and polishing, and rubbing and polishing... i liked the inside just fine... it would have been a bear to get all of the that shiny, and then cover it up with all my junk. i'm thinking maybe the support rail and drive bays could be painted and cleared, but the back plane is fine, especially since i can barely see it. The PSU on the other hand, i think i'll make a cover for it. i don't want to cover up the labels on it. i'm wierd like that. if i ever want to sell it, i'd like to be as stick as possible, because i wouldn't buy a psu that i wasn't 100% about.

[edwardaune]

Why not go the other route? Glossy White interior!

That would be too much, Im trying to be somewhat subtle.

[syberspy9]

well i think the back panle and HD bays should be painted....
this way it matches ur paint job and ur mobo going from a black mobo to a shiny silver looks so bad in that top section.
mind you my pc looks like crap rigt now

[edwardaune]

I completely agree, if your going to paint one, paint it all. Id not think Im gong to paint the mobo, just to be on the safe side. I think leaving it as is will give the inside some extra character.

[dAvies.lOcker]

Well, I see what your saying, but if you had UV colored cables dont you thing the flat black color would really make those cable stand out.

I agree, the cables would stand out really well - instead of red/pink try neon green.

D.L

[stryder2720]

This is how I did mine.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=332211&highlight=bake

[syberspy9]

cool good idea (but i would put aluminum foil on the bottem so any stuff that driped off wouldnt be in my oven... in fackt i would clean my oven after.

[edwardaune]

This is how I did mine.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=332211&highlight=bake

The question was addressed in the link that you posted, but I have a non-finished aluminum case. If I were to "bake" the paint after I finished do you think it would damage the aluminum? I really like the results that it produced. Did you only do that to the hdd bays or did you finish the rest of the interior?

[stryder2720]

I did everything inside my case.

[edwardaune]

Sorry, it just looked like the back plane where the mobo connects to the case looked unpainted. Might be a bad reflection.

[edwardaune]

If I have an unfinished case then there should be much prep work, right? Its completely unfinished alum, so all I should have to do, simply speaking, is prime it then paint it?

[stryder2720]

I didnt prime anything. All I did was rough up the surface, paint, let it dry, and bake. After I painted the drive bays in my case I went on and painted everything which I dont think I posted a pic of....sry if this is alittle sloppy but Ive been ummmm drinking :beer:

[Diggrr]

I painted my interior white, then covered it all in white felt.
It keeps the sound down, and really grabs any color light that's used.
Paint accessory parts with a contrasting color, like that used on the cables and such.
Not to be used in a dusty case, cause it'd look really bad...

http://home.wmis.net/~jberg/FurtherFront.jpg

For painting bare aluminum, get thee to AutoZone and grab some self-etching primer, and the same brand paint.
Clean, prime, paint, dry overnight, bake (after removing any plastic accessories).
Viola! Paint that's very hard to scratch off. ;)

[edwardaune]

^^That looks awesome^^

[speed bump]

Do you have a oicture of it all put together? it looks nice but very incomplete without Power and video.

[edwardaune]

I painted my interior white, then covered it all in white felt.
It keeps the sound down, and really grabs any color light that's used.
Paint accessory parts with a contrasting color, like that used on the cables and such.
Not to be used in a dusty case, cause it'd look really bad...

http://home.wmis.net/~jberg/FurtherFront.jpg

For painting bare aluminum, get thee to AutoZone and grab some self-etching primer, and the same brand paint.
Clean, prime, paint, dry overnight, bake (after removing any plastic accessories).
Viola! Paint that's very hard to scratch off. ;)

What exactly is self etching primer?

[Diggrr]

AutoZone carries Duplicolor, so here's a link to their page with a short description and pics. HERE (http://www.duplicolor.com/products/primer.html)

It eats microscopic pits into what it's sprayed on to give it a hold like a banker on a c-note.
You still have to pre-clean it with soap and hot water to get rid of dirt oil and dust. Make sure all the knooks and crannies are dry first too.

To see more of my case, look HERE (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?p=3355240#post3355240)...don't wanna crap this guys thread.

[syberspy9]

This whole baking in the oven thing sounds cool i wana try it.
digger that thing looks great.

so man seems like baking with using primer sounds like the best way.
good luck man i hope you post your pics when ur done

[edwardaune]

I got the diggi today so I am going to snap a few shots of the "before" and Ill show the progress as it goes. It does sound like Im going to do some baking though. I really like those results.

[syberspy9]

hmh baking.... cookies?brownies??? o wait you mean just paint baking awww.. man i was hoping you were going to bake some cookies andshow pics of them lol...
ya post the before pics i wana see any thing... im so bored

[edwardaune]

Here's some before shots:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00711.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00710.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00709.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00708.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00707.jpg

...and yes thats a heart drawn on the side, remember its for my girlie. ;)

EDIT: This thing is rivet hell. Gonna be kinda tricky doing the intertion color without popping a lot of rivets.

[edwardaune]

Need some recommendations with this. This particular case has a mobo slide tray and as you can tell from the pic there isnt much room for a full size(80mm) fan. Do you think I should go w/ two fans about the same size that go on Thermalright NB-1 or should I just go to a 60mm and make a cut accordingly. I think if I went two smaller fans I wouldnt quite get the cfm that maybe a 60mm would put out. Wadda think, anything different than what I suggested?

[syberspy9]

Ok ur talking about the back fan right..
well i would cut one hole as big as i could for a fan (you shure u cant fit a 80mm in there?

if you cant mod a 80mm to fit there then you eill hsve to fit a 60mm in there.
but with that rear airflow problim make shure the PSU you put in there is dual fans.
(what fits in the front?? a 80mm?)

[edwardaune]

I forgot to post the pics of what I was talking about, Im an itiot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00713.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00712.jpg

After doing some measuring I found that I could put 2x60mm vertically. That should have a combined cfm to be acceptable.

Thats an 80mm being held behind it, obviously overlapping that back panel.

[edwardaune]

(what fits in the front?? a 80mm?)

Yes

[edwardaune]

I plan on gong with an acyrlic ps and for that I am going to cut out a small piece, maybe with a smaller heart that is going on the side window. I would also like to put a intake on the side of the case but I am in debate as to where I am going to place it.

[syberspy9]

Ok man i know u want to cool this thing but....
the noise lol its not u its ur GF right....
So cooling is ur big probblim right now

your going to need a fan controller for this rig.
first cut out the fan grill for the front 80mm and mount a 80mm there.
now ya the 260mm for the rear should be ur best bet but if i was you i would wire them together some how so that when u plug them in to the fan controller they both run at the same rpm's.
what about the PSU ?? i didnt really under stand what u were saying up there^ i know that u want to put a heart on the side of the psu (good it will look cool) and as for the side intake i would say you should habe a side 80mm

so the way the cooling would go IMO
would be 2 60mm in the rear wired together and mounted on channle 2 of the fan controller.
the PSU 92mm on the bottem and 80 in the rear (i would just buy an antec and mod it for a red led and heart side window. (then plugged intot he mobo)
CPU fan i would go for a 92mm and plug it into channle 1 of the fan controller.
Front 80mm intake (with fan gard cut out) plugged into channle 3 of the fan controller.
Side 80mm plugged into channle 4 of the fan controller.
then leave the pci slot (on the case) under the agp slot open so the hot air can go out.

and finally just tweak the fan controller until it sounds right and the temps are still good. (ur GF wont want a loud PC or she will hate it and never use it)

[edwardaune]

I've planned on putting in all the extra's i.e. fan controller and such so that not a big prob. Now we know this is for the GF so I am going to put some components in that I would'nt normally put in mine. For instance I am going to get some fufu hsf that looks pretty and still has pretty decent cooling. I put in her puter an Athlon 2400 TB desktop and not oc'ed, she wont let me ;) So I am going more for looks when it comes to her stuff. Im pretty much in agreement with your choices on the fans. Let me explain a little better what I was talking about cutting a hole for the ps to be seen. On the top of the case above the ps I want to cut a rectangular hole so that you can see the insides of the, not yet purchase, clear acrylic ps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00714.jpg

Now I drew in a rectangle but I was thinking of using the heart design for that again or using it in conjuntion w/an exhaust fan coming out of the top. Either was I am going to cut some sort of opening in the back for the ps. I think that would add a nice touch.

EDIT: As far as fan noise goes, if shes use to mine I dont think I could do much to hers that would make any louder than mine. Unless I put two 92mm Delta's in hers. hehe

[edwardaune]

This was the fan(s) that I was think about putting in the back for exhaust. I think the chrome look would reflect nicely with cathodes.

http://www.xpcgear.com/extremepcgear/alum60mm.html

[syberspy9]

ya those fans look great (now i understand with that pic much better.
as for looks ya this thing shoudllook nice
(u going for pink and purple?or what are ur colors? (witht he heart u should go with a pink ora red at least.

as for the HSF i would say also get a crome fan but more of like a 92mm and get a cool fan grill for it (and mabey paint it mabey not)

[edwardaune]

The outside is going pink, which shade, Im not sure. I am also debating going with some flames or something to that affect, ghosted in. My GF's brother works for a body shop and he thinks they may be able to help. The pink combined with the flat black interior should set each other off nicely. With the interior, Im having a bit of trouble trying to figure out what would look nice. Being its flat black I thought having a cathode would set off some UV reactive IDE's, but I am still open for suggestion.

[edwardaune]

BTW, this thing is held on almost completely by rivets (hell). DO you know of a relatively cheap rivet remover or some process to remove them. The only panel that has thumb screws is the panel with the heart drawn on it. I mean it has A LOT of rivets. sux

[syberspy9]

Ya all cases these daysare riveted ( i really never messed with rivets before sorry.)
As for the colors i think Pink on the outside (seems from the way sounded up there pink is sorta a must for the out side.)

so i would say pink out side Flat black inside with Purple accsesories.
i would go with some purple tubing around the heart window (as for ide cables um if u cna finde some purple that would look cool but if not pink/red should look fine.
but i would sleeve the PSU purple and paint some stuff with purple UV paint then ad a UV light in there.

with the pink outside and the dark flat black inside the purple sould look great (i like purple and no im not gay ijust think it lights up cool.

EDIT
Hey man you have to stp the posting and start editing ur posts. (its against forum rules mk.

o ya andthepurple uv paint goes on every thing like on the top of capasitors on the mobo and the fan blades ram heatspreaders every thing (its non conductive =D

[subtotal]

the easiest way to remove rivets is to just drill them out

[edwardaune]

UPDATE:
Today I spent most of the day removing rivets, but I did get some preliminary cutting done.
I cut the original grill gaurd out and just slightly bigger than 80mm.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00746.jpg
This, obviously is the side window.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00747.jpg

Now I need to start ordering some parts, fans and such, and in the mean time Im going to start primering the inside. Believe I am going to try the "oven-baked" powder coat.
Just thought I would give a little update.

the easiest way to remove rivets is to just drill them out
Thanks for the tip, and luckily found a riveter for the replacement of them.

[SavageBasher]

You do know, that normal power supplies have the bottom of the PCB at the top? So all of the components are more or less "hanging" there.

[edwardaune]

You do know, that normal power supplies have the bottom of the PCB at the top? So all of the components are more or less "hanging" there.

Yea, I dont have any idea what that pertains too. Pls explain.

[SavageBasher]

Yea, I dont have any idea what that pertains too. Pls explain.

Well, from the looks of the pic, you are cutting a window to look down at the power supply.

But, the power supply mounts in a case as so:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v189/SavageBasher/Upsidedown1.jpg

[edwardaune]

Yes but the ps that I am looking at is completely clear:

http://www.xpcgear.com/extremepcgear/acrylicpsu.html

Maybe that helps ;)

[syberspy9]

o ok (not blue right....)
um how u oingto put a hearton it then?

[edwardaune]

Im going to cut a "hole" on the top of the case directly above the ps. Probably put a piece of plexi under it. More or less make a window showing through to the ps. Just an added extra.

[syberspy9]

ya i got that part but um wernt you goung to have a heart on the psu ?
anyway it will still look good

[Brundle Fly]

ya i got that part but um wernt you goung to have a heart on the psu ?
anyway it will still look good

I do believe he said heart shaped window that shows off the PSU. :)

[syberspy9]

"heart shaped window that shows off the PSU"
would that be the window on the topof the case? (looks rectangle to me...)
or the side case window? (dont see how it would show off the PSU)

[Brundle Fly]

"heart shaped window that shows off the PSU"
would that be the window on the topof the case? (looks rectangle to me...)
or the side case window? (dont see how it would show off the PSU)

Yeah, he drew a rectangle, but added this: "Now I drew in a rectangle but I was thinking of using the heart design for that again or using it in conjuntion w/an exhaust fan coming out of the top. " I don't know how much of the PSU it would show off, bit it would show some of it anyhow. :)

[edwardaune]

(looks rectangle to me...)

That was just for demonstration purposes to give you an idea where I was going to place the window. Trust me, if I would have drawn a heart there, it would be anything recognizable. Not very artisticly inclined. Anyways, I scanned the same template as the one that I used on the side and I think it shows off enough to be worth having. Although cutting it is going to suck.

[syberspy9]

Oooooooooooo.....
sorry it took me so long to clue in but im really interested in this case (i think the whole GF comp thing is much cooler cuz not ever thing has been done for pplz GF's PC's.

ok well keep me updated.
thanx for helping me understand Brundle Fly, and you to edwardaune.

[edwardaune]

Just a little update:

I start painting the inside of the case(black) and I have also been baking it too. Just in case anyone was wondering if it is safe to do on an alum. case, it is. I set it at 300F and let it bake for two hours. There were a couple of very small spots where the over rack slightly scratched the paint, but a sharpie did the trick.

Before http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00746.jpg
After http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00753.jpg

Ill keep updated as it comes along. I am waiting for a couple of pieces for reference where I am going to cut a couple more holes. Shaping up pretty nice though.

[syberspy9]

........
um tha doesnt look black to me are u shure u posted the right pic?

[edwardaune]

The "after" pick is the one that is black. The reflection of the lighting might make it look a little off color. Best shot I could find.

[edwardaune]

The front is an 92mm and this is what I plan on doing to the back
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00713copy.jpg
as you can see an 80mm overlaps quite a bit
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00713.jpg

I am still in debate as far as the ps goes. Again the the one that I looking at is completely clear, but correct me if Im wrong, but doesnt the top of the ps have a circuit board that resembles a mobo. So if I cut a window on the top of case, as mention before, Im concerned that all you see is a green cuit board.

I mentioned this in the cooling section what do you guys recommend for cooling this thing. After looking at this case I really dont want to cut any more holes on the side as not to take away from the heart. Wadda think about cutting a hole on the top, for a 92mm maybe for an intake. The thing that bothers me about that is that Ill have 2*92mm intakes and 2*60mm exhaust. Input pls.

EDIT: BTW do you think the blue lights from the ps would mess up the pink UV cable sleeving that I plan on doing?

[syberspy9]

top fans are a waist #1u will hear them more #2 they dont do much for temps

if well dont want to cut up more? dont then just put the2x60mm rear the psu and a front 92mm.might not be posative airflow in the case but heck it willbe fine.

um im not shure what ur saying up thereabout the psu...
but in a psu this is what it looks like (always differnt but this is a antec psu)
http://www.silentpcreview.com/files/images/antecneo/open1.jpg

[Brundle Fly]

So, if you broke with tradition, and mounted that PSU upside down, the intake fan would be on top, right where your heart-shaped window would be, giving it some fresh air, instead of air from inside the tower. Yes, you'd have to do some mods on the back of the tower to make the PSU fit, but you're modding anyhow, just a wee bit more slicing. I don't see how this would affect the PSU, other than give it better cooling.

Just a thought. :D

[edwardaune]

And a ^^good thought^^ it is but there is the possibility of excess noise. She's picky about stuff like that, mine drives her crazy at times. I think its soothing ;). Syber, what Im saying about the ps is that if I cut a window in the top do you think that what your mainly going to see in the window is the backplane(circuit board) of the ps instead of the actual internal parts.
http://www.circotech.com/ps500ac-all-acrylic-see-through-dual-quad-blue-led-fans-power-supply-fan-500-watts-watt.html
This is the ps, again do you think the blue will throw off the pink.

I didnt think about the ps having an exhaust, that should help with my cooling concern.

[Brundle Fly]

And a ^^good thought^^ it is but there is the possibility of excess noise. She's picky about stuff like that, mine drives her crazy at times. I think its soothing ;). Syber, what Im saying about the ps is that if I cut a window in the top do you think that what your mainly going to see in the window is the backplane(circuit board) of the ps instead of the actual internal parts.
http://www.circotech.com/ps500ac-all-acrylic-see-through-dual-quad-blue-led-fans-power-supply-fan-500-watts-watt.html
This is the ps, again do you think the blue will throw off the pink.

I didnt think about the ps having an exhaust, that should help with my cooling concern.

Well, if you are worried about noise pizzing off the GF(and man man, none of us wants to PO the wife/GF), you could turn it on it's side, if you have the room, that would allow the window to see the inards, and you'd still have the intake on the PSU clear. Doesn't matter where the intake for the PSU is sucking from, as long as it's sucking from inside the case, it gets warm air, so if it's pointed towards the CPU, what diff does it make? Okay, it makes more work for you, but other than that? Heh heh heh. :D

[syberspy9]

lol sorryi understand now...
um ok here:
#1 the blue will beto muchit wont let the pink show off at all.
#2 ya all you will see will be the back of the circit board on Newer PSU's on older psu's you would see the insides they have since flipped them around so that the bottemfan will help... so that psu is a no no i would say (just forget the top psu window)

#3 my sugestion would eb get a normal Psu she wont care...o and just put some of that mirror tape orsomtingon it so cover it with like a mirrior plastic to reflect every thing...
or just buy a that psu with differnt light or mod it and chaneg the led's

[edwardaune]

Or I could just say screw it and get a ps, paint it the same color of everything else inside and just go with the 2 X 12" UV lights along with the pink sleeving. Man that sounds easy *thinking less work*. Dunno, gonna sleep on it.

[edwardaune]

#3 my sugestion would eb get a normal Psu she wont care...o and just put some of that mirror tape orsomtingon it so cover it with like a mirrior plastic to reflect every thing...
or just buy a that psu with differnt light or mod it and chaneg the led's

Thanks syber, those are a couple of good ideas, especially the mirror tape. You're hired. ;)

BTW: Whoever said that it doesnt give off fumes when your baking this paint obviously wasnt breathing at the time. *look at all the pretty colors*

[Brundle Fly]

Or I could just say screw it and get a ps, paint it the same color of everything else inside and just go with the 2 X 12" UV lights along with the pink sleeving. Man that sounds easy *thinking less work*. Dunno, gonna sleep on it.

Yeah, you have to think about whether or not "SHE'LL" appreciate looking into the PSU, or is that what you want? You could still cut a window in the top, so she gets a nice heart shaped glow on the ceiling at night, just skip trying to make it show off the PSU. :)

[Diggrr]

I'd actually look at the psu. Plenty are mounted with the pcb on bottom, like the Sparkles I have.

[syberspy9]

"BTW: Whoever said that it doesnt give off fumes when your baking this paint obviously wasnt breathing at the time. *look at all the pretty colors*"


HAHAHA ur funny man but must be the truth (i dont know nevr doen it)
hey man do u have aim or msn? if so pm me, and post it in ur profile.

[edwardaune]

I'd actually look at the psu. Plenty are mounted with the pcb on bottom, like the Sparkles I have.

I looked, its on the top.

[edwardaune]

Well, i think I remodied the situation with the ps. I think I an going to get this-

http://www.sundialmicro.com/cgi-bin/sundial/sstst360.html

I like the fact that its black, which will go nicely with the interior of the case. I read a few reviews of it, and it had a decent rating. One of the downfalls, which is relative, is that it doesnt have very many connectors. She isnt going to have more than one or two optical drives, and on top of that I think Im going to upgrade her to SATA. All I have to do is sleeve the cables and I should be good to go. The price is nice also. Glad thats out of the way, kinda.

[Brundle Fly]

Well, i think I remodied the situation with the ps. I think I an going to get this-

http://www.sundialmicro.com/cgi-bin/sundial/sstst360.html

I like the fact that its black, which will go nicely with the interior of the case. I read a few reviews of it, and it had a decent rating. One of the downfalls, which is relative, is that it doesnt have very many connectors. She isnt going to have more than one or two optical drives, and on top of that I think Im going to upgrade her to SATA. All I have to do is sleeve the cables and I should be good to go. The price is nice also. Glad thats out of the way, kinda.

I'd feel better if they could actually type out sentences in English, instead of the shoddy translation job done by their site/PR guys. I get nervous about "Pidgeon-English" translations.

[edwardaune]

Yea, dont know where I am going to buy it from, I just used that for demonstration. I wish there were a way to implement some sort of window, I think she was starting to warm up to that idea. Anyways, Ill just dress up the inside as much as possible(without going overboard). Any thoughts from you guys would be appr. and Ill give you credit when I patent the design ;)

I like the fact that it has an 120mm fan. Quiet

[Brundle Fly]

Yeah, 120's are nice, I have two 120 Panaflo's and they are very quiet compared to the 5 or 6 80's I used to have in my case, my wife appreciates the difference. Okay, so do I, I don't get bitched at so much, heh. :D

[edwardaune]

OK, on to sleeving the cables. The IDEs are going to be rounded to no worries there. The only ones that'll need to be sleeved is the ps and a few straglers. Ive been told to get a molex remover but thats about all I know. Enlighten me with your guys wealth of info.

[Brundle Fly]

All I know is that the molex remover is a gizmo that pops the pins out of the molex(through the back side of the plug) connector without damaging anything. Handy tool, if you plan on modding cables forever, kind of a waste of money if you're only going to use it once. Pop them out with a small screwdriver, it doesn't take all that much.

[edwardaune]

um....to late.

[jcw122]

i dunno if this is too l8 to suggest...but i heard of one guy actually sanding down the inside of his case so that the inside metal is almost mirror like (like a lapped HS)....thad be pretty interesting...or just paint stuff...and "mirror" some other stuff...i really wanna try it to soemthing on my case but i dunno

[syberspy9]

what do you mean to late?
how fast are u moving on this progect? (sounds like a good thingur movinf fast though)

i would say forget the molex removle andall that work on the psu and just buy some of this stuffit slides right over andlooks good.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=11247&vpn=CSK-80UV-RD&manufacture=VANTEC
(lookat the customer photos)

an these look cool
http://www.ncix.com/customerimage.php?sku=12592&promoid=0#jumpimageframe
u can get them in like red or yellow ect there uv reactive =D

they cover the PCI and RAM slots

[edwardaune]

an these look cool
http://www.ncix.com/customerimage.p...#jumpimageframe
u can get them in like red or yellow ect there uv reactive =D

That look interesting. I might look into those.
I wouldnt say that I moving fast at all, in fact its kinda dragging along. What I meant by too late is that I already ordered a molex remover kit, and I also ordered a sleeving kit for her puter a few days ago. Im going the extra mile with this one. I do like those covers, Im gonna have to look into that a little more.

i dunno if this is too l8 to suggest...but i heard of one guy actually sanding down the inside of his case so that the inside metal is almost mirror like (like a lapped HS)....thad be pretty interesting...or just paint stuff...and "mirror" some other stuff...i really wanna try it to soemthing on my case but i dunno

Yea Im way past that, as a matter of fact Im going to be starting on the outside soon. Actually Ill be using pretty much the same technique as you mentioned.

[syberspy9]

o ok well if u wana do the work ur more of a moder than me =P
keep usposter =D

[edwardaune]

Well, Ive been working pretty hard on this thing, when I have time. Ive sleeved the ps, that was the funnest three hours of my life. I cant wait till I never do that again ;). It is a pain in the ass to get that sleeving on without it unravelling and thats with the molex's off. After I got done with it it was well worth the time. I changed between black and pink just so the inside of the case woulndt be bombarded with one single color. The IDE's that Im putting in will be UV pink also.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00787.jpg

Ive primed and baked most of the interior parts and finished cutting the rest of the pieces that still needed to be done. Ill shoot those later on this week. The back part of the case where I am putting the 60mm was cut out today. Besides it and the inside of the side panels I will be done with the black priming.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00712.jpg Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00786.jpg After

I did start on the exterior painting, I start with the bottom of the case (practice if you will, but not so much). I am VERY pleased with the outcome so far. I start off with two coats of primer, standard grey, and sanded between each application with 400 grit. Then after searching high and low I finally found a shade of pink that suited the misses, Ballet Slipper, cute huh ;).
I put two coats of that on with 600 grit after each of those. Then the fun part, the flames. I used a can of pearlesent paint to "ghost" in the flames. I drew a template that I wanted to use and basically filled in the lines. It came out way better than I imagined. I used about three coats to get the effect I wanted. All I need to do is lay down the clearcoat and Ill be done with that piece.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00783.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00782.jpg

This is a lot of work, but Im having a great time getting it done. Bit frustrating at times, but well worth it. I still have a lot of painting to go but it seems to be bumpin' along.

Pictures dont do the bottom the case (pink and flames) any justice. It looks great, a bit dull, but that'll be fixed as soon as I shoot some clear coat and apply the rubbing compound.

Ill keep ya posted....

[Brundle Fly]

Looking good man. :thup: Nice job on the sleeving, I don't have the patience for that kind of stuff. :)

[edwardaune]

Looking good man. :thup: Nice job on the sleeving, I don't have the patience for that kind of stuff. :)

Thanks, its not for the faint of heart ;)

[alinosa]

those holes on the back are exquisite. Grade a work.

[Bogie]

Wow edwardaune that looks great. Cant wait to see more pics as your working on it.:clap:

[syberspy9]

nice job so far man im glad you found some pink paint and pink UV sleeving.
your smart to practice on the bottem of the case. cant wait to see the final bootem with the clear coat.

nice clean holes for the 60mm's are you just going to leave the tiny holes? or cover them up with somthing?
mind you there so tiny it woudnt matter that much.

not to be a pain but just to let you know for ur next mod, try to cover the ends of the wires on the PSU with heatshrink pretty good job though.

now to wait for you to stop liffing those dumbells on the floor and start paining like mad!

[warlock110]

What do you use to remove the molex? i use a needle, needless to say it's not as easy as it sounds, i stop after i pulled out 2 molex (that's 8 pins) too hard IMO, any other tool that can do the job? (i wasn't sleeving i just need it to fit through a small hole lol) and how do you remember the where the wire goes? i always forget, i had to draw the thing out before i remove the pins.

[syberspy9]

use tape and write on the tap (tape goes on wires)
a PIN AHAHAHAHand just for a hole.....
you can buy a tool to remove them thats the best way...or a small screw driver but the tool will save you so much time even the screw driver is slow.
so ya buy the tool

[edwardaune]

I used a molex remover.

[warlock110]

you guys convinced me, i bought the molex extrator (8 bucks) and a sleeving kit :) lol it was worth it anyways, the i bought the XP90 for 30 bucks, so i might as well add some of the accessories to save on the shipping money.

[syberspy9]

nice its always good to cover and clean wires (i use electrical tape :) PM meif you want to seepics i dont wana steal this alsome thread)

.... im just waiting to see this thing again its going to look so good.....
(mabey i should mod my mom pc....)

[edwardaune]

Just a word to the wise. If you are painting in a color thats not readily available, make sure you purchase enough of it to finish your project. Ill be damned, I bought all of Krylons "Ballet Slipper" in town, and I dont live in a very small town. Wally World is the ONLY place it can be found. They say their getting a truck tonight, but what do you think the chances are that they are getting Ballet Slipper in. All I have to shoot is the final coat on the face piece of the case, THATS IT. Man this sux. Anyways boys and girls, remember the addage, measure twice cut once. Its hard to tell how much product your going to need till you get done. Thanks for letting me vent. Pics to come shortly.

[syberspy9]

sounds good (hope you get what your looking for)
cuz i cant wait for the pics

[edwardaune]

Anybody familiar with sanding the clear coat and then applying rubbing compound, would you please tell me the technique that you use. I have painted and sand the bottom of my case three times because the results that I have gotten have been way less than acceptable. What Ive been doing is priming, painting, then clearcoat (sanding between each coat of prime, paint, ect.). Well after I finish shooting the clear I let it stand for a couple of days I then sand with 1000 and then 1500. I have purchased rubbing compound, and boy, did that do a job to the paint job. I personally think its too abrasive, then again, maybe I didnt wait long enough for the clear to dry. Then I bought some polishing compound and that didnt produce the "mirror" effect that I am going for. Do I need to let the clear set for longer that two days, or should I not sand the clear at all then apply rubbing or polishing compound. I dunno, but I sure am tired of sanding this damn piece or anything at this point. I am about to the point of just leaving the clear on there by itself, I just dont like the orange peel that it leaves and on top of that Ive put a lot of work in the early stages of painting to get it to this point. Help pls.

[Diggrr]

I just use some 1000 grit paper (wet, very little pressure) then dry it off and follow it with scratch remover compound (liquid in a bottle).
It's much much finer than rubbing compound and using my buffer I even put a shine on a primer finish when I color sanded my paint way too thin once.
You can use hand buffing with it as well, but I was doing my whole truck after repainting the hood...black primer, black paint.

Look for the words "clearcoat safe" on the bottle.

In my mind, regular buffing compound has been replaced by the super fine grits of paper widely available these days. I only use it to buff chrome bumpers and hubcaps.

[henesse]

I went with white for my pc in my sig.

[syberspy9]

Diggrr are you saying you just use very fine wetsand paper with the scratch remover?
it does a better job than buffing?

why clearcoat safe? that means when you applie the scratch remover ontop of the clearcoat then itwont wreatthe clear coat right?

did you just use one layer of clear coat?
i just dont see how you would sand theclearcoat and it would still look good.

but very interesting Diggrr

[edwardaune]

I just use some 1000 grit paper (wet, very little pressure) then dry it off and follow it with scratch remover compound (liquid in a bottle).
It's much much finer than rubbing compound and using my buffer I even put a shine on a primer finish when I color sanded my paint way too thin once.
You can use hand buffing with it as well, but I was doing my whole truck after repainting the hood...black primer, black paint.

Look for the words "clearcoat safe" on the bottle.

In my mind, regular buffing compound has been replaced by the super fine grits of paper widely available these days. I only use it to buff chrome bumpers and hubcaps.

Thanks, I WAS using a paste. Way to abrasive in hindsight. I have one more piece to put flames on and then clear it, Ill think about if I want to try buffing it again. Im going to give all my pieces enough time to dry and then we'll see. Thanks for the info.

[Diggrr]

Diggrr are you saying you just use very fine wetsand paper with the scratch remover?
it does a better job than buffing?

why clearcoat safe? that means when you applie the scratch remover ontop of the clearcoat then itwont wreatthe clear coat right?

did you just use one layer of clear coat?
i just dont see how you would sand theclearcoat and it would still look good.

but very interesting Diggrr

It does a top-notch job like those finishes you see on show cars.
To explain the "clearcoat safe" part...When you use a very fine paper like 1000 grit or 1500, it basically smooths out the surface, taking down the tiny peaks of paint to match the valleys. It leaves a dull shine behind, enough to see your reflection but not enough to "count yer teeth". So the polish is a superfine abrasive that finishes up the job by removing the sanding marks.
It is buffing but just using polishing compound instead of a buffing compound.
The polish is made for using on your car that's already painted well, but has scratches from washing waxing and life in general. That's the clearcoat safe part...buffing compound is meant to do what fine grit sanding has replaced (again, IMHO).
Remeber too that you're working with soft paint (even if you're baking it). Detailing is working on paint that's finished curing to rock hard years ago.

By the way, I'd only do this with at least 2-3 coats of clear. If it's too thin then you still run a risk of sanding/polishing through.

I've seen buffing compound used by body shops to remove decals and striping, and the result is somewhat hazy, still requiring a polish.

edwardaune, no problem dude. I had to learn by trial and error...never ever again will I buy a jet black truck. ;)

[Brundle Fly]

It does a top-notch job like those finishes you see on show cars.
To explain the "clearcoat safe" part...When you use a very fine paper like 1000 grit or 1500, it basically smooths out the surface, taking down the tiny peaks of paint to match the valleys. It leaves a dull shine behind, enough to see your reflection but not enough to "count yer teeth". So the polish is a superfine abrasive that finishes up the job by removing the sanding marks.
It is buffing but just using polishing compound instead of a buffing compound.
The polish is made for using on your car that's already painted well, but has scratches from washing waxing and life in general. That's the clearcoat safe part...buffing compound is meant to do what fine grit sanding has replaced (again, IMHO).
Remeber too that you're working with soft paint (even if you're baking it). Detailing is working on paint that's finished curing to rock hard years ago.

By the way, I'd only do this with at least 2-3 coats of clear. If it's too thin then you still run a risk of sanding/polishing through.

I've seen buffing compound used by body shops to remove decals and striping, and the result is somewhat hazy, still requiring a polish.

edwardaune, no problem dude. I had to learn by trial and error...never ever again will I buy a jet black truck. ;)

Looks like you've been "volunteered" as the resident paint expert, congrats. :clap:

That being said, no intention of a thread-jack here, but I have another question concerning the sanding/clearcoating. We're painting a mural on the side of #2 son's case, the case has been painted, but not wet sanded yet. Should we wet sand the case, then paint the mural, then wetsand the mural before the clearcoat? I'm concerned that if we wetsand the base coat, paint the mural, then wetsand the mural, we'll accidentally take off some of the base coat around the mural.

So, I figure my options are:
1) wetsand sand the mural and case as one, knowing the mural will be hand painted, and although it will be painted in enamel(same as the case), it will be painted with model paints, which may not be as "hard" as the rattle can Dupli-colour.
2) partially wetsand the case, paint the mural, then finish the full sanding.
3) wetsand the case, clearcoat it, wetsand the clearcoat, paint the mural, wetsand, then a final clearcoat over everything, wetsand it all and buff.

Option #3 sounds the safest in my book, I'm not treally worried about the cost, I know I'll be blowing a lot of paint and bucks that way, but I want it to be done right. We've already sanded off the first paint job on the case, and then did it right. We're ready for the mural, and I really don't want this step screwed up, Josh is going to get more than a wee bit depressed if he has to sand down his case one more time. I feel sorry for the kid, but it's giving his biceps a good workout, heh. :D

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Like everyone else, seems the paint is the final stumbling block, I want to get it right the first time.

[edwardaune]

edwardaune, no problem dude. I had to learn by trial and error...never ever again will I buy a jet black truck.

thats funny

3) wetsand the case, clearcoat it, wetsand the clearcoat, paint the mural, wetsand, then a final clearcoat over everything, wetsand it all and buff.

ok threadjacker ;), why would you want to put a clearcoat down before you paint the mural, to add depth maybe?

and just to clarify diggrr, prettyt much up to this point Ive only been putting on one coat fo clear, but a thick coat. Are you saying that I should put on a few coats? And if so, do I need to be sanding in between those quotes. Thank you oh great on for your abundance of paint knowledge, are you glad you replied to this thread ;)

[Brundle Fly]

ok threadjacker ;), why would you want to put a clearcoat down before you paint the mural, to add depth maybe?


BUSTED! Heh heh heh. :D I'm thinking that if I clearcoat the base, I won't have to worry about sanding through the base paint when I sand the mural. I know I won't be able to just sand the mural, I know I'll sand beyond it's boundaries. It would really suck to get the mural down beauty, then sand through the basecoat while sanding the mural.

Hey, and now that you mention it, giving the paint behind the mural depth would look pretty slick. Possibly multiple coats of clear, then the mural. How about masking an area slightly bigger than the mural, laying down a pearl coat, then more clear, then the mural on top of that?

Thanks edwardaune, very cool idea, I didn't even think about the clearcoat adding depth. I should get shares in Dupli-colour by the time this case is done. :D

[edwardaune]

Thanks edwardaune, very cool idea, I didn't even think about the clearcoat adding depth. I should get shares in Dupli-colour by the time this case is done.

You have no idea how idea how much Krylon owes me ;) or maybe its owns me.

Anybody on whether I should sand between clearcoats or just spray multiple coats and then sand.

BTW brundle, I have a can of pearlesent that I used to spray the flames, one word, sick. Im glad I went that route. It has very nice results if you just lightly spray about two coats on, kinda ghosts it. I would post some pics, but it seems that someone cant find the memory stick to go in the camera. :(

[Brundle Fly]

You have no idea how idea how much Krylon owes me ;) or maybe its owns me.

Anybody on whether I should sand between clearcoats or just spray multiple coats and then sand.

BTW brundle, I have a can of pearlesent that I used to spray the flames, one word, sick. Im glad I went that route. It has very nice results if you just lightly spray about two coats on, kinda ghosts it. I would post some pics, but it seems that someone cant find the memory stick to go in the camera. :(

I'm not going to sand between clearcoats, with enamel I'd have to wait 5 days between the coats, and I'm just not that patient. As it stands, it's going to take a while to get all the layers on. If I had known better at the start, I might have looked for a laquer paint that did the same thing. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say. The paint guide at PC-workshop seems to be off limits now, I can't get in, I can't access pc-workshop at all. I know the guy that wrote the guide said something about sanding the clearcoats, but I forget what it was, doh! :bang head

I think we'll try that ghosting effect, nah, we're GOING to try that ghosting effect, your case looks sweet, and I know from taking my own pics, that pics never do them justice. Hopefully I'll get the clearcoats going this weekend, I'll let you know how the sanding turns out next weekend. :)

[syberspy9]

any way while u guys talk about Brundle fly's job all i have to say is...

WHEN DO I GET SOME PICS!

(im on 56k but still i dont care this case sounds so good i can wait for the pics o load)

[edwardaune]

soon...........

[Brundle Fly]

soon...........

I just checked out the link you posted in RIPSTER's thread, that dude says to sand between clearcoats. That got my memory in gear(it's getting rusty, in direct proportion to my birthdays, for some reason, I forget why), the guide at pcworkshop said the same. The trick was to sand between coats and not sand through to the colour level. The clearcoat will come off without colour, obviously, but if you do see colour start to show your water, stop immediately, and apply the next coat of clear before you sand through the colour coat to the primer.

Once you can get the orange peel off without breaking through to the colour, it's all over but the "buffing". I think that sucks, but if it takes longer to do it right, so be it. :D

[edwardaune]

Well, too bad I didnt get your response an hour ago. But, after applying the second (without sanding) the results came out good. The slight orange peel from the first coat lessened except for where I painted the flames. That pearlesent paint leaves a pretty rough surface and every place Ive read said not to sand it. I think applying several coats of clear then sanding with 600 (just to get rid of the orange peel thats left) then sanding with 1500 might be the roaf that Im taking. Brundle, I was reading a thread from Pimprig and it stated to shoot four coats sand then shoot four more. Im not going to go to that extreme but it coinsides with what I plan to do. I would imagine theres more than one way so skin this cat. Like Ive said before, Ive redone the bottom several times and sanding the clear to get the orange peel down will leave a milky haze and when I went to far obviously it started showing some pink. Dunno, I guess we'll have to find out the hard way. With the coats that Im spraying, Im probably going to give it a good week to harden then Ill sand. I did find out the hard way what happens when you sand too soon. Sux.

Man I nned to get done with this soon so I can start paying more attention to my puter. My stability has gone down some. I dont suppose it because theres an inch of dust in there. Ok, not an inch but you get the idea. ;)

You crazy Canadians, it spelled COLOR not colour :D

[Diggrr]

Hey guys! Sorry I had to work late tonight..

For airbrushing, scuff the base color with 600 grit wet sanding first, then airbrush the design. When that's thouroughly dry, clearcoat with 2-3 layers then you can wetsand. To promote adhesion between layers you can scuff the previous clearcoat with some scotchbrite very lightly.
Clearcoat will make the sanded surfaces look like they'd never been touched.

For a single color paintjob, scuff sand the base color coat, clearcoat it and let dry. Then scuff sand again before clear coating again. You can do the final wet sanding and polishing when the clearcoat is on sufficiently thick enough and very well dried.
Metalic and Pearlescent paints shouldn't be sanded before clearcoating, it removes the colorant from the tiny flakes and makes it stand out in spots.
If I'm using a metalic paint, I'll lay 3 coats, sanding the first two lightly but not touching the third.

Scuff sanding is just a light wet sanding using little pressure. It's just to knock off the peaks some and promote adhesion. Do not worry about getting the paint super smooth at this point, that's what clearcoat is for.

In all cases, use some tack cloth after sanding and drying off so that you're not making any dust and particulates a part of your finish.

Colour...heh. Guess it doesn't matter which way it's spelled really. Even in America there's different ways of spelling some words. Grey or Gray ...depends on who you ask.

[Brundle Fly]

Well, too bad I didnt get your response an hour ago. But, after applying the second (without sanding) the results came out good. The slight orange peel from the first coat lessened except for where I painted the flames. That pearlesent paint leaves a pretty rough surface and every place Ive read said not to sand it. I think applying several coats of clear then sanding with 600 (just to get rid of the orange peel thats left) then sanding with 1500 might be the roaf that Im taking. Brundle, I was reading a thread from Pimprig and it stated to shoot four coats sand then shoot four more. Im not going to go to that extreme but it coinsides with what I plan to do. I would imagine theres more than one way so skin this cat. Like Ive said before, Ive redone the bottom several times and sanding the clear to get the orange peel down will leave a milky haze and when I went to far obviously it started showing some pink. Dunno, I guess we'll have to find out the hard way. With the coats that Im spraying, Im probably going to give it a good week to harden then Ill sand. I did find out the hard way what happens when you sand too soon. Sux.

Man I nned to get done with this soon so I can start paying more attention to my puter. My stability has gone down some. I dont suppose it because theres an inch of dust in there. Ok, not an inch but you get the idea. ;)

You crazy Canadians, it spelled COLOR not colour :D

Cool, I'll throw 2 or 3 coats of clear on this weekend, and see how yours turns out before I start sanding next weekend. I may go with even more coats of clear, I want this "depth" effect to look really cool. :D

One thing that was mentioned in one of the guides is that clearcoats are much thinner/runnier than colour coats, so you have to be careful not to lay it on too thick, it's prone to getting runs.

Yeah, colour/color, center/centre, burns me everytime when I go to American sites, or use American programs with a spell checker. :D

Hey guys! Sorry I had to work late tonight..

For airbrushing, scuff the base color with 600 grit wet sanding first, then airbrush the design. When that's thouroughly dry, clearcoat with 2-3 layers then you can wetsand. To promote adhesion between layers you can scuff the previous clearcoat with some scotchbrite very lightly.
Clearcoat will make the sanded surfaces look like they'd never been touched.

For a single color paintjob, scuff sand the base color coat, clearcoat it and let dry. Then scuff sand again before clear coating again. You can do the final wet sanding and polishing when the clearcoat is on sufficiently thick enough and very well dried.
Metalic and Pearlescent paints shouldn't be sanded before clearcoating, it removes the colorant from the tiny flakes and makes it stand out in spots.
If I'm using a metalic paint, I'll lay 3 coats, sanding the first two lightly but not touching the third.

Scuff sanding is just a light wet sanding using little pressure. It's just to knock off the peaks some and promote adhesion. Do not worry about getting the paint super smooth at this point, that's what clearcoat is for.

In all cases, use some tack cloth after sanding and drying off so that you're not making any dust and particulates a part of your finish.

Colour...heh. Guess it doesn't matter which way it's spelled really. Even in America there's different ways of spelling some words. Grey or Gray ...depends on who you ask.

I may have to do a little more work on the base coat if you're not supposed to sand metallic paints, I have some really fugly dust particles in there. Ah well, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I always use a tack cloth before painting, but my basement is super dusty, un-painted concrete. I'm looking forward to warmer weather. :)

[edwardaune]

Still have a lot of work to do but I thought I would drop some pics..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00833.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00834.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00830.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00831.jpg still needs clear

started putting some things back together...there isnt a cable that isnt getting sleeved

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00829.jpg

Like I said, I still have a lot of work to do and Ive been asking A LOT of questions about sanding the clear. You really should use 600 at all to sand the clear down. At least use 1500 to start off with and work your way up to 2500, then you can use a really good polishing compound to get out the fine scratches that the 2500 left. I recommend using this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00836.jpg

more to come...

[sharkmont]

That looks like an excellent paint job. Very very nice! Keep up the fine work.

[syberspy9]

May have much more work to do but it looks SO GOOD!

very nice job the heart looks great and the front pic is so clean nice black with the fan grill out and the sleeve job.

very nie i would say much mroe but i have to run out the door...

[thegreek]

^^ good job on that

[Brundle Fly]

Still have a lot of work to do but I thought I would drop some pics..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00833.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00834.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00830.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00831.jpg still needs clear

started putting some things back together...there isnt a cable that isnt getting sleeved

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00829.jpg

Like I said, I still have a lot of work to do and Ive been asking A LOT of questions about sanding the clear. You really should use 600 at all to sand the clear down. At least use 1500 to start off with and work your way up to 2500, then you can use a really good polishing compound to get out the fine scratches that the 2500 left. I recommend using this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00836.jpg

more to come...

Brundle adds 3M Perfect-It III to his shopping list. :thup:

[edwardaune]

That rubbing compound is "Extra cut" in case you couldn't read the pic and there was a error in my grammar. You shouldn't use 600 grit on clear coat. The pros that Ive been talking to said that you would have to have some pretty serious orange peel even for a can, to use such a harsh grit. That would explain some of the reason why when I get to that point it always seems to fail. I just dont want to see you guys make the same mistake. Start off with at least 1500, it may take longer, but hell you've put that mush work into it. Anyways....

[edwardaune]

I know its a crappy pic and I will show more when the lighting is better, but I think I FINALLY mastered the "buffing" portion of it. After shooting the clear I let it stand for at least 4 days then I started sanding with 1500 to remove the orange peel. After sanding with 1500 it loks hazey but if you go outside and look at an angle you can tell the orange peel is gone and you get a "mirror" like reflection off of the trees and such. Then I sanded with 2000 just to smooth out the sanding of the 1500. BTW, both of the sandings were done VERY lightly with soapy water. After sanding I then applied the 3M rubbing compound (liquid actually) and started buffing and there there you go.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00848.jpg

Its kinda hard to see mainly because Im inside and the color is pink but there is a mirror reflection. Yea!! After I assemble the case I am going to apply 3M's polishing compound that they claim will have a "new car" appearance. Im glad I finally found a good way to get this done. Only 4 more pieces to go.

EDIT: This one might be better
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00849.jpg

[Brundle Fly]

I know its a crappy pic and I will show more when the lighting is better, but I think I FINALLY mastered the "buffing" portion of it. After shooting the clear I let it stand for at least 4 days then I started sanding with 1500 to remove the orange peel. After sanding with 1500 it loks hazey but if you go outside and look at an angle you can tell the orange peel is gone and you get a "mirror" like reflection off of the trees and such. Then I sanded with 2000 just to smooth out the sanding of the 1500. BTW, both of the sandings were done VERY lightly with soapy water. After sanding I then applied the 3M rubbing compound (liquid actually) and started buffing and there there you go.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00848.jpg

Its kinda hard to see mainly because Im inside and the color is pink but there is a mirror reflection. Yea!! After I assemble the case I am going to apply 3M's polishing compound that they claim will have a "new car" appearance. Im glad I finally found a good way to get this done. Only 4 more pieces to go.

EDIT: This one might be better
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00849.jpg

Cool dude, I'll be snagging some this weekend, and I know all about how looking at your "piece" at an angle takes away the haze, it's a mirror at the "right angle"(pun intended) :D

Yes, the second pic is better. :)

Any paint guide you read will tell you that light colours don't show off the mirror effect like dark colours, it's something that has to be seen in person. What I'm looking forward to is a pic of your girlfriend's/wife's mod, with something in the background to give it some contrast, we really can't get the full effect with the shots you have now, if you know what I mean?

Like maybe set it up infront of a red background, or black for that matter, so we can see the colour differences. Tweak the contrast or whatever with the image program you're using right now, make it look like it does to you. Natural light is the best for this, it really shows off what you've done, but once again, you have to have the right angle.

Anyhow, fantastic job, I'm impressed, very well done. :attn:

[syberspy9]

nice i think thats a great clean and clear job.
i wish i had the effort to do that one day...one day...

[Brundle Fly]

As an aside, I watched American Chopper tonight, awesome bike built in memory of Dave Mann. Anyhow, the paint job, so very sweet, flames engraved into the metal, then air-brushed, more engraving/etching on top, layer upon layer, so very sweet.

In the end, buddy is buffing out the oil-tank, and what's on the bench in front of him? 3M Perfect-It, go figure. :attn:

I figure that if the painters that can make Paulie Sr. happy use that stuff, that's what I'll go with, good call there edwardaune. :thup:

[edwardaune]

What a cowickidink, I was watching the same show. I would like an ounce of that talent.
Heres some more pics for ya, I am just mocking up the exterior. Ive already riveted the interior and the top and bottom pieces of the case. I still need to final sand the side panels. Almost to the finish line, kinda. Im ****ed her case looks better than mine,(except for the pick) ;) Just means I have to go to a 64bit and a better case. I now have more experience so the next one will be even more sick, sicker if you will. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00856.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00853.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00852.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/EdwardAune/DSC00851.jpg

[Brundle Fly]

Very nicely done, and the first pic, however un-intentional that was, shows the mirror finish on the top. I'd really like to see pics of this in some natural light :bang head

I'm looking forward to your next mod. :thup:

BTW, to have one ounce of that chick's talent would be cool. Damn she did some awesome work on that bike. I've never seen a paint job, engraved into metal, then the paint itself engraved for the next layer, and so on, layer after later, amazing and very original. Makes a guy want to run out and buy an airbrush setup, I saw a link to one posted in these forums somewhere, $70 American for the full monty, very nice

[syberspy9]

O man tat looks so nice.
hey um were exactly do u live and wehnwill u be done?
i really think the final day u should leave it on ur window ledge to let it dry 100%

.....LOL sorry that pink andsilver with taht flat black makes itlook so nice.

you better do a good wire job cuz thats going to be the thing that always messes up good cases.
make shure u do good wires.

...PS i hate that chopper show but w.e thats jsut me

[Diggrr]

So uh, what you gonna do with all the brownie points from that schweet case? :D
Agreed that the wiring job is gonna make/break it, but I don't think you'd let it down after all that paint frustration.




American chopper's okay if you sit and watch it with the mindset that Paulie jr's a princess and the old man's acts different for the camera/producer.
I've done that etching through the paint before, but with a clearcoat over it (not flames) to make it look like a glitter inlay. She did do a killer job though.

[edwardaune]

Well I just hit a huge snag. I got the UV cables in today so I started transfering the mobo and parts to the new case. Took out the mobo and pretty much everything else and low and behold, none of the riser holes match up the mobo. @#%$^@&$^# and so on. It has small rectangular openings for those plastic risers, well all of the ones that I have are round so they dont secure to the back board. I hope like hell one of the electronic stores carries thore around here or I know a little girl that is going to ****ed off, probably not as much as I am right now.

[Brundle Fly]

Maybe it's dremel time? Considering those holes are behind the mobo, and out of sight, should be a quick fix. Yeah, be careful, you put a lot of work into your paint job, but if you grind from the backside of the mobo tray, any wee slip will never show, you could touch it up quick if it would bug you, but you'd be the only one that knew there was a flaw there. :D

[edwardaune]

Well, I found the bag-o-parts so everything is all good. I have it almost completely assembled and WOW, Im really impressed with the lighting. Oh yea the paint job isnt bad either. Ill post some pics when I get a chance.

[syberspy9]

sounding good keep up to date with this dude im loving ur work so far ur GF can have my pc lol JK

[firebat45]

man i hate the pink, but i gotta admit that is an awesome paintjob. Good job, hope she likes it. I cant wait till i have the courage to paint (or fail at painting) my case.

[Ciffer]

i fit 92mm fans with about 10mm extra room on the sides into the reat of a xaser 3, your should have not trouble getting 80mm fans(atleast) into a mid tower. also a note on that, i did have to do a few spot welds in order to remove rivits for clearance and drill holes for mounting, would post a pick but there is nothing fun to look at on with that mod. anyways do some measuring you should be able to fit a couple of 80mm fans in there. best of luck.

clearification- those fans are mounted on the back right next to the rear plate with the onboard i/o ports

[syberspy9]

Back from a long break and no updates on this tread so im bumping it need a update did you finish it?

[edwardaune]

Yea I did, let look for the link.

[dylskee]

Very nice work edwardaune!!!!!!! :beer:
Keep the pics coming, really want to see the finished product!

[jcw122]

Didn't follow this thread too long, but it's still in my subscriptions...so lets see the pics!

[syberspy9]

YAY! HE FINISHED IT!

and if it wasent for me it would have been a cold case (puts his chest out all proud) lol

Naw thats cool tho man lets find those links

(watch will be liek a year old and all scratched and dusty ect lol)

[edwardaune]

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=398641

I still need to paint one face plate but beside that, got side tracked so you'll have to excuse me.