Need help on my first attempt of modding my case....

[MameXP]

Hi all,

I'm not by any mean a tool man. Infact i'm more like comp geek who sits in front of a computer coding/testing.

So my questions are quite basics and simple to most of you :D.

To be honest with all of you i spent the whole afternoon today to check out all the hardware stores in my town to get the idea. Frankly, i couldnt find any thing usefual or related to computers mod. :( I was at HomeDepot looking for some metal.... i found none , looking for the right tools..... wow i was lost in a jungle of machines lol.....

1. Tools:

I dont want to spend much money on the tools. But i will take any advice about it because i dont which tools are good for which job, which tools i can save on etc .... blah blah...

2. Rivets: (is that the right word?)

I want to take my case apart piece by piece. I have to drill out all the rivets to do so. But how am i gonna assemble all the parts afterwards? lol how do i even make a thread for a screw?

3. Cutting/drilling:

I had a jigsaw at home that i want to use. But i dont know what bits/blade to use to cut a steel sheet. I tried with some blades taht come with my jigsaw and man.... its hard to cut just a few cm.

After cutting i want to round the edge with something to protect my skin. What stuff do i need? I know drmel can make a smooth edge but i stil want something to wrap around it to make sure.

4. Sanding/Painting:

Agrrr this is the part that keeps me away from modding my case. I currently live in an apartment by myself (my roomate is working in this term). I dont have a good place to paint i think. But i l;ove to have a custom color for my case tho. I think i will get spray can for easy job. Do i really need to sand the case? what do i need to sand it? And is priming important as well? How does it have in holding the paint? Clear coat? what is that?

I looked at one post about bake your paint. Man i will sure do that for my case's interior. I'm very nervouse about this process as it will result the looks of my mod.

.......
.......

I'm sure i will encounter more problems/issues as i go but as for now those are what i've thought of. Any advices, ideas are welcome... just please ... dont laugh when reading my questions :(

Thanks alot for your time, be cool :cool:
-MameXP

[Brundle Fly]

1. Tools:

I dont want to spend much money on the tools. But i will take any advice about it because i dont which tools are good for which job, which tools i can save on etc .... blah blah...

My list, which will probably be missing a few things.
Jigsaw, with fine tooth metal blades, $5 to $10 for the blades at Crappy Tire.
Dremel, or dremel knock-off, $25 to $50, Crappy Tire or local builder's supply store.
Metal Files, round and flat, $10 or less for both at Crappy Tire.
You want a rivet gun, Crappy tire, maybe $15 to $20, usually come with a pack of rivets, stick the rivet in the "gun", put rivet in hole, squeeze rivet gun until rivet snaps of, done deal, very simple.
Drill, get an el-cheapo corded drill, single speed Jobmate at Crappy Tire is $20. Variable speed is nicer, but more expensive.
Assorted drill bits and screwdrivers, Crappy Tire again, your one-stop shopping spot, and hey, you get Crappy Tire money back, heh heh heh.

2. Rivets: (is that the right word?)

I want to take my case apart piece by piece. I have to drill out all the rivets to do so. But how am i gonna assemble all the parts afterwards? lol how do i even make a thread for a screw?

Attempting to tap threads into the thin metal of your case/frame will be very difficult. Rivet it back together, or use small screws/bolts with nuts.

3. Cutting/drilling:

I had a jigsaw at home that i want to use. But i dont know what bits/blade to use to cut a steel sheet. I tried with some blades taht come with my jigsaw and man.... its hard to cut just a few cm.

After cutting i want to round the edge with something to protect my skin. What stuff do i need? I know drmel can make a smooth edge but i stil want something to wrap around it to make sure.

The blades you need are under "tools". You can buy all kinds of edging online, or get edge trim at, well, guess where? :) The first sidecover fan mod I did was super ghetto, but covered up nicely. I drilled like 30 holes in a "circle", ripped the metal between them out with needle-nose vice grips, and mounted the fan. It looked like crap, so I covered the jagged edges with the insulation I cut off an old PSU power cord. I didn't take my doing it, it could have turned out better, but was a major improvement over the bare metal. When in doubt, improvise.

http://ca.geocities.com/dhemkc523@rogers.com/moneyorder/fancov.jpg

http://ca.geocities.com/dhemkc523@rogers.com/moneyorder/fandrill.jpg

4. Sanding/Painting:

Agrrr this is the part that keeps me away from modding my case. I currently live in an apartment by myself (my roomate is working in this term). I dont have a good place to paint i think. But i l;ove to have a custom color for my case tho. I think i will get spray can for easy job. Do i really need to sand the case? what do i need to sand it? And is priming important as well? How does it have in holding the paint? Clear coat? what is that?

I looked at one post about bake your paint. Man i will sure do that for my case's interior. I'm very nervouse about this process as it will result the looks of my mod.

Yes, you have to sand the case, if you don't, the paint won't hold well. Depending on the paint you use, you'll either need a primer, or "groundcoat" for your paint. If you don't prime or groundcoat, once again, the paint won't hold. Some primers, and paints, need sanding between coats, depends on the type of paint/primer. Painting in an apartment may PO your neighbours, it will stink, do it outside, on a patio/balcony if you have one, or anywhere outside, not on a windy day. Yeah, you're in Ontario, wait till spring, heh. I'm not sure about baking the paint in an apartment, that may PO the neighbours as well, get some fans blowing OUT the windows before you start baking, just in case(pun intended).

.......
.......

I'm sure i will encounter more problems/issues as i go but as for now those are what i've thought of. Any advices, ideas are welcome... just please ... dont laugh when reading my questions :(

Thanks alot for your time, be cool :cool:
-MameXP

Nobody is laughing, we all have to start somewhere, mod on dude. :attn:

[MameXP]

Hey thanks the fellow canucks! yeah i actaully... live very close to you !!!! :eek:


About the dremel, its so expensive... the cheapest one i found is $89! at Crappy Tire.
Can you give me a specific model of the one you said above?

What is a metal flies? What does it do?

[Captain Slug]

I don't recommend a dremel as a first tool. There are more effective tools out there. If you do need to do extremely small filing you can use any brand of etching/sanding bit with whatever power drill you buy.
And metal files are meant for shaving/grinding metal to remove (or create) sharp edges.
1. Tools:
You already have a jigsaw with is a great tool for cutting, but you'll also need and a set of small metal files and a few sanding sponges, a power drill of some kind with a decent set of bits, alot of masking tape, an accurate measuring tool, and a few clamps. Another useful item will be a deburring tool. A Deburring tool can easily clean up drilled and cut edges.
That should be enough to start you off.

2. Rivets: (is that the right word?)
You cannot effectively thread sheet metal. An effective replacement for rivets would be a few short sheet metal screws.

3. Cutting/drilling:
You need a metal smooth-cut blade for your jigsaw in order to cut sheet steel and aluminum effectively. Mask off the whole panel that you are cutting. To get the cleanest cut and prevent warping, clamp the sheet down to a scrap piece of wood. Mark where you need to cut, and cut slowly along or very near to your marked lines.
To clean the edges use a deburring tool, then a set of metal files and then some sanding sponges to round it off more. The edges will be very clean and if you cut them accurately enough you won't need to cover them with ugly moulding.

I personally despise paint, so I really don't have any advise concerning it. It's very labor intensive, tempermental, and requires specific conditions to work effectively. Unless I'm working with steel, I prefer to simply machine well enough that paint is not required.

[Brundle Fly]

Hey thanks the fellow canucks! yeah i actaully... live very close to you !!!! :eek:


About the dremel, its so expensive... the cheapest one i found is $89! at Crappy Tire.
Can you give me a specific model of the one you said above?

What is a metal flies? What does it do?

You just missed the sale, the $80/52 piece Mastercrap set was on for $40 last week. Something is ALWAYS on sale at Crappy, and not always listed online, the "no-name" Jobmate brand is always cheap, and good enough for at home/this kind of stuff, I wouldn't use it for work, I prefer DeWalt and Makita.

Captain Slug is a modding wizard, any advice he has to offer, listen to it. :)

With what I've spent on paint/primer/sandpaper, I probably could have bought an aluminum case, but they're expensive all in one shot, and I doubt I could justify to myself carving up something that expensive. If I crew up carving aluminum, there's no turning back, screw up painting, sandpaper, elbow grease, and another coat fixes it. Colour me a chicken. (two coats please) :D

[edwardaune]

Crappy Tire lol