Getting a clean-cut blowhole?

[Shoemaker]

I have a holesaw and a dremel to mod out blowholes and toss in some fans. I can never seem to get a clean cut and end up sanding it down, sometimes ruining the paint.:(

A friend of mine has now asked me to help add a top blowhole to his Lian-Li PC60USB. I am a little hesitant to do so because I don't want to mash up the finish on his beautiful case. Any suggestions on getting a clean cut using either tool.:confused:

[jbell]

Originally posted by Shoemaker
I have a holesaw and a dremel to mod out blowholes and toss in some fans. I can never seem to get a clean cut and end up sanding it down, sometimes ruining the paint.:(

A friend of mine has now asked me to help add a top blowhole to his Lian-Li PC60USB. I am a little hesitant to do so because I don't want to mash up the finish on his beautiful case. Any suggestions on getting a clean cut using either tool.:confused:

with the dremel - use the circular shaped sander to gently file the edged of your cut and go to www.caseetc.com - they have a rubber footing that goes around the edge you cut - gives it a clean look and hides any errors you might have created!

I recently bought a blowhole kit and grabbed that to add to the ''Mod'' look......


Welcome to the forums!

[mw521]

Originally posted by jbell


with the dremel - use the circular shaped sander to gently file the edged of your cut and go to www.caseetc.com - they have a rubber footing that goes around the edge you cut - gives it a clean look and hides any errors you might have created!

I recently bought a blowhole kit and grabbed that to add to the ''Mod'' look......


Welcome to the forums! That's the easiest way, a good carpenter and overclocker can hide his "mistakes". The molding gives you a fudge factor to play with unless you are pretty good at doing it. It still hides small errors very nicely.:beer:

[CrystalMethod]

What "kind" of hole saw are you using? There's usually two types, the one you should be using is called a "Bi-Metal" holesaw, and is meant for cutting metal. The other type is just called a hole saw and is meant for cutting wood. the trick to getting a relatively smooth cut is to use oil (I use automatic transmission fluid) to lubricate where you're cutting, and not to go too fast, or too slow. Too fast will give a nice clean hole, but burn the paint. Too slow and you'll get a jagged edge. You could buy a piece of sheet metal to practice on so you get used to cutting the stuff. Hope all goes well with your friend's case.

[jbell]

bi-metal becuase my antec is not made from an oak tree..

[nikhsub1]

I have done a similar mod on my coolermaster case - both are aluminum and it cuts like butter. Get some masking tape and tape the area you are going to cut. Cut through the tape drilling from the outside of the case toward the inside, not inside out. The tape will help keep the hole smooth.

[flounder43]

With a "Bi-Metal" hole saw, I have two clean cuts in my case...A little bit of cutting oil doesn't hurt...

I always uses a piece of wood right behind the case metal that I was cutting...

[dolemitecomputer]

Using a dremel with the thin reinforced cutting wheels should be good. Also place masking tape down first then make the tracing for the hole and screws. Makes it easier to clean up and you damaged less of the case. :D

[Über~PhLuBB]

Gawd, Dremel's suck for modding. You say you've got a hole saw, but you keep getting crappy results. By "holesaw", do you mean "jigsaw"? They're 2 completely different things. If it is a HOLEsaw, you must (MUST!) use cutting oil. If it is a JIGsaw, you must use masking tape on each side of the cut. Use a drill to put a hole in the part you're going to cut out (has to be big enough to get the jigsaw blade through), and cut in a sharp spiral pattern until you reach the line you have to cut along. Cut along the INSIDE of the line (You can go back later with a dremel to smooth it out, but a file is preferable).