Help me with my future mods :)

[Mehmet]

Hey guys, Im gonna get a pretty big case ( the style of a sx1030, but bigger) after i get back from turkey.

Now, I want to this to this case

Paint it dark red, and paint the cdroms/floppy black
Put a huge side window on it (almost as big as the side panel itself, cept half an inch off the sides)
and do some other stuff on it.

I will be using chris's guide to paint it, but how would i paint plastic? How would I take the paint off the plastic and paint it?

Also the window, I wanna do it like roundeyes, but i dont wanna use Bolts/ that black lining around the window (Which IMO looks ugly). He was saying something about automotive mold tape? Or something like it, so ya guys think this stuff will hold it there??

another thing, how would i cut my case?? should i use a jig saw to cut that whole window out? or a Dremel?

thanx guys, i will post more question when they come to me :D

[Mehmet]

oh and one thing.. I do not think that my library will have a dremel, but they do have a jigsaw, ya guys think that'll do fine for curves and the like?

thanx.

[Chris]

Jig saw will work but you will need to drill a starter hole, and I would back it with some plywood so your cutting the wood and metal at same time, that way the metal wont be floppin around and you will have better control over the saw.
After cutting file it with a flat file to get rid of any burring, then sand with oxide enery paper of oxide sandpaper.

As for painting the plastic, if you use enamel you will have no trouble.

[Mehmet]

Originally posted by Chris
Jig saw will work but you will need to drill a starter hole, and I would back it with some plywood so your cutting the wood and metal at same time, that way the metal wont be floppin around and you will have better control over the saw.
After cutting file it with a flat file to get rid of any burring, then sand with oxide enery paper of oxide sandpaper.

As for painting the plastic, if you use enamel you will have no trouble.

What is enamel? If i may ask?

[LT-73]

Oil base paint ;)




________________________________
The Thunder Continues....................
No Limit Folding

[Mehmet]

Originally posted by LT-73
Oil base paint ;)




________________________________
The Thunder Continues....................
No Limit Folding

So like, model paint? I wouldnt have to sand it or anything right?

Thanx guys.

[tHE_0ne]

http://www.overclockercafe.com/Articles/Case_Mod_II/index.htm

everything U need here: http://hwfaq.overclockersonline.com/index.php

[Chris]

Originally posted by vegeto


So like, model paint? I wouldnt have to sand it or anything right?

Thanx guys.
Always sand, follow my guide if your not sure.
Never paint anything unless you sand it first, sanding roughens up the surface and give the new paint something to bond too.
Not only that it will provide a smooth level surface for the new paint.

[RoundEye]

I have no doubt the tape will hold the window in, just make sure you get 3M brand, body molding tape. You can get it at Wal-Mart. DON'T get the tape with the cartoon duck on it, it WILL NOT hold the window in. Look in the automotive section for the good tape. If I had thought about it a bit more, I would have used real glass for my window instead of plastic. Easier to clean and you don't have to worry about scratches. Just don't drop it or flex it too much and your ok. Plus if you use glass the hardware store will cut it to size for you, if you get plastic you're going to have to cut it yourself.

A dremel is good for small holes, but use a jig saw for the large holes and back it up like Chris said. I usually tape news paper to the front of the door and cut it from the inside to avoid scratching the side you will see. If you've never cut a window, practice on a old case first. It's not hard to do but a little practice will go a long way.

There's no paint on any cd-rom that I've ever seen, just scuff it up a bit and paint it, but in order to do it right you have to take it apart. The trick to getting them apart is to remove part of the front door first. Open the door and look underneath it. There will be some small locking tabs. Pull the front out just a little bit, then pull it up, it will slide off. Then take it out of the pc and take it apart it the rest of the way.

[Mehmet]

Thanx for the tips roundeye. But heres a question, i probalby will use glass, but is it easy to score? because Im gonna be using one of those antec style cases and the side has a door handle, and i want to keep the door handle. If i was to score it, how would i do it? just take a utility knife and scratch the places where i want the glass to come off? and then just hit the part thats scored? and will it make the case heavier? (im talking like 5 pounds heavier)

Also, how hard/easy is it to make curves with a jigsaw? and do i need a special knife for it? Hey Roundeye, im not gonna be painting the entire CDrom like you did, i just wanna paint the front panels. My friend has an airbrush, think thatll do it?

thanx for the tips guys, ive got something to look forward to when I get back from Turkey :)

[RoundEye]

Cutting glass is hard without the proper tools, get the hardware store to do it, usually it's done for free if you buy the glass from them.

If you don't take the front of the cd-rom, you risk the chance of over-spray getting on the inside and messing up the optical device. Getting the front off isn't too hard if you pay attention to what you are doing.

Look here. (http://www.casejunkiez.com/articles/paintjob/drive_paint.shtml)

[Mehmet]

Yup, i will take out the covers of course :) How bout the tray itself?? Is that hard to take out?

Yah, I mean of course ill get em to cut it.. but i dunno if they will cut it custom..

see, i want it like this : (this is the Glass BTW)

EDIT Code isnt working well for me, heres a picture.
http://homepage.mac.com/bmho3/glass.jpg


That little gap on the side is for the side panel release thing on the antec cases.

Also, ya didnt really answer my question on this one.. If I used a jigsaw, how hard is it to cut curves, and do i need a special blade for steel?


thanx roundeye!

[RoundEye]

I don't know if they will be able to cut the glass like that, maybe someone with a lot of experience could.

You do need a metal blade, jig saw blades are rated TPI (teeth per inch) the more teeth it has the better for cutting metal. I think metal blades are around 20 TPI or so.

On the cd-rom there's really no need to paint the tray unless you really want to, you will only see the tray when it's open. It's not too hard to get out, but there is a couple of switches that you have to pay attention to. The switches keep track of the posistion of the tray, if it's all the way open or closed.

[Benign]

I don't know the price difference, but I've always had a better expirence using Vinyl Dye on plastic, than I have using enamel..



IMO, Vinyl Dye looks better too ;)

[Mehmet]

Originally posted by RoundEye
I don't know if they will be able to cut the glass like that, maybe someone with a lot of experience could.

You do need a metal blade, jig saw blades are rated TPI (teeth per inch) the more teeth it has the better for cutting metal. I think metal blades are around 20 TPI or so.

On the cd-rom there's really no need to paint the tray unless you really want to, you will only see the tray when it's open. It's not too hard to get out, but there is a couple of switches that you have to pay attention to. The switches keep track of the posistion of the tray, if it's all the way open or closed.

Oh, ill just leave the tray alone then.

How bout i use a dremel for cutting the gap? (if i get one)
Will that work?