project: new side panel

FYI: not necessarily 56k friendly. i'll try to remember to link the large pics...

course, there'll probably be a total of 5 pictures or so. (well, more. but not by much)

now... on to the project.

this started when i decided that enough was enough and i wanted a sidepanel again. (having had the original messed up by a big hole in the middle of it - not my fault ) so i went looking for a replacement. sidewinder computers has them for $20 (case is a lian li pc-7b) but me not having $20 + shipping handy, i went looking for alternatives. i decided to make a new side panel out of plexi. couple months pass, and i decide "you know, i should get started on that..." so about a week after that i go out and buy some plexi at lowes. a flurry of activity follows, and i mount the panel. i didn't take any pics of this process, but you can tell what i did when i post pics of the case. basically i drilled some holes and epoxied some bolts in. then i use wingnuts (need to get a 5th...) to hold the side panel on. i think it looks cool.

anyway, at this point it was functional but kinda blah. i intended to do an etch in it, i just needed a suitable image to etch. i picked the pentagram from hellsing (source image here) then adjusted it so as to be easier to etch from (see modified image here) then i waited another month or so.

forward to yesterday. i got a new dvd burner (benq 1640. woot) and decided that since the panel was off to put the drive in, i'd etch it. so i went and printed the image, then went back, flipped it left-right, and printed it again, and started etching. clamped the plexi to a spare side panel (ironic, isn't it... but from another, incompatible, case) with blocks of wood to protect the plexi, and then started (pealed one side of the protective layer off too - the one on the inside where the etch is going)

now for the part you've all been skimming to: pics!



still a work in progress, but getting there. pics are clickable for the full 5 mp size once my host decides to let me log in again, for now they are on imageshack. these are 800x600.

and yes, there's still a lot to do. but i'm getting there. comments?

the black knight always triumphs!

Interesting panel design, I've noticed you've chosen to go to hell. Question is, why would anyone choose such a fate?

I'm guessing the design is from the anime series Hellsing?

If so- cool choice

nice and unique desgin... good luck

Lookin good I cant etch for bull.

lamarth said:

I'm guessing the design is from the anime series Hellsing?

Click to expand...

good guess yeah, i can't wait for the new hellsing series (more closely based on the manga... should be awesome)

and etching isn't all that hard (imo) its about like tracing something (slowly) of course, you have to be really careful to do the whole image from the same angle, or it looks distorted (lines appear to move, etc)

gonna go do a bit more now... i wish i could do more without the dremel heating up too much. it gets to the point where the bit starts melting the plexi, and that leaves little yellow drops that look bad.

edit: finished the circle around the outside. now just the little symbol at the bottom and all that lettering (besides hellsing) left

Oh, its anime lol. Little misconeption... by the looks of your logo it seemed like you were a hardcore satanist. Anyways, the etch work does seem pretty decent, clean cuts from what I can tell.

atom said:

Oh, its anime lol. Little misconeption... by the looks of your logo it seemed like you were a hardcore satanist. Anyways, the etch work does seem pretty decent, clean cuts from what I can tell.

Click to expand...

werd...btw nice etching

atom said:

Oh, its anime lol. Little misconeption... by the looks of your logo it seemed like you were a hardcore satanist. Anyways, the etch work does seem pretty decent, clean cuts from what I can tell.

Click to expand...

hehe... nah, you aren't in trouble til i start swinging the dead cat over my head

i got the part above hellsing etched, but that's all i'll be able to get tonight (1 am now, so dremeling would not be appreciated by others in the house) ty for comments.

more progress:


surprisingly, the dremel still wasn't that warm (dunno why, guess i found the sweet spot to run it at or something) but my neck was starting to hurt, as sitting hunched over isn't much good for my back. or anyone else's. and my hand was cramping up. so anyway, i'll probably go do more in half an hour or so.

the black knight always triumphs!

edit: did more. now i only have the english (and german) lettering to do.

finished the etch, which means i'm done (for now) it looks SO awesome... can't wait til i can show you (took pictures, but forgot to grab the cable for the camera. they'll be up tomorrow)

used some rubbing alcohol to take off the remaining sharpie. i may frost this at some later point in time, and i definitely want to try to light it somehow. i played with lighting it a bit (took pics of that too) and it looks cool. i used a logitech optical mouse to test red lighting (bottom led) and blue lighting (logitech logo )

any comments?

Umm do you use flex shaft or just the dremel? and what bit #?

incomudro said:

Umm do you use flex shaft or just the dremel? and what bit #?

Click to expand...

lessee... i have a flex shaft (the kind that's thin at the end - the older style) but its broken.

thus i just hold the dremel like a pencil. a really big, non-erasable, spinning pencil.


bit #... 9909

specially modified 9909 (the tip is chipped ) it used to be an off-center point, now its kinda rounded off (i was cutting copper with it, probably chipped somewhere in there) worked tho

the black knight always triumphs!

pics time! all images clickable for larger size.

me finishing up the etch:



finished the etch!




playing with lighting... red:

the blue wasn't bright enough, and i couldn't do anything to get a decent adjustment of the image to make it visible, so... imagine the red one, but with blue instead.

now the side panel installed:


and yes, without glare it really looks like the etch is just floating there. really cool effect.

that's all for now! thanks for looking.

edit: images should all be there now.

Nice work R_J