Project: It's about time

Here's the design I've settled on for the clock gears. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have the money saved so I can send it off to get all the cutting done.

That will look awsome. I was hoping you wouldn't leave them plain like what was in the other pictures.

Plain? Nah. Just have to do a base first and then get crazy. I'm hoping I'm just not going too crazy.

Apparently my image host is tired of my bandwidth usage. I'll give it until tomorrow and if it's not fixed I'll rehost elsewhere and update. Sorry.

edit: Back up.

Cool so far, love the ShinAyness..

I would have gotten a new case though, that seems WAY too old. Evan if you were going to mod the new case, it would still be better.. Ah, I guess you wouldn't know what i'm talking about untill you upgrade your case (if you ever do.)

I understand where you're coming from. I do plan eventually getting a new case for a new system and probably turning this one into a server or giving it to my brother. But one reason I decided to just mod this one is to kind of use it as a test bed. I mean this is my first time to much of any of this, so it's better to mod this case that I have no real attachment to than just sinking $50-100 on a new case if I mess it up. Besides, I've already have my next mod in mind, it's just going to be a lot more involved than this one. I want to finish one before I start the other too.

Well folks, my case has met an abrupt end. I put the rubberized undercoating on my case frame, and apparently the aluminum it's made out of isn't counted in the "Safe On All Surfaces" directions disclaimer. I contacted the company and they're being nice enough to refund my money for the price of the product plus a meager amount for the damage since it was so old. I wasn't really expecting much when I called, just to inform them that it isn't safe for "all" surfaces. Basically my case frame is flexible now. The chemical in it apparently ate through the aluminum of the frame, so now when I pick it up it flexes and you can hear the aluminum cracking underneath.

So this now forces my hand into another direction. Where exactly I'm still not sure. But since I've been having trouble finding a place to cut the gears to the clock small enough (the biggest gear is only 40mm overall diameter), I may build the case around the clock and not the clock around the case. So suggestions and ideas are needed. I'm thinking a totally acrylic case, but then I'd just be disposing of everything else of the case. So I could really use some help on this. Thanks all.

Damn dude, that sucks This was one of the ones I was lookin' forward to seeing completed.

It'll still be done, just in a different fashion than before. I'd suggest people avoid spray on undercoating though. I don't know. I may look into getting a new frame made. Depending if I can pull accurate measurments off the old frame.

rowejg,

Can you tell us the name of the rubberized coating you tried to use. I was thinking of doing the same thing to a case I have laying around and wanted to make sure I don't have the same problems you encountered.

That sucks. big time.

On the good side. you could spray some more on the case
then take a bunch of time-lapsed photos and then make a
mini movie out of it as it turns into a pile of mush.

Hmm. All acrylic sounds like it could look good in the end

Arco was the brand. I got it at Wal-Mart and it comes in a red and blue can.

Hey, that kinda rhymes.

That really sucks man, it sucks when something doesn't work as advertised like that. I'm hoping you keep the project going, you can always pull some good out of a bad situation. I'll still follow what you're doing, and will provide advice when I can!

Well it's official. I'm completely redesigning the project. So I'll start off with my current plans for the clock.

So my idea for the clock has just gone steadily downhill. I've come to the decision that I will do a fully acrylic clock, however it will become a totally seperate project and become a wall clock. The reason for this is the smallest size I could get cut, was for the biggest gear in the clock. So I'm going to redesign it around that and make a wall clock out of it. It shouldn't take long to redo the designs for it and when it's ready to be assembled I'll make a new thread in the appropriate forum to show everyone how it's going.

Ok, now to the case.

So I thought about it, and I had been playing with a good deal of acrylic sheets to get used to cutting it. And I got bored and built a small pyramid shape. Then my mind started going and I got this idea. I'm going to use an 18x18" base. Then, using 1/4" thick pieces of acrylic, I'm going to carve out block shapes. Then either send the panels to a place that does media blasting or get an spray can of sand etching and essentially sand blast the outer surface to get rid of any rough edges and haze the acrylic over. Then take a router and clean up the lines in between the blocks so the acrylic will be clear there. I'll then light the inside of the case that way the hazed areas will have a kind of glow to them. Apart from that I'm going to find a small clock with metal gears since they can be made smaller, and back light the face so a shadow of the face and hands of the clock show up on the front side of the pyramid. I'll post more detailed plans later, but the clock in the case idea is still alive.

Later all.

Wow just wow..........Two things....

1.) I have a plater/polisher who will polish aluminum....they will get a mirror finish on a case for like $50.....they're good.

2.) Whenever you use rubberized undercoating, use ONLY Dynatron Rubberized Undercoating. You'll find it at an industrial paint store. Runs about $6 for a can. I just sprayed it on aluminum the other day and it's fine. It's also probably the smoothest undercoating you'll find. Paintable even. There is a HUGEEEEEEEE difference between brands. Don't get anything else, really. Some are flakey, some dont stick right.....Dynatron is your friend.