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Basic Case Modding

M

meinzorn

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 12, 2003
Messages
1,327
Just looking for some advice on some basic case modding.. i'm going to mess with a few old cases that I have laying around before I actually dig into mine, don't want to mess mine up too bad.

But how do you get a really nice paint job.. what kind of paint do you use and such?

and any tips on working with metal?
 
I know there's a guide already posted somewhere, I'll have to dig around in my links. Like you I'm new to modding and I'm in the middle of my first project after fiddlign around with a cheap case first.

Painting - lots and lots of sanding to get a high-gloss finish. Typical brands that are used is Duplicolor and Krylon.

There are plenty of guides out there, just do some thorough searching. Maybe a trip to the library. I picked up a book put out by Maximum PC "Extreme Case Mods", by modding guru Paul Capello and one of the editors of the magazine. It has been my bible for my modding project so far.
 
goto www.mnpctech.com and there is good guide there... Bill is a master painter and if you google it there will be a ton other. Best advice you can get it to wet sand, wet sand, wet sand and then when you think you are done, start the process over again.
 
Step one: Planning.
This may be one of the most important steps of them all. Know what you want to do and the colors you want to do it with. There is nothing worse than getting your case all painted and then decide you dont like the layout or the color choices. It can be removed and started all over again but that costs valuable time and money.

Step two: Preparation.
Some people like to sand to the bare metal, I don’t fine this necessary. I start with 180 grit 3m AutoPak wet/dry sand paper. Sand under running water until the texture is gone. Then use 800 grit in the same brand paper. this shove give you a smooth surface to start painting on.

Step three: Spraying information.
There are a couple factors in this step. First off use the right kind of good quality paint (read below). Second, don’t paint when its real humid outside - it will cause the paint to mess up and not stick right. Ok, now that we got that out of the way always spray past what your painting. This means start spraying before the spraying the object and keep spraying until the paint has past the object. Paint in a steady strait motion. This will reduce uneven coats and insure a good job.

Step four: Primer.
Spray the first coat of primer keeping the nozzle about 10-12 inches from the surface of the area painting. Don’t spray it thick, several thin coats are much better than one thin coat. Let cure for one to two days. Just because its dry to the touch doesn’t mean that its cured. Once cured wetsand with 800 grit sand paper, the same grit you used to finish smoothing the surface.

Step five: Paint.
Spray the first thin coat in the same manner as the primer. After it has cured wetsand with 1000 grit sand paper, repeat. Spray another coat of the same color. Let cure then wetsand with 1200 grit sand paper. Spray another coat. Let cure, sand with 1500 grit wet sand paper. Let set for a day to insure that all is cured and ready for clear coat.

Step six: Clear Coat.
Spray thin coat of clear gloss coat, let cure for two days. Wet sand with 1800 Grit sand paper. Spray one final coat of clear, let cure. Wet sand with 2000 grit sand paper.

Step seven: Rubing compound.
To remove the 2000 grit scratches use a rubbing compound. Follow instructions on bottle.

Step eight: Waxing.
Basically follow the instructions on bottle/can. Don’t wax in direct sunlight it will make it melt to the case which is not good. Also use a good wax (read below).


Things you will need:
Primer
Paint
Wet Sand Paper- grits 180, 800, 100, 1200, 1500, 1800, and 2000
Rubbing Compound

Paint
Use a good quality. Buy either automotive paint, model car paint (spray kind, not the kind in the little jars), or Rustolium paint. Using paint that’s not high quality will make your case look like crap.

Curing
Curing is the process of the paint hardening. if you start sanding before the paint is cured than you will mess up the paint job. Just because it is dry to the touch does not mean that it is cured. I always let paint set for at least 1-2 days, this may seem like a long time, but its worth it.

Brand of product
If you start with one brand of paint, use that brand for the whole project for the best results.

Wet Sanding
You may be asking "why do I need to sand all those coats?" well the reason is because you want the best quality for your case. Why would you spend the time to and paint it if you were just happy with a cheep paint job that is going to make people laugh instead of stand back in awe. Basically wet sanding takes off all the high spots and makes for a much smoother higher quality finish. To wet sand you want to get your sand paper, something to lay your panels and bezel in while sanding, and running water (ie facet, water hose) let the water run over the surface your sanding (don’t have to be a lot, but a small steady flow). Hold the sand paper in your hand and sand it don’t, but don't apply much pressure. Let the grit do the sanding not the pressure of your hand, the idea is not to remove the paint it is to smooth it.

Painting Environment
Paint in an open place with a good air supply. I paint under my carport while spraying then bring it inside in my laundry room while drying so depressed bugs don’t make a death plunge into it. Paint somewhere where there is not a lot of dust or where there is a possibility that it will be stepped on or knocked over. If you’re painting on the ground, lay newspaper down first. Also try not to paint your hand, its easier to do than you might think.

Tips:
Soak can in warm water for about 5 minutes before painting to create a finer spray and get a better finish


If you going to use rubbing compound standard Turtle Wax will work but for best results use Meguiar's Mirrior Glaze Professional#7 - Show Car Glaze or 3M Imperial Hand Glaze - Show Car Finish.
 
Thank you xplicit for the in depth response. And thank you to everyone else for the answers.

I didn't really think this project was going to take this long.. it seems like it's at least a week, maybe about 2. I'll have to buy a second case to put all my stuff into untill I'm done painting my current case.

maybe I can get someone to give me a cheap ATX case they have laying around or something.
 
I guess this is why having a lot of systems is good....never really without a basic computer to surf the web, check email, etc.

I have been sloooowly working on my case for a month, and it won't be done till end of the year probably
 
OK.. So I took some pictures of one of the cases that I am going to mess with.. looking for idea's on what to do with it.

P9100004.JPG


P9100005.JPG
 
naked?

Flat black could be fun. I'm thinking about making an htpc out of it.. but i'm not sure yet...
 
I'm an idiot.

but anyways. There isn't much for air circulation in it.. I'm thinking about maybe a 120 in the top.. dead in the center.
 
Is noise a concern?


One thing I think would be cool, depending on how tall that thing is, would be to vertically mount your CD drives and make them slot-load. That way when they eject you'd have the CD's sticking up out of the case. idk, I think it would look cool :)
 
jreffy said:
Is noise a concern?


One thing I think would be cool, depending on how tall that thing is, would be to vertically mount your CD drives and make them slot-load. That way when they eject you'd have the CD's sticking up out of the case. idk, I think it would look cool :)
Click to expand...

That's a cool idea... I wont be able to do it with this case though.. it isn't tall enough, and it's pretty cramped inside the case as is.

and no, noise isn't a concern, I've never really understood why people let noise from a computer bother them. There is usually enough ambient noise around that completly drowns out a computer to me.
 
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