"Blue Fantasy 2" WorkLog

I

IceWindus

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Mar 8, 2004
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Greetings all. Its been over a year since I started the original "Blue Fantasy" that most of you have seen. Recently, the fact that the damn cases weight from the steel construction is SO MUCH *43 pounds!* has really been getting old, especially when I have to move it for various reasons.

The twin intake fans needing to be controlled by the baybus all the time is also old and the fact that they are REALLY noisey at full crank during gaming, even for panflos. *Im becoming less tolerant of noise as I get older :p* So I had two major objectives......

1. New case with aluminum. Steel is dead for me now.
2. Stock 120mm intake and exhaust. 80mms must die!!

With this in mind, I set out to redesign the case. The first step was choosing a replacement aluminum case which was tough. Since Antec is being an ass and not doing aluminum versions of their performance series, I turned to chieftec for this. Nothing from Coolermaster or Lian Li impressed me, plus im a bit of a fan of the Antec/Chieftec case designs anyway. :p

But that still leaves us the problem with those damn 80mm intakes. Hmmm.... There is the Antec P160 with 120mm mounts, but the front cover is really gay *IMHO* and a standard Antec faceplate won't attach to either.

After thinking I was like "You dumbass, your a modder, make your own!!" Well alllright then!!!!:D

After ordering all the necassary parts I sat down today to begin "Blue Fantasy 2"!!!


beginning.jpg

Lets see... Drill? Check. Dremel? Check. Goggles and ear muffs? Check. Fans? Check. Everything else? Check. Sweet lets get to modding!!


stockfront.jpg

This is the original design for the Antec/Chieftec case. As you can see, the dual 80mm intakes do the their job well, but I am sick of the noise from multiple fans.

Obviously a big section will have to be cut out, as well as the lower HDD tray. Before we can start cutting anything, lets start with some measuring!


sizeup.jpg

DAMN! That thing is huge!! I actually tested before hand because I was sure this thing was loud as hell

Amazingly, its very very quiet! Kudos for Panflo! Anyway, this spot here looks good!


template.jpg

Hmmm musta moved the camera, oopps :p This template from www.hi-techmods.com made it MUCH easier to size up the fan, thanks guys!!! Wish I had these years ago when I started!!


drilldone.jpg

First thing had to go was the lower HDD bay. That sucker was no match for a 14 volt Dewalt Power drill...Mwaah ha ha ha ha!!!


itsready.jpg

With my template drawn via pencil, its time to give this case a serious intake makover...BRING OUT MR. EVIL DREMEL!!



letscut.jpg

Ahhhh, the tool no self respectable modder should be with out! With 12,000 variable speed RPM and a serious attitude,
the dremel is every cases nightmare!


bybyegrill.jpg

Welp, within 10 minutes are so, that grill is history!!! Look at that hole! Attached a grinder stone to dremel and smoothed out the edges. Cool, lets see where we are at....


thatsintake.jpg

After a four drilled holes with the DeWalt and a quick size check with the bolts, I count this mega intake section done. Onwards!!!
 
In this section, I will cover MY personally developed method for creating the most commonly used method to keep cases cool. The blowhole


startblow.jpg

Now begins the most math and measurement intensive section, the blowhole. Gentlemen, in my years of doing this I can emphasize only one thing about doing cutting like this. Measure ONCE. Measure TWICE. Measure THREE times!!! I kid you not, you will hate yourself for weeks if you screw something up because you didn't check your numbers or alighnment!


mathhuh.jpg

Hmmm, never thought math would ever come in handy in real life :p Seriously, I screwed up "Ice Chamber 2" blowhole badly because I rushed and didn't check my measurements. I WILL NOT be doing that again. Better safe then sorry.


protect.jpg

This step is very important in protecting your cases paint. With metal filings going EVERYWHERE and not to mention the drag from the jigsaw will ruin the paint majorly *I found this out the hard way on my first case mod "Midnight Enlightment"

I put three layers of tape where the jigsaw will be going, just in case one layer strips off, two more will protect the paint. You an also see my light pencil markings that can easily be removed after cutting is done. Needless to say, DONT USE PERMAMENT MARKER!!


destroy.jpg

After cutting a small starting hole with the dremel, so begins the jigsaw! Let me say this...Its VERY LOUD in my garage when this thing is going full crank chewing up metal! Steel is even worse, hence I wear eye and ear protection at all times.


holes.jpg

In less then 2 minutes, the blowhole is cut. Not bad eh?

The Dewalt drill sure kicks ass! It went through that aluminum like it was nothing. Now comes the test..... Will everything fit??


removetape.jpg


Notice, no damage to the paint :) *A later noticed 2 small scratches near the rear from SOMETHING prior to putting on the tape. Grrrrrrr...., aluminum does have its drawbacks, its so easily damaged :(*


blowdone.jpg

Seeeeeexy!! All that measuring and extra planning pays off! Now that all our cutting is done, its time to clean the case. Heres where I had to think. With those metal filings, if I used the vacuum with bristles or even a rag, it would scratch the living hell outa the soft unpolished aluminum inside. Next best solution....?


rinsing.jpg

The beautiful thing about aluminum, is not only is it light, but rust proof! Soo.....a little blast from the garden house and the case is nice and clean with no scratches. Afterwards, I took a soft rag and gently patted it dry and let it sit overnight
 
Originally posted by IceWind

rinsing.jpg

Click to expand...

had you not mentioned it was water from a hose...I wouldve thought you did something quite messy after seeing your gorgous work :D

excellent, keep us posted
 
Originally posted by Absolut Talent
had you not mentioned it was water from a hose...I wouldve thought you did something quite messy after seeing your gorgous work :D

excellent, keep us posted
Click to expand...
yeah he really, really liked it.
 
i'm doing a cutout for a side panel though i'm drawing my design over 1 layer of masking tape and cutting over that, would you suggest anymore? oh and i'll be using a dremel (my manly power tool, does anyone here use it to drill?)

flip
 
Yes, I would definently do more. If you slip with that dremel, it will go right through that layer like it was nothing.

Actually, if you do a layer of duct tape, that will work, its much tougher. It may sound like overkill, but would you rather have a nice scratch on the side panel of your case if you fuck up?
 
Will you cut out the back fan grills? I imagine they add a little noise with air passing through and def cut airlow a bit.
 
The rear fans will actually be thermally controlled by the PSU, so they won't be going full crank, which I what I want because I want this case as quiet as possible.

Pair them with the PSU and the blowhole, it will move enough air out but still be quiet, or so thats the plan.
 
Howdy.

Nice work! One thing though, cutting out in front, taking away the harddrive cooling fan option in the process, what if you cut the hole in the bottom of the case instead?

Your's, (-:b
 
The HDD are spaced far enough apart and don't run hot enough to warrant active cooling. I"ve never had a problem with HDD's getting hot in my cases without active cooling.

I wanted the fan high enough so airflow would go into the middle of the case to cool the CPU and RAM. To far down, and it wont get good airflow.

If I had WD Raptors, then it would be different.
 
I'm still not sure how you people use a jigsaw, maybe I just suck with one, I don't know, I cut my last fan hole on my case by hand, took forever but it was perfectly clean
 
Lemmie know when you're finished so I can send ya my shipping address for you to send Blue Fantasy 1 :D
 
Ok, without any further ado, Lets update on whats happend recently with "Blue Fantasy II"

With the cutting and grinding now all of the way, we can start focusing on making
this case pretty. And what one of the best way to do that? Yep, Paint time!!
*Note, I am VERY impatient when it comes to painting. If my methods seem crude, you now know why*

tapeprepare.jpg


First things first, cover up what you don't want painted! Masking tape does the job perfectl, Can cut in any shape or form needed and doesn't let paint run through.


tapeprepare2.jpg


Drive bay door is gonna get a dual paint job. The badge sticker is there only to prevent paint from reducingthe badge lights ability to stick.


paintofchoice.jpg

This has been my choice of paint since I started modding. Used together, the paint sticks very well to almost all kinds of surfaces and is pretty tough. Plus, it stops rust! :p

*Fact: Metallic Blue flake paint has been used on EVERY case in some shape or form since I started modding*


firstcoat.jpg


Ahh, the first coat, there just something special about it!

shiny.jpg


Applying gloss overcoat not only gives the paint a shiny glow, but also protects the underlying paint. We have few
more parts to paint, but we'll get to those layers after these parts are done.
 
Yep, theres more :D

panel1.jpg


Ah yes, I realized a long time ago that the poor old, negleted right side panel never seems to get love in most cases. Well, rest assured, I was gonna give "Blue Fantasy II" proper treatment as "Blue Fantasy"


puttingon.jpg

www.polygfx.com makes this so easy, you have no reason NOT to get our own custom made sticky side panel! Simply apply in the first section, make sure alighnment is correct and SLOWLY work your way up the panel, pushing out air bubbles with the provided wedge.


smoothingout.jpg

SLOWLY working your way to the top, I gently applied the side panel artwork. Polygfx musta gotten a new material, because this one was much smoother and shinier then the previous one I had.

trimming.jpg


Once I have the art around the edges firmly and make sure it won't come off, I began the trimming with a razor blade. This was a critical step as this determined how well the edges would look as well as how easy the side panel would come off and on on the case. Remember, the gaps in case doors are not that big, and having a side panel artwork thats pretty thing can make it next to impossible to attach the doors.


trimming2.jpg

Nope, still needs more trimming, heh :D

finishedpanel.jpg

Now that looks kick ass! Much better then my first panel artwork I did. Most noticable difference is that the edges are completely covered and smooth giving a much more proffessional appearance.

Coming up Next week:!

More painting, and something to do with lasers!!!
:D
 
Awesome... Can't wait to see what it looks like finished. Off to a great start :D
 
Originally posted by thebro
ohhhh nice work

now are we talking led lasers or real lasers:)
Click to expand...


maybe some laser cutting on that other side panel :)

i really like that sticker stuff. it is sexay
 
looks pretty good...

NEW EZ-Apply Material has thousands of microscopic air channels to allow air to pass without causing air bubbles. This new material is easier to apply than ever, you can just apply it with you bare hands; no applicator required!
Click to expand...
from their website on their product pages :D :p

keept it up
 
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