case modding noobs :(

[cudaman73]

a friend and myself are planning a case mod (as he leaves for the marines in a few months), and i thought it'd be awesome to have something we did...

anyways, i'm looking to completely repaint a case.

from what i understand, you have to sand it (if it's painted), then clean it with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water (to remove oxidation), and then coat it with a primer, then regular paint.

Any suggestions and/or flames (as long as they're helpful) would be nice.

Thanks y'all.
-cudaman73

 

[Nivram]

I'm no expert on painting, but it seems to me that since the manufacturer went to all the trouble to do that when they painted it the first time, it seems silly to duplicate all those steps.

From what I know, you should be able to rough up the original paint with some sandpaper, then paint over the original paint, and it will stick. If you're going over a dark paint with a lighter color, I'd suggest priming over the old paint first, with a light color primer, then putting on the color you want.

Anyone have concrete advice to give these guys? Am I blowing smoke, or fairly well on target??

 

[cudaman73]

that was originally my plan (to rough up the old paint and slap a new coat on), but i asked around the *gasp* home depot near here, and i wasn't sure whether to take his advice with a bit of salt.

for further clarification, we're trying to find a generic case with as few premods as possible (definitely not a window), to which we are going to apply a nice thick coat of forest green paint. this case is going to turn into a tribute to link - the greatest video game character of all time ^_^

once we actually get started... i may even begin a worklog O_O!

 

[twyztyr]

You can do fine with just sanding it smooth and painting over that, or you can sand it totally down to bare metal and start from scratch. It really depends on what you want when it's done, and whether you want to feel like you're in total control.

 

[Moose777]

That's what I did to my last case. I roughed up the paint with some sandpaper. Actually I wet sanded it and then washed it with soap and water, let it dry then painted it. It's held up well.

 

[hound]

For a real good guide for a super-duper paint job, go buy this month's issue of MaximumPC.

 

[termite]

(from one of my earlier replies...too lazy to retype!)


Automotive paint is all I use on my cases, heres a quick guide, (at least the way I did it)...

What you'll need.....

Sand paper ranging from 800 to 2000

A sanding block (cheap at Lowe's/home depot)

A couple cans of good Automotive sandable primer , preferably self etching (I like Dupli-Color) , depending on your case size and how many coats you'll need, I used 2 cans for 3 good coats....

Automotive paint, hit up your local autoparts store, they'll have most colors you'll want.. You also might want to get a few cans of good clear coat, for that nice deep look..... (Or is you have the facilities and equipment, a professional paint gun is much better)

Wax application pads, and a couple of good polishing cloths.

Polishing compound (I used turtle wax)

A bucket of clean water, with a few drops of Windex or 409, helps keep the sandpaper clean.

And a good Automotive Glaze (I used McGuire's, show car glaze)


Okay first thing you need to do is prep your case, if your case is steel all you'll have to do is sand off the paint, I used an orbital sander, hand sanding works but it will take a lot of elbow grease and time. !!WEAR A MASK PAINT DUST IS HAZARDOUS!!!.
If your case is aluminum you'll need to sand off the anodizing and use a self etching primer or a and acid etching product, and then primer.

Once your case is sanded, give it a good cleaning with alcohol to get rid of all the sanding dust. At this point put some put some 800 grit sand paper on the sanding block and place it in the bucket of water, more on that later.....Once that is done apply your first layer of primer, (In a well ventilated area) use even sweeping strokes, extending past the edge of the service you are painting, layer your sweeps but just enough to slightly overlap each one, do not apply thick coats, this will just increase the chance of dripping. Once this layer has dried its time to start sanding.
Begin sanding in straight back and forth motions, frequently rinsing of the block in the bucket of water do not apply much pressure, let the weight of the block do the work. You might notice that you sand through the primer in spots where the case is uneven, this is okay, as long as you did not sand off all of the primer. Your just looking to even out the coat at this point.
Once you've sanded all the parts, wash them with clean water and a towel or clean rag.
Reapply the primer and repeat the sanding process, this might take 2 or three coats, you don't want more then 4 or 5 though.
Once your satisfied with your now smooth primer, give the case a good cleaning with alcohol and change the water in your bucket.
Apply your first coat of color in the same manner as the primer, even light overlapping sweeps, allow the paint to dry for several hours. Once its completely dry, put some 1000 grit sand paper on your block and sand the case like I described with the primer light, straight strokes, clean the case, apply another coat and sand again with the 1000 grit sand paper, but this time after sanding with the 1000 grit, also sand again with 1500 grit paper. Repeat this process until your paint is smooth, the more coats you have the "deeper" the finished shine. Once your satisfied with the smoothness of your finish, lightly sand the final coat with 1500, the 2000 grit sand paper.( If your going to use a clear coat, repeat the same general application as above, but sand with 1500 grit and 2000 grit sand paper.)
You're probably thinking "why would I fine sand my final coat?", that's where the polishing compound comes in , using a moistened applicator pad (or a automotive buffer) buff finish until it has a nice even shine, don't press to hard just use slow soft pressure, if your using a pad this may take a while.....Do your final polish with a clean pad and cool water. At this point you should have a nice shiny finish!
The last step (for now) is to apply a high quality glaze, apply a small amount to a moist,clean buffing cloth and apply to your finish, buff dry. You should see a marked difference in the shine of your finish.
One quick note, auto paint typically takes a month to "cure" so during this time do not apply any wax, this can inhibit the paint getting its final hardness. (of course if you have access to an auto-body shop you could bake the case) After a month, wipe off your case and apply a good automotive wax, and buff to a shine.

 

[eternalspire]

Most cases use these really tough baked on paints (too slow to remember what it is called). You are going to have to do some really rough sanding to get anywhere. I suggest a high grit sand > many wet sanded primer layers > multaple coats of paint and just as many coats of clear. You can do some really sweet things with a case just from paint.

Just as an example this is a box I just finished up over the summer. I still need to put plexy in

 

[termite]

Oh yeah here's a couple pics of my rig (still under construction).....

 

[cudaman73]

awesome guys.. thanks for all the response.

this oughta turn out alright ^_^

EDIT
btw, zacrobmer, you have my keyboard
/EDIT

 

[Dudeyourlame]

ahh thats awesome looking... i like the fact yo put American car stuff on it.. and not a Nos or honda logo on it ^_^

 

[Moose777]

Oh yeah here's a couple pics of my rig (still under construction).....

nice addition with the HEMI badge, I like it.

<===Also a MOPAR man.

 

[DarkMonkey]

This is the first time I've ever seen one of those cases that I wasn't repulsed by. Congrats

 

[termite]

/Bows

Thanks for the nice replies on the case, I'll post more in a couple of weeks when its done, (been working on it since October, never really satisfied with it, so I keep tweaking it) along with a picture of my '04 Ram 1500 Hemi thats its modeled after.... I actually bought the paint from the Dodge dealer, so its the "real" Patriot Blue.


And Cudaman73 I wasn't trying to steal your thread! I swear!