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Dremel plastic

S

ScYcS

2[H]4U
Joined
Dec 11, 2004
Messages
3,960
Question:

I'm either buying a new case or modding an Antec Sonata.

While trying to mod the front bezel of the Sonata to increase airflow, i dremeled an opening but i must say, it's the worst dremel job i've ever done. The plastic melted pratically when just touching it with the dremel, even at lowest speeds. Is there a better way to do this or do i just have to live with this problem and be patient?
 
I've never tried plastic myself, but I read somewhere that the cutter that is like a bunch of thin wire threads cut together works. You could try it a little inside of where you want to cut to see if it actually works. YMMV

The only other thing I can think of is cut inside of where you want the hole to be then slowly sand the edges by hand. This would probably be your best bet.
 
I have never had good luck with using a Dremel with plastics.

How thick is the plastic on the Sonata? Have you seen the plastics in the Atari Flashback 2 consoles? I was on the design team for those units, and I recently modded a bunch with Atari 2600 cartridge ports. When I needed to cut the holes for the cartridge port assemblies, I used a VERY sharp utility knife with a straight edge to deeply score the plastic. In most instances, I was able to cut right through making multiple slow passes. The cuts ended up very clean and straight, but you really need to take your time and go slow or it will look like crap. I used some small files to smooth out the corners, and I ended up very pleased with the results.

I have also heard of people using small tabletop scroll saws to cut through plastic. I guess you drill holes in the corners to get started and then you use the saw for the actual cutting. I have never tried that myself, but I would be interested to know if anyone has tries that technique and what the results were..
 
Go very slow, it will stink like holy hell too so you may want to wear some sort of respirator ( I had too). Get it as close to your original shape, then sand it down to perfection.
It took me most the day to cut out a 12 x 12 inch pattern in my old Sunbeam Case (it was about 1/4 inch thick plastic with seperated metal backing)
The plastic will heat up and constantly look like some kind of slurpy, let it cool for a sec and fling it off with your fingernail (comes off easy enough), that is why I just got as close as I could to my original pattern then finished it off with sanding. That slurpy will get in your way blocking your pattern lines, use 2 hands on the dremel, mine kept wanting to skip around at times.
Hope it Helps...Happy Dremeling!
Post the pics ;)
 
Once I'm done with the case, I'll post pics, but it'll take weeks, if not months. I only have very limited time to work on it in my garage and it's not heated in there, so I'll continue in a couple weeks (months) ;)

Anyways, thanks for the tips and If it turns out as i have it in mind, it'll make for a nice case.
 
Use the lowest speed possible, and combine it with some type of oil.

Using my dremel on lowest settings with WD-40 worked wonders.

Since low speeds still melt the plastic, the WD-40 will help it catch less
which will take a bit longer, but you wont have a crappy looking, melted cut.
 
the idea above me is great. when i modded my antec superlanboy i had this problem if you have already done it a file can usualy take care of it
 
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