Mirrors in a Case

Its supposed to rain today, tomorrow, AND Saturday. So there goes my plans for finishing up painting the case. =\

Guess all I can do for the time being is cut the acrylic and fit it into the case, along with measuring the top of the case, creating another template and getting that all worked out....
 
I remember seeing a SFF with a mirror in diagonal so it looks like there is no parts in the case.
 
it will give you the feeling of more space in the case.but you have to take care of it its bad luck if you brake it :)
 
A quick google search came up with these reccomended cutting tools for acrylic:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/jg/index.php
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/acrylic/acrylic1.html

Both those websites provide some good information and Im sure if I poke around some more I can find some more information as well.
Im sure somebody here in the [H] forums has posted the ideal way to cut acrylic. I might end up checking the worklogs section as those guys are pros and do an OUTSTANDING job with their mods.

I will more than likely be using my circular saw to cut the acrylic, maybe a jigsaw. It all depends on what the local hardware stores have...
If they don't have the proper blade my Dad told be that Harbor Frieght sells circular saw blades pretty cheap and I might look into that as well.

As for the bad luck, I don't think I will unintentionally break the acrylic :p
This stuff is a lot stronger than glass :cool:
 
OMG, Dark Prodigy that is a server and, well another one...

i would have said server and a half, but jeebus...
 
A quick google search came up with these reccomended cutting tools for acrylic:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/jg/index.php
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/acrylic/acrylic1.html

Both those websites provide some good information and Im sure if I poke around some more I can find some more information as well.
Im sure somebody here in the [H] forums has posted the ideal way to cut acrylic. I might end up checking the worklogs section as those guys are pros and do an OUTSTANDING job with their mods.

I will more than likely be using my circular saw to cut the acrylic, maybe a jigsaw. It all depends on what the local hardware stores have...
If they don't have the proper blade my Dad told be that Harbor Frieght sells circular saw blades pretty cheap and I might look into that as well.

As for the bad luck, I don't think I will unintentionally break the acrylic :p
This stuff is a lot stronger than glass :cool:


Damn, so sounds like maybe a Dremmel blade would not be the Ideal Cutting tool then eh? Damn
 
You could prolly make due cutting acrylic with a dremel blade, but I would only use it for small cuts and even then the cuts wouldnt be a very clean cut.
Dremel might even sell an acrylic cutting disk of some sort.
 
Ahh well I thought maybe since I would be cutting a rectangle out of a large square, or even just trimming a more closer shaped rectangle it would be ok. What do you think, I mean actually cutting wise.

My thoughts about it was as long as it did not crack it it would be ok since the sides would be likely/surely hidden and right up along the case so if it wasnt the prettiest or smoothest no one could see anway.

Or do you really think it will be super bad to try?
 
I would think that it would work out fine just take your time and do it right.
Also I would try and practice a few time on some scraps or maybe a piece that isnt going to be used or visible first.
Also some of the websites listed that for cutting acrylic that you could use some sort of lube (not KY, you jackasses :p) for cutting blades to help ease the cut. You might want to look into that or maybe do some research on how fast you need to set the rpms for cutting acrylic...
 
Maybe baby oil? Yeah I suppose I should do some googling for RPM's suggested before Going at it, I just thought I would start it slow and see how it cut. Ya, you are right though about practice, I think I will order a extra piece just to do that on
 
As long as the weather holds up today I will be able to finally finish up the painting, cut the acrylic and start piecing together the case (hope I reemmber how it goes back together, lol!)

I dont remember what type of oil they reccomended to ease the cutting of acrylic but if you google it Im sure you will find it.
 
UPDATE​

Turns out the weather was great so I set out immeadtly after work (after I swung by the hardware store) and well, went back to work (on the case)! :D

Here are some pix of the work I did today:
(I also finished up paiting the "truck bed lining" on the case, but I didnt take any pictures of that, cept for the paint I used).

ENJOY!
As always, leave comments, qualms, questions, and tips!



1:
2630028566_d335b34389.jpg



2:
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The Jigsaw blade I used, sorry the picture quality isn't better but it looked better on the camera. The circular saw blades the hardware store had were way too expensive, and this was only $2. I picked out the house brand model that had 32 Teeth Per Inch (worked flawlessly).


3:
2629209151_0bdbffa6b0.jpg

Piece of acrylic after being cut (sorry didn't show before and after, but this is when I started taking pictures, OOPS!) You can tell where I made a cut on the top side and left side. I put down a line of 3m tape, and made the cut mark ontop of that then went to town.


4:
2629210061_25b9ee005e.jpg

Here is the piece that I cut off to make it fit.


5:
2630032126_e3ac8d18f6.jpg

Here is the 2nd piece that needed to be cut to size. If you notice the "fat" side (left) that piece will be reused and fit perfectly inside the case (after minor sanding).


6:
2630033980_b01b3d6f41.jpg

Here is the file that I used to smooth the edges after making the cuts. Also used this to shape down minor discrepencies in my crapping Jigsaw skillz.


7:
2630034882_5e397f68e7.jpg

This is actually the moment that I realized I hadnt taken any pictures so I stopped the cut to take a picture. Notice the clamps all around it to stop the acrylic from wandering and flexing to help a straight cut.


8:
2630037274_9f04a78543.jpg

FINGER: Having a piece of wood under the acrylic helps out to keep it from flexing. Also gives you a little something to aim by and such.


9:
2629214809_73a9edac66.jpg

This is the super harsh smelling orange sherbet goo from hell that removes paint from aluminum beautifully! If you are trying to remove paint from a case or anything I strongly reccomend this. But make sure you apply it using gloves and dont inhale the putrid smell. Also make sure after you apply it you wait for 30-45 mins (or untill the paint bubbles up off the metal) before using a scraper to remove the paint. Or if you have access to a sandblaster use that cuz that would save you all the effort of scraping off all the old crap.


10:
2629215607_9eee23cca6.jpg

Here is the paint aka "truck bed liner" im using to cover my case. If you try to powdercoat your case I reccomend this stuff, it is durable as snot, looks, and feels great! Do yourself a favor and don't buy the over priced wal-mart knockoff in the red can. That stuff f*cks up half the time and doesnt spray correctly, isnt nearly as durable, but it does have a cooler texture to it (I think the texture has something to do with the lack of durability, drat).


Onto the cool pictures of the finished and cut acrylic.
Yippy Skippy!​


11:
2629217967_d5dea5a565.jpg

OOOOOOH purdy! This is a side shot (before removing the ugly blue 3m tape).
If you notice the front piece sticks out 1/4 an inch and needed to still be trimmed down.....


12:
2630038132_c30f03de77.jpg

This is a picture after removing the tape, and after all the final cuts. Awesome!


13:
2629218777_cfff889cbc.jpg

Lucky 13, and oh-so pretty at that! Notice the front piece has been cut and finalized.


14:
2629220389_e01c84b6ce.jpg

ZOMG! Nekkid acrylic! :eek:
Seriously, look how super shiny this stuff is!


15:
2630042092_8cc9e10434.jpg

Wowzas! Not only did the zoom on my camera work out awesome, but this stuff is great.
I hope all the mods turn out amazing and compliment each other as much as I hope they do!


Stay tuned untill I try to assemble this goddamn mess of parts.
Did I mention I didnt mark or label any of the screws, and don't remember how to put it back together (its been 2 months since disassembly). :p
This is going to be a long 4th of July weekend.....
 
From a friend of mine, who is dumb and forgot his pw​
:p
The balkroth: Post this for me, the best way to cut Acrylic is with a bandsaw, then mill the edges with an endmill.

The balkroth: oh, also say the end mill is only necessary if you intend to join joints with methyl chloride, and isn't needed if you just want a straight cut
 
NICE!!!


Cant wait to try this out, I plan to do Actual Mirror or Blue colored
 
ok, so where did you end up buying the acrylic? There were so many suggestion do you think where you bought it was good for the price? Or were you expecting something different?
 
Wow, bumping my old thread here...

I was going to build up this pc but I ran into a few roadblocks, ie: buying a new car, and this project got put on hold.

I bought the acrylic from a seller on eBay, and it looks fantastic and it is exactly what i wanted.

I have (slowly) been building a custom bracket that will mount to the front of the case behind the bezels that will have two 120mm red LED fans to cool the pc, and I am still looking for some sort of uber bright laser led light that I can use to help light up the internals. Another idea that I have been tossing around is to install a some regular mirrored acrylic on the top and side of the case to help with the lighting of the case and give it a cooler look, but we will see how that turns out (I already have a few sheets of the reular mirrored acrylic).

Shortly after the holiday season (and my brithday shortly after X-mas) I will FINALLY be buying some computer hardware goodness to stuff in it (think Nividia SLI and i7).
 
More Shiny == better :D

Good luck with the rest of this project. Also have a nice birthday and holidays :)
 
Hmm, I wonder why no one has done this also! I can't even see inside the maze of wires in my case!
 
Epic bumpage of my old thread.
I swear to god I am still working on this guys.
Plans have changed in my life as I moved out from my parents house and now have more bills to pay and I have been dumping money into modding my car rather than my CPU.
I should start ordering more pieces of the puzzle here in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
I have the case completed, the fans mounted, psu mounted, and the wiring is figured out. Now I just have to buy the actual hardware and get to wiring up the shiny reflective monster xD

Intel i7 here I come!
 
epic bumpage v2.0 lol
I ended up getting laid off for a while and I spent my computer parts fund on expenses, butI have had a stable job for several months and yet again i started modding my car instead of building the computer.
Well, now the tables have turned!
Thanks to Tiger Direct offering a deal on the mobo I wanted (http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1035804468#post1035804468 ) I am back inaction and orderd the mobo. 2 weeks from now (next paycheck) I will be ordering the cpu and hdds, 2 weeks after that, the ram (12gb), 2 weeks after that, the vid card.
I have the new cpu in my sights and I will finally finish up this project LoL!

On another note I will be adding some sound deadener (leftovers from adding sound deadener to my car - RAAM Audio Ensolite and BXT)to the doors of the case, the false floor covered with the acrylic, and maybe the top of the inside of the case. This should cut down on vibrations and help quiet down the case quite a bit.
 
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