Basic Case modding Guide

[MzCatieB]

Please note this guide is not my Tutorial. Please follow the link to the original Guide Here

In this guide i am going to cover 3 basic area's of Case modding, these area's will be Painting, Cutting and Lighting. don't expect anything to extensive in this guide i am only going to cover the simple basics... nothing special.

Painting:
Metal and plastic parts need different approaches, however the common factor with each is extreme care and effort.


Metal:

• The surface needs to be sandpapered and scrubbed clean of existing paint.
• areas to be left out needto be protected with masking tape.
• the first coat will need to be primer, allow it to hold and get dry.
• after the specified waiting time between coats, start the spray painting of the case.
• apply a few successive light coats for consistency and coating of every nook and cranny.
• for the final finish, apply a clear coat layer of acrylic paint enamel for shine and added protection.

Plastic:

• a good clean surface is a must-do. wipe the surface with a lint-free towel and a mild soap and allow to dry.
• painting on plastic is more deliberate with several very light coats.
• a few dozen coats might do but allow each coat to dry out before the next.
• leave the plastic component overnight for the final coat to completely dry out.
• a few coats of clear coat enamel paint gets you the glossy finished look.
• painting the back of clear plastics and optionally etching the paint with designs gives an eye catching mirror effect.

Cutting:
Cutting is where all your precision skills will be brought in to play. a slip and its back to square one. cutting requires a rotary tool (dremel or similar) and a need for accuracy.


Metal:

• Swathe the target areas with masking tape to protect the surface from nicks and cuts.
• draw or trace the design you wish to do on to the tape.
• Always cut inside the marked lines of your designs and then reshape and finish the cutout area with a file.
• And then give a sandpaper rubdown to the edges to smooth them down.
• A plastic or rubber trim around the cutout is what improves the look and protects it from dust and cutting.
• trims are easy to find and can be melded to the edges by heating is with a hairdryer.

Plastic:

• Mark out the design on the surface and start drilling with a narrow drill bit.
• Start from inside the designs and move slowly towards the marked lines.
• Drilling heats up the plastic, so keep removing the tiny cut shards as they might fuse again.
• With the cutout done, finish reshaping and smoothing with a file and sandpaper. (It is recommended to use a successively finer grades of wet-dry sandpaper for the best results).
• Finally, polishing compounds help to buff the edges and gives a finished look.

Lighting:

• Cathosed are bright, cheap and easy to install, they are available in a veriety of colours and sizes ranging from 4 inches to 2 feet.
• EL-Wires are lighted wires which can be shaped for trims, wrapped around cables and for other patterns, they arnt super bright but are flexible.
• LED's are in vogue because of their exact colours, patterns and are sold in DIY, single or multiple-LED packages. for modding pick the super bright ones rated above 2500 mcd.

I plan on releasing more detailed tutorials in the future
Dont forget to Rate this post and feel free to comment and suggest for anymore wanted tutorials

 

Original Tutorial: Link

This is not my tutorial, I only rewrote it for forum needs

[daveyjones]

Great guide. Really helpful. This helps with a window mod I wanted to do too.

[MzCatieB]

Great guide. Really helpful. This helps with a window mod I wanted to do too.

il do a Acrylic bending guide at some point, but its so simple to do, its just patience 

[dgtL]

Nice job on the guide dude. are those pics from your own modding adventures? maybe you could share some more.

[MzCatieB]

Nice job on the guide dude. are those pics from your own modding adventures? maybe you could share some more.

no there not my pics, i found some online then combined them for this guide

[911^NEmeSis]

Nice guide, I am looking into doing some of this stuff soon. Also you haven't been on IRC for ages.

[MzCatieB]

Nice guide, I am looking into doing some of this stuff soon. Also you haven't been on IRC for ages.

i cant get irc working outside of the webclient... waiting for slick/ mrwizzard to add it back to the website

[911^NEmeSis]

i cant get irc working outside of the webclient... waiting for slick/ mrwizzard to add it back to the website

 

Only IRC via webclients work? Not using MIRC or anything?  Could use Mibbit or something.

[MzCatieB]

Only IRC via webclients work? Not using MIRC or anything?  Could use Mibbit or something.

im too busy to go on and chat, doing the designs for my case atm lol

[911^NEmeSis]

im too busy to go on and chat, doing the designs for my case atm lol

Nah it's cool, just wondered where you had been! :D Also show us the designs once they are done plox!

[MzCatieB]

Nah it's cool, just wondered where you had been! :D Also show us the designs once they are done plox!

i will once i digitise it

[tyoung515]

To keep it clean, I like to use a tack cloth (sticky cloth cheap at hardware stores). I sand in between coats with 400 grit, until the last paint coat and use 1000 wet. Note that some paints cant be sanded IE heavy latex ( will just ball up) and just because it is dry to the touch does not mean it is ready to sand.... LOL I figured that out the hard way and had to restart the panel! I also tend to use a self etching primer for first coat then a thick automotive primer for the second and third coat, then rustoleum or automotive paint for the finish!

[joelthezombie15]

OMG that was so awesome

[Surprise]

Since you didn't mention the type of paint, I will.

 

Sprayer grade Acrylic Automotive paint is the best because of its quick dry times, durability and looks.

 

If you don't have an aircompressor/cupgun powder coating is a superior finish.

 

Bill Owens paint video:

So jelly of his tools D:

[Guest]

Please note this guide is not written by Pixxie_Payne. It's originally from here.

[SirReallySam]

This is pretty sweet, even if it wasn't by Pixxie_Payne :D

[TechTheWorld]

Great guide! Thanks a lot!