Modding Mesh / Perforated Steel

[Psmall5]

Hi all,

 

This maybe of no use to people, but couldnt really find any recent threads about it so id thought id share.

 

Im currently working on a rackmount custom loop build.

 

One element was to create a new front panel as the old mesh was weak and breaking.

 

Couldnt find any info on where to source other than from mnpctech.

 

Being in Aus that would prove expensive and i needed a 440x180 ish piece being a 4u case.

 

Ended up coming across these guys;

(International customers welcome too)

https://au.rs-online.com/

 

They have a wide selection of steel mesh perfect for what i was doing.

 

Ended up buying;

https://au.rs-online.com/mobile/p/perforated-steel-sheets/0817404/

 

They come in packs of two so cost $50 n change.

 

Delivery in aus is free and is next day Toll Priority so i ordered it 4pm on the Thursday and had it friday morning. (Syd-Newcastle)

 

It turned out better than i thought and was a breeze to cut and fold.

 

 

I haven't made the cuts for usb and power switches as it was too late.

 

Hope some of you will find this useful.

 

Cheers

[Hashiba]

Hello mate, that looks really nice, are you going to paint it afterwards? if so, which kind of paint are you going to use? please post a picture of the finished design once it's ready ofc. I have been looking for a good source of steel meshes for a while, thanks for sharing!

[Psmall5]

9 minutes ago, Hashiba said:

Hello mate, that looks really nice, are you going to paint it afterwards? if so, which kind of paint are you going to use? please post a picture of the finished design once it's ready ofc. I have been looking for a good source of steel meshes for a while, thanks for sharing!

Hey mate, 

 

Cheers for the comment, I'm happy with the way it turned out so far. I was expecting it to be a pain to cut/bend and had grinder at the ready. However,In the end all it took was a pair of tin-snips, rubber mallet and edge of a bench to do bend and shape

 

as for painting,I will be hitting it with three types;

1: dymark etching primer

2: dulux expoxy enamel (satin black)

3: expoxy clear coat. 

 

I was thinking of using an effect paint for the front; but cost/reward doesnt seem worth it so It will match the rest of the build. 

 

I'll post the finished product when done, I'm just waiting on the front panel ports to arrive so I can make the final cuts. 

[Psmall5]

@Hashiba

This is the front panel in its final form.

The fan frame is custom made from aluminium angle and square u shape alluminium.

 

(Excuse the mobile crop)

 

 

There are a couple of blemishes on the paint so ill prob touch them up.

 

The mesh was easy to drill n tap, as the two pieces will screw together into the case.

 

I didn't end up priming either piece, just sanded both then cleaned off with alcohol based solvent. 

 

I need to route the cables for the fans a little better but thats for another night. The only other thing i did was cut out a oval piece from the usb3 bracket (came with a pci bracket) and painted it also. The silver was too obvious behind the mesh.

 

Hope this gives you an idea for your builds.

 

Note: the mesh also came in handy for ventilation. I cut two square sections from the case, one for psu and other on opposite side as rear ventilation. Was a breeze mounting it to the case. I used sikaflex hc11 and just pressed it for few minutes and it was cured in 24hrs. 

 

Ill post pics of that in build log when pc is finally built.

 

Cheers

Peter

[Hashiba]

Hey Peter! @Psmall5

 

It looks really really good!, very inspiring, makes me want to mod some of my vintage cases asap, I mean, frontal air intake doesn't get any better than that, right?

 

thanks for the extra info, oh, last time I forgot to ask, which kind of rig are you going to be hosting inside that awesome rackmount case? 

 

I think the image attachments at the end of your last post are not working, were those pictures of the internals?

 

Cheers mate!

[Psmall5]

@Hashiba

 

Cheers mate, its been an effort to say the least. I'm far from proficient in modding and or metal work so there's been a lot of 'back to the drawing board' moments.

 

As for intake, 100% correct! I've got a mesh filter if i decide to put it in, still working out if i need it. I'm trying not to think about my next project, the mrs would kill me!

 

The rig is primarily gaming n vid editing. Its a rackmount case because all of my gear is in an open frame rack next to my desk. It only cost me 200 or so was a bargain!

 

Spec wise;

Existing gear

Intel 6700k 

Gigabyte z170 gaming 6

32gb lp vengence 

256 samsung nvme

2x 250 samung evo ssd

1x 250 samung pro ssd

1x 240gb intel ssd

 

New gear

Samsung 500gb ssd

Wd black 750gb (purely for downloads etc etc)

2x gtx 1080ti oc (ino3d xchill x4)

Corsair 1200 axi

Bits power fittings 16mm

Bits power HL tube

Ek xe360 

Ek pe360

Ek full cover mb block

Ek nvme heatsink

Singularity computers ddc res combo 250ml

Aerocool p7h1 fan controller

Aerocool 120mm rgb fans x3

 

I've started putting it together this morning so ill post up an update later on today.

 

I cant remember which photos you're referring to, id say things would have changed since then.

 

I ended up making a bracket/shelf for each of the rads to make removal so much easier.

 

Happy modding!