50 MAXIMUMPC MARCH 2005
1
My goal for this
project was to
purchase the
cheapest, most
hideous case I could
find. If I could then
make it just a little bit
better with a few coats
of paint, the project
would be a success.
My neighborhood
haunt on 8th Avenue
in Brooklyn is a small
PC shop called CompuStar, and it’s there I found the perfect
subject for $25. I removed the right side panel and the plastic
front bezel with the weird “alien eyes” intake vents. The power
and reset buttons, along with the USB/speaker ports, were also
removed and stored in a plastic baggie for safekeeping.2
I removed the plastic window and took the hand nibblers to
the offending side panel. With my rotary tool and sanding
drum attachment, I cleaned the cut edges and sanded them
smooth with some 300-grit paper. For the amount of work you
put into a primo paint finish, you should avoid making structural
or design changes afterwards.Step One: Preparing Your Case for Painting
If you have a decent-quality case, chances are the factory paint
finish doesn’t have to be removed down to the bare metal.
Manufacturers use special etching chemicals prior to painting
that help with adhesion and durability. If your paint finish
is fairly sound, proceed to step five and begin wet-sanding.
Apparently, the creators of my scruffy little case didn’t bother
with this etching process, and after testing with sandpaper on
a small area, the finish was easily removed to the metal. When
cases are manufactured, the sheets of metal are put through
a series of bending and breaking machinery, folding and
stamping the material to create the parts. This leaves the tops
and side panels with edges that are slightly curled, and it can
pose a problem when you sand the coats of paint. Your nice,
flat sanding block will find these high spots and remove the
paint down to the primer or, worse, the bare metal. Of particular
concern are those pesky indented handles that are stamped into
some side panels, so be sure you get those areas nice and flat.
Like a good-quality mirror, the flatter the glass, the better the
reflective qualities.1
I decided to use my Bosch random orbital sander fitted
with a 400-grit disc, which helped flatten all the high
spots on the panels.2
It’s important when using an orbital sander to apply very
little pressure on the tool because this can distort the rubber
pad that holds the abrasive and create an uneven surface.
By just guiding the tool along the surface and allowing the
weight of the machine to do the work, you can get nicely ground
case panels as a result.Step Two: To Strip or Not to Strip
paintyourcase