Custom PC - UK (2020-05)

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aluminium tubing, which worked

great to lift the radiator off the

frame slightly. This gave me a better

idea of clearance, and after placing

the pump as far over to the side as

possible, I then had a good idea of

the space available for a graphics

card mounting bracket.

When it came to the graphics

card mount, I made a template

from cardboard to give me a good

idea of where and how it would

be mounted. Once I was happy

with the template, I made the real

bracket from a piece of 1.5mm steel.

This was actually one of the hardest

parts of the build, as it was such a

small piece of metal that had to be

grinded, shaped, filed, drilled and

bent. However, it was vital for me to

make sure these components were

finished to a high standard.

The holes for the cables in the

chassis were all created using a hand

drill. I started with a template, and

then the 48 holes were punched and

drilled four times in 1mm increments

from 1mm to 4mm. This was a very

Tell us about the build

process. What tools and materials

did you use to make the various

custom parts?

Michael: This build was a learning

process, as I’d never worked on a

project at this level before. After

building the metal bender brake, I

knew I wanted to use steel for the

main frame. Once I had the sheet of

steel in the right size, it was a case of

making two simple bends with the

braker to get the ‘Z’ shape.

I then moved onto the placement

of the hardware. I knew where I

wanted the motherboard to be

mounted from the start, so I worked

the rest of the design around that.

The radiator mounting was a little

trickier; it took a lot of sketching

onto the frame to ensure the

placement was right, as I only

really had one shot when it came to

drilling holes into the frame.

I then lay the radiator on the

chassis, and sketched onto the

frame again before drilling. I also

created handmade standoffs from

111

aluminium tubing, which worked

great to lift the radiator off the

frame slightly. This gave me a better

idea of clearance, and after placing

the pump as far over to the side as

possible, I then had a good idea of

the space available for a graphics

card mounting bracket.

When it came to the graphics

card mount, I made a template

from cardboard to give me a good

idea of where and how it would

be mounted. Once I was happy

with the template, I made the real

bracket from a piece of 1.5mm steel.

This was actually one of the hardest

parts of the build, as it was such a

small piece of metal that had to be

grinded, shaped, filed, drilled and

bent. However, it was vital for me to

make sure these components were

finished to a high standard.

The holes for the cables in the

chassis were all created using a hand

drill. I started with a template, and

then the 48 holes were punched and

drilled four times in 1mm increments

from 1mm to 4mm. This was a very

Tell us about the build
process. What tools and materials
did you use to make the various
custom parts?
Michael: This build was a learning
process, as I’d never worked on a
project at this level before. After
building the metal bender brake, I
knew I wanted to use steel for the
main frame. Once I had the sheet of
steel in the right size, it was a case of
making two simple bends with the
braker to get the ‘Z’ shape.
I then moved onto the placement
of the hardware. I knew where I
wanted the motherboard to be
mounted from the start, so I worked
the rest of the design around that.
The radiator mounting was a little
trickier; it took a lot of sketching
onto the frame to ensure the
placement was right, as I only
really had one shot when it came to
drilling holes into the frame.
I then lay the radiator on the
chassis, and sketched onto the
frame again before drilling. I also
created handmade standoffs from