Lian Li PC65

The Halfords Filler Primer 500ml 7.49
Sand Paper 4.99
Halfords Matt Black Paint 500ml 7.49

Anything else ?
 
thats going to be another 7.95 so at basic cost its around £30, but i will know i will use more than 1 can of each, so im thinking now if it cost effective
 
Yeah its not really that cheap, I buy plastikote from my local D.I.Y store for £6.50 a can (500ml) so that's £1.45 a can cheaper than Halfords.

I've spray painted a case, many fans and now I'm spray painting a radiator and I've never been able to avoid 'Orange Peel' (If you don't know what it is then google spray paint orange peel), to get rid of orange peel I find the best way is to build up loads of fine layers of paint (roughly 6) and then wet sand until the surface is smooth. If you don't build up enough layers then you could end up sanding right back to the original colour.
Not trying to put you off or anything but just letting you know you need a lot of patience to get a good finish.
 
Just going to look at another case now, but keep this case as a long term project. I've had the case for so many years i cant part with it.
 
You can not paint a case for £30
Well... you can, but the end result will be so bad you will eventually bin your case.

Plan on 3 coats of primer, sanding in between to guarantee a nice smooth base.
At least 5 -7 thin coats of your colour, again using wet-n-dry in between.
And then a nice thick coat of clear to help make scratches less visable.

Then theres things you havent budgeted for like rivets to reassemble your case after youve drilled out all the factory ones to paint it, tack cloths for picking up dust and stuff between coats of paint, spirits (not Jack Daniels)...

But will it be cost effective?

Well, one case is a lian-li, the other isnt.
That's all Im saying
 
Well i contacted a local company about power coating the case instead. They quoted about £50 mark, going to see them tomorrow to talk to them and see what they can do. Might take a drive bay cover for them to test to see the job they do and see how it comes out.
 
rishy said:
Well i contacted a local company about power coating the case instead. They quoted about £50 mark, going to see them tomorrow to talk to them and see what they can do. Might take a drive bay cover for them to test to see the job they do and see how it comes out.
Click to expand...

Powder coating is the way forward mate.
I used to work in one part time while I was at uni.
Way more resistant to scratches, and a very quick process to turn over.
You can have the whole thing dipped, powdered and baked in <24hrs, try getting a quality paint finish in that time! :D

Car paint is great if you want fancy metallics or flip tones, but for single colours, I think powder coating rules.
Its actually what Im planning for my next Li... PC-A70FB
Keep the outside adonised black and send the frame for coating in black and white.
 
Most places would ask for de-rivited separate pieces to get the best finish.
But theres no reason not to do it, and more reasons TO get it done in pieces.
Main one being quality, but the other is you can have your drive cages one colour, mobo tray another and the floor in yet another colour (if thats your thing)
Black and white seems to work for a lot of people
 
now to decide on colours, Going matt black on the outside, and either gloss white or red on the drive bays
 
The only other colour that goes with black is red or green , unless you can think of any other colours
 
Pretty much any colour goes with black, what about blue, orange or dark purple?

Maybe get some inspiration from the hardware you'll be using in the build?
 
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