New to modding

seekdestroy

seekdestroy

seekdestroy

Associate
Joined
9 Sep 2008
Posts
699
Hey guys. I've got an old Xclio A380 case and I'm going to lan soon, so thought i would try and mod it. I saw another guy modding his A380 and It's given me inspiration.

I was thinking of painting the case glossy black, what paint would be best for this and how would i do it?
 
Halfords car paints are pretty good. You'll need primer too. Dont forget to sand down the bare metal and mask off any bits you don't want painted. YouTube has a few videos showing you how to do these things.

I'm sure there are a few useful posts here that may help you.

You can also get it done professionally or powdercoated but that's slightly cheating don't you think?
 
Ok, i found a guide:
http://case-mods.linear1.org/case-mod-101-how-to-paint-your-computer-case-part-1/1/
http://case-mods.linear1.org/case-mod-101-how-to-paint-your-computer-case-part-2/2/

I do have access to an air spray gun, so i wouldn't have to use spray cans. What kind of paint would i be looking for?
If it's cheaper and easier to use cans I will, but i would prefer a better finish.

How long do you think it would take? I got 2 weeks till lan :P
I've got a brand new A380 colour coming today, and I'm going to mod them together to something like this http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=181103
Would it be possible to add a clear paint over the top of the factory black to get a gloss finish?
 
Last edited:
I would avoid glossy at all costs. Go for matte black and do the inside in matte black or some kind of graphite colour. A popular thing to do is spray things like drive bay covers, expasion card slot cover and tool-less bits orange and leave everything else black.
 
Yea just remenber to do some decent sanding between layers to get a perfect finish (i mean really until u can almost see the metal under the first coat, and then as u go up in layers u should just see the lower layer). As thats the big problem really about this kinda of painting it's never perfectly even and the coat is never the same all over unless u spend a lot of time.

Haha u could try what im thinking and anodising the case urself (if ur case is aluminium that is). All u need is some acid some, food dye, a piece of aluminum that can will be used to hold the piece of aluminum (as with anodising always gonna have two points where the two contact's were (and therefore wont be anodised), and a piece of lead to hold the other part of the alumium. Then just simply connect the plate to a 12v battery and dunk it in the acid, then just chuck some food dye in (there is a calculation) and hey presto one anodised plate :D. Gonna try it myself soon as anodising my whole case :D so ill let u know if u i bugger it up :D.
 
ION said:
Yea just remenber to do some decent sanding between layers to get a perfect finish (i mean really until u can almost see the metal under the first coat, and then as u go up in layers u should just see the lower layer). As thats the big problem really about this kinda of painting it's never perfectly even and the coat is never the same all over unless u spend a lot of time.

Haha u could try what im thinking and anodising the case urself (if ur case is aluminium that is). All u need is some acid some, food dye, a piece of aluminum that can will be used to hold the piece of aluminum (as with anodising always gonna have two points where the two contact's were (and therefore wont be anodised), and a piece of lead to hold the other part of the alumium. Then just simply connect the plate to a 12v battery and dunk it in the acid, then just chuck some food dye in (there is a calculation) and hey presto one anodised plate :D. Gonna try it myself soon as anodising my whole case :D so ill let u know if u i bugger it up :D.
Click to expand...
That was painfull to read. I'd just go for the painting though, if you take a while over each coat and give them plenty of time to dry it should turn out nicely.
 
lol its a steel case anyway :P

Why shouldn't i go for glossy? I'm guessing dust sticks to it, but i wouldn't mind that. It's going to spend most of it's time at the side of my desk :)
 
Anyway, whats the best paint to use? Where should i get it from, B&Q??
I am tempted to go with a matte black and pink colour scheme. The A380 colour lets me set 256 diff colours to fans. Then i might get some Pink EL wire for inside too.

I'm just not sure what brand of paint to use and where to get it from.
 
Last edited:
Have a look at GDubs projects. His Skeletons and his "Boot sale" case.

He uses Halfords cans, as Tealc has suggested, and thinks they are better than Plastikote. I personally think it's his preparation that gives him such a good finish, and that it probably wouldn't matter if he used a brush! :D
 
Hey, thanks a lot for replying :P
Ok then I'll go ahead and use Halfords make. I'm waiting for the case to come, it was supposed to be here Saturday, never use Sc*n again, because they use crappy citylink (waste of space)
Anyway, I'm going to ask 1 more noobie question. I know prep is everything, but I'm unsure on which bits i should prep how, and whether to sand after undercoat, and between coats?

I've got some plastic parts, which i have sanded down and wiped clean with paint thinner, will these need an undercoat too? Or can i just paint onto it?

Also the metal side panels, should i wet sand them? and how far back? I'm guessing i don't need to go back to the metal, as long as It's sanded a little.

And finally, the metal inside of the case, do i just apply an undercoat? No need to sand?

I'm asking these questions again because everyone seems to give me different answers, and looking on the internet people do a lot of different prep :P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom