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max302 · 05-10-08

This is the starting point!

It looks ok for a first build according to me... it's themed, clean, simple, the way I like it. However, it's not enough anymore. Let the carnage begin.

Fr0stbyte is right next to the new temporary chassis, a barenaked Rocketfish. I didn't want to scratch the side panels, so they're tucked up in the box, wrapped in t-shirts

. I ain't putting em back until the new case's core is painted... but that's another log.

JESUS this case is fugly when it's empty. Look at all that gray. Ugh.

I know, the guts on this thing aren't exactly impressive, but hey, I've got a camera to pay, so I'm not upgrading, well maybe just an SLI. I'd rather live with what I have and build something brand new 2 years from now than stay in the midrange (and be poor as crap) all the time.

From here on, everything that could possibly be removed with a screw has. On to the rivets.

Almost all the rivets, namely the ones that held the structure together, had 6 mm heads. Now I need to find how much that is in metric, and what the diameter of the other part... forgot the name, but you know what I mean.

The exceptions: the non-critical rivets, holding the drive cages and all, had 5 mm heads. Again, I'll be needing to test the fit with imperial dimension rivets, see what does the trick.

Get a set like this one. You need relatively small bits to drill out rivets and not damage your case. 1/8 was the biggest I used for this project.

From then, the process is simple. Drill with a small drill bit through the rivet until your drill bit goes right through. If the rivet doesnt pop, then you need to use a larger bit. Slowly increment until you find the one bit to pop them all. Once you know what bit tu use, removing a rivet takes about 5-8 seconds.

See how clean the whole are? That's because I used the right bit. Once it reassembled, unless I magically forget what part goes where everbody will think it never got taken apart.

You end up with a pile of pieces like this. Ready to paint.

Apart from the primer, I used Duplicolor Metallic Textured. It isn't super glossy because of it's texture, so it won't attract the eye away from the hardware, but it still puts a visible touch. I don't know if I lack the technique or what is going on, but the Duplicolor can empties quick as hell. At 12$ a can, it's getting expensive.

My painting stand. What sucks about it is that on windy days (IE today), it's pretty hard to get your spray where you want it without overspraying. Which might explain all the paint I'm wasting.

To protect the tapped motherboard standoff mounts, I screwed in halfs of Q-tips. It worked wonders.

Finished product. The paint dries friggin fast, and it's pretty thick because of it's texture, I sprayed one and a half coat, and it's enough. Right there, maybe 40% of the case internals are sprayed.

I tried getting a shot of the texture, but my camera craps out every time. You'll see the depth of the color better once the chassis is riveted back together.