Finished: [Project]Gemini - Lian-Li PC-Q7 Mini-ITX - Page 5 - Overclock.net

TDN1979 · 06-12-09

I thought I would update this

The bondo has been stripped off the case and a metal filler has been used. Bondo will fail in the oven even if I could get powder to stick to it. It will be on it's way shortly to me and I will color this thing up and post pics here and in the thread that I'm going to make for him in the Artisan section.

wastedtime · 06-12-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaiden2k7

the word "gemini" + "stars" are a bit too prominent for such a small case IMO. i would definitely just go with something more attractive like a symbol for the word gemini which is actually much more preferable than the stars. well even if the letters are smaller (less prominent) it would be ok. remember, less is more, that's why and how i like all my lian li cases anyway

for the symbols i found a few for ideas.. but even if you just find a better font for the word Gemini it would be good, just make it smaller. and not cursive use the some bold font to give that same feeling as the toughness of the case itself.

if this is an expensive prank, do put 2 nude twins up there as big as you want lol

gl

- graphic designer

Dang.. the symbols you posted look soo cool.

why didnt you post this before... I just got the panels laser cut..
I have zero artistic sense..... so I couldnt think of anything better than the stars...

If I had seen the symbol before I would have just copy pasted that over

The nude twins would have been amazing... Dang I soo wish I had seen your post earlier...

Quote:

Originally Posted by fedex1993

Man still cool. Can't wait to see the powder coating. Which PSU did you order from newegg?

Hey fedex.. Our artisan is doing the powdercoating.. I cant wait either

I got the Athena Power AP-MP4ATX40 400W from newegg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nafljhy

nice! can't wait for the powder but a quick question about that... will the bondo be affected at all by the high temperature while its in the oven?

EDIT : TDN beat me to it

Yes the bondo will fall right off the case with the heat involved with powdercoating.. I had then planned on using a bondo that is heat resistant and can be powdercoated.. That didnt work too well either... the bondo for some reason did not adhere well to the panels. So I trashed that idea as well.

I sanded all the bondo off the case and I modified the acrylic back panel to cover the areas that the bondo would have. So it now looks like this ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmasherBasher

wasted...you got orange peel because you most likely did not wetsand between color and top coat and then wetsand in between top coats.

or

You got orange peel because you simply didn't use/have enough clearcoat to make a uniform coat.

Case in point. A motherboard tray I did with no prep - scuff, prime, color, clear. No orangepeel. What you don't see is the 2 x 11 oz cans of clear lacquer i used basically puddling it up on the tray.

Hopefully this will point you in the right direction. If it were me in your shoes and you really wanted it to gleam properly, I would let the clearcoat fully cure and gas out for 1 week. Then wetsand it with some 1500 grit wetordry paper then add more clear. Rinse and repeat until you achieve the desired results.

IMO, as-is it looks good though so I do not deem it necessary to do that.

Thanks for the advice Smasher. yes you are right.. I did not sand between color coats.. the reason for this is because duplicolor mirage has 3 different stages..

1. black base coat.. (which was sanded)
2. Mid Coat (This has the whole mirage effect) Duplicolor actually recommends not sanding after applying this coat.
3. Top Coat.(Clear) - I actually should have added more layers of clear and then wetsanded. My previous experiences with wetsanding/ waxing over clear coats have been pretty bad. So i just left it as is..

I've been changing my mind several times over the course of the build with respect to color / application methods etc. Now I've decided to get the entire case powdercoated by TDN1979 .. The case is going to be Prismatic Black.. and the hard drive trays and PSU are going to be Mirror Black

With TDN taking charge of the case I wont have to worry about orange peel anymore

More updates coming shortly.. I got all the panels laser cut.. In the process of taking pics...

-wasted

nafljhy · 06-12-09

oooh ok, sounds like you've got it figured out!

a full cut back panel sounds like it's going to be one sexy bastage.

TDN1979 · 06-12-09

Sorry bro, I didn't know that you where in the process of an update

wastedtime · 06-13-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by TDN1979

Sorry bro, I didn't know that you where in the process of an update

No problem man

.

Update 5: Laser Cut Panels

So I took all the paint/primer off the case and got all the panels laser cut.
The guys at the shop I went to were simply amazing.Its a family run business.

I walked in at 10am with the acrylic and walked out at 12.30 pm with all the panels cut. I took 5 sheets of 24" x 24" acrylic with me and came back with 2 of them intact. They were more than happy to move around the jobs to use all the acrylic up. They also let me take pictures and let me stay in the shop while the acrylic was being cut.

Here are some pictures :

The first letters being cut.

Side Panel for ANT being cut :

Side Panel for Gemini being cut :

Here are all the logos, the logos had to be cut multiple times because the letters were soo small that they would fall right through the wire mesh beneath

If you are wondering what "The Clone - Resurrected" is, its the project after ANT ends... based on Syrillian's Liquid Chameleon .. for those of you who dont know, I bought the case from Mmansueto a while back. The top panel and the front were not included in the sale so the plan is to add a front and a top panel to it.
The words clone resurrected are really small.. Just to give an idea of how small they are...

In comparison to a molex connector.

The panel itself..

-wasted

Domino · 06-13-09

hahahaha, thats awesome, also being a Gemini born on the same day, I think he is going to crap bricks in excitement 8D

your an awesome bro

wastedtime · 06-13-09

Here are the panels cut for Gemini...

3/16" bronze acrylic. I let the laser cut the screw holes, the holes are just 3mm wide, a fraction smaller than a 6-32 screw. I then manually tapped them with a 6-32 tap.

The back Panel

Both of these are the front panels... the logo and the plate that goes around the DVD-Drive..

Before I sent everything to TDN for powdercoating. I did a test fit to make sure everything fits right... as usual i had a couple of holes that were misaligned by an mm or two.. so I ended up widening the holes on the case.

Back Panel fits :

Side panel fits ..

Front Panels

Everything together..

Next on the list is sleeving the PSU. Then comes the difficult part of wire management and lighting...

-wasted

wastedtime · 06-13-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Domino

hahahaha, thats awesome, also being a Gemini born on the same day, I think he is going to crap bricks in excitement 8D

your an awesome bro

Happy Birthday man...

I sure hope he likes it

nategr8ns · 06-13-09

sick case! Nice job!
I wish I had access to a laser cutter...

fedex1993 · 06-13-09

Dang, i want access to a CNC or laser cutter machine. Those things are just pure awesome in what they can do.

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Finished: [Project]Gemini - Lian-Li PC-Q7 Mini-ITX

06-12-09	#41 (permalink)
TDN1979 Case Modder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,135 Rep: 151 Unique Rep: 129 Hardware Reviews: 2 Trader Rating: 7	I thought I would update this The bondo has been stripped off the case and a metal filler has been used. Bondo will fail in the oven even if I could get powder to stick to it. It will be on it's way shortly to me and I will color this thing up and post pics here and in the thread that I'm going to make for him in the Artisan section.

06-12-09	#44 (permalink)
TDN1979 Case Modder Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,135 Rep: 151 Unique Rep: 129 Hardware Reviews: 2 Trader Rating: 7	Sorry bro, I didn't know that you where in the process of an update

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