ItsBobtista

I am going to be buying all my pieces for a new build and the first thing I want to get is an Armor case.. Full tower.. Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS to be exact..

My question is... how would I go about starting a neat paint process? I want it to stand out, so something bright and colorful..

What are the best paints to be used on metal (steel, I think it's made of) and how would I start the process? Am I going to need a dremel with some find sand paper? I believe SpookJunglist had a neat tutorial on painting cases but I am not sure.

Should I not pain the inside? What about the mesh front? Do I leave that alone or is it okay to paint that too?

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endo

use automotive paint that is what i wish i had done and make sure you prime it and clear coat the paint after. painting the inside is fine and check what i did with the mesh on mine.

black sunshine

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ItsBobtista

Hmm, very cool. I like that chrome look. Was it hard to get the top off to paint?

And how did you go about getting it prepared to be painted? Just fine sand paper?

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endo

ok that top plastic piece just clips into the top. but to get it out there is a metal thing where the upper hard drive rack slides onto and that is riveted in and it needs to come out too.

i didnt sand anything i just primed with 2 coats and painted with 4 to 5 coats and then clear coated with 3 coats.

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ItsBobtista

Seems easy enough. I don't actually have the case yet, so that's why I was asking if it was easy to take off or not, I don't have it physically in hand to play with. This sounds like a pretty easy process, just have to keep my patience, huh? +Rep, thanks Endo.

And what brand of paint would you recommend?

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PCDELCARIBE

i painted my tt soprano than is too similar ...check my photos ..of proccess in my album ..hope help you ..

have a lot a time and carefully care each detail ... not run in procceess and do the work in the hot morning ..

endo

well i was going to tell you what i thought i used but instead i will answer this when i get home.

but i would check out paint at an auto part store i think it will be better and look nicer.

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endo

by the way Mr. gobygoby has a nice case too you can check out his build log and see if you get anymore ideas

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Whodie

First step in any good painting endeavor is getting down to bare metal.

When I was working on my folding give away case I used 120 grit up to 800 grit to get the panels to a silky smooth bare metal. Then I began priming and painting. After 2-3 top coats you'll want to wet sand in between coats with 1500-2000 grit. I did 8 coats of color on mine and it still probably could have used more but the color depth was AMAZING. Finish it off with some clear coat from autozone or o'reily's and you're all set.

Be careful painting mesh though, because depending on the hole size the paint can fill in the holes. Best way I found to do it is suspend the mesh horizontally in the air and spray down, it minimizes paint drips and hole clogging.


Don't forget to post pics, lots of them!

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spacegoast

go to napa autoparts and get duplicolor self etching primer. spray a coat and lightly sand it down. then do another coat and sand again. also pick up some duplicolor paint, your choice of color ($6-7 a can). have you seen spookedjunglist's painting faq? check it out if you havent. it shows you everything you need and how to do it.