jesusofwales

[UPDATE]The work log is now up here.

OK, so I'll be building my new PC in December (details in sig), but I am considering buying the case (Antec NineHundred) early to paint the interior matte black. Here is my reasoning:

1. The original greyish color is fugly IMO.
2. I just discovered my brother had a can of this lying around that I might be able to use.
3. I know that painting projects can take some time, so I should probably get this out of the way early.
4. Black is cool.

Put simply, my goal is to have something similar to what CyberDruid did in his Black Widow mod sans the red stuff (matte black is about the limit of my creativity). Wire also did something similar to my plans, but in blue rather than black. I've never painted a thing in my life, so I've done a bit of research and I know that I'll probably need some primer (specifically for steel?), though I don't know what to look for in a primer. There are a few DIY stores I could catch a bus to or I could get it online, but I'd like to know what to get first, specifically what to look for on the can as I might not be able to find a particular brand. As for the actual paint, it would be great if I could use the stuff I already have, but if I'm getting some primer then it shouldn't be too hard to pick up some paint to go with it, but again, I don't know what to look for.

As is my first ever painting project, I have a few questions:

1. Is painting over metal going to affect the grounding properties of the case? Does this even matter?

2. Will it affect the insulating properties of the case, and again, will it matter?

3. Is there anything (other than the fans, grilles and top section) that I should remove before painting? Screws, PCI brackets etc.

4. How long should I wait after applying the primer before I should start painting? And on that subject, how long should I wait between layers of paint, and how many should I do in total?

5. Should I bother applying a clear coat on top of the other layers to increase scratch resistance? Once again, I wouldn't know what to look for if I did.

So far I've found this mechanical drawing of the NineHundred (.pdf), and my (tentative) plan is as follows:
NB: Bracketed numbers indicate numbers on the mechanical drawing.

1. Take off the top panel (1), Tri-cool fans (2), spare fan bay (4), drive bay covers (9).

2. I will then prime and paint the HDD and ODD cages (5) after separating them from the fans and rest of the case of course.

3. Finally prime and paint the main body of the case.

I'll probably be doing this outside with the case standing up. Any advice on how to paint this case would be helpful as most tutorials I have seen involve painting side panels.

While I'm at it, I probably should ask: considering I plan on getting an Enermax Infiniti 720W (modular and sleeved) PSU and routing as many cables as I can under the motherboard, would it be worth it for me to do the cable management mod? I'd rather not cut up the case unless it could really help and as far as I can see, most of the benefit in gleaned by non modular PSUs, so I'm leaning towards no.

I'm a complete noob when it comes to painting so any general painting tips and help concerning this particular case would be greatly appreciated.

Do want something like this:


Also: I like lists.

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prosser13

Nope, doesn't matter on either of them

Remove anything you don't want to spray, obviously, and anything which you will need to remove a lot afterwards - for example, the PCI brackets. It's also adviced to put something something in the screwholes...old screws work nicely, and you can then remove them when you've finished and it's dried and the gaps will be covered up anyway. Alternatively, you could just poke through the holes when you've finished, but make sure you do many thin coats if you do it this way (which you should anyway)

Depending on how much time you have, I would say try and leave it 24 hours between primer + main coat, and then a couple of hours between each layer...your paint can will normally tell you anyway.

Yes! Otherwise the paint will scratch way too easily

One final tip - head over to Halfords and pick up some white primer, black paint and some clear coat...I've got that Games Workshop stuff and it is amazingly bad. Also see if you can pick up a spray paint gun attachment while your there, their only a couple of quid and people say they make things much easier (I need to get one myself)

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RussianGrimmReaper

Make sure you have paint that won't chip at high temperatures.
Non-conductive paint in my opinion.
You should be fine really.

jesusofwales

Thanks, would it matter if I left it longer between the layers than was recommended? Or do the guidelines give the minimum you should wait? Just curious.

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prosser13

Not really - but some of the brands will say if you don't paint it between 1 and 2 hours after the last layer you need to leave it for 24 hours...I imagine its something to do with the layers.

Where abouts in Wales are you?

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azminisk8r

i did it. albeit it was a quick job so i didnt prime or anything so its chipping now but it looks pretty good. rustoleum metallic blue. but illl be stripping it all down priming it and redoing it orange since im doing an orange box themed full pc case mod

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11423 3d marks on a gts Proof

higher to come for sure

jesusofwales

South, not too far from Cardiff where I'm in Uni. You?

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prosser13

South too, Swansea way

IIRC theres a Halfords in Cardiff, that's definitely the best place to pick up paint

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jesusofwales

There probably is, but theres one nearer to me and I have a friend working there to! Along with a B&Q and Robert Price just a bus trip away, hopefully I should be pretty sorted for actually finding the paint and whatever else I need!

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prosser13

Haha, not fair

I live about an hour away from the nearest trading estate, which isn't great fun and I don't have a car either (bloody expensive things)

Keep us updated on how it goes

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