CyberDruid

Emphasis on Bugger

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Current Project: CalligaCab: TV stand/bookshelf/PC-case

Syrillian

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WIP: Scarab
Custom Cases:
Silentium, Halcyon, Indigo, Gemini, Prometheus, Anvil
Case Mods:
Liquid Chameleon, VF1000 LAN box

Semper Fidelis

timxirish

Syrillian, a few small questions about acrylic, if you don't mind.

First, black acrylic is still somewhat translucent, correct? Or is it a solid color?

On a similar note, if black is somewhat translucent and if I'm leaning toward LEDs to light a case,... would you suggest a smoke grey instead?

What thickness do you recommend for a window?

And lastly, what screws/pegs would you recommend for fastening a window with? (if you know of any guides, i'd be greatful. I can survive without though)

Sorry if that's a few too many questions, but I'm about to take a stab at case modding and want to be prepared.

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Syrillian

Heyah, Timxirish.

The black is a solid black; no light will pass through.

I have found that the "Bronze" acrylic affords the a nice effect for windows as it is a darker tint than "Smoked".

The simplest way to fasten a window is to use pass-through hardware; black-oxide allen heads work quite well, and compliment the dark surfaces. If you want to have a window or panel that is more readily removable one could use threaded inserts that mate with the mounting hardware:



The insert above was too deep to sit flush in the hole so I used a washer-type thing to space it. Note that if you do use a receiver like that, it must (well... perhaps not "must") be fed though the opposite side that the allen head will enter. Also, the hole for the receiver must be snug. I needed to use a small c-clamp to press the receiver in; there is a fine balance between tension, and not cracking the panel.

Most windows can be made with 1/8" thick material. That gauge will support fans and radiators without an issue as long as the structure itself is sound.

If you feel that I can assist you further, then please do not hesitate to ask questions and I will answer them as quickly as I can.

__________________
WIP: Scarab
Custom Cases:
Silentium, Halcyon, Indigo, Gemini, Prometheus, Anvil
Case Mods:
Liquid Chameleon, VF1000 LAN box

Semper Fidelis

CyberDruid

How can I make my wood look like acrylic? Can I make acrylic look like metal? I want my metal to look like stone and my stone to look like wood and my wood to look like acrylic and my acrylic to look like metal can you help please?

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Current Project: CalligaCab: TV stand/bookshelf/PC-case

Syrillian

My brain just imploded.

__________________
WIP: Scarab
Custom Cases:
Silentium, Halcyon, Indigo, Gemini, Prometheus, Anvil
Case Mods:
Liquid Chameleon, VF1000 LAN box

Semper Fidelis

radodrill

haha composite layups maybe

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Project RAD GT

SR-1/2 radobases for Crazy Carl's Antec 900 mod

Modding/electronics/hardware supply thread | Hosted PC Component CAD Models

Aaron_Henderson

Syrillian giving tips on working with acrylic...what's he know anyway? J/k!

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Screw what you know, you were lied to

CattleRustler

Since I now have some first-hand experience with building an acrylic case, and since often times people are asking what's best to cut panels with, I'd like to add my 2c to this wonderful thread. What I did was a little different than what I have seen around so I'll just add:

I had very good results with using a standard size circular saw (7.25") but using a high tooth count blade. The one I used was from Ace hw and was a 140 tooth blade for siding/plastics/veneers. It cut easily thru 1/4" cast acrylic, without any melting, cracking, chipping or shattering of any kind. The edges were nearly as good as the factory edges. (blade cost about 7 bucks)

To clean the edges from this process I used a round dremel stone (orange) to get rid of the saw marks, then I sanded with 220, 320, and 400 to leave the panel edges silky. From there you can red rouge (jewelers rouge fine) for a glossy luster finish, or you can sand with higher grits (800, 1000, 1500, 2000) then rouge for a glass-like shine and finish.

Also for smaller pieces, or specialty cuts that dont warrant the beefiness of a circular saw, I have used the Dremel EZ Lock 1.5" reinforced cutting disks for PLASTICS (yes they make these specifically for plastics ) These also cut nicely thru 1/4" cast acrylic with no melting or chipping (used lower end of rpm range on dremel xpr 400). Finishing these cuts I used the same process as above.

well thats my 2c for now. Hopes that helps someone


and thanks to Syr for continued guidance and inspiration in the world of acrylics, and modding in general

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[Current Project] PolymorphiX v2 (alu & steel alu hybrids)
[Pending finish] Butcher's Hook (Slipknot tribute bench in steel)
[mod2hardware] All Modding Projects by CattleRustler
[mod2software] WorklogCreator 1.0.1.7 visually build postable worklogs, quickly & easily with drag and drop

timxirish

Haha, well so far the information you've provided has been great, so I'd say it certainly seems you can. In that case, so long as I don't become a pain to assist (i'd prefer not to be an annoyance), I have a few more for you.

First of all, thank you for the suggestion on Bronze acryllic (as well as suggestions on everything else). I took a look at Indigo again and saw that Bronze is exactly what you used there. After making that connection, I see exactly what you mean. Seems that would be optimal for what I want, and looks nice with cathode lighting.

As for my questions...

In that image you posted, would that be a shot on the front side of the window or the back side? It looks like it's the back?

Something that compliments dark surfaces would be a winner for my needs (see project concept in my sig). Aside from that, something low profile.. And because I'm a fan of options, readily removable sounds right up my alley. Perhaps you have a post somewhere that shows a little more detail on the fastening process? Alternatively, I can get by with a short explanation of 'bun, burger, cheese, lettuce, bun' (in regards to fastening hardware) if that's easier.

Lastly, is this stuff you would think Ace Hardware or Home Depot would carry? I'm sure they would, but if you haven't picked any of that up there and know of an online shop, a link would be very much appreciated.

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