Quote:

Originally Posted by drummerdimitri

Hey guys,

I own 2 noctua nf-f12 and one nf-p12. As most people do, I hate their color and would like to spray paint them to better fit the black and white theme of my cases interior. Would anyone advise me against it? If not, then any tips on how to go about doing this correctly?

Thanks!

short answer NO i would not paint them

long answer if you can protect the blades from the paint and ONLY paint the housing then go for it. if you get paint on the blades it will 1 throw it out of balance and 2 effect air flow ( will not be huge but this is still why i would not )

 

In that case, do you have any suggestion regarding other methods of changing their color? Color the blades with a black permanent marker perhaps?

 

I agree with Mega Man, otherwise you'll likely get decreased lifespan, decrease in cooling efficiency, increase in noise amongst other problems if not done perfectly.

Just get new fans if they bother you that much... probably would cost about the same as a can of paint.

 

personally i wouldnt but you can it will still effect them. but not as much

 

dying perhaps?
http://www.overclock.net/t/1373098/dying-noctua-fans

 

paint the housing normally.
either dye or sparkle paint the blades

 

How often do you stand there idolizing your computer fans lol. If theyre installed in the case, I dont see why youd want to?

Theyre one of the best fans you can buy. If looks is all you care about, stick with the $3 neo light fans. Now theyre hardcore!

 

It's ok to paint the fan blades, if done properly

...I've painted some fan blades before and they are still being used in the kid's pc after a couple of years

If the fan blades are not sprayed evenly, it can cause an unbalanced spin rotation and if the paint coat is too heavy, it can effect the overall performance of the fan itself. The technique to spraying the fan is quite simple and there are some videos out there that shows this technique. Doing this requires patience so if you have any old fans, you should take some time & practice before doing a custom job on those pricey Noctua fans

Here's a good video for you to check out

And another one

BTW...Here's a thread showing some Scythe Gentle Typhoons painted... http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?236580-Painting-my-Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-120mm-fans

They look ballin'

but IMO, he did not have to apply that many paint coats (7 to 10

). I recommend only to paint the front (or top) side of the fan blades (or the side that will be visible) but that's me. The more coats you apply, the more it can effect the performance. Remember, the more coats of paint is adding more weight to the fan blade itself.

 

check out this build log http://www.overclock.net/t/1266202/build-log-the-big-budget-boomer-box-aka-the-bbbb/0_50. He pretty much goes thru all the possible options with dyeing and painting. iirc he had no problems, you just have to pull the fans apart, mask off and put on a lot of very thing coats

 

Thanks for the reply guys. Unfortunately, there is no way to separate the blades from the base of the fans on my Noctuas. I am still unsure whether to paint them or keep them the way they are.

 

Noctua fans are an aesthetic and functional master work. I don't own one, nor have I ever, but I can still say that. Which, if you think about it, is saying something.

The fact that they are tan, reddish in color? That they seem more inclined to home interior decorating (regarding colors)? should not eclipse the previous statement. And so no. You definitely should NOT paint your Noctua fans. They were born okay the first time ...

 

To hell with caution. A man has to do what a man has to do. In this, it is what I want to do lol.
I used masking tape to completely cover the surface of the base of the fan and spray painted the blades a flat black color. I will wait until it dries and do the same thing for the base in white color.
I will update with pics of the painted fan once completed.

 

Too late for that my friend

 

So, how'd it turn out?

 

Not as clean of a job as I was hoping for but acceptable. Masking the blades and the body to paint the fan is an exhausting process that does not guarantee success. I would never fo it again unless the blades could be separated from the body. Too much time and effort for adequate results makes the job not worth it.

 

Should post up some pictures. I was thinking of spay painting them my self but just the sides of the frame.

 

I'll just leave this here

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=37029