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New batch of mods added on the last page
Update
Day 00.00: Teaser Mod Pics
Day 00.01: Mod log
Day 00.02: Finished Imagery
The Plan:
I recently decided to strip my CM Cosmos 1000 back and paint the interior and other pieces.
I settled on a Charcoal hammer finish paint that I really like the look of. It goes on easy after sanding and cleaning, it sticks nicely and dries very quickly (30 min tack coat, 2 hour re-coat). Its available in a multitude of colours and varying sized cans.
I needed a bunch of supplies as I had nothing to start this mod.
I didn't get anything finer than 800grit because I wont be colour sanding the top coat or applying a clear coat, I like the finish it has already.
The Ingredients:
2 x sheets of 800Grit Wet dry sand paper(wet sanding before top coat)
1 x sheet of 80 grit dry sand paper (To remove Zinc coating)
2 x cans of Hammer Finish Charcoal paint
1 x can of Heavy Duty Primer
1 x can of Wax and grease remover (Cleaning in between sanding/coats)
The Process:
So, I start by removing everything from the case, stripping it down so I can get my fingers and sand paper into every little space. It was a PITA to find all the little lugs CM use to clip this case together, but luckily I found all of them and didn't break anything.
Once I had it apart, it was time for the sanding to begin. I started with the small stuff, scuffing the surface of all the HDD bays with 80grit to get through the layer of Zinc applied at the factory. 80Grit paper did no damage that is visible through the paint, the top coat is smooth and even.
Once I had all the HDD bays and fan housings scuffed up, I moved on to the bigger sections like the door frames and then on to the case itself.
After about 10 hours of sanding, cleaning and sanding some more, I had the desired smooth de-zinced surface I wanted.
On to priming. Which all went extremely smoothly, two coats of heavy duty primer were applied with 30 min drying time in between them. I then sanded back the primer to a nice smooth finish with 800Grit wet dry sand paper soaked in a little dish soap and water. Allowed it to dry for 4 hours and then cleaned it with Wax and grease remover. After it had dried properly, I started getting ready to apply the top coat by hanging all my small parts on wire around my garage (away from any walls you dont want painted), laying out a lot of paper on the concrete floor as this paint creates a lot of dust you dont want on your carpet.
Ready for paint!
I started by applying a very light "quide" coat, it made it easier to see where I hadn't sprayed in the badly lit garage I was workign in. While the case was drying I sprayed the rest of the parts with a guide coat, so they would be ready for paint when I was done spraying up the case. I applied two coats of the hammer finish to the case and accessories, leaving them to cure and dry for 24 hours before the next coat. It made for a nice, smooth, consistant surface.
After its all nice and dry , its time to start putting it back together. There was no sanding required after applying the top coat. Everything went back together smoothly apart from having to sand the edges of the HDD cages back to metal so they would ift properly.
The Pictures:
Paint and Primer
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Parts that aren't being painted
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Stripped
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Prep for paint
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Primed up
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Top Coat - Please note this is only the first coat. I forgot to get pictures of the second going on.
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The Final Result:
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There it is, all done. I hope you enjoyed following along.
Update
Day 00.00: Teaser Mod Pics
Day 00.01: Mod log
Day 00.02: Finished Imagery
The Plan:
I recently decided to strip my CM Cosmos 1000 back and paint the interior and other pieces.
I settled on a Charcoal hammer finish paint that I really like the look of. It goes on easy after sanding and cleaning, it sticks nicely and dries very quickly (30 min tack coat, 2 hour re-coat). Its available in a multitude of colours and varying sized cans.
I needed a bunch of supplies as I had nothing to start this mod.
I didn't get anything finer than 800grit because I wont be colour sanding the top coat or applying a clear coat, I like the finish it has already.
The Ingredients:
2 x sheets of 800Grit Wet dry sand paper(wet sanding before top coat)
1 x sheet of 80 grit dry sand paper (To remove Zinc coating)
2 x cans of Hammer Finish Charcoal paint
1 x can of Heavy Duty Primer
1 x can of Wax and grease remover (Cleaning in between sanding/coats)
The Process:
So, I start by removing everything from the case, stripping it down so I can get my fingers and sand paper into every little space. It was a PITA to find all the little lugs CM use to clip this case together, but luckily I found all of them and didn't break anything.
Once I had it apart, it was time for the sanding to begin. I started with the small stuff, scuffing the surface of all the HDD bays with 80grit to get through the layer of Zinc applied at the factory. 80Grit paper did no damage that is visible through the paint, the top coat is smooth and even.
Once I had all the HDD bays and fan housings scuffed up, I moved on to the bigger sections like the door frames and then on to the case itself.
After about 10 hours of sanding, cleaning and sanding some more, I had the desired smooth de-zinced surface I wanted.
On to priming. Which all went extremely smoothly, two coats of heavy duty primer were applied with 30 min drying time in between them. I then sanded back the primer to a nice smooth finish with 800Grit wet dry sand paper soaked in a little dish soap and water. Allowed it to dry for 4 hours and then cleaned it with Wax and grease remover. After it had dried properly, I started getting ready to apply the top coat by hanging all my small parts on wire around my garage (away from any walls you dont want painted), laying out a lot of paper on the concrete floor as this paint creates a lot of dust you dont want on your carpet.
Ready for paint!
I started by applying a very light "quide" coat, it made it easier to see where I hadn't sprayed in the badly lit garage I was workign in. While the case was drying I sprayed the rest of the parts with a guide coat, so they would be ready for paint when I was done spraying up the case. I applied two coats of the hammer finish to the case and accessories, leaving them to cure and dry for 24 hours before the next coat. It made for a nice, smooth, consistant surface.
After its all nice and dry , its time to start putting it back together. There was no sanding required after applying the top coat. Everything went back together smoothly apart from having to sand the edges of the HDD cages back to metal so they would ift properly.
The Pictures:
Paint and Primer
Parts that aren't being painted
Stripped
Prep for paint
Primed up
Top Coat - Please note this is only the first coat. I forgot to get pictures of the second going on.
The Final Result:
There it is, all done. I hope you enjoyed following along.
