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Sander - No, not our scratch builder, an actual power sander, which can help you strip the paint off of cases (and other stuff) much faster and more efficiently than sandpaper alone. Lie the case panel flat on the table and let gravity guide the tool to ensure an even finish. Modders on a budget can stick to sanding blocks or sandpaper instead. The higher the grit, the finer the finish, with sub-100 grits working well for rough work like deburring.
Airbrush or paint sprayer - A solid paint job adds a lot to a mod. Paint sprayers are good for flat, solid coats while airbrushes offer a lot more versatility. Check out Airbrush Tutor to brush up on your basic know-how. You'll need an air compressor to go along with a paint sprayer or air gun.
Hotwire or thermocutting devices - These sport a heated wire and are normally used for cutting through foam or plastic. Sander uses his Proxxon Thermocutter "to cut EPS foam down to the right size and get organic shapes out of the blocks. You can bend the wire in any shape you like and it will cut through the foam like a warm knife through butter. Great for making fins or small extensions to whatever you are building."
He also uses a smaller hotwire device to create bends in Plexiglas up to 6mm thick. That's thinking outside the box! (If you don't have Sander's budget, a heat gun can accomplish the same thing, albeit with less precision.)
Aluminum bending table (a.k.a. a bending break) - This is waaaaay more than the average modder needs, but Sander just picked one up and he loves it for scratch builds. "It bends 63 cm strips of 1.5mm aluminum with ease and can be used to create almost everything. Custom eye candy that can take a beating!" Under the pic of the bending table is a pic of the VENATOR build's aluminum base.
"Sometimes the arsenal of tools the garage won't help, especially when you need to make a truly unique part or creating a scratch built PC," Bill Owen says. "Here are the resources Mnpctech uses and recommends for helping you create a truly custom PC."
Karl'z Grafix
http://karlzvinylgrafix.com/
karlz.custom.graphics@gmail.com
612-412-1797
"When we need specialty graphics made, we contact Karl Maser, at Karl'z Grafix. He can make any custom graphic or logo applique we need for PC window or panels. He specializes in small quantity orders and one of a kinds."
Custom CNC Machined Parts by Centerline Manufacturing Inc.
Chris Croy (President)
Chris@CLmanufacturing.com
Ph.260-348-7400
Fax. 260-693-6356
Laser Cutting & Eteching Services
803 41st Street North
Birmingham, Alabama 35212
205-595-7070 FAX 205-595-7021
http://www.lasercuttingservice.net
E-MachineShop
http://www.emachineshop.com
"Emachineshop is expensive, but gives you the ability to make any part using injection molding, milling, turning, laser cutting, waterjet cutting, bending. You can download free, easy-to-use software which they can use to design objects ranging from personal computer chassis and car parts to door knobs in metal, plastic or other materials."
Whew! That was a lengthy journey. Hopefully you're just a bit wiser for sticking it out this long. If you put any of this knowledge to good use, we'd love if you shared the results in the Modders' Workshop section of our forum.
Before we wrap things up, Sander van der Velden (who showed off his USS Eurisko build in the Modders' Workshop) has some parting words of wisdom:
"The best tip I can give a modder is not to try to save on your tools. Good preparation is half the work and good tooling is another quarter of that work. For example, when I started with aluminum building I got my first tap from a DIY market. It cost 10 Euros, including the oil. I almost gave up aluminum modding right there as it needed Superman powers to work it!
"The blade was dull, the rattler didn't fit properly and the oil was like glue. I went to a small hardware store and bought some good stuff; 30 Euros in total and it just flew! In the time I did one hole with the old setup I did three with the new one using one finger. So if it's possible, try to borrow good tools instead of buying cheap and useless ones -- you'll be happier for it!"
Ron Christianson has something to say about a critical tool, too: "The most important tool is your imagination, any thing that you can dream up can be built. With a little hard work and creativity you can bring your ideas from concept to completion."
With that, we bid you happy modding! Want to see more mod-related features here on MPC? Let us know in the comments.
Comments are closed on this article
Brian B.
July 02, 2012 at 6:30pm
As a concerned user of hearing protection I would recomend Sonics as they are genneraly used at shooting ranges and do the job well. I am speaking of the rubber ones with the highend accoustic filter. I can't speak of any of the newer design's though but they can be found at Amazon [Blue case and flesh colored rubber] and will not set you back an awfull lot.
How can I back this up well as a vetern user of Marshall amplifier's at 100 watt range, yes that is correct plural which I use them in the stereo mode and I have used them for a good twenty years.
Enuff said enjoy.
barbara009
June 29, 2012 at 11:04am
my classmate's aunt makes $78 an hour on the laptop. She has been without work for 10 months but last month her income was $15994 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Read more on this web site NuttyRich.com
Eoraptor
June 29, 2012 at 12:45am
Forgot to mention the most important tool of them all, Patience. (yes capital P)
Taking your time and letting your tools work for you (and especially getting to know your tools) trying to force the last few mm of your fan hole cut out will just tear the metal and leave you twice as much sanding and deburring to do, if you haven't trashed the panel entirely.
And when you rush something and it doesn't go right, you get frustrated, and go on to make another mistake, and it becomes a cycle.
Patience.
ASPHIAX
June 29, 2012 at 1:40am
Amen to that !
You cant add material you've taken of, so cut wide and file it down. Its a pain (well with a good file its not so bad) but you will prevent having to order new part cause it just doesnt look right!
thematejka
June 28, 2012 at 8:41pm
Great article, it provides excellent information to start modding. I may have to pick up that nifty hand punch.
metalsphere
June 28, 2012 at 8:08pm
This article covers the essential tools needed to build and modify custom PCs. I may reference this if I consider to build a custom PC.
Slugbait
June 28, 2012 at 3:31pm
OK, with the prospect of making eyes roll for all the trekkies hanging out here...
The Empire never deployed the AT-AT or any other walker to Tatooine. Walkers are primarily utilized for battle, and there was no rebel base on Tatooine.
Other than that, nice article ;)
Brad Chacos
June 28, 2012 at 4:46pm
I know that, but c'mon -- puns are hard enough, you gotta give me some creative license.
ASPHIAX
June 28, 2012 at 2:08pm
Who says I am not a Power Sander ??!!?? LOL !
Very nice write up Brad thanks !
Neufeldt2002
June 28, 2012 at 9:37am
Agreed, great article Brad, brings back fond memories of when I was younger and started reading Boot. Definitely need more articles like this.
kire
June 28, 2012 at 12:39am
Not to be a stickler, but your link for the "Black & Decker's RTX Rotary Tool" (pg 2) is wrong/broken (is pointing to your C drive...)
Neufeldt2002
June 28, 2012 at 9:34am
Seems to be working for me. If you are still getting a C drive start checking for viruses or other malware.
Brad Chacos
June 28, 2012 at 9:42am
I changed it right when you were posting this, it was pointing to my C Drive originally.
Insula Gilliganis
June 27, 2012 at 5:50pm
Brad, this is one of the best articles I have seen in a long time, here or any other tech website. It harkens back to the many "how to's" of boot & early MaximumPC. This article is soo loaded with info, way too much to be absorbed at even a few readings, that it will end up being a bookmarked source that will be constantly referred to time and time again. Thanks for taking the time to write it.
Brad Chacos
June 28, 2012 at 4:57am
Thanks for taking the time to read it in today's tl;dr age! (That applies to everybody, btw.)
Valor958
June 28, 2012 at 9:56am
Completely agree! Once I get home this is going on my primary PC bookmarks for modding. I knew I'd need a lot of these tools already, but having them clearly pictured and laid out like this was a huge help.
Beards unite!
Rooke
June 27, 2012 at 4:45pm
I wish I had this article a year ago when I started modding my case. It would have saved me a ton of time and frustration.
That link to working with acrylic plastic will help me a lot too.
Thanks Brad, great article!
Brad Chacos
June 27, 2012 at 2:45pm
You, sir, are right of course re: sandpaper grits. That got garbled during some editing and is now fixed. I used to spend weeks polishing sapphire rods to different surface finishes for a former employer, using nothing but diamond polish and a buffing wheel, so that never should've slipped by me.
Valor958
June 28, 2012 at 9:53am
Sounds like you got the shaft on that job %_%
*rimshot*
... sorry, had to go for it.
