Maximum PC

You want to practice a bit with bondo before you get serious with it. Its great stuff really. but it takes a small amount of practice. It has one big disadvantage - its heavy. A 1/4 layer the size of the front bezel could weigh 10 pounds. I learned this lesson recently while I was working on my rocket mod. When the piece I was working on hit 45 pounds (plaster+bondo) I had to start over. Still, is nice to work with. Not sure you need it for what you want to do though.

Manta

well if you plan to keep some of the front and finish the mod and its not what you though then you can always start over and rip it all off. just do what you think will be good and work with what you feel like working with, it is your mod after all.

You can always use the bondo in conjunction with the front bezel to create a new look. But yea, do practice with it first. Be sure also to get the appropriate bondo for the job, there's bondo for metal and bondo for plastic, so depending on the bezel's construction (I'm pretty sure it's plastic) you want the right stuff.

I never noticed this weight you mention though. It weighs what it weighs. If you use a 24 ounce can of it, the finished product will have an additional 24 ounces, no more, no less. It doesn't gain weight after it sets up. <shrug> That confuses me.

true - but think 'bout how many 24oz cans it would take you to construct a 1/4 thick tower front bezel. I work with larger quantities, but I am thinking at least 5 - maybe 10?. I buy by the gallon so its hard for me to estimate. Also, is that 24 fluid ounces or wt. ounces? That make a difference with bondo. I bet its wt. ounces. FLuid ounces would be silly.

Manta

I think that I will keep the front bezel and possibly bondo a new fascia ( I think that's how you spell it) on to it. So far I am about 75% done with it. I have all of the fans in place and running. I have taken the power switch out and completely removed it from the system. The new look is amazingly different in asthetics and airflow!! I made a log before I started of the high and low temps from the CPU at the start(all oem) middle and end. So far this is what I have:
Start- all OEM and one 8cm fan in the rear.
@ no load (approx 4%) i was running @ 44-45degC/111-113degF
@54% load temps where around 60.5degC/140degF
Middle- pt. 1- Added Cooler Master Jet 4 w/oem thermal paste
@ no load- 41-42degC/105.8-108degF
@54%- 54.4degC/130degF
middle-pt.2-
no load- 40.72degC/105.3degF
100%- 54.4degC/130degF
final- Cooler Master Jet 4 plus 5 80cm fans(2/front, 1/side window, 1/blowhole, 1/rear) dual fan psu plus added AS5 paste
no load- 39.5degC/103.1degF
100%- 51.5degC/124.7degF

So as you guys can see my mods have woked decently and i am happy with the outcome to be able to run @ 100% and be 15degF cooler than when i was running @ 50% i have accomplished something good(IMO)
If you guys are up to seeing the pics Here they are

Nice, looks like you can move the switch down to the lower right. A hole is already in the case.

I agree with you on the bezel. Cut it up as much as you need to get it to work and then use bondo to pretty it up (you will have to paint it though).

One thing you might consider in the future is getting the wires under control. Rounded cable and wire harnesses improve air flow (and look pretty).

Manta

I would have to agree with you on the wires situation i am thinking of grabbing some rounded cales not to metion changing out the PSU . I think the PSU is most of the issue but it will take some mods to other wires to give it that finished look.

Yeah, you definatly want to try to stealth those wires whenever possible. Use some split loom or get a molex extractor and go to town. It'll help both in apperance and in airflow.

Oh, and the bondo, no, I didn't mean he should make a 1/4" thick bondo bezel, rather, use a wire mesh and apply the bondo around that. The pre-existing front bezel isn't 1/4" thick, it's concave and that's kinda what I meant, only the thickness necessary to create a new front "shell" as it were. I've done it with bondo and with polymer clay, the clay is heavier but still usable.

Arf - I hate screen (the metal kind). You should have seen my hands the last time I used it.

I say 1/4" cuz thats what I aim for in a large self standing (or mostly self standing) part. Any thinner and I have issue with cracking. With screen you could go smaller. If I were to do it though, I think fiberglass is a better substraight with bondo on top for shaping. I like your sculpie idea - I have been thinking about it - but just have no time to play. I will try it I think when I get an open window of time.

But yeah - he should just mod the bezel with bondo (or maybe poly clay?).

Manta

Well I did a whole rig with poly... http://www.infinity-customs.com/necronomicase.html and that incudes the whole front bezel being sculpted out of poly, with one exception, the "face" at the bottom I first formed with wire mesh that I actually formed to my own face then worked the clay around and the top door is wood with a mesh insert (and no, it didn't bother it when I fired it, the wood didn't burn inside all that clay). The rest I just sculpted around the aluminum. The case itself is the same basic one the guy is talking about here, the only difference being the front bezel which I scrapped entirely anyway.

Actually there are meshes you can work with (metal) that won't give you the problems you've had. They're much thinner and more flexible and don't give you as hard a time cutting. Mostly they're used for clay work but they do work with bondo just fine, and it weighs next to nothing. A 12' run of the stuff barely weighs 10 oz. You can then cut it and bend it into whatever shape you like but you have to be more gentle when you apply that bondo because the mesh will bend easier, so use supports if you can for areas that'll be raised.

If weight isn't an issue, the clay is more useful for making detailed shapes and so forth. It'll add considerably more weight than bondo but the results will likely be more detailed. Plus you can work with it over a day, week, month, years, it never hardens whereas bondo will start to set up in under 20 minutes so ya gotta be quick.

Hmm, now, I wonder, do you think it's possible to do something to poly that'd let you powder coat it? Probably not, it'd have to be metal... But, now that I'm thinking on this track, ya know, they have stuff called PMC, Precious Metal Clay, it's real 24k gold and .925 (or higher I believe) silver. Expensive though, wouldn't try doing a case out of that.

Ah yes, I have seen that mod

ANyways, I will have to play with the poly clay when I get a chance.

Thanx for the screen tips

You could carbon or gold coat the clay in an evaporator. But it would be pricey and I am not sure you would get enough conductance. You could experiment with graphite in the clay - but that is a mess. I've tried playing with graphite ink - its worse than printer toner. It won't come off anything including your skin. I suppose you might be able to find conductive spray paint? They make "zinc in a can" for galvanize out door projects.

Manta

But in that instance it'd just be adhering to the paint and not the structure itself and it might be a bit unstable, right? Dunno about that. Mixing in the graphite might work and gloves can always be worn but then the question is, how harmful would the fumes be when you fire the clay now? Probably just not gonna work.

Anyone have any advanced tips on silver and gold foil leafing? No matter how many times I try to do it I can't get any good results. I'm using the Rennaiseance brand foil and size. It always comes out looking horrible. I have a can of the spray size and haven't tried that yet though.

Yeah - just the paint. Not sure if the graphite would catch fire. I suppose it could.

My leafing experience is limited, so I can't help. I have never had good results accept when "antiqueing".

Manta

Yeah, antiquing would work if that's the look I wanted, I can get that look. Regretably though, the pure shine of chrome or what not just doesn't seem to be possible without chrome plating which requires metal or using PMC which requires a 2nd and 3rd mortgage.

I wasn't so much thinking that it'd catch fire (the graphite that is) but just that the fumes might be dangerous. <shrug>

hey guys,
I saw something mentioned about resin. Is the resin clear? I would like to see if i can make like a clear mesh grill so that the light can stll be seen and the fans can breath at the same time. I like the look the fans have in there current config.

How would you make a clear mesh grill out of resin? Not saying you couldn't but I dunno how.

is there a way of molding or casting the resin like dough on wax paper. the dought doesnt stick to it so you can form it. maybe i could make a plaster cast and pour the resin in then resin the from on to the front bezel.

Find a Hobby Lobby.

Buy resin

Play.

Thats all I can tell you. Dough won't work, try clay for one shot molds. They sell it there. Maybe even wax.

Playing with resin is a learned skill. If you have molds already, its easy - but making your own is not. You have to experiment.

I wish I could tell you better, but the finer details would have me posting a much longer message.

Oh yeah - look at modeling mags. They often have how to's on making small parts.

Manta

I will have to take a look at that thanks for the help manta