I am still in the creative/planning phase of my mod and am trying to determine the ideal material for the exterior coating of my case. I plan on having a texture embossed rubberized coating all around my case (with necessary cutouts and allowances) to give the proper look, and FEEL. I am looking for a rubber compound that is non-conductive, has a slick (but not oily) feel, is reasonably pliable or otherwise not brittle when heated, and something that can be cut or textured using a moderate amount of heat. My idea here, is to do relatively minor modifications to the actual physical structure of the case for the most part, but to adhere the rubber material to the case for texture and looks. With this, I would have a design/pattern embossed by perhaps using a wireframe design that has been heated and pressed into the material to 'cut' out my pattern. Hopefully this wouldn't cause the rubber to bubble or run, so much as it would just cut it like a hot knife through butter. Certain areas will be cut all the way through to allow light to shine as well. I've browsed online for a good while and found a lot of possible materials, but many claim a very high heat threshhold. Would this be the melting or flame point? Would I have to heat my metal or wire pattern cutter to that temp just to cut in my pattern? I don't have any sketch-up or drawn attachments to illustrate this yet, but can get some if more detail is needed. I'm not sure if I've been 100% clear on my idea here, so please any comments or questions are greatly appreciated.
So no one has any experience, knowledge, or ideas regarding rubber compounds? To clarify my op, I'm basically making a texture skin for my case. It needs to be durable and functional, but also able to be worked so I can actually modify and cut it. Though it is for aesthetics I have a whole theme in mind so it needs to actually be a certain strength and texture as well. Think of a skin like texture as far as the tactile feeling would do.
Have a google for RTV silicone, also have a watch of these videos provided by Tap plastics I would make a mould with a leather base to provide texture, then cast the RTV silicone into the mould, I think this should give you the appearance your after.
I did a quick google of that, but won't be able to review the YouTube vids until I get off work. Is that something I could have custom molded, or would I have to do it myself to get the design I wanted? Since I have enough rough drawings and writings I'll just give my plan since I know it's mine I'm a bit paranoid about ideas being stolen due to past experiences, but people here seem cool lol. I have been speaking to the people at Crytek about sponsorship, yes the devs... not a hardware company , and plan to do a Crysis 3 themed case in time for the release of Crysis 3. I was going to skin my case in a Nanosuit style weave and want it to look and feel like the Nanosuit. This is why I'm paying close attention to details on texture, composition, and looks of the compound I end up going with. I don't have any word on whether Crytek will proceed with sponsoring, but i'll probably get more when THEY get more... as in once I've got results to show them. Nothing surprising there. I was going to also do a cut in through the weave along the honeycomb ridges to allow custom lighting to shine through (blue, red, or yellow... all included and changed as will), which is why I need to be able to actually cut the compound and it can't be 'too strong'. Depending on whether or no I can get a mold or embossed cut made, I may need to do that myself as well, so that's another reason it can't be too strong or heat resistant since I don't have access to commercial/industrial tools. I could get someone to laser cut for me, but that would be decided after i choose my compound. The interior of the case (HAF 932 Advanced) would remain fairly standard except for custom lighting and a clean appearance. I may add some Crysis themed internals after the fact, but the Nanoskin for the case is my 1st priority. From all the searching I've done online, I haven't seen anyone do anything like this, so I'm excited to bring it out. Edit: If I go with RTV Silicone, I found a company who specializes in it, and it looks to be perfect for what I'm doing due to the versatility of it. So a big THANK YOU to Burnout21 for recommending that. http://www.silicones-inc.com/siliconesproductselectionapp.html
Have you considered Plasti-dip in spray cans? It's got a rubbery feel, and goes on smooth and nice. I've used it for painting wheels as well as modified dashboard parts on my Jeep Wrangler. Needless to say, it's very durable.
I havn't looked at Plasti-dip. I was going to talk to the company I linked above about if they would do the custom molding, and to what tolerances they could make it. I could try and make my own mold, and that could probably save me some money, but I need to think of how I could do that. I could try getting a 1:1 piece of wood and carving out or burning out my pattern, but I'm not sure that would work well with either material. But then again the fine grain of the wood (probably plywood/fiberboard... something cheap) could give a slightly grainy feel... I'd think the nanosuit would have a more smooth feel though. That's where the silicone may have the edge. Even then, making my own mold would be the issue.
Just spent 20min talking to a technical rep at Silicones, Inc and asked a ton of questions of him. They supply special effects silicone to several entertainment companies and I figure they'd know how to best help. The rep I talked to was awesome and VERY informative, and the prices I were quoted for enough to cover my HAF weren't that bad really. Probably less than many spend on raw metal to work with really lol. Once I described my plan to him, which he compared to basically putting the Batman suit on my PC... which i agreed with , he even offered me a lot of good ideas on how to make my mold. He did say I'm using it unlike anyone he's heard of so far though. I haven't counted out Plasti-dip since it would still be a LOT cheaper, but I'm just not sure I can do what I need to with it. As for my mold, I could carve it out of wood in whatever level of intricacy I desire, then seal it and lay my silicone or plasti-dip over it for a smooth finish. Maybe I could use a thick piece of acryllic and CNC out my pattern, then sand it smooth as needed for the base? Coloring is important too, and the plasti-dip is easier there as well as I'd need to get a pigment and mix it in the silicone as it comes translucent. So, plasti-dip is easier in just about every way, but I'll have to look into all the examples of it's use (and youtube vids of it) before I decide either way. Now that my ideas are coming to fruition here, I need to think of what I can do to theme the inside as well. Maybe I should transition to naming the build and starting a planning project log.. .since that's what this is turning into now.
Excitement! I heard back from the PR Manager with Crytek and they're willing to hear me out and see where things go. Though it may lead nowhere, just being in actual communication with them is a 1st step in my book. Considering they aren't parts suppliers or anything else, my requests of them are very limited and I acknowledged I won't be begging them for money or anything. This is more for conceptual support and maybe 'official' Crytek approval (maybe a custom logo/emblem or something down the line). If they want to support me later, more power to them, but I need to get to work. Hopefully, some of my next updates on this will be the start of my fleshed out concept work and the beginnings of a work log. Maybe I can get Crytek to have a nano suit made for me and I can be their poster boy at events lol, a boy can dream.
