Scratch Build Hypno-Toad Rebuild--March 09--Finished

[Cheapskate]

I started building plastic cases for one reason -I have cut myself on computer sheetmetal more times than with knives,saws, ...broken glass, ...ANYTHING! I also had access to lots of plastic scraps.
I feel I should share some of what I came up with, rather than just showing up to ask dumb questions.

I hope I don't get boo'd off the board...

As stated in the mod gallery, this is made from an old worktable. It was burned and beat, and had several layers of paint and goop on it. when I cleaned it up, it had a nice marbled look, so I decided to use it for a case.

I was working on the cheap, so all my plastic gluing was done with acetone. To cover up the brown staining, I scribbled on the surface with blue permanent markers. I then fused it into the crazing with acetone. -This is where the booing starts...

[Cheapskate]

This is a closeup of the on switch. It's a marble from a spraypaint can. The little air bubbles in the glass really light up when backlit.

For the backplate I fused 2 sheets together to make a 1/2" spacer. I then machined the hole out using a drill press and dremel bit.

Spacers for the motherboard risers were supplied by the Bic Pen Corporation. (More booing...)

[identikit]

Awesome use of Bic pens.

[Cheapskate]

Anyway, some stuff I had to figure out the hard way...
-Polyprophelene (the stuff they make 2 liter bottles out of) melts when you try to cut it. -even with a hand saw. The best way I found to cut it is with a tile saw.
-If your material is not -perfectly- flat, the cut will curve. This is true even when you are using a guide.
-Tapping plastic is almost impossible, but sheet metal-type screws work great in lexan.
-Never try to bore out a 1/4" + size hole with a bigger bit. The whole thing will crack.
-when drilling, put a block of wood under the plastic.

My corner overlaps... and puzzle piece fitting.
Acetone made the prophelene or PET-G(clear material) craze. You can also see what happens when you apply too much pressure when fusing...

I decided to use the MB plate. I figured this would make upgrades easier.

[Cheapskate]

An attempt at a psu enclosure. This will probably stay unused until I get a decent rig. I was running out of material that wasn't too warped to use...
The braces on the sides of the harddrive bay were actually to straighten a warped spot.

[Spaceraver]

That is actually very original.. Props to you for that.. :thumbs:

[mattthegamer463]

Nice job, I like the 45 degree edges on the mobo backplate area and other places. I also like the countersunk? screws, nice and clean. Plexi is pretty messed up, but still looks pretty good.

[RickDawson]

neat... except for the acrylic crazing

[Tulatin]

Acrylic Brazing or not, that's a damn sight of a good job. The bevelled edges, the original color of the casing, and the irrational common hatred that many of us have for cheap and thin cases! Welcome to the boards man, nobody's going to boo here, especially with the ingenuity of the penbody standoffs.

[saxman]

I love the look of the colored plexi on a case looks great. I have always wanted to try making a custom plexi case and never had access to the right mat'ls it looks awesome I actually like the look of the torn up plastic.

[Nexxo]

That material has a great texture. Nice work!

[KayinBlack]

I actually intentionally cast a material with that crazed finish for my current project. Gorgeous work!

[Cheapskate]

Wow! Thanks everyone! I honestly didn't expect a positive response. It helps that the photos hide how rough it really is...

Originally Posted by mattthegamer463

Nice job, I like the 45 degree edges on the mobo backplate area and other places. I also like the countersunk? screws, nice and clean. Plexi is pretty messed up, but still looks pretty good.

Yes, I used a countersink bit all over. I used it with the drill press to round off the motherboard backplate holes. It made a horrible screaming noise as it cut, but it cut clean and didn't chatter. I guess the more fluting on a bit, the better it cuts plastic.

[500mph]

i love the worn look. and the green/aqua color is very nice. this mustve been a little chunk of time and a little chunk of money on such a decent rig

[Cheapskate]

Originally Posted by 500mph

i love the worn look. and the green/aqua color is very nice. this mustve been a little chunk of time and a little chunk of money on such a decent rig

Thanks! I don't think they make this color green anymore. That's part of why I wanted to use it. It was actually very cheap. I think I stated elsewhere that I spent less than $40 on it. I didn't spend much on the computer components either (note the $10 psu.)
It was a HUGE chunk of time though. Most of it cleaning, sanding, and polishing the plastic.
I'm still trying to replicate the look of this stuff.

[tranc3]

wow, very nice the cd/floppy at the bottom makes it look unique and the howl case is very well put together, I'm usually not much for acrylic cases or w/e but this looks great.

[dacust]

BOO!!! BOO!!!!!

OK, well you begged for it enough!

Seriously, it turned out very nice. Some of the best mods are the ones done on the cheap. Finding a material that just begs to be used and then going with the flow. Nice job. I'm going to likn this thread in another thread where someone was discouraged with the price of modding.

Thanks for sharing it with us!

[fri2219]

Holy cow, that looks just like a cast glass block (and looks great too).


Nice work!

[Cheapskate]

Thanks everyone.
@tranc3 -This case can be flipped over pretty easy, and the floppy is already upside down.
@dacust -Hell, -I- Booed. Thanks for the cross link. The truth is I had access to a TON of tools and discarded materials.(and even discarded tools!) I'm a major packrat.

[radodrill]

Originally Posted by Cheapskate

Anyway, some stuff I had to figure out the hard way...
-Tapping plastic is almost impossible, but sheet metal-type screws work great in lexan.
-Never try to bore out a 1/4" + size hole with a bigger bit. The whole thing will crack.

These comments are false; I've done both

The tricks are as follows:
Take your time, don't force it (and don't get a bigger hammer*)
- for tapping holes (especially for large diameter screws) use coarse thread (fine threads will strip); and don't try tapping all the way through in one shot: 1) go in a few turns, 2) back it all the way out and remove acrylic shavings from the tip, 3) re-thread tap and go in a few more turns, 4) repeat steps 2,3
- To bore out past 1/4" the key is to step up just one bit size at a time(<=1/64" increase) and don't use aggressive (high-speed) bits; for larger holes (e.g. 1" for fill-port) spade bits work very well; for fan holes I've used a Dremel circle cutter, and I've heard hole saws work if you run them backwards.



* Red Green: "If it doesn't fit, don't force it .... Get a bigger hammer!"