THE NATIVE AMERICAN PROJECT 56K Beware Tons of pics!!

OPENING:
Hi, everyone. I would like to say at how much I like this forum and how informative it has been. Well I reciently just got into computer modding. I am a software artist and I have been in computers for almost 10years but I miss working with my hands. I had seen some modding done but not to the extent that I had ran into. Some of them were just awsome. I have a garage full of tools that were just begging to go use. I decided that it was time for me to give it a try. So this is my first one. Ohh I tend to go a little overboard with projects.. but it is just in my nature...

PROJECT:
I wanted to make something that I had never seen from the endless amounts of photos that I looked thru also needed to fit the motife of my house, which is Native American. I have some pottery, paintings, a few things. I thought it would be cool. I wanted the outside of my computer to look like stone or a cave wall type thing. I wanted native american designs cut out of the top and sides to see in the computer.

Log:
I decided on making the designs of the front side to look like a tattoo that I have. It is a medicine wheel (looks like a plus sign with a circle around it), two kokopelli's facing eachother with a fire in the center. On the back side I have a large basic lizard kinda like the sobe drink lizard. For the top I am cutting out a large window so you can see down into the computer and I will light it and etch a navtive american bear with heart line thru it in the window.

I sanded the paint off which took a while....

I layed out and cut the designs with a dremel.... uhhhh that took me about 10 hours and 25 heavy duty discs to do... I decided to use a skill saw for some of the straighter parts. Make sure to use a 21 blade (21 teeth per inch). Any less teeth and it will grab.. which I found out the hard way... :roll:



Next I had to figure out how to give a real rock texture. I figured I could use a fine mesh (stiff) and some bondo. I found some 1/4" mesh at lowes for real cheap and got 10' x 2' of it. Bondo is much cheaper at Autozone by like 30% or so. Bend the mesh with a hammer and a stick. Put the stick underneith the mesh and hit the mesh. It will give you some nice bends and move the stick around. Put a coat of duct tape on the back side of the mesh. Leaving the outter edge of the screen with no bondo, about 1/2" so the epoxy will have something to bond to. The duct tape is for the bondo, it will fall thru 1/4" holes in the screen. Epoxy the corners of the screen and a few spots to your case. I would use a 5min epoxy and it is important to have a fairly rough surface so make sure you are sanded with a rough grit sandpaper like 90 grit automotive. Once you put the bondo on clear out cause that crap stinks... BAD!! Is really bad :shock:



The bondo looks like cake icing at first... so I had to do a lot of hand sanding to get the look that I wanted.

 

After all of that I cut out all of the plexy glass that I would need for this project. I had to etch out the bear for the top window. I went and got the router attachment for my dremmel and 2 routing bits (thick and thin). That is the abbrivated version.. I had to teach myself how to etch but this was my first attempt. I redid the bear with the small router attachement. It looks alot better now.


Now on to painting... Thanks to Mashie and his asteroid project I figured out the drybrushing technique to get a real nice looking rock look. I had to paint the frame and the power supply... after I had already modded the power supply with a really cool window just to find out that my case mounts the psu UPSIDEDOWN..... :cry: so I did a bunch of crap for nothing.... the solution was to take the lid off and put a stock one back on it. I painted it the same as the frame and sleeved it. This is what it looked like before.


I will post pics soon of the new stuff.

11-03-04
I repainted the sides and top cause I didn't like the results I got the first time. The sides look more like pewter instead of stone. I like it a lot better. I just did the bondo for the front of the computer cause I couldn't decide what I was going to do.

Also check out my website and let me know what you think. It is still underconstruction but will be finished soon.

http://www.distorteddesigns.com/modding

 

My etching skills are getting better and I will light all of the plexiglas by mounting leds in the end. Make a small notch and hot glue it in place. Here is a pic of my etching skills and how I will wire it. I did this project for my 8 year old brother for halloween.

 

Here is my tester power supply I made to be able to test leds and ccfls and fans.

 

Hey everyone here are the final pics of The Native American Project.















Hope you like them! I had 50+ hours of work and about $100 + USD without the cost of the case. Once I get the money together I will be starting project "BORG". Guess what kiddies it will be for sale.... but it won't be cheap.

 

mad project dude
awsome design
something very diffirent from the rest of the modding here

but i whanna se more about the interior since youv done all outside

keep on modding

 

nice work, fellow indianapolis native.

 

That is wonderful. Really 'stony' feel. Although I think the lights don't go well with the theme.

 

Wow, excellent job with the bondo. Heh, is that bear really a native American design?

I love those people on the sides. They just have a certain... feel to them that you rarely see.

 

dun u have ne pics of how the case looked before mod?

 

Yeah the bear is a native american bear. The arrow in the the middle is the heart line. Native Americans look at the bear as a symbol of stregnth, and of a warriors heart. The design vary's from tribe to tribe but is pretty much the same thru out Native Americana.

 

The case was just a plain grey case with no, nothing on it. I did everything for the case.

 

Unique theme man. Loose the ligths and it will be perfect.

 

I love this mod. And most of all, the 2 kokopelli cutouts on the side.As someone said before, the bondo work really does make the case look like it was carved in stone. The first time i saw that bear i thought the arrow was it's digestive tract. In one end and out the other... i couldnt resist...

 

Nevermind what he said about the lights, I think it looks great. You did an awesome job.

 

Nice mods! Great work.

i think the centered watermark bother, a little, to evalute well the pics.

 

KICKASS!!

 

Wow, terrific job. You did a very good job with the bondo and all. You think you can come over and repair a few dents and rust hole in my car for me?!

 

Great job! I bet those panels are a bit heavy now. Are you a native, or do you just like the art? My wife is native, thats why I ask.

 

Awesome work there..... 1 question, how long did it take for the thick areas of bondo to completly dry off?

Keep it up.