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Scratch Build – In Progress Project: Blue Horizon - "MOTY" Nominee

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by riekmaharg2, 8 Jul 2010.

  1. riekmaharg2

    riekmaharg2 has completed the PowerCore scratch build

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    Thanks Xye:thumb: Yeah definaty not painting it, as it does look soo much nicer bare.

    Thanks LooseNeutral :thumb:, the fitting should be soon, I'm slowly coming to the end of perfecting the surface finish.

    Today I managed to sand down the front panel with the Palm Sander:

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    Heres a very brief polishing to give an idea what it will look like:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 20 Jan 2011
  2. bulldogjeff

    bulldogjeff The modding head is firmly back on.

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    Oooow look at the shiny. I love a bit of bling. Are you going to go for a full polish job on it?
     
  3. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Woooooo now that looks gooooooood :rock::thumb:.
    And looks every bit worth the effort you put in so far with this piece.
     
  4. PabloFunky

    PabloFunky What's a Dremel?

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    Alot of work on that, not sure id of gone that far myself, id probably done it from mirroed s/s or standard s/s and polished using soaps and mops.

    Nice dedication.
     
  5. riekmaharg2

    riekmaharg2 has completed the PowerCore scratch build

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    Yeah, I'm gonna polish it all then see if I can get it to look right with the brushed alu of the case. If it doesn't look right then I can remove the mirror effect by brushing it like the case frame.

    Thanks Waynio :thumb:


    I didn't sand it by hand if thats what you mean? I used a palm sander (I forgot to say, but its on now :) ) I then used a polishing mop like with the water angle block I made earlier.
     
  6. Nutman

    Nutman Never stuck with stock

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    Bear in mind that polished alu will blacken/anodize naturally, unless treated with "something".
    So, after you've spent 300 hours+ polishing you might consider putting some clear laquer on it.
     
  7. AnG3L

    AnG3L Ultimate Modder

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    Man that looks awesome!! You will need a lot of work there !! Patience buddy and happy polishing!!! :)
     
  8. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    So much cool, talented stuff going on here Keir! Can't wait to see it all come together.
     
  9. riekmaharg2

    riekmaharg2 has completed the PowerCore scratch build

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    Ah, didnt know that, but will do :), I know a guy who does pro spray painting in a clean room so I'll take it to him to get it sprayed.

    Thanks Alex :thumb:

    Thanks Antony :thumb:, yeah me too, I get wait to get all the cooler stuff in like LED's, and water cooling system, and I've got a suprise for the wiring which I've recently thought of.


    I've also stripped the paint off the case as even with months to set, it was still very soft paint, and I'm going to try and find another more durable satin silver paint.
     
  10. riekmaharg2

    riekmaharg2 has completed the PowerCore scratch build

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    Heres both panels with the sanding finish:

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    That line on the panel shown above is just where I accidently swiped the 1000 wet & dry accross but there no actual scratch.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The next stage is to cut the panels in half then polish them.
     
  11. jrs77

    jrs77 Modder

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    Still impressed by this log...

    I'm struggling to get a decently cast ITX-case with acrylics and you perfectly fine cast Aluminum there :eeek:
     
  12. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Looks gorgeous riekmaharg2 :thumb:.
     
  13. AnG3L

    AnG3L Ultimate Modder

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    You gotta be kidding us right??? Have you being sanding for 24 hours straight?!?!
    Fantastic job buddy keep it that way!!! :)
     
  14. sixfootsideburns

    sixfootsideburns modeteer

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    Great progress Keir! Sanding it by hand is bound to be tedious but I know the results will be superb.
     
  15. Nutman

    Nutman Never stuck with stock

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    What about the inside? Lots of sanding missing there!

    Haha, no, just kidding. This looks great!
     
  16. The_Gnu

    The_Gnu 8-bit addict

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    Sweeeeeet work. Some serious sanding going on.
    So I guess you'll be cutting those parts in two pretty soon?
     
  17. dangak

    dangak What's a Dremel?

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    That looks terrific, the metal's ultra smooth and buffed up. Top notch.
     
  18. LooseNeutral

    LooseNeutral What's a Dremel?

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    How's those arms and hands feeling :) Looks good man.... and you're going to polish! That'll be quite a sight :D
     
  19. riekmaharg2

    riekmaharg2 has completed the PowerCore scratch build

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    Thanks jrs77 :thumb:, yeah castings are hard to get the surface finish looking good but its definately worth the hassle.

    Thanks Waynio :thumb:

    Yeah lol, I've got exams next week so I was revising and sanding in 30min shifts for 6 hrs :D.

    Thanks sixfootsideburns :thumb:, yeah it feels soooo smooth now :)

    Cheers Nutman :thumb:, Ah I have special plans for the inside :D

    Cheers The_GNU :thumb:, yep that is the next stage now, once I've masked it all to prevent any scratches.

    Thanks dangak :thumb:

    Not so bad actually :) , I've been trying to beat records on my powerball for a while so I've got used to repetitive tasks lol. Yep it should look awesome when its all polished, specially thoughs compound curves.


    I'm revising for exams all this week, so I may not get round to doing much work on this until next week.
     
  20. riekmaharg2

    riekmaharg2 has completed the PowerCore scratch build

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    Hi everyone I'm finally back after exams and I've just had a brainwave about a new rad design. Essentially its a giant water block with a folded fin heatsink on the back. This also gives me the opportunity to light up the block with LEDS:

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    This design also provides loads more surface area as the block, fins, and fin cover are all going to be connected to each other. The fins will be attached using thermally conductive resin and thermal paste. The blue panel is acrylic and the two water block sections will be screwed together with thin rubber in between.

    Next update should be tomorrow with the top and/or front panel polished
     

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