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Scratch Build – In Progress Midlag Crisis

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Waynio, 18 Jan 2013.

  1. Ocelot

    Ocelot Minimodder

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    Hey Waynio, I have some questions and I apologize in advance if you already answered them.

    How do you transfer your drawings onto the sheet metal?

    Are the slots in your case milled or cut with the saw?

    Have you considered putting a dust filter behind the intake fan?

    I envy your cutting skills btw. :)
     
  2. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Can't seem to keep away lol. :D
    Plus I really am a very long way away from even thinking about quitting modding, I've not even got a CNC yet, I think when I do that will be when I start water cooling making my own blocks, Angel OD inspired me a lot for good uses for CNC. :D

    Thank you Piotrek. :)

    :D Got everything except for the protective film, hopefully it will come today though, I'm itching to continue. :D

    Sorry for taking a while on answering this Ocelot, been in postal limbo so been playing though a few games from my backlog.

    I should probably do a few guides with plenty of pictures, people might need to remind me once I'm clear of current projects, I'm glad people ask though now & then. :D

    This one is not a short answer but hopefully it will make some sense lol.

    Short answer.
    I manually convert my 3d sketchup models to 2d & use layout to make pdf files to print 100% the same as the design.

    Here's the long answer. :lol:
    Combination of google sketchup & a component of the pro version called layout, pro version costs heaps, look for educational license, makes it lose a digit. :)
    Apparently it is doable on the free version but not with layout, I tried a lot but never got a good result, nowhere near the accuracy of using layout, I really think google should offer an amateur version with layout included at a sane price for an amateur.

    Once you have layout, make your design 2d, I do it manually picking apart my design piece by piece, not easy at first but it is kinda once you know what your doing & for unfolding curvy shapes there is a plugin called unfold tool, it's a free plugin, plenty of video tutorials on using it too as well as sketchucation, decent forum for sketchup users, some really amazing models been made by people there & it looks a decent community, I should probably join. :D

    Then I lay it all out keeping a4 sheets in mind, if it's a big piece bigger than a4 I add measure markers & 2 2mm squares with lines going through them where I'd want to join them once printed on any connecting sides on the far ends.

    Once all the design is printer friendly & laid out how I'll print it I go to camera & select parallel projection & then camera view top, make sure it's all in view & go to the menu window, styles & select Engineering style, then menu view & disable Axes & then save it.

    Then open layout & select a4 plain paper.

    Then menu, insert & select your prepared printer friendly sketchup file & open.

    Then resize the blue borders & on the bits on the right under sketchup model next to Ortho select full size 1:1 from the drop box & then click render, keep doing this until the whole lot is showing, this makes it the real size just like your design.

    Then if you have a load of stuff to layout you position the layout in page orders, once you got your first page, click duplicate selected page under pages, then move the model to next position page 2 & continue doing this until you get to the end.

    Save the layout file & then export pdf, set output quality to high & click export.

    Open the pdf in adobe reader, set your printer to print 100% to scale & print it, measure a few bits to make sure it's spot on & if it is your set.

    I use a4 sticker sheets, best thing to use for this, I've tried prit sticks & glue spray, both are crap compared to sticker sheets, even on really intricate patterns it stays down.

    For joined pages you really need the 2mm squares with lines through so you can use a ruler & razer to cut precisely along the lines so they'll line up 100% accurately, then tack them together with cello tape & do the whole join before you pull the backing off to lay on your material.

    Lot to take in & learn with manually preparing the 3d model into 2d, the rest is quite easy once you've done it once or twice.

    Only a few tiny bits are milled on a drill press so some pieces could interconnect flush, not meant to do that with a drill press but I bought a cross vice which just about lets me do rough milling, takes ages too, everything else is cut on a mid range scroll saw, I thought it was top end but there are scroll saws far more expensive to my amazement lol, the one I use was £500. :eeek:
    But you can get far cheaper ones that still do a good job especially if you go 2nd hand & I recommend one that takes pin less blades so you can get into smaller holes to start cutting, that's if you want to do intricate cutting but if it's not so intricate pin end blades would be fine.

    Dust filter, I never really do that on my rigs, probably should but I feel they spoil air flow & create more noise, plus I've got a portable air compressor which I can give internals a quick blast out, takes a few seconds, so nice. :D

    Anyone could develop them if they want to but patience & focus does help. :)

    Hopefully my postal limbo will end today, really want to complete this. :D
     
  3. Ocelot

    Ocelot Minimodder

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    @Waynio

    Wow, I didn't expect such a long and detailed response. Thanks a lot!

    I don't use Sketchup myself but I'm sure this is very interesting for all those who do.

    Your answer still helped me out though because for some reason I wasn't even aware there were printable sticker sheets. I might use that technique for my first scratch build which I'm planning atm.

    It's interesting to hear that most of the slots aren't milled. I really can't tell from the pictures and I agree that milling is probably not a good idea unless you've got dedicated equipment.

    As for the dust filters, I am always glad that I don't have to clean the dust that accumulates on mine out of my case. I've never had any noise problems either but you do have to clean them regularly to prevent clogging. I guess it comes down to personal preference.
     
  4. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Happy to help when I can which feels rare. :D
    Minimising dust is good, I came across a site that specialises in wires, from ultra thin like cotton to fair thickness but they sell woven metal mesh too, ultra thin cloth like material I think it might be excellent for making dust filters that look good, comes in stainless steel, brass, bronze & copper.

    I've looked at this site a few times for some bits, not ordered from them yet though.
    http://wires.co.uk/acatalog/WOVEN_WIRE_MESH.html


    Can carry on now, was a really long wait for the surface protective film but I got it all now.

    I was a bit worried about making my own colours so I got some measuring spoons will help make replicable formulas so should be this week I get to wrap this up. :)
     
  5. KoSoVaR^

    KoSoVaR^ Professional Sleever & Modder

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    its perfeft in all ways, it so interesting to see how you have developed in all theese years when it comes to work with raw materials like that, and no cnc used !

    Bravo my friend !
     
  6. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Thanks KoSoVaR :)

    Bit gutted I recycled parts from my first scratch build I dub Frankencase, awesome example of how diving into scratch building is without knowledge, experience or help & just having a few minimal tools like a rotary tool, hand drill & rivet gun, that's all I started with but also with a bit of ambition & crazy to use aluminium as my first choice & realising this isn't as easy to work as I thought it would be & a basic cube is a lot more difficult than people assume (if they want a perfectly square cube anyway) lol, :D it is now because I now have some experience & OK tools but if lian li sold there premium cases much cheaper I might never have got into scratch builds so woo hoo for not being well off enough to buy one, not often anyone says that. :D

    There is nothing too awesome that doesn't inspire me in modding now, I've even thought up an alternative way to do something as difficult as Achron's Acronym & I'll be trying out my theory for it when I make a scratch build for the upcoming ps4, I'm really looking forward to it but I must first get my current projects completed, still quite a lot to do on LAG & think I might need a good 3 months break from modding after that, I should probably have called it the endurance test because that's what it turned into, I passed the endurance test but didn't react well to internet BS while pressuring myself so I semi failed my test so needed some kind of rest. :D

    This one is easy compared to that but that's the point of this one so I could mellow out, just happened to decide to make an anodising alternative which took extra figuring out to be done along with needing to buy all sorts of random bits to do it better but if it turns out to be good which I think it will then I already have the finishing move ready & waiting for LAG, the prolonged timeout from that project enabled me to buy pretty much all the tech I need for it too so this timeout is cram packed with bonuses. :lol:
     
  7. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Been lacquering the panels, bars & even the screw heads.

    155 capacity screw lacqodising jig for the prepping & lacqodising, 3mm lower deck & 1mm upper deck made from scraps, 6 spacers, countersinks underneath & buttons on top, made it a lot quicker than drilling a thick plate a load of times, could do with using bigger spacers though, some of the screws are too big for prepping in the jig.
    [​IMG]

    This is why I needed a finer application brush, pools & bubbles when using a brush too blompy on intricate pieces, didn't look good, had to sand it back down, took ages.
    [​IMG]

    This is why I needed to mask the other sides when I want to do both sides, unwanted pools leaking through while applying so this project is set for rather imperfect internal lacqodising but the externals should be quite nice but still a bit imperfect, I'll be more bothered about getting things done better on LAG, I'm treating this one more as practice for a new method, had to sand it back down & wow it's a lot of heavy sanding to get it all off completely, it's a heck of a protective coating though.
    [​IMG]

    My 2 smallest brushes being used for the bars which I made a simple jig for doing them so I don't have to touch the bars with my hands while doing it but so they are all loose enough to turn them with the brush.
    [​IMG]

    Using the high temp tape which is used for powder coating & anodising, super low tack but high cling not damaging for the lacquer when pulled off & with it being high temperature resistant lets me use the heat gun to make it so I can pick it up without it running about or me leaving new marks on it but while it isn't fully dried & I can pull the tape off in 1 clean pull, the surface protection film turned out to be useless for this task & I waited so long for it to come in the post when I could have just used the high temp tape & had this done already, all future lacqodising should be really well done now I'm wiser to potential hiccups & exactly what I need to do it, any intricate lines I used the makeup brush & all around them I used the 25mm brush to get it done faster.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Even lacquered up the IO shield, that's the awesome thing about lacqodising, ANY metals can be done, the screws are stainless steel too. :D
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    So it can all be dyed now.
     
  8. Pranja

    Pranja Blackwolf

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    Looks amazing. Good job,mate. :)
     
  9. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Thanks Pranja, so anxious about dunking these parts in & making the right colour, it will be done though in the next days. :D
     
  10. Squigly

    Squigly MODfiend.. ~twitch~

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    took me a bit of catchup but its looking good as always... biting my nails to see the dyed parts!!!
     
  11. Asouter

    Asouter --------

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    Interesting collection of parts you have there Wayne, Same as Squigly really looking forward to seeing it together in all its "Laquidised"glory
     
  12. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    :D Thanks Squigly, been a lot to work out to do it good, I think I'm there now.

    Thanks Asouter, I think lacqodising might well become a popular finishing method. :D

    Should have something good to show today, the brown is gorgeous by the way. :):rock:
     
  13. Waynio

    Waynio Relaxing

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    Will update later, today is a good day to dye. :D

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Overminde

    Overminde What's a Dremel?

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    Im lovin it, great job mate.
     
  15. biojellywobbles

    biojellywobbles Minimodder

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    :jawdrop: That dye is amazing!
     
  16. B NEGATIVE

    B NEGATIVE All Hail Kim Jong Magoo!

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    MOAR!

    Detail the method if you can Waynio?
     
  17. Squigly

    Squigly MODfiend.. ~twitch~

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    [​IMG]

    need we say more!!
     
  18. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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  19. Phame

    Phame COOOOFFFFEEEEE

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    Who voted this under 5 stars..?
    Great job dude, love your work! :D
     
  20. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    Sad little dickheads with no brains, no talent and no testicular fortitude.
     
    Asouter likes this.

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