Scratch Build – In Progress [BUILD LOG] Project Ametros: Scratch Built Carbon Fiber Case + WC - Mar 11, 2012

5.0 It's a box! Finally Beginning to Look Like a Case!

5.0 It's a box! Finally Beginning to Look Like a Case!

After an awesome weekend at Daytona, I finally got to work on the case again. I glued up all the panels from last week so that it finally looks like a box. The pics below has one panel out of alignment, but I've fixed it since.

Other than that, its a box! Its finally beginning to look like a case!




I first glued up three sides, while that was drying I had a break then came back to glue the top panel on.





Thanks for all the kind remarks guys! They keep me motivated!

 

I just can't wonder how I've only spotted this now!
The photos are amazing and the case is great too! Love it, keep it up.

 

Little teaser of the mould making process. Left are some pieces for the internal chassis (HDD cover/bay cover), right is the mould box for the lower pedestal and radiator enclosure.

 

chamwow...I can't believe i'm saying this but...
Take your time: I can see this can become something amazing. For once, I shall be patient.
Blow.Us.Away.

 

6.0 Mold Making + Carbon Layups!

It was a super busy weekend for me. I couldnt care less about the super bowl this year so I decided to spend the entire weekend in the shop working on Ametros making molds and doing layups. I decided to start making the mold for the lower pedestal first.

Making the Molds


The weekend started off like this; cutting up sheets of 3/4" MDF to begin making the first molds.


All of the MDF was screwed and glued together.


Titebond III is some amazing wood glue.


Quick mockup.


This is where things got really messy. I wanted to make sure all the sides were even and square, so I machined them down on the mill. Cleaning up the mill after all the machining was a pain. Its not like machining metal or plastic where you can just blow off the chips, the machine has to be vacuumed, wiped down, and reoiled after machining wood.


1" Ball mill for the radius


I used putty to smooth out any milling marks or dips in the MDF.


All sanded down ready for paint!


Primed!


These infrared heat lamps/paint dryers are the best investment our shop made. Dries paint/primer in 15 minutes and I used it to cure carbon fiber later in this post.


You can see the bottom got the same sealer primer treatment as well. I also marked out the outline of where each piece needed to go. The sides were screwed down so they can be removed later to remove the carbon shell.


Pedestal mold completely assembled.


This is me, making a mess working on a mold for some of the case's internal structure.


More of the same mold for the case's internal structure with a corner radius.


Here's another mold for another piece of the internal structure. I had to machined down 1/4" of material to get a 1/4" radius seen here.

Time to Lay Up Some Carbon!




After spraying a LOT of mold release (I really dont want this piece sticking with all the carbon needed and time spent on the mold.) I brushed on some resin to help hold the carbon in place before wetting out.


Finished the first layup.


Laid up and trimmed curing over the next few days before I pull the mold.

I'm excited to pull the pieces out of the molds later this week once they have cured for a few days. Until then, I'll be working on the reservoir! Thanks for looking!

 

7.0 Machining the Reservoir Parts!

One of the biggest features and focal points of this build is the waterfall reservoir with dualing "fusion tubes" in the front of the case. The reservoir is pretty large, measuring almost 20" tall and 4" wide. The "fusion tubes" will be made out of 3/4" fluorescent blue rod, lit up by super-bright blue LED's at the bottom. The effect is a glow that one would imagine takes place in a fusion reactor around the fuel rods.

The Inlet for the Waterfall

The first piece to machine was the inlet for the reservoir. The inlet will have two G1/4 inlets for the return after cooling all the components. This is one of the most important pieces as it will create the waterfall running down the front face of the case.


The inlet starts life as a large chunk of acrylic measuring 12x12x1.25". It was less expensive to buy a 12x12 piece of acrylic than it was to have it cut to size, strangely.


I cut out the 4x3" piece I need to machine using a bandsaw.




Machining the piece to size.


Squared off edges machined in acrylic lead to eventual stress cracks. To prevent any stress cracks, I used a radius cutter that leaves a small fillet/radius around all the edges.




Machined out the pockets for the water flow.


Machining the holes to be tapped G1/4.






Finished inlet piece!

The Base

The base will hold the dual "fusion tubes" and the rest of the reservoir. It's machined out of a 1/2" thick piece of acrylic.


Machining notches for the front and rear pieces.


Reaming the holes for the "fusion tubes" to 3/4"


Finished base piece.

I'm quite happy with how both pieces turned out this evening! Thanks for looking!

 

Absolute Perfection! Amazing Work! mate.

 

Keep it coming!!!

 

Really awesome job. Please keep posting additional pics/information.

 

Really really nice worklog and perfect execution there mate!!! Mod on!!

 

I've always wondered if it was possible to lay carbon on MDF, with nothing else between (as glass fiber). I'm pretty excited to learn now that it is possible. Awesome ! I will never thank you enough !
But, if you allow me, I just have a few questions : could you tell us what primer agent and mold release you use ?

 

Man i want those machines. Would make choosing the type of work i can do so much easier.
I have to do all by hand. Still figuring what to do :/

 

stunning work! I'm insanely jealous of your fabrication skills! This is gonna be one to watch!

 

I'm watching this build intently!! Can't wait to see how it all comes out! Looks terrific so far, great work.

MDF being used as a mold is possible. You really can use anything you want as along as it has enough rigidity and strength. The downside to MDF is surface finish. Wood wont give you a nice glossy finish, though, you can always clear coat afterwards. Wood is cheap though, which is a big plus.

A primer agent would technically be Wax. Partall Wax #2 is standard in the industry to use. On top of the Wax you can use Partall PVA #10 or 11. Depending on your mold material, you can just get away with using wax. You will want to wax up to at least 8 coats of wax if only using wax. Hope this answers some questions here.

 

Thanks a lot for your answers, Cleveland
If I understand it well, Wax is just here to get a glossy finish, and the gel coat is here to make the demolding process easier ? Because I have a male mold ready for another project, left on my floor for two months now, and I did'nt know how to finish it. I didn't want to go further because I didn't want to loose my mold with carbon fiber stucked with it...

 

This looks to be a great build. Definitely got me keeping tabs

 

Thanks a lot guys! Your comments keep me really motivated to keep working. Today some of the fans arrived. I ordered (16) Gelid UV Wing 12 120mm, and (4) Gelid UV Wing 9 92mm fans to get started. The (16) Gelid 120mm fans are for the radiators in push/pull, the (4) Gelid 92mm fans are for the front box.

Check them out! I couldn't be happier with them! Excuse the cell-phone quality pic. I'll snap better pics this evening.


20 Gelid UV Wing Fans by ApertureV, on Flickr

Thanks! Typically I use Dupont Variprime or PPG K36 High Build for primer. My release agent is Price-Driscoll Parafilm.

Thanks man! Unfortunately the carbon didn't pull from the mold well. I rushed it and it pulled the primer from the mold with it.

So I will take the carbon piece and make a new gel-coat fiberglass mold. In fact, all my stuff for resin infusion just arrived today. I plan on trying it out next week for the new pedestal.!

 

Holy crap, you ARE going to make it fly....

 

this i why i like scratch builds.amazing work mate keep them great pics coming

 

My thoughts exacly!