Case Mod - In Progress Project: Blue-Hellfire Feb 2 Stick a fork in it...its done!!!

yay just what i was looking forward to.
a bit of drama when it comes to returning parts.
be careful when using maplins online to order bits here. they seem to drag thier feet a bit when it comes to returning things.
they were supposed to have the mobo bundles collected on weds, waited till 5 to 6 and gave them a call. oops they couldnt make it that day so it had to be thurs. they finally show up thurs mid afternoon to collect the bits and return them so wifey called them up to let them know they were collected.
lady on the phone tells her " when we get them back here we will test them to see what the problem was" ummm they werent returned for being faulty, they were returned for being 2nd hand and partially built with assorted bits missing in each box , ie: i box had sata cables missing, ide cable missing, back panel cover missing and memory just thrown in the static bag flopping around with no protection, second box had been partially assembled, cpu in board, fan clipped on various assorted other paperwork ( from a dvd drive and multi function panel) thrown in the box again missing back plate and no thermal in either box. when this was explained to the lady on the phone all she said was "Oh, then when we get them back here we will process your refund which normally takes about 14 days" hmmmmmmmph sell 2nd hand parts and make people wait 2 weeks to get thier money back so they can go buy the new bits they need. sometimes i just really dont get it.
and to top it off they were paid with paypal, but since they dont refund by paypal they are sending out a cheque, which will take another 3-5 working days to clear the bank after they send it. Bah!!
i am looking at a 3 week wait before i can order the new kit so in the meantime i will have to find other bits to keep myself busy on the mod front.
on a positive note i did get the vid cards in last night and the ddr2 memory.
stock view

fan virginized

i guess i will start looking for a decent cooler for my card as i just cant stand to leave anything in stock form (wifey tends to shake her head at this tendancy) =ox

on the agenda is a bit of paint work this weekend, maybe modding some of the cables on the psu's so they end up the correct length and finding a place to mount my on off switches for lighting in each rig that wont clash with the builds.have to fit that in around reworking the bath surround in the bathroom..=o/

wish me luck and cya in a bit

 

heres a quick question for the plexi heads..i read on here somewhere a tile saw works well for cutting plexi ( need info for this build and also for my next which i have already started the planning stages of)
i have 10mm plexi i need to do a few straight cuts on. what i have used in the past was a router locked up upside down in my tablemate workbench and then set up a form of a stop rail. this is "OK" but i would prefer something similar to table saw ethics because the router has a tendancy to try to shift the plexi around a bit and not give a perfectly straight cut.
if a tile cutter works, what type of blade should i look for and what tips can anyone give.
thanks in advance for any info

 

Maybe you could just slap the memcooler somewhere where it fits and migth actually also do some good for the rig? Maybe make it a HDD-cooler instead? Just an idea...

 

i actually had thought about that but then decided against it . since i have the kingston ram i do need some sort of cooling on it.. weather it be heat sinks or a fan. we have already sent the too small bits back. just have to twiddle thumbs till we get refunded and can grab the new kit.

 

plexihead

I believe cheapskate uses a tile saw for many of his straight cuts.

i've been happy with a tablesaw and 200 tooth blade. (needs finishing on the edges.)

see recent posts in log for pics of blade.

I would like to use a router jig for some cuts but the tablesaw is great as long as you have a decent blade & guide edge.

 

woke up this morning and decided.. Ok today is modding day! suprisingly wifey didnt kick my ass since i finished reasealing the bathtub last night so i had the weekend to mod.
and also i didnt think she would yell when a mojor chunk of the day was spent on her rig lol.
so heres where we start the journey today.

wifeys rig, waiting for bits but still needs wiring sorted out a bit and still needs switches installed and lighting.
2 switches need to go in for the lighting.


most inconspicuous place i can find to put them is on either side of the case in the side panels

down in this area

so i was lazy, grabbed my trusty dremel with a small drill bit on it, and went to work.
notice how clean cut and machine made the hole looks?

nah me either...
important bit is the switches fit.
yay me.


once those were popped in it was time for a bit of wiring for the lights
ccfl's ended up at the top and bottom of the window panel side.
had to notch the upper and lower pillars so they fit along the case tho


used a bit of 5 min epoxy to stick them in place ( cant stand that velcro crap they give you with em.. does anyone actually use it?)

then we had a set of 4 inch ccfl's to illuminate the front si i found homes for these as well.
first ine just inside the front lower frame rail.. then the second mounted on top of the front fan assembly

let em sit for a bit then peeled the tape off so they are perm mounted now.
next had to find a home for the little resistor packs they come with.

a bit more 5 min epoxy

squish in place

tape so it cant move

then go back to it in a half hour. can remove the tape then and it should be perm mounted


same deal for the other side resistor. ended up something like this ( one chrome and one black.. figures i couldnt have 2 match because diff manufacturers lol)

this side also had a hole in the housing so i riveted it to one of the holes in the case =o)

all this stull was starting to feel a bit like work and it was coming up on 9 AM..seemed like a good time for breakfast..
mmmmmmmm ham n cheese omlette

eh while i am relaxin.. look what wifey got me on xmas just so ya wont have to look at me feet so much =o)~


ok back to work
decided to sort out some of the wiring on hers so when the new bits get here i have less to do.
eww beige wires

much better now

did the same with the header connector set

ran the wires for the lighting

thats kinda where i left off on chicks rig today.
now it was time to mess with mine a lil bit.
grabbed the dull black power supply

and decided to ummm errr improve on it a touch

tis ok but its the first time i have actually messed with an airbrush in about 10 years so i wasnt expecting a picasso.
then i grabbed my Maxtor 250 gig sata hd i will be using for this rig

removed the sticker the day after i got it.
thinkin this has to match everything else so grab the masking tape


trim out the area to be painted

and your left with this...

3 layers of white primer later and this is whats left

tima to make it match the psu(sort of)
grabbed my net hacked and home cut stencil (can you say ghetto air brush supplies?)

and started messin about

almost to the point i want it.

pick curtosey of da chick
and heres a HD

so now here was the dilema.. clean up all the airbrush gear and continue again messing about tomorrow , or...say the hell with it and start on the case with the layout in mind.
starting on the case won.
here is early early progress pics.
found a cool demon skull n the web a while back and decided that would be the focal point.

after basic outline and shading i started adding a few of the surrounding images i will need to make this look the way i want it to.

at this point wifey actually turned to me and said " that looks like crap"
/hmmmmph.. back to painting and biting tongue.


brought a few of the skulls into the intake area.. thought it looked cool

after about an hour i ended up with this



still got more detail to add and all that but overall i am happy with the way it turned out.
once i got done with the skulls i kinda figured it was time to pack up the airbrush and paint and call it a day.
i am sure i will find something different to mess with tomorrow while i twiddle thumbs waiting for hdwe.
cya soon

 

wow thats looking amazing!!
i love the way you wraped the skulls around the inside of the front intake.
and painting a HDD , im shure this mod will look amazing.
its earnt its name "Hell Fire" now.
Keep it up

 

ty much for the comments
the "blue" bit comes next week. till then i am gonna work on some more shading of the skulls to get them to pop off the case a bit more.
cant really start my wiring till i get mobo in as i will be cutting and shortening what i can so they arent such a pain in the ass to hide but tis ok. wifey pushed me to do the case yesterday, if she didnt i would have ended up waiting another 2 weeks before i got the nerve to lay the skulls on it.
If i would have bodged it up i would have had to club her lol.
i think its alright, just needs a bit of tweakin as far as cleanup then it will be ready for final coats to pack the exterior away.
well i am off for now for another day of modding so hopefully see ya this evening.

 

Wow, love that airbrushing...it's really got me wanting to try it out sometime...i just hav a question, i really don't wanna distract u from your modding..but when u do your spraying(not airbrushing)..do u hav to sand between coats or just on the clear coat?...sorry very new at this

 

the way i handle the painting side of things has always worked for me in the past, you will run into alot of people who tell you to color sand in between every coat then spray the next. i never do that, i simply spray on my primer.. color sand that till i have a smooth finish to work off of. then start laying on color, once i have sufficent color coats on to form my basecoat ( the white black flame layout) then i hit with airbrush. if that were all i was planning for this build i would follow it up with 2 light coats of clear followed with 3-4 medium wet coats of clear. let dry for a week in a dry(not humid) warm place. then color sand the clear coat with various grades of paper ending with 1500 grit then follow with haze and swirl remover and some good polish.
like i said this has always worked for me the the past and given me glass smooth paint by the time i was done with everything.
hope that helps ya a bit.

PS everyone was new once.. atleast you had the brains to ask before hand rather than take the leap and screw up a mod.

cya in a few.. writing a small update now

 

todays adventure takes us to keyboard land first.
remember that Saitek Eclipse 2 that wifey clause got me for Xmas?

heres the before pic

yanno i cant leave anything stock if i can help it at all.
soooooo
it had to come apart..screws were easy enough to drop out of it.


pop the wrist rest off so it can be disassembled too


then off comes the keyboard surround

that took a lil bit of prying even after all the screws were out.. its my guess that saitek really didnt want me to take the keyboard apart.. pffffft
tima for a few more ghetto skull stencils cause of course everything has to match.. so i found a few on the web.

and then proceded to cut em out.


this is the set i will be using for the keyboard

heres a pic of the airbrush i am using for this.. wifey picked it up for me off ebay for £21 + shipping.

i used to have a testors aztec in the states before i came to the Uk and i have to say, as far as fine line and control work goes this one spanks the testors one.
repeated random patterning on the surround and wrist rest till i came out with this

popped things back together to make sure how they look

bingo.. works for me.
now on to the next part of what i worked on today.
that cool Giel memory cooler..

quick show of hands here.. who thought this would stay stock......?

as if...
lol

dont know what about it just doesnt sit right with me so i will take it apart till i figure it out.

construction is simple on it.. basically the fan holds everything together..should make cutting it up all the more fun =o)
fans out

leaves me with these 3 main pieces

i found the one that annoys me so i grab the dremel n the cut off wheel and attack the offending eyesore

put the baseplate/outer cage on a diet

reassembled after streamlining

i like that much better now.
even with the side clip mounting plates on it i think it is better than stock looks

maybe i am biased (duh) lol
eh thats enough for this weekend.. this week i will fit more modding in.. see what i can get done and if i get anything good i will be sure to throw it up on here for people to point and laugh at =o)~
cya soon.

 

wow only £21 for an air brush.
i better get one =] then there just the practice to do...
good job i have 2 months off coming up (after i finish college.) =] ill get one for then.
and hope i can get as good as you.

 

i dont consider myself good bud. all this paint so far is basic airbrushing with the use of stencils.. if you take airbrushing and grade it by difficulty. what i did was a 2 out of 5 if i am lucky.

 

This is looking great, i love the skulls on the frontpanel!

 

on the paint for sure! even if you call it a 2 out of 5 (on difficulty), for me that would be a 6! I really like how you wrapped it around the case front and sides.

 

thanks guys, the feedback does keep me in high spirits and motivated. also does not hurt that i can actually see the finish line for one of these 2 really really soon.
specially since i seem to have a bit of a sneaky wife.
she goes from tellin me we have to wait for maplins to sort a refund to get the new kit then turns around and orders it behind my back just to suprise me. hmmmph
i would try to make it seem like i was upset but ummmm i just cant do it.
so this is what showed up today.



looks like it is time to do some fitting and clearance checking.
first in is the CPU cooler.

damn its still huge lol

next up the ram. these sticks threw me a bit cause they arer shorties compared to what i am used to working with.

they fit the board so they must be ok lol
heres the partially assembled board

atleast the CPU cooler isnt overkill or anything lol

then to fit the mobo into the case....

hmmm bit of a clearance issue with the PSU
twiddles thumbs...all i needed was about 2mm to make the mobo fit.
sooo i grabbed 2 square washers and spaced the lower portion of the PSU off a touch.

that created enough tilt for the board to fit where it should and have 2 frogs hairs clearance before touching the PSU =o)~
now to throw in the stock memory cooler

easy enough to put in and theres a full 2mm between it and the CPU cooler.

i would love to tell ya all went well and the rest was simply plug it in and test all the lighting and fans since we are still waiting for sata cables to get this one done ( should be here tomorrow) but alsa.. plugged the beast in and hit the switch and it laughed at me....effin thing.. checked the wall sockets (fine) swapped the kettle lead for the psu even tho it was new ( no difference) mumble grumble popped off the PSU connector and hot wired it to make sure it works, hmm yep fired up with no probs and all lights came on.
everything was pointing to a bad mobo problem. pulled off the leads one by one and refit them just in case i had a bad contact with one. when i got to the stupid power on off switch one and re seated it the thing came to life. stupid damned connection thingy!! lol

in the end i popped the covers back on and let it sit idle for a bit to kinda run the hdwe in a touch and also to grab a few shots for here.
this is what we ended up with

even better when the lights are off


both coolers are pretty sweet



by the weekend this one will be complete, then i am down to one to finish and no excuses not to push on and have some fun.

cya in a few days with another update.
ty to all who have stayed tuned and stayed interested so far. your feedback is much appreciated.

 

was looking for a place to mount my on off switch for my lighting that was out of the way.

i think i found it

see if i mount it on the top of the turbine intake then ya cant see it unless you know where to look =o)
grabbed my dremel with a drill bit and decided to drill from the insode

camera buggered up on me when i took the final pic of it so i will do a redo this evening when i get home.
heres a crappy pic of the placement for now lol

i clipped the switch in place and this will be followed by 5 min epoxy for the final build...whew this one has been goin on so long its hard to believe i can see a finish line coming up heh
tis fine by me tho.. wifey is quite happy with her rig and i have another project on the horizon so i dont imagine i will be away from the forums much when hellfire is done.
tonight i am hoping to do a bit more work on the paint for hellfire and finish off wifeys rig. hopefully see you tomorrow with a bit more of an update and a better pic to replace the last one
=o)

 

Like to see how this turns out. The switch is in a precarious spot, glad you trust your wife more than I trust mine. My wife cut off the tip of her middle finger using the potato slicer...guess she thought she was playing American football on that one.

Oh God...she's using it again...

 

heh thats a first for me, maxed the free photobucket limit of 25 gig in a month..sad bit is i did it in 3 weeks. oh well. upgraded to pro so the pics dont do the vanishing act again =o)
@inferior- she knows how to build em all on her own. but until now she has never ventured into the mod world. gotta break her in somehow and i think she did a great job on the window. she is very tolerant of me when i am modding, only hear the occasional complaint about the bits scattered in the sitting room lol.
more to come by the weekend
thanks for watching

 

Never a problem. Glad to have subbed Bro!