Case Mod - In Progress My Monster Mawd

My Monster Mawd

My name is Ron, aka RcRon7, and I have been modding for about 6 years now. I primarily have been taking old cases and cutting and painting them. I have three complete mods that each have some basic cuts, and a third one that is very detailed. For this mod however I'm going to be doing a Monster Energy Drink Logo, the M, on a case. I would like this case to become a show case and I plan on taking it to local events. However when it's at home it will be my Daughters and reside in our family room. It was her idea to do a Monster M on the case and I could not resist. It doesn't hurt that her name begins with M either. ^_^ This mod is ultimately for her. She was with me when we picked out the colors and she'll help out with some of the painting. She is also my photographer and loves doing macro shots. I think I may have a budding modder in the family so I'm trying to encourage that.

First off I have to give a shout out to MNPCTech and Bill Owen for his support and inspiration. Also Xoxide for their Support with the Fans Lighting and a few other accessories. I'll have the "Goodies" posted in some shots later on as parts come in.





I'm modding an old Soyo case that I rescued from certain death in the dump. While helping out a friend who owns a pet store I saw this case sitting in the corner and he told me they were going to throw it out. It was not in bad shape and I loved the handle on top so I said I'll take it. This case will have a side window looking into the case, and why not, what kind of modder would not add a window right! I'll cut a M in the front for an intake. I'll make a custom M fan Grill for the back, I'm looking forward to this and have some sketches worked up already. The right side, or motherboard side will have a sheet of Translucent Green acrylic that will have Vinyl film on it and be backlit with Green LED's. That film will be cut out to create a halo affect around another M cut out of aluminum. I will either polish that to a high shine or paint it to match the interior of the case. I'm still on the fence with that one. There will be some 3M DiNoc Carbon Fiber Film on this case from MNPCTech and some Modders Mesh for the top fan Grill.

Case colors will be:

Pearl White outside
Bright Green inside
Some Black Accents
Green Lighting and Fans

So, how could I start a work log and not put some pictures up, right!

In these pictures you can see the case has a stamped logo in the sides. Those will have to go, that's a big hole there now. The front will have the floppy and small vent holes filled with body filler. If I recall Bill Owen recommends Short Strand Filler so that is what I'm on the hunt for. This is also something I have never attempted before.





Here are a few shots of the supplies I have as of now.





This mod is more about the case, not so much the hardware going inside. I would like to go all out with the hardware as well but that may have to be a Part Two. The guts will actually be a slightly older system swap. It will have an XFX MB, running 4 Gig Ram, and an Intel 8200 Dual Core CPU. and older iNvidia 9600 GT. It will be running Win7 64. I'll be sleeveing the fans with 550 paracord. I'm trying to get some green to match the paint but if the color is not right I'll be doing it in black.

My Plan of attack:
The basic layout and theme are set.
I've begun cutting the side metal logo and will have some pic's of that up soon.
Make my fan Grill, and fill some holes with body filler, and make a few new ones.
I'm going to try either moving a USB hub to the bottom space on the front of the case or filling that front hole as well. I would love to hear any thoughts on those that have done something like that before.

 

Update!!

Happy Sunday Folks!
Well, here we are, update time. I will do my darndest to keep this mod going and not let it lag. With that said it has been a busy week of cutting and filing. And it has not been without it's up's and downs. For example, I found that the thin sheet of aluminum that I was using bends much easier than I thought. So, I had to break out the very small tack hammer I have and with very light taps flatten things back out. Also, had a small slip of the dremel that I had to correct.

So, in the first few pictures here I used a paper template to get the design down on the metal. I used Wood glue because it is what I had however any plain house hold white glue would work. I glued the image down to the metal so I could scribe or etch the design down.




Here you see that after I removed the piece of paper I had to go back over the lines. I did this because the glue and paper would not really withstand the cutting and handling of the metal. However etching the lines gives me a great guide to follow that I did not have to worry about smudging off.






Now, once things are etched I could begin cutting. I did not have my photographer handy for all of it. What I did was use the dremel to cut away all the big portions. A jigsaw would work just as well for this however if you are working with a thin sheet be careful that you don't "snag" the metal or you will be tapping out a bend like I did. After cutting away the big pieces I used the cut off wheel to "nibble" away the metal up to the etched line.





Doing the outside parts was easy. This inside section was hard. I had to use a smaller cut wheel as the 1 1/2" reinforced wheel was to big. In this image you can see what I'm talking about.



I can't stress enough, don't throw away those used disks. As you can see here they are well used and I did go through three, but I kept them because they are great for tight spots later on.

So, cutting done...


It's time to file, and file more, and file some more.

For this I use my goto set of files that I have had for well over 15 years.



From the bottom up, my most used. The ones at the top you can see they are actually showing signs of tarnish because they don't get used as often. The bottom 4 are from the bottom up:
1. Round
2. Oval on two sides, edges come to a little bit of a point.
3. Oval on one side flat on the other, edges come to nice point, more than the previous
4. Flat on both sides, with a edge that is as thick as the file, about 4 MM. And that edge has a file edge which is nice.
So, as I said, lots of filing. I will not bore you with all the pics but I will say this. Use the files to fix minor slip ups, smooth out your edges and make your lines flow well.




And the finished product, sanded and ready for paint, which will be a later post.




Well, that's it for this week. I'll have more later on, I promise.

 

Nice work Ron! looks perfect

 

complimented by the man himself!
looks good, waiting for updates

 

I'll have more very soon. I have moved the hard drive cage around and decided to put a custom "Grill" in the front. ^_^ I'm very pleased with the front. I'll have pic's up soon.

 

So, big update today. This week I took the case apart. Good lord there were no shortage of rivets holding this thing together. I had a problem early on, I did not use a big enough drill bit for fear of making the holes to big for the new rivets which I already had on hand. So, I just had to take my time and be careful.
So, this is the case before disassembly.

No more plastic!

No more Rivets!


So, here are the top parts, and I have some plans for that switch. I like the way it illuminates and I think I can work that into this theme. ;-)



Here is the top handle, or at least the bottom of it. I have cut out the little vanes many moons ago and put some Hex Modders Mesh in there. I was lucky that the hold in the top of the case just clears the PSU with a fan in there. Lucky because I was not paying attention when I did it and it only clears by about 1/2 an inch. So, if I were to put an over sized PSU that top fan would have to go.

Here is this pick again, if you look where the fan hole is you can see what I'm talking about.


I did not like the HD rack the way it was and it made cable management look sloppy. So, I figure I'll rotate it so the power and data cables are not seen. Took some time to get the position right but it fits.


And putting it back on for test fitting.



However, now I have to change the way the front Fan mounts. No problem for the trusty Dremel. I'll have to get some long bolts to mount that fan, I will not be able to get to the screws with the HD cage turned.



Test fit, hmm, need to take off some more



Success



So, now, what to do with the front. I was just going to fill the holes with body filler but, as in all mods things change. So, hmm, logo time!!! I cut out a Monster logo from a can and used that for a guide.

First, find the center.

Then, guide in place, start roughing it, and using an engineer's scribe I started marking the lines for a guide. I did this because I can look at it, check it, and if needed sand it off and start again.

I liked the placement so I moved on and began by drilling many little holes.



This made grinding out the plastic MUCH easier. No melted plastic here. Set your dremel or rotary tool to a lower speed to avoid melted plastic when doing this, and take your time. Don't rush this because once you cut it off, it's rather hard to put it back.



So, I broke out the little files again, and filed for about two hours. Now, when working with plastic like this it can be hard to see what you may have missed. So I recommend hitting it with some primer. So, I sanded it down and added a light coat. This allowed me to see minor imperfections. I could not get the camera to pick them up, I'm sorry. However, the result is great. Here are some teaser shots for the front. I'll be breaking out the body filler for the little holes on the side and the floppy opening.

Teaser shots!!
Green

Blue

Green Full Shot


So, what's upcoming?
I have never used body filler before. Bill Owen swears by Evercoat Fiberglass filler, short strand I believe. For the life of me they just don't like Evercoat around here. So I had to get Bondo brand, but it is Fiberglass Resin, and can be used stand alone as I'll do here. That will be my next mod.

I also will be posting some goodies soon, woohoo, I love mail order. The excitement of waiting for packages to come in the mail. It reminds me of my childhood days when I would order model Rocket stuff via mail order and count the days for my stuff to come in. I always feel like a little kid, LOL.

 

Nice work! Great attention to detail!

I belive we all havge that kid in us! i someone doesn't, grow up!

 

looking good mate.
just thought of this... if you place a piece of plexi behind that front logo and sand the plexi a bit you could have a more even diffused green glow... if not this still looks pretty cool.

WOW... forget i said this.... major DUH moment after i commented... disregard what i said above xDDDD
still looks pretty cool.

 

Well, that idea is what I'm doing with the side. Translucent Green Plexi. The front is actually for a "Fan Grill" and to allow air in. So, not a Duh moment, great minds think alike.

 

So, I have been busy and I do have some progress to report. And, some GOODIES!!

My Xoxide order came in and now that I have all the pic's i wanted to share. Xoxide helped me out with a discount and they FedEx'ed my order to me which was a very nice surprise. I don't think I hit the FedEx button on that order form. ^_^

So, I ordered three green uv Apevia fans, some chrome wire grills, slot covers, black thumb screws and Green LED Light strips.
The Apevia fans are nice looking and very quiet. They are quiet because they have a low RPM. They may not be the best for moving vast amounts of air, but they will be quiet and that is one of the things I was going for. This case should have ample air flow so I don't think the lower CFM will hurt anything. Now, they also have hot glue that was used to hold the LED's. However the LEDs are so bright that a lot of light bleed through which I did not like. The picture did not come out well to show that so I did not post it. What I did to fix it was get my hobby acrylic black paint and simply put a few coats on there. That worked just fine and solved the problem. Another thing I liked about these fans, the wire is completely covered in heat shrink and each one came with its own black wire grill.

In this image you can see the white glue.


Fan Close ups

And here you can see the painted Glue. Nice and black and no bleed.



Grills and Slot covers



Now, the LED light strip is the kind that is weather proof. I like this better than the bare strip. It also does not come with a molex fitting, and that really is not a big deal. They are super bright and come with over a foot of wire so it's good for just about any location on a case. I'll be cutting mine in to 6" sections and these will be the back light for the side M logo.
First, to cut and lay them out.

How will I wire them?

and test to be sure it works after I cut.

So, after stripping off the rubber sealant and back adhesive I had to figure out how to get solder to hold.

I decided to poke a small hole for the wire to pass through and then solder it. I figure it would get a better hold and it did. These will not come off, unless you really want them to. This next shot is to give you an idea of the small holes.

Hmm, this is not a good solder job, I know I can do better.

And this is better.

I sleeved these with paracord but realized that no one will see them on the side. Oh well, they look nice, however the wire that came with them is to thick with its shielding, I could not get the paracord over it. So, that part I left alone and soldered on a molex for power. Here is the test shot. I'm very happy with the outcome.


Well, that's it for tonight. I'll have more up soon, I do have more progress to report. Oh, one last shot, what do you do with your left over scraps of 3MDiNoc Carbon Fiber Film? Why, you make Fan stickers of course.


I love this stuff. ^_^

 

Looking good so far subbed.

 

3/24/2011

Well, I have much to update on. After getting the front piece body filler finished and sanded I began to get to painting! While I was working on the primer coats I also received more goodies, it’s always fun unboxing stuff. I would have had some good pictures for you but my daughter took the camera again. I really need to just buy her a camera so she’ll stop taking mine.

So, what have I accomplished?
I received my white carbon fiber film for the left side of the case.
I have completed the body filler on the front and primed all the pieces.
I have begun painting some color.
I finished the switch.

So, goodies, I received my translucent green plexi’ for the left side of the case and cut out my silhouette which will allow the green back lighting to glow around the M logo that I cut out of aluminum. The desired affect is to halo the M. I also received some case feet, black carbon fiber and a acrylic hex fan grill from MNPCTech.com. Thank you Bill for graciously sponsoring me on this build. For those of you have possibly though that his case feet are a little pricy, let me tell you, I USED to think the same way. However, now that I have my hands on these, they are more than worth it. I received the Black anodized grooved feet and they look fantastic.





I also received my white carbon fiber film. Now, let me start off by saying that there are knock off brands out there. And they usually clearly indicate that they are not the 3m DINOC film. I ordered some recently from metrorestyling.com, and they have some decent prices. I ordered a 2 by 4 sheet of vinyl film, not realizing that it was not the 3m. I also accidently ordered a 2 x 2 sheet of the 3m stuff. Dumb me I did not realize what I had done until after the order shipped. I was being rushed out the house by the wife, go figure. LOL
So, I did a little comparison of the vinyl film over the 3m and this is what I found.
I can’t photograph the differences; I simply don’t have the right equipment. The vinyl film is thinner, lighter. Background logos will show through if there is enough contrast in them. The texture is the same, but it may be just a touch more shiny. When working with curves and complex surfaces, the vinyl film does not flex as well as the 3m. It would stretch but would slowly shrink back. Also it does not seem to hold those curves, again, it shrinks back. I have used the 3M stuff on my car, a Microsoft natural 4000 ergo keyboard and a Logitech revolution X mouse, so I fully understand how to get this stuff on complex surfaces. With my Hairdryer mounted and working it, it still is not as good as the 3m stuff. Now, with that said, if you have a flat surface to work with, have at it, it will work fine. Simple rounded edges will work just fine.

On to painting. While painting the switch, I realized that the dark color of the primer is not a good base color for the pearl mist. The switch looks great, but is just a shade or two darker than the other parts. As soon as I realized this I ran out and purchased some white for a base coat. And I’m happy to say that worked out great. I don’t know if I want to redo the switch because it did come out very well, but I may strip it all away and start over. Sigh
However, the switch still looks great, so here are some early shots with a flashlight to show the glow of the M.
Before

After, however it will get one more shot of clear coat.


Parts laid out

Warming the paint





Rivet time, yes, I painting the rivets. And to keep them from getting messed up when I use them I’ll put small paper and rubber washers from a case screw kit on the rivet gun and see if that helps.

This is my Daughter, the case is for her and she wanted to help. So, she is learning to paint. Primer is a good start, kind of hard to mess up primer.


Here are some of the Green parts.

The piece on the Right is the case top. Inside it will be green, the outside will be Pearl Mist. You can also see the Front bezel piece, with two very light coats of Pearl Mist.
Here is a close up.


This is a USB 3.5 bay, and for some reason the bottom simply will not take paint. So, I’m just going to roll with it and leave it be. The front is fine, the bottom and inside are refusing to take paint. Very strange.



I also was painting the M with the Key Lime Green. Then, I thought this would look good with a very thin coat of the pearl mist. WRONG. Even though the cans don’t say if they are enamel or lacquer, the paint “wrinkled”. Good thing I only did the smaller part of the logo, so I’ll have to strip that off and redo it. I tried to capture the look and you can make it out a little in these pictures. But you really notice it if the light hits it just right. Strange part is, both brands of paint are Rust-oleum. I know, I know, some of you are DupliColor or Krylon fans, and truthfully so am I, but these colors were great. By themselves, they work very well, just don’t combine them.

It was hard to get a good picture of the problem but I think you can make it out.



Now, to really blow your socks off, the clear coat I’m using is DupliColor, and it did not do anything to the pearl mist. I’m not going to clear coat the green, I don’t want to risk it, but I’ll be testing it to see what happens.

And as I type this the front piece of the DVD drive did not take the pearl mist at all. I thought it was the base white paint I was using but when I tested it on another piece, it was fine. So, maybe I just put on to thick a coat. I had to strip down the paint, but, the primer held. So that’s good. The DVD drive button also wrinkled but I’m going to leave it and see how it looks when dry. Over all I’m just disgusted and will have to stop for the day.
Thanks for following along!

 

You live, you learn!

Looks like a great mod, and for once I like the Monster logo idea!

 

Thank you, I wanted to try something different. I had plans of a custom M grill but I found out that was done already, and basicly the same thing I had planned. So I'm going to use that Grill from Bill. But, as I say that, I may just have to put some DINOC film on that, but not black or white, GREEN, and let the black acrylic show under it. Hmm, that may work out nice.

 

+rep and you're a more determined modder than me. I started a Soyo Dragon case mod but the thing cut me more than I cut on it. Threw that rascal out the 3rd floor window. True story.

I watch

john

 

You're daughter is really lucky to have a geek father like you !
Yours cuts are so clean, continu with the good work !

 

Lookin good Ron! the Apevia fans are perfect choice!

I've cleared the 3M carbon fiber material with Plastikote brand "Engine Enamel Clear #229" last July, and it's been holding up perfectly.

 

Thank you all for the compliments. It's always nice to get compliments and not just views.

Bill, that green paint on the one piece of white DINOC is holding up very well also. So, to keep it with the theme I think that will work just fine. And I'll be doing just what you did here. Did you paint it after you cut it or before? Or, before you stuck it on the grill or after?

I'm thinking about painting it first, then applying and cutting out the holes.

 

Cut out the di-noc carbon fiber from the grill holes with Xacto knife, then clear it

 

Well, it’s update time, and it has been a little while since my last update. Things have been moving very slow. Weather has been a bit part of the problem; I can’t paint if it’s too cold or windy. So I have had to pick and choose my days very carefully. I have also been plagued with recurring problem with my painting surfaces.

I have been having an issue where the paint is not bonding with the previous layer and “wrinkling.” It has happened on a few different pieces. One was the DVD drive face. I had to take that back down to the primer and start over. Then, it happened on a few small parts of the top handle. Now, my most recent battle is one of the drive covers. It’s very random, and on average I have been waiting 48 hours between paint coats.

I’ll start off with the Grill from MNPCTech.com
I wanted to keep the Black of the Acrylic Grill intact, so I had to paint the DiNoc first. It worked out great, and the over all look is exactly what I wanted.

I have to say, cutting all those holes is a PITA, (Pain in the A__). But, it was worth it, Green on Black Grill. It looks great on the test fit as the chassis underneath is also Green.


I also finished up the DVD Drive, it’s green with a pearl mist front, and I even put the label’s back on.




I also finished repainting the M and got it mounted on the side panel. I tested out the lighting but discovered that the translucent acrylic does not diffuse the light as much as I hopped. I will have to either add longer lengths, or one 6” at the top. If I pull the LED’s 1 to 2 inches from the plexi it looks perfect, however I don’t have that much room. There is only about ¼ inch to spare. I’ll wait and see when it all starts to come together.
Take a look, and you’ll see what I mean.
Before the M
This is the White Dinoc on Translucent Green Plexi

Some Tape of the Gods

One down

Almost

Woops, lets line it up again

And down it goes

And the test lighting



Here is a test fit with one of the side frames. It’s not quite finished, needs a few more coats of paint. But you can get the idea of how it will look.


Now, I said I was having painting issues. Here is one, it’s a drive bay cover, and I had to strip off the paint. I sanded the bad spot down, not the whole thing, it was boned well and I did not think I would have to go too far.

However when I put the Primer back on, well, take a look.


So I’ll have to totally take that down to plastic and start over.

Here are some progress shots as well as my Dry Booth. (Shed out back) I put them in there when the paint was dry to touch so they could cure.


And here are a few of the finished parts.



Again, I would like to thank my Sponsor, Bill Owen of MNPCTech.com. Be sure to check out his site and Blog, some great things going on over there. Check him out on Facebook also.

http://www.mnpctech.com/casemodblog/

Thanks for following along. The weather is getting better; the only slow thing now is giving the paint time to cure.