Not very constructive FZ. I admit that I like the black and copper look better but I needed to do something different, I have four black cases. The snake skin texture has a fun little project and I need to take some risks in my modding. This is the reason I decided to custom build my own reservoir instead of just buying one and using acetyl fittings for the copper tubing instead of the standard tube fittings from some of the water cooling companies.
Taking risk is part of the fun. I do like the snake skin idea, but in a different color. Maybe something using 2 layers : - A first flat layer (orange or silver) that will be the scale outlines color (no mask used, just full paint) - A dark gray / black layer using the mesh mask for the skin color. You would end up with a dark skin with outlined scales that would probably fit the copper face better. Nice job done on your project, really enjoyed it and I like when people are trying different roads.
Thanks Guille It is always better to start with the lightest color when doing a camo style paint but when I decided on the Jade color I was kinda stuck. I tried a few different paint options, I use a copper base with the jade as the second coat and it looked like crap, then I tried the jade as the base with black as the second coat, looked better but not as good as having a black base with a jade second coat. I have not updated my build log in a while, I am hoping to get the replacement water block soon so I thought I would head out to the garage and continue with some of the things I still have to do. You know something is terribly wrong when spiders have decided to live in your mod project. After I cleaned out all of the spider webs I started fabricating a simple GPU back plate. I will paint this to match the case and will attach it to the GPU with some double sided tape. After having to drain the loop five times while I trouble shot the leaky CPU water block I came to realize that a drain system in this build is badly needed so I ordered a bitspower shutoff valve and a 90 degree rotary fitting to help me drain the loop. Now all I have to do is attach a drain line to the valve and open it up to drain the system. I also got myself four of the Akasa APACHE BLACK PWM 140mm fans to push air through the radiators. Here are some other pics of the system as it currently sits in my garage. Some of the other things that I am working on is painting the GPU fan Shroud and possible the PSU to match the case. I have not decided if I will sleeve any extensions for the PSU cables yet. I have a set that I did up in Blue para-cord but it would be a pain to strip it back down to change the color. I will be running distilled water and have slipped a silver kill coil into one of the copper lines, hope this does not cause any problems in the future.
I was tired of waiting for the replacement water block to come in so I created my own acrylic water block using the copper base and mounting system from the Alphacool water block that was leaking. I will test it for leaks, if it passes I will run it in my system and see what kind of performance it has. I do not expect much in terms of performance but it has been a fun little side project. Sorry I did not take more pictures of the process. The block was made using 3 pieces of acrylic. The end result looks much better then the rough cuts shown in the pictures. I was in the zone and did not stop to take photos at each stage of the build process.
I have an update, the CPU block that I put together has passed a 24 hour static leak check and now I am going to run it in the loop for another 24 hour leak check.
Case Mod Project: Close Quarters is finally finished. Final pictures of my Corsair 350D case mod/Build log are below. Final specifications are as follows: CPU - Intel 2600K CPU Motherboard - Asus Maximus IV Gene Z Gen 3 RAM - Corsair Vengeance low profile RAM 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 1.5v Video Card - MSI R6950 PSU - Corsair AX850 PSU SSD - Corsair Force 3 SSD (60GB) for OS & Kingston HyperX SSD (120GB) for Storage Fans - 4 x Akasa Apache Black 140mm Water cooling components include Alphacool XT45 280 mm radiator Alphacool UT60 280 mm radiator Custom made acrylic CPU water block Swiftech MCP655 pump with Bitspower mod kit and D5 Mod Pump Top V2 Black acetyl push fittings for 10 mm OD rigid tubing Custom made acrylic reservoir
