Case Mod - In Progress G5 Sacrilege update Jun. 15th a tale of two doors

It is quite warm here today, it's around 22C or so for the rest of you. Gotta love the Rockies! Shirt sleeve weather in the city and great skiing a couple hours away in the mountains.

I see what you're getting at with the aluminum shell, John. Alas, you don't have a shrink ray to just take a G5 case down to size. It is rather a puzzle, but coming along quite nicely.

 

It's a quandary to me also. I'm sitting here with my friends from Ireland - the 4 Guinness Brothers. I have the Apple wrap around measured and taped up for cutting. We are discussing "tips, tricks, tools and techniques"! It's a big step to cut the wrap around, door on one side, door on both sides? Needs some thinking.

While I was out to the store with my wife for groceries, I found a new treasure! Check out the Modding section for:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=147923
$2 Thrift Store Treasure. Probably should change the name to "$2 Cooler Master"
John -

 

LOL, Tell them I said hi...and then kill a couple of em for me (I'd kill for a good Guinness on tap here...well minus the $18 a pint pricetag)

Congrats on your newest MOTM nomination Bro!

 

Patch Panels and J. B. Weld

My team and I discussed cutting the wrap around until late last evening. We decided the look was there but we needed to get the cage ready. See post #162. So ...
I took the cage all apart, squared up the front cut on the grinder, and cut the patch panels 6 rows high to reinforce the horizontal cut on the front.


I'm going to show you only one of the seams in progress because I don't want anyone falling asleep.

The patch panel from the front:

The 3 mm holes all lined up and ready to go.

From the back side with the long bolts showing:


The J. B. Weld mixed up on a chunk of plexi from the closet and applied to the front of the cage piece.


2 back joints with the mesh, the top seam using a piece of the original bottom in the inside, the bottom with a piece inside takes care of the outer welding. When it all dries, all the mesh gets another coat from the inside.

Just thought a quick one would do since Cyprio covered this in enough detail to teach me how.

Oh by the way 74 degrees yesterday, blizzard conditions and white outs to. We lost 50 degrees since yesterday!!!
John

 

I thought it was the other way around!

I would try the plexi on the inside of the curve idea. Use the inner part that curve as your template for the alu. Might work out the size difference. Of course I could (and prob am) horribly wrong about that. Hard to say with out actually see this in the real world.

About to get the same weather thing here in Missouri. In the 70's today chance of snow tomorrow night But that is the norm here. Don't like the weather just wait 10 minutes might get better (or usually worse)!

 

I actually thought that you would apply the JB Weld direct to the
back patch stripe and then fasten it with the screws on the inside.
When that has cured then use the JB Weld to fill the crack on
the outside ............


Alan

 

I just love those meshes on the mac G5. Interesting idea.

Subscribed

 

Trying both techniques as I want to get the best hold with the goop. Hard to put the weld stuff on and then get the bolts tightened afterwards. Messy stuff! Need more hands or figure out a better technique.

John

 

How easy was it to bend the aluminium. Its one of the parts im most worried about with my mod, once i got the time to cut it out and all that jazz.

Motm for me.

 

Actually if you skim through the earlier posts you will see that I didn't bend any of the original aluminum parts. I measured and tested and measured ... and cut the G5 pieces down to this size. I once thought of bending but the slots and grooves in the sides for other pieces put me off that idea. These pictures are all original Apple bends.

Thanks for the question and for looking.
John

 

Technique #2

For Cyprio and Alan
There has been some discussion about using the J. B. Weld from the back on the patch panels. This is technique #2 for me to use the goop from the back. Here goes. I'm posting before I actually do this and get dirty.
Picture #1

While hanging my shirts, I found some wire coat hangers. I cut some chunks and bent them into this U shape after determining hole spacing.
Picture #2

This shows the pins inserted into the patch panel from the inside. They are long enough to allow room to apply the J. B. Weld and give me a nice handle from the other side.
Picture #3


Pulling the pins tight from the front after spreading the J. B. Weld on the patch panel pulls everything in to allignment.
Picture #4

Get the bolts ready and insert them from the front, slap on the nuts, and tighten up. That didn't sound right!
Pull the pins out and just the bolts hold it together. Remember the patch panels are made of the same hole spacing since they are cut from an original Apple frame.

Want to discuss or just let me crash and burn here?

John

 

It is good.

It has come into view.

I look forward to completion.

 

Thank you. I have seen your work. It is very good.
John

 

50 page hits and no responses

OK. Nobody cares but I did it my way.
From the outside:




You can't see it too good at this resolution but the weld epoxy is oozing out the front! Yeah.

From the inside :


Slathered some more in here and forced it down into the mesh with a throwaway plastic knife.

Totaled my little work bench but it has white removable shelf liner on it. Now the question is whether I can get the grey goo off my hands from the holding and screwing before I have to go to my $1 a minute take home job in the morning. I'm thinking acetone or maybe napalm.

Don't tell my wife Marilyn but I got some on my wedding ring. Had that bugger since 1980. Ring cleaning first, hands next.

Peace.

John

 

and as always, i'm too late ;/ John from the very beggining i was sceptic about that glue :/ it won't hold at hands becose of sweat but ring can be tricky :/ I hope it will come off easy.

If this case won't be stiff enough this epoxy won't hold :/ i was experimenting with epoxy resin and fibreglass which is very flexible... alu is hard to bond ... but this i special glue so should be good.. I will keep my fingrs crossed

Greatzzz
Tomek

 

Thanks Tomek.
/Off topic I started my new project with your countrymen from Z.G. today. Looks really interesting. /end Off topic

I hope this works too! But never fear I have 2 more G5 cases. We will get this done.

Quote for today:

"Never have so few worked so hard for such little results"

From me
John

 

John ...... I do care ......... you just caught me sleeping

We are in different time zones ......... like 7 or 8 hours difference.........

Good idea your way ......... hope it works


Alan

 

Sorry to wake you I just got the idea and wanted to share. It worked well aside from being messy. Everyone else has their cases coming together and mine was still in pieces so I put the pieces together.
The front joint hardened enough that I could take one of the bolts out to see. It wouldn't pull out but the epoxy is hard enough that the bolt could be unscrewed - made its own threads. Nice stuff. And with almost no weight this case should be sturdy enough for my nightstand or my cube at work?

Sleep is over rated.
Robby - "I rarely use it. It promotes rust"

John

 

I'm sure if JB Weld ,if mixed and cured properly,will hold most parts together
forever.
I like to use it and it has worked well.

Hope to see the parts sanded down and re-drilled soon.

Oh.....and sometimes I do fall asleep even if I don't want to.

Alan

 

Man, I do not envy you regarding this bonding problem! JB Weld sucks on so many levels, but it's a necessary evil sometimes.

@Alien: Narcolepsy Cheesecake!