Update! This is what i was primarily working on today... its SOOOOO tough sanding down this surface... if anyone has some ideas on how i could sand it down with easy, please, please educate me thnx.
im using one... its even sorta in the last picture... at the bottom right of the picture.... it just doesnt work very well in removing the surface... it works wonders when i want to buff it up, but not for the this. Im using 80 grit sandpaper and it hardly removes anything.
Erm, i've used a wire brush wheel fitted to an angle grinder before now, followed by the orbital sander, that worked well for me, but that was on 8mm stainless steel. Try it on a peice of scrap aluminiun first. Sandblasting. (i might eventually get my project sandblasted ) Belt sander.
It's comming along nicely, im really not a fan of ppl trying to get their pc's to look like G5's "toung in cheek" (if you only knew!) These new lian's have become the new "cheiftech case" almost every second mod is one of these mac clone cases. But i like where your heading with this one Just on a side note , i dont know if its because of the fact that i use a 30" LCD screen with a 2000+ resolution, but i see **** loads of scratches in the shiny metal after your polishing. You might want to seek a guide on how-to buff them out.
The problem im having with the case door and making it perfectly spotless is the fact that I can only sand in one direction for each side, and when i get to the corners it sands the opposite way from the other side.... hard to explain... --------------- I I I I I I I I I I --------------- The lines represent the direction i had to sand in order to make it look decent. If i did them all the same way the sides would look like crap.... i tried so many times to get it perfect. Maybe I can buff them out? Should I purchase a small buffer? Any ideas?
of course! sanding is only the first step in metal shining process, next you buff. theres a few threads in this forum , where ppl had poished their metal.
I don't know much about metals, but it seems to me that aluminium is a metal that usually can not be made to have a mirror finish, because it oxidizes the instant is is exposed to the air. I seem to have read that when tapping for screws in aluminium, it is good advice to have it soaking in alcohol. And as you have explained, the only way you have been able to get the durable shine in the first place, is because you work car wax into the surface of the metal instantly, even as you sand it. So correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you are likely to be the only guy out there to have a mirror finish aluminium case. If mirror finish had been the original intent of the manufactures, I really think that they would have used a different metal. But like I said, I don't really know that much about metal.
If the lines are the grain from your sanding, then change to a finer paper, and sand in a perpendicular direction to the last one you used, keep doing this, you'll need to do it 4 or 5 times on your way to 2000 grit paper. The wax is probably making it shine, but I dont think you have sanded it thouroughly enough to get the smoothness in the surface that you want.
I'll watch this closely, the shiny side panel is maybe something I can do with my AlumaxX. Man I just love it!!!!!!!! I think I first try it on a piece I got left from the radiator cut, before I have the guts to try it with the sidepanels.
When sanding metal, should i sand in only 1 direction? Or should I sand side to side, then up and down and then diagonally? Should i sand in circles?
If anyone doesnt know, do you know of any guides? I searched this forum and the main page and cant find any information regarding sanding metal...
I've gotten a nice shine from aluminum with this sequence: 100 grit in long direction. 220 grit same direction 400 grit w/d same direction (I sand dry) 00 steel wool in circular direction 0000 steel wool in circular direction Polish with "Blue magic polishing cream" After the 0000 steel wool the aluminum still doesn't look shiny, but the polish brings it to a near mirror shine! BTW skip the 100 grit if there are no scratches to get out. Hope this helps.
Update: Here is the door after 80 grit: after 100 grit: after 320grit: after 600 grit with wax: This is after i buffed it... As you can see it isnt as nice as my previous job with the door above..... i dont get it.... i think i need to take it back to hand sanding or something. The vapochill door isnt at all as clear and mirror-like then my other job.... its a bit cloudy.... and ideas?
You should definately take a look at coolermiester's shiny wavemaster here Looks like he spent a long time sanding and then a long time polishing.
you do need to work your way up to around 2000 grit. also, i think the vapochill panel looks nicer as it doesnt have the scratches like the case door.
As soon as you reach the 1200/ 1600+ grit level you'll see the scratches start to go. You not considered getting the other panels sandblasted? It'll save your arms
