Midlag Crisis

[Waynio]

Midlag Crisis

Story behind the name, :D my main current project is called Lean & Green or LAG for short, I was midway through & I had a hissy fit over something stupid which made my progress come to an emergency stop so had a little timeout to regain my sense, or at least some of it :D could call the project anything since I never have it in writing on my projects, great story... :D

But I’m using this one to get me right back in motion to continue LAG straight after this. :)

It’s a small practical HTPC I'm making for my dad as a present, he's in Australia until the 8th of February & I aim to have this project completed well before then.

It holds an SFX PSU, mini-ITX mobo with support for regular height expansion card, Internal IR receiver, Internal 3.5" e-sata HDD dock which can be switched on/off & 1 3.5" HDD & 1 SSD & 1 140mm custom fan, 1 of the parts of the custom frame is the front panel too, got all the hardware covered already & this is my first rig without an optical drive.

Some concept shots.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis3.jpg

The internal custom e-sata HDD dock has a sliding piece which 3 rods guide it so it goes forward/back nice & straight that has enough room to free the drive & then the HDD clips in/out of place with it's own little side panel for quick access.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis5.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis6.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis7.jpg

After making it all printer ready.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis8.jpg

The only material I had to buy was the 2mm panel & an acrylic tube with 16mm ID for the marble power button, everything else is scraps.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis9.jpg

Cut into manageable pieces.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis10.jpg

Drilled.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis11.jpg

Cut & undressed after a nicely productive 10 hours, so that's the front, back, top, bottom, both sides, mobo tray & most of the HDD dock pieces & back IO piece but all the acyrlic bits need the adhesive before I can complete them. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis12.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis13.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis14.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis15.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis16.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis17.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis18.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis19.jpg

Also cut some acrylic pieces but I can't find my tensol 12 adhesive so I'll have to order a new bottle & get it on Tuesday but this lets me complete everything else in the meantime.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis20.jpg

This project should be a quickie.

Feels good to have done some modding after such a big timeout, I'll do more tomorrow. :D

[d_stilgar]

Awesome start!

I'm trying to remember, you use a scroll saw for all your cuts? Are the pictures you show after filing? The parts look amazing.

[Waynio]

Awesome start!

I'm trying to remember, you use a scroll saw for all your cuts? Are the pictures you show after filing? The parts look amazing.

Thanks D :up: yes, straight from the scroll saw. :)
Sometimes on straight edges I let myself be less focused & finish the flat edge on the disc sander. :)

3MM day doing the PSU support bars, HDD dock slide system & extra trim bits for the front fan & wow what an awesome mess, :D I intend to clean up very soon.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis21.jpg

Drilled & cut, peeled the templates off with messy glue left on the aluminium, I only stick them on the protective stuff if it's laser film because that doesn't come loose & when pulling it off it comes off in 1 piece showing perfect surface, wish all sheet aluminium sellers used laser film.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis22.jpg

Wiped them all with thinners on a sponge because tissue leaves loads of fluffy bits difficult to get off & gave them all a wash & assembled to see what it looks like, also put a 16mm marble in place but.

I thought why doesn't the rear 3mm panel have symmetrical curves, what the heck went wrong? looked at my design again & yep, I some how forgot to mirror the left side to the right side for that piece so they are odd, oh well lol had to have a hiccup somewhere, not doing another unless it bugs me & I find myself waiting for the adhesive delivery & I get bored. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis23a.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis23b.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis24.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis25.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis26.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis27.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis28.jpg

This was a job for my big countersink bit, lot better than filing for these marble button holes.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis29.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis30.jpg

Another bit of the 3mm stuff, part of the HDD dock piece that lets me slot the drive in place, works perfect, the plates fixed to the bottom panel are tapped but I need to shorten the 6mm screws & where I put the thin piece mounted to the HDD will let me dunk it into normal HDD docks. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis31.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis32.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis33.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis34.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis35.jpg

Up to 16 hours in now, yes I'm measuring how long this one takes me for a change, started late on this progress though, 7PM until 1AM. :D

More soon. :)

[Waynio]

1mm Day & I skipped posting last night.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis36.jpg

Drilling with a clamped aluminium flat bar with 3mm holes pre drilled into it for perfect targeting. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis37.jpg

Cutting.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis38.jpg

Peeled, just need the 4 rod pieces & to fix a fan inside to complete this fan.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis39.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis40.jpg

IO pieces but they are twins, they shouldn't be, the main rear IO hole is meant to have a 2mm smaller diameter to the acrylic & external hole, so even with printing your designs, the same old rule applies of measure before marking lol, I'll re-make the wrongly done piece along with the wonky curve front 3mm piece & also make very sure I take off the wrong acrylic guide & put the right one on, that would have made a time consuming mistake. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis41.jpg

Back to 2 of the 3mm strips I cut & drilled on last session, had to drill mill 1mm depth for the SSD tray so it sits flush to the strips, it's not perfect but not bad at all considering it's not a mill.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis42.jpg

Didn't take shots of me bending the strips but I placed them in the vice & used a chunky piece of aluminium to bend them to shape so the bits I wanted to stay straight stayed straight, slight problem with the bends though, in the design they are more of a round curve rather than sharp bends so it's about 1 to 2mm stretched out too long, I'll work it out though & the bends line up with the guide I printed, I'll just have to extend the screw holes on 1 end into a line & grind some of the end down or relocate the front mount points to the right distance & grind the excess off.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis43.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis44.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis45.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis46.jpg

Not sure how long sank into this session, didn't keep tabs on it so I'd have to take a wild guess, call it 5 hours lol which brings me up to 21 so far, probably another 20 if including the design part & so far I'll be re-making 2 pieces which I'll include on my next session along with the bar pieces & acrylic sticking because the adhesive came today, had to order some 5mm aluminium rod though so hopefully that will get here this week.

Ordered some bits for experimenting with surface finishing too, may or may not work out how I'd love it to but I'll post my findings either way when I try it out on scraps, if it works though it'll be a pretty sweet addition for finishing choices in modding for people on a budget &/or don't like to outsource.

[d_stilgar]

I think I need to get a better scroll saw. Mine uses the pin-end blades, which don't come in as many varieties. I couldn't imagine doing aluminum with it.

[Scottie Daddy]

I def need a scroll saw. Looks amazing man!

Keep it up!

[Waynio]

I think I need to get a better scroll saw. Mine uses the pin-end blades, which don't come in as many varieties. I couldn't imagine doing aluminum with it.
I had the same problem with my first scroll saw, need bigger holes to do internal cuts also, might be worth checking out if you can get different parts for the one you have so it could use pin-less blades. :up:

I know others who find cutting metals with a scroll saw quite difficult, it mostly requires good patience, hold it down well & don't force it to cut faster which can make the alu stick to the blade which then throws your work piece up & down lol, does have a bit of a learning curve for all different thicknesses too.

So patience, good focus & steady hands makes it work, a good thing for preventing aluminium or acrylic melting & sticking to the blade is once you are good enough to do it almost 1 handed, get a small chunk of copper & add a tiny slit in it, hold it up against & pressed down on the back of the blade while cutting, gives a tiny bit more stability & keeps the blade cool, having 2 or 3 at hand is handy for continuous cutting. :)


I def need a scroll saw. Looks amazing man!

Keep it up!
Thanks Scottie :):up:

Idea I hope will work.
I'm hoping this is something new lol, got these concentrated dyes & metal lacquer, going to try for an anodising alternative & will be able to make any colour, makes sense it would work, I'll test on scraps ASAP, I used metal lacquer all over stealthlow & it's great stuff hard wearing & invisible so should be a great alternative to anodising enabling more creativity. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis47.jpg

PCI/IO mobo tray
2 1mm alu panels & I re made 1 of them because I did them the same on first go & 1 was meant to be 2mm diameter smaller for the IO shield (mixed the templates up accidentally), 2 5mm & 1 3mm acrylic piece which is fully stuck together with tensol 12 & then cut & I drilled & added brass inserts for the bent PSU support & SSD mount strips & inserts for the connecting to the mobo tray & the expansion slot, I'll be using 10mm female to female spacers, this would have been easier logging for me & easier reading for you if I took step by step pictures with brief descriptions lol d'oh.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis48.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis49.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis50.jpg

Marble vandal switch
Stuck the acrylic bits together for the marble button, it's 2 3mm pieces with 1 of them having a 4mm larger hole so the 16mm ID 20mm OD pipe fits into it, 1 3mm piece & a 1mm piece with an OEM Lian Li switch inside held firm, I added brass inserts to it to mount to the front panel also, it's a bit rough looking but I don't care, it functions spot on & is smaller than I intended it to be with the front being countersunk deeper than intended which is a nice bonus, I'll have to get a side by side shot of this switch & a vandal switch for size comparison, also re made the 3mm panel which had mismatching curves.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis51.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis52.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis53.jpg

The HDD dock connector piece.
Mix of 4mm alu for the grip piece, 3mm alu for a strong cover & 1 5mm layer with pass through & somewhere to mount the cables & then a 3mm & 5mm piece below for solid support, this piece isn't complete yet & hope it goes to plan, requires real high accuracy to work right but it all seems on track.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis54.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis55.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis56.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis57.jpg

Cut a 140mm akasa apache fan frame away ready for fixing to the custom frame, I'm keeping the 4 legs for extra stability, these custom fans I had to make 1mm deeper than a normal fan so they are all 26mm.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis58.jpg

Apologies for the slack logging on this update, I just got on with making it & took pictures after which makes it more difficult to explain what I did lol, I'll try to get back to regular step by step logging from now but things like using tensol 12 acrylic adhesive I don't mess about because it dries fast & is very toxic so messing about with the camera while doing stuff like that isn't a good idea.

I think I'm going to be gutted this isn't for me lol, it's really turning out pretty sweet I think. :D

[Waynio]

Bars & rods cut to size & given perfectly flat ends.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis59.jpg

Even templates on rods seemed a good idea & it was. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis60.jpg

Done, and that guide tool I made for drilling the center of rods I did the same for square bars & it works awesome. :banana:
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis61.jpg

Fixed things together, need longer screws for the fan.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis62.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis63.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis64.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis65.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis66.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis67.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis68.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis69.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis70.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis71.jpg

Bye for now. :)

[d_stilgar]

Looking great. Awesome work as usual.

[Waynio]

Looking great. Awesome work as usual.

Thanks D. :)

The egg has hatched & the chick has stumbled out & I name that chick Salamick, Salami mixed with a lick. :D

Firstly this is just some basic experimental colour finishing looking for an alternative to regular methods that can be done quickly & easily without need for a special setup or special conditions, I took quite a bunch of shots to show how it looks from different angles too because it does look not too far from perfect on some & very imperfect on others depending on how the light catches it.

Could have just shown the best view points of it to blag everyone but I'd rather show how it really is.

About 30 drops of black added to a bottle of metal lacquer & shaken, gave 1 coat & also masked a few strips for a 1st attempt, gave it some adidas stripes on a shark fin lol.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick01.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick02.jpg

Then emptied the whole bottle in & shaken, become far more potent.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick03.jpg

Salami, or even black pudding that's what this dotty finish reminds me of lol.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick04.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick05.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick06.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick07.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick08.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick09.jpg

Then applied a 2nd coat & the trouble with 2 coats is it needs to be applied perfectly or it can look messy.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick10.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick11.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick12.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick13.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick14.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick15.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick16.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick17.jpg

Tried green, emptied the full bottle in & gave a shake.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick18.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick19.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick20.jpg

1st coat covered better than the black but still had dots, just not as many.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick21.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick22.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick23.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick24.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick25.jpg

2nd coat produced some interesting effects but they can only be appreciated on a macro shot with direct light bouncing off it otherwise it doesn't look so good.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick26.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick27.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick28.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick29.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Salamick30.jpg

Not sure what to make of it, on one hand it's kinda like flip paint with how different it looks from angles, on the other it's not quite as awesome as I imagined but it is hard wearing & the theory does work just not as nice looking as I imagined, as it stands it's no comparison for a good anodising job but I should give a scrap piece a brush finish to see if that helps, this was all done on freshly peeled aluminium scraps without any prep work.

Ideally I would like to get this technique so it's doable with 1 coat so the surface texture of the aluminium is visible like anodising but with a solid consistent colour so I'll have to continue playing with this idea to see if I can improve on it, it's already proven to work, just needs perfecting.

Opinions are very welcome on what you think of it, awful or has potential so worth persisting to get the method perfected?.




My dad got back today 2 days earlier than I was told of the 8th & the 2 days before that I was cleaning up the house, the screws still haven't come so I'm going to get everything else done tonight so it's ready for assembly tomorrow "if" the screws come, ordered a load of countersunk & button head screws.

During the night if there is time I'll also try some other ideas for anodising alternative.

[msmrx57]

That spotting looks like what fish-eyes in paint look like. They're caused in paint by contamination of the surface (usually oil of some sort). So maybe do another test with the metal OCD clean? Even with the spots it's a cool look and worth further trials even if you don't have the time get it perfected for this build you could use it in the future.

By the way this is looking really good so far. :up:

[Waynio]

That spotting looks like what fish-eyes in paint look like. They're caused in paint by contamination of the surface (usually oil of some sort). So maybe do another test with the metal OCD clean? Even with the spots it's a cool look and worth further trials even if you don't have the time get it perfected for this build you could use it in the future.

By the way this is looking really good so far. :up:

Ahh, thanks for pointing that potential effect out msmrx57 appreciated, bit of an extreme case of it. :D

I'll try some surface prep for round 2. :):up:

[Waynio]

Wow, tried something different & I've got a real anodising alternative, I'll post ASAP. :D:up:

[Stonerboy779]

Wow, tried something different & I've got a real anodising alternative, I'll post ASAP. :D:up:

Eagerly waiting :)

[Waynio]

Eagerly waiting :)
Here we go. :banana:

Super fun happy ramble.

Well I've really gone & found an anodising alternative & the most difficult bit is mastering applying metal lacquer in 1 coat (something I'm working on perfecting), had a glob bit but that's due to the brush I used for applying dyed lacquer so still had some green in there lol & had 1 blank dot which I don't know how that happened but the result compared to brushing dyed lacquer is infinitely better, I think this is as close to anodising as I'll get without anodising.

Here is what I done.


Roughed up a piece of 5221 grade aluminium with 150 grit wet'n'dry paper.

Cleaned it with the t-shirt I'm wearing lol.

Applied 1 quick brush of metal lacquer on all sides & edges.

Cured fast with heat gun.

Picked out the shabbiest source pan hopefully no one would miss :D filled it with water & brought to the boil & got it to simmer.

Then dumped some black dylon clothes dye powder in the water which I bought quite a while ago for dying plastics, gave it a stir, threw the aluminium strip in & left it for a few seconds, pulled it out & it was taking the dye so put it back in & let it continue for 5 to 10 minutes checking on it now & then to make sure it was getting darker, it sure was, yipeeee. :eek::banana::D

It didn't look very black & more of a burnt colour but gave it a wipe with tissue, it didn't come off which was an awesome sign :D & still looked a burnt colour so then took it to the sink to rinse off any excess dye & the piece turned nice & black like magic :D I was rather joyed & still am, dried it & tried scratching it to see how resistant it is & it is very resistant to scratching, even more than just metal lacquer so this is just perfect.

I'm showing all the pictures I took of the coloured piece, because this is a breakthrough for die hard no outsource modders who want to anodise but won't due to it being hazardous & many other types I believe, dying aluminium without anodising it WTH. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising01.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising02.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising03.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising04.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising05.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising06.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising07.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising08.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising09.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising10.jpg

This is pretty big for modding I think, I'm pretty chuft I found an alternative environmentally nice solution for something I've been wanting to do for a couple of years but never put much effort into it not thinking on enough whenever trying & all because I'm a cheapskate who isn't keen on outsourcing lol :D wouldn't have been looking for the solution without that, it's not just nicely coloured but still maintains the texture of the aluminium & it's even scratch resistant, awesome.


To do the bigger panels on lean & green I'll have to use a big deep baking tray but this is that awesome I think I might be dreaming & I'll wake up any moment gutted it was just a dream lol, was expecting when I gave it a wipe for it to just fall off or crumble off or something but it's hard, definitely a true alternative to anodising.

Anodising makes a super thin film much like metal lacquer so it just kinda made sense it would work as long as the lacquer would stay on in the hot water, luckily it does & clothes dye gets into it, my unwillingness to outsource has really paid off nicely on this one, it also doesn't prevent heat transfer too, I know this due to Stealthlow, the HDD bays collect the heat from them & even warm the side panels & everything is brushed with metal lacquer on it so does nothing bad for heat transfer, I don't think I'd use this method for water blocks though. :D

You can't dye aluminium without anodising, reheheally. :alien::up:

Only further testing I'll need to do now is getting times needed for different shades & establishing the perfect temperature but man I'm really pumped about this, the monkey with cymbals in my head is going nuts doing back flips. :D

I'm calling this method Lacqodising. :D

[Stonerboy779]

That is so awesome :) just make sure you get your pieces properly clean so you don't end up with dots haha.

[d_stilgar]

So, is it sticking to lacquer or to the metal? That's pretty awesome!

[Waynio]

That is so awesome :) just make sure you get your pieces properly clean so you don't end up with dots haha.
Thanks mate, yeah that fish eye effect was extreme fish eye lol, never even heard of it until msmrx57 said. :D


So, is it sticking to lacquer or to the metal? That's pretty awesome!
It dyes the lacquer not the aluminium, my face really lit up when I seen it worked, very hard wearing too. :D

So with it only dying the lacquer, surface prep & a really good covering with the lacquer is so important, I'm thinking about dunking parts into the lacquer, I'll try that on small scrap parts to see how well it works, spraying is another alternative though.

I have intentions of sanding internal cut edges though to create a nice contrast, that will be the time consuming patience testing part & I'll need some kind of wire hanging hooks for pulling it back out while I dry it. :D

Really looking forward to perfecting this finishing method though. :up:

The extra awesome thing about it though is it could be applied to any type of metal.

[Waynio]

Re made all the motherboard trays, seems I didn't account for the extra 1mm allowance for the motherboard IO shield so had to squeeze motherboards into place, they are good now, done it for Midlag Crisis & both systems in Lean & Green.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis72.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis73.jpg

Now this system will work right, everything else is perfect fit.

Got my screws so this thing will come together over the next days, I'll try another test or 2 for the lacqodising, going to try dunking panels into the lacquer but on scrap to see how good or bad that is compared to brushing it on.

[Waynio]

Did these for 20 minutes & tipped the rest of the black clothes dye in the pan which I'd say will be round about 3 teaspoons of dye powder.

Background a real black anodised panel, upper piece is double dipped in metal lacquer, lower piece is single dipped, looks far from good & the strength is very weak, could scratch it off easily = BOTH EPIC FAIL. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising11.jpg

Back to Ox hair brush, upper piece is half double coat & half single coat, lower piece is first test, double coat with stronger dye I don't like, single brush with stronger dye = WINNING. :D
And yes the adhesion is mighty fine like the first test. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising12.jpg

Winning one with real black anodised background.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising17.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising18.jpg

Group.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising13.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising14.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising15.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Lacqodising16.jpg

I think I'd use double the amount of dye for a project just for that little bit of overkill & unless I want naked corner edges for a stand out outline contrast on everything I'll have to round edges off, extra attention to surface prep work will be needed so that will be smoothing, brushing & then thoroughly cleaning before brushing lacquer on 1 side at a time doing the bottom side first & top side last so it stays best side.

This is pretty much conclusive as far as I'm concerned but even so I'll do more tests when I get a timer to dye a pile of small bits taking 1 out every 30 seconds to make a shade chart for how long is needed for what shade, for all I know they might be up to full shade in 5 minutes, just don't know yet. :)

[Waynio]

Screw up ramble re-cap for this project lol.

Skip down to hibber jibber if screw up ramble is a bore. :D

I guess I like to include everything so if I ever need to recall bits of the project I can just look through my log & it doesn't portray someone who does everything perfect. :)

They are all related to slight errors while making the design printer ready, used to be a case of measure a few times before cutting or drilling once, now it's be ultra careful manually converting to 2d to make my designs printer ready, these lessons will or should prevent me from making future screw ups, at least I know by now to include every single important mount hole in the design before getting into doing one for a far quicker project with less confusion. :)

So, I got to the point where everything structural was almost done, someone prompted for testing hardware fitting to see what I got right or wrong & was about to stick the power & data plug in place to the internal HDD dock slide piece, glad I did a check up throughout.

First there was the curves in 1 of the 3mm panels that I didn't fully complete in the design so didn't look right, re made it.

Stuck the bar templates on the wrong sides (was working 4 sides) but luckily I was able to salvage them without them standing out with them being hidden.

Then realised I cut 2 of the same 1mm alu panels for the PCI/IO piece when 1 of then has a 1mm lip for the IO shield to pop in place better, had to make another.

Then discovered my mobo trays were all slightly wrong needing 1mm extra space for the IO shield that comes with mobos, re made this one & both ones for my other project.

Then minor things like some mount holes needing to be slightly bigger, then I found I had the SSD mounted the wrong way around in my design but in the right place so had to re make the SSD plate, also had the internal IR receiver mounted facing inwards some how so re made the front panel too.

LMAO :D


Hibber jibber


Here is a few pictures of what I've done lately & yeah my priority for modding has lowered a bit so I'm now more of a casual modder who happens to do a huge session when I really feel like it, I'll enjoy it more this way with not putting pressure on myself. :D

The reason I had to re make the front panel, the IR mounts were facing the wrong way, d'oh.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis74.jpg

Plugged another brass insert into the PCI/IO piece for the last of the panel mounts, showing sinking the insert in with solder iron which leaves a risen spot which is then either filed or sanded flat.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis75.jpg

Cut the fan legs off & stuck the fan in place with JB weld, I'd describe JB weld like it sets like hard durable plastic, seems like pretty good stuff, like Araldite rapid steel but more concentrated & stronger.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis76.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis77.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis78.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis79.jpg

Made room for the e-sata cable to go underneath the mobo & direct to the rear e-sata port (I'll make a little plug to fill the void).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis80.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis81.jpg

Few random shots before I perfected things.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis82.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis83.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis84.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis86.jpg

Bad fit, sorted it out since then though.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis85.jpg


Which brings me to now & I have just stuck the power & data cables to the HDD dock since I just finished the front panel re make & tweaked the whole structure so everything fits awesome, just seriously hopes the JB weld doesn't squelch into the HDD connector, I won't test that for a day so I just got to hope it is OK, I did lay some masking tape beneath in case it stuck to the bottom panel but if it squelches into the drive connection I am so screwed lol. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis87.jpg

Mounted the IR receiver in the fresh new front panel with 2 4mm spacers I had to grind down from 10mm so neded tiny 2mm screws for that.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis88.jpg

From the front & I made the marble more flush to the surface, looks nicer to me but I'll need to re solder 1 of the wires back on the switch (came loose).
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis89.jpg

SSD mount/PSU stand tweaked to how I wanted it.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis90.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis91.jpg

Also tweaked everything so it all fits perfect but silly me I didn't take no shots before getting onto the HDD dock piece which required me stripping it down a bit but I really like how it's turned out.

Even drilled LED holes into the PCI/IO piece to see how well it lights up = really really poorly so now I know what to do whenever making layered up PCI/IO pieces that I'd like to light up, stick to plain clear acrylic & paint them or better still, apply vinyl & use LED strips.


Little order for surface & edge finishing products, gloves for dirty work, chemical type work & assembly type work, respirators for dust & chemical because I have an epic amount of sanding in my future, white spirit for cleaning & degreasing, 240 grit wet'n'dry paper, 3 flavours of satinising pads & a pack of micro fibre cloths.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis92.jpg

Also have the uber pan coming which is 544mm diameter & 330mm high, I'll be able to get the biggest pieces of lean & green into this pan so the lacqodising is definitely on.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis93.jpg

Lastly, colour scheme, shades of black or brown, I quite like the brown but black would fit in better on the entertainment unit, thought I'd show anyway. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis94.jpg

Should have this Midlag Crisis over with very soon & then back to the nightmare of a mod load called Lean & Green. :)

[Waynio]

Very little to show but I got "something" :D e-sata hdd dock, works nicely, just need to wire an on/off switch to it & make it look a little nicer now the functionality is spot on & was I ever glad the JB weld didn't squelch into the connection making it a permanent fixture to the spare hdd lol. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis95.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis96.gif

Then I've just got external edge finishing & surface finishing to do now, already done the internal edges, thanks to the simple pattern cut outs they were nice & easy to do, LAG won't be that easy but not too far from it.

Lacqodising, got everything I'll need for that now, last things I needed was the big pan, timer, scales & primary dye colours but I also got secondary & more black, been stocking up on big milk jugs too so I can re use the dyed waters I make, I'll be able to make any colours, depth & shade from these.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis97.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis98.jpg

Fits the biggest panel of LAG in there which is a relief. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis99.jpg

Won't be using the giants pan for this project though, a smaller more human pan can be used. :D

Just need to dedicate more since I've given myself chance to properly relax & get a grip but I won't ever be over dedicating again, I tend to end up flipping out way too easily when I do that lol, I think the key to it all is be passionate about modding but separate the passion from the ego completely & things turn out pretty awesome more naturally then & if it doesn't wow people then so what, maybe next project will lol. :D

[Waynio]

Just thought I'd add this progress shot to show things are moving along, all these have been sanded on the internal, external edges & surfaces, pretty close to having it all ready to lacquer it all up. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis100.jpg

[d_stilgar]

You make it look too easy.

[Stonerboy779]

You make it look too easy.

Exactly this...

I swear this looks even better than CNC machined pieces.

[Waynio]

You make it look too easy.
Probably do by now hehe thanks d. :)


Exactly this...

I swear this looks even better than CNC machined pieces.
:D Thanks Stoner, if I had CNC I'd only use it for engraving & making water cooling parts. 8)

Been relaxing lately :)

Depth test.
I turned that black with blue tint to a green tint, I read adding 10% orange neutralises the blue tint, put too much in, think it would be best to just use 2 or 3 times more black than other colours, reason for the roughness of surfaces is I had 60 pieces in a small pan. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis101.jpg

HDD dock power switch 2mm inner panel.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis102.jpg

Drill milling the bar it fixes to.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis103.jpg

Installed & I actually unintentionally used the top panel mount hole with forgetting that's what the hole was for lol so had to add 2 tapped holes either side of it. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis104.jpg

Decided to use a latching vandal switch, just need to wire it.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis105.jpg

To add the hole for the top panel I took the front panel with bars attached, held the top panel against it & drew the circle with a pencil, cut it out & finished off with my biggest countersinking bit so it could just about pop through & gave it all a rubbing with a satinising pad.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis106.jpg

Might have to spray paint the aluminium fan panel or leave it raw, should have left sticking the fan on until I actually dyed the piece lol, JB weld is no joke adhesive. :D

Next update should see this project complete, just not been bothering with modding lately so only do a bit now & then, no competitions in mind & no business agenda so what's the rush eh lol. :D

[Waynio]

Didn't complete it over the weekend, ended up doing something unplanned.

Re made the fan spacers & the hoop piece, original spacers weren't long enough & the hoop wasn't wide enough or consistent width, needed 1mm more length, only really found this out when I actually stuck the fan to it, here is how I grind the sides of the spacers I already cut, drilled & tapped from 8mm round bar.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis107.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis108.jpg

Assembled it without the hoop piece, not sure but I think I prefer it like this plus it's easier to assemble which is a nice bonus, I think it works for this one with the extra 9mm of layers but on LAG I think I'll keep the hoops in play, this fan frame design has 4 layers with the 4 spacers which hold the hoop in perfect position, this particular one has 7 & is trickier to install the hoop properly but works & looks fine without the hoop. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis109.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis110.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis111.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis112.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis113.jpg

HDD dock vandal switch will be completed once the lacqodising is done, not got small spade crimps so had to make it permanent with solder.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis114.jpg

Now then, here's something I've never had the guts to try before but there's no speedier way of learning than just throwing yourself at something, so snip away. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis115.jpg

Dissected a sata cable & joined it back together again, under the first cover is 3 exposed wires resting separated by another shielding, under that shielding is 4 plastic coated wires of the same type, they are really fragile & break really easy, anyway I soldered the 4 double shielded ones together & coated in liquid electrical tape, the other 3 wires were too brittle & kept breaking needing me to expose more to re try so I soldered normal wire to them, applied a couple more coats of LET, let it dry & then coated in JB weld, cut about 150mm excess length off the cable, took a while with having to let the stuff dry, I'll leave the cable for a day before handling it, takes about a day for it to cure well & then it's like good hard plastic, it's done on a portion of the cable which won't have to bend too. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis116.jpg

Then tested to make sure the mobo fits still because I didn't test it after the revised mobo tray, it's good still, about 2 or 3mm space between the mobo & fan lol, need to add a hole for passing power & data cable through.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis117.jpg

Still another update before final shots, random sata cable mod took some time, gave virtually everything a good rubbing with the satinising pads though so just needs cleaning before applying the lacquer, has to be ultra clean for nicest results. :D

[Yeticorn]

Looks pretty boss, can't wait to see it all put together

[Waynio]

Looks pretty boss, can't wait to see it all put together
Thanks Yeticorn, :) the lacqodising was quite a bit to figure out properly, it's mostly that which delayed this as well as me losing my head.

Head is screwed back on. :D

I'm going to need a good makeup brush lol.

Kept saying every time I thought I had all I need for doing this I needed something else, down to the fine details now though which will make or break the look.

For applying the lacquer to intricate cut panels like the fan grills the art brushes I've got are too hard so do don't apply it so well for doing the inside edges & any fine surfaces, my big brushes are just too big to do it well, good makeup brushes use ox hair too so ordered 1.

Plus I found to prevent making a big mess from any dripping through to the other side creating a mess on the other side I need to mask up the other side so the little puddle of lacquer forms on the tape & the masking tape should then be carefully removed in no more than 1 clean pull before I speed up the drying with warm air & the only stuff which doesn't contaminate the lacquer is high temperature masking tape, the type used for powder coating or anodising although maybe surface protective film could be as good & a lot cheaper, the type used for storing sheet products in mint condition so like a heavy duty cling film.

So just made the order for 10mm, 25mm, 50mm & 100mm high temp masking tape along with a fine ox hair makeup brush & a roll of surface protective film £67 ouch but this will let me do this, LAG & more beyond, was the high temperature masking tape that cost the most but that will let me do multi tones on panels & the only way I'll do multi tones on inside edges is if I keep things simple so it's easier to do, I'll reserve doing that for anything thicker than 3mm so this project won't be getting multi tone internal edges.

Glad I had this side project to discover any pit falls with laqcodising, already had to sand 2 panels back down to the metal & it's hard work doing that, probably tougher than the aluminium itself it's pretty crazy lol.

Still 1 or maybe even 2 faulty applications on panels to fix but I'm doing nothing more other than fixing those 2 on this project until I get those products so I can safely do the insides also without damaging the look of the outsides, I might make a start back on lean & green because I've got the products coming around the 10th or 11th of April & if I do that I'll be able to seamlessly move back over to doing my main project.

So looking at the 12th or 13th before I can update but I think I've got the application of lacquer mastered which was the difficult bit in mastering this lacqodising which really side tracked my side project from my main project lol. :)

[Waynio]

Been lacquering the panels, bars & even the screw heads.

155 capacity screw lacqodising jig for the prepping & lacqodising, 3mm lower deck & 1mm upper deck made from scraps, 6 spacers, countersinks underneath & buttons on top, made it a lot quicker than drilling a thick plate a load of times, could do with using bigger spacers though, some of the screws are too big for prepping in the jig.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis118.jpg

This is why I needed a finer application brush, pools & bubbles when using a brush too blompy on intricate pieces, didn't look good, had to sand it back down, took ages.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis119.jpg

This is why I needed to mask the other sides when I want to do both sides, unwanted pools leaking through while applying so this project is set for rather imperfect internal lacqodising but the externals should be quite nice but still a bit imperfect, I'll be more bothered about getting things done better on LAG, I'm treating this one more as practice for a new method, had to sand it back down & wow it's a lot of heavy sanding to get it all off completely, it's a heck of a protective coating though.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis120.jpg

My 2 smallest brushes being used for the bars which I made a simple jig for doing them so I don't have to touch the bars with my hands while doing it but so they are all loose enough to turn them with the brush.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis121.jpg

Using the high temp tape which is used for powder coating & anodising, super low tack but high cling not damaging for the lacquer when pulled off & with it being high temperature resistant lets me use the heat gun to make it so I can pick it up without it running about or me leaving new marks on it but while it isn't fully dried & I can pull the tape off in 1 clean pull, the surface protection film turned out to be useless for this task & I waited so long for it to come in the post when I could have just used the high temp tape & had this done already, all future lacqodising should be really well done now I'm wiser to potential hiccups & exactly what I need to do it, any intricate lines I used the makeup brush & all around them I used the 25mm brush to get it done faster.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis122.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis123.jpg

Even lacquered up the IO shield, that's the awesome thing about lacqodising, ANY metals can be done, the screws are stainless steel too. :D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis124.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis125.jpg

So it can all be dyed now. :banana:

[SXRguyinMA]

this is absurdly beautiful :bowdown:

[Waynio]

this is absurdly beautiful :bowdown:
:D Thanks SX, appreciated. :up:

Will update later, today is a good day to dye. :D

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/2.jpg

[Stonerboy779]

Awesome the dye is happening

[d_stilgar]

Oh yeah. I'm excited for this.

[Waynio]

Awesome the dye is happening
Been a while in the making :D still need to get better at applying the lacquer though.


Oh yeah. I'm excited for this.
:D So was I after that test so was a bit down from the results on the actual project, I'll fix it & do it right though.

Sorry about not updating yesterday, happy face turned to sad face with the result on the actual project due to lacquer application so I climbed in bed to sleep it off to let me wake up with fresher mind to let me tackle it right, the timing test left me feeling quite excited & happy lol, enough to post a picture of the result with it being pretty nice so figured I'd be able to post some good results later in the day. :D


But ouch, I was wrong & made a horror show instead, should probably censor these gruesome pictures lol, I've seen them up close in person & on full zoom in the pictures, nasty compared to the test pieces.
If lacquer application was good it would have looked as nice as this.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/Goodlacqodising.jpg

Not this time.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/Failacqodising1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/Failacqodising2.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/Failacqodising3.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/Failacqodising4.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/Failacqodising5.jpg


Not to worry though, the stainless steel countersunk & button head screws turned out mostly awesome, typical.:D
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/Failacqodising6.jpg

Was meant to be like this but I done the colour saturation level 100% instead of 30% & it's got a smidge too much red so was quite badly miscalculated, shorter dips are horribly orange instead of a nice light brown/beige.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/colour4.jpg

This is how I got the colour wrong, it's the right colour but the wrong saturation level.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/colour1.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/colour2.jpg

Colour wheel helps show the other colour to mix to the main colour, guess the diference, I'd say a tiny pinch of red to orange making hot orange.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/colour3.jpg

For 9 litres water 30 grams seems good but only 1/3 of that should have been hot orange & the 2/3 black.

So I have to strip all the lacquer off every single piece of the project so I can reapply it better, I'll try brush again but without the tiptoeing around detail cuts & instead carefully clean up any excess mess with the makeup brush after a good single straight 1 direction soaked brush stroke covering the full piece fairly quickly.

If that fails there will be a way to do it perfect & I'll find it, has to be perfect or very close to it if I'm to use this method on any future projects.


I also had to use the big pan with not having a perfect sized pan for this, it needs 9 litres to fill it to 50ml deep, I had 3 restarts on the timing tests adding 9 grams of mixed dye with each test ending up with 27 grams so managed to figure out how to make correct colour saturations & brightness in any mass of water, I got solid figures I can work with now to tweak for smaller or larger amounts.

I designed some water mass filler weights held together with screws, bit of square bar, 1mm aluminium, filled with gravel & sealed with high temp silicone, will reduce needed mass which would reduce needed dye also.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/panweights.jpg

Want to make a multi level dunking jig for placing parts well & removing them easy with a handle which could also be used to lift up/down to keep the mix lively.

I'll cover everything properly once I complete this process successfully, until then I'd just be rambling & thinking out loud so more as soon as I make good progress, firstly I need to strip all the lacquer off everything so I can restart & need to find the best solution for stripping it off easy so it could be a while again or less if I get lucky, didn't bother dying the other pieces because I expected same kinda fail rate. :)

Awesomeness doesn't come easy but when it does & I totally know what I'm talking about I'll post an understandable guide (hopefully) lol, really have no idea if this will be a popular finishing choice but anyone who was wanting to do anodising but didn't fancy the hazardous chemicals I think this will really appeal to them, I'd have loved to have found a guide on what I'm doing lol. :D

More soon but hopefully the results I was going for. :crossed:

[d_stilgar]

Well, this build just changed to a post-apocalyptic, cyber-punk, rust case. There! No need to re-lacquer anything!

But seriously, that's a real bummer. I thought you were calling the test pieces horrific, and I was like, "maybe I'm not seeing something there." But then you showed the pictures of the actual pieces. No need for full res on those. Ouch!

Well, we're still all behind you!

[Waynio]

Well, this build just changed to a post-apocalyptic, cyber-punk, rust case. There! No need to re-lacquer anything!

But seriously, that's a real bummer. I thought you were calling the test pieces horrific, and I was like, "maybe I'm not seeing something there." But then you showed the pictures of the actual pieces. No need for full res on those. Ouch!

Well, we're still all behind you!

:D Bet it could be used partly for a damaged look lol, main thing that was depressing me was the thought of a trip to sanding limbo for a few weeks lol.
Thanks d. :)

A good google & there are strippers available at shops that are meant to be easier solutions but this home solution I came across doesn't sound a tiny bit difficult. :D

1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda to each Quart of Water, boil, throw parts in, 15 minutes later it should peel off, any stubborn leftovers clean off with the type of stuff I do for stickers, white spirit.

Sounds great :D I'll try it now & if it seems like a bit more of a challenge I'll save it for in the morning so I can get back to ready for dying again within a couple days. :)

Be funny & awesome if I got it all off before I go bed. :D

--
It's removing it pretty good, think I'll have a late one tonight, worth it to put me back to just before lacquering stage. :)

Could do with more baking soda though for the amount I have to do.

[d_stilgar]

Could do with more baking soda though for the amount I have to do.

Where do you live? Where do you live? I'm on my way!

[Waynio]

Where do you live? Where do you live? I'm on my way!
:D I'll have to buy a few tubs of it when I go shopping next. :)

The boiling water with baking soda did a pretty nice job of turning the lacquer to easily removable mush that could be wiped off but it would have been better to have double the potency of baking soda but would still need a few dunking runs, I only did the 1.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/delacquodising1.jpg

You can see on the screws how it stripped a fair bit of colour out & reduced some lacquer, the screws cleaned up easy with satinising pad.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/delacquodising2.jpg

Still had a lot to remove, I tried satinising pad at first but wasn't getting far enough for the amount of elbow polish I was putting in so resorted to using the metal scrubber shown in this picture.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/delacquodising3.jpg

How they looked after the baking soda & some scrubbing.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/delacquodising4.jpg

So ended up switching to 220 grit submerged wet sanding which helped it go a lot faster, after that I used satinising pad to pretty much get back to pre lacquered state.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/delacquodising5.jpg

Still a bunch of panels to do but I am onto it all, all this will be excellent supplementary info for the guide I make too. :D

[Waynio]

Woo hoo, TBCS is back. :banana:8)

Time to post the missing progress made since last post, brushing lacquer on just never quite worked out. :)

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis133.jpg

Another effect I thought looked good if used right.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis140.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis141.jpg

Best I managed with brushes.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis148.jpg



Now then, this is where I tried a spray gun to apply the metal lacquer. :)
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis153.jpg




Over to the latest.
Lacqodised the same dark brown, internal pieces 15 minute dunks, external 60 minutes, front layers 15, 25, 35, 45 minute dunks, all at 80c.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis156.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis157.jpg


Been tied up doing this Intel NUC project which is almost complete.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Intranuc/Intranuc223.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Intranuc/Intranuc226.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Intranuc/Intranuc227.jpg

Just need to complete the Intel NUC & then I can get back onto doing Midlag & then Lean & Green, I'll post the log to the NUC once the competition is over, not been told I have to keep it exclusive but am doing at least until it's over but what you see in those shots is what I did yesterday with the lacqodising. 8)

[SXRguyinMA]

I forgot all about this one!! :D

[Waynio]

I forgot all about this one!! :D

Not surprised with this place disappearing for a bit. :no:
But it's back. :yellow_green:

Not so good news on this project though.

This project is a no go, the motherboard is dead, powers up for a few seconds & then shuts back down, tried alternative memory & PSU removing everything else including the battery to narrow down the problem but same no worky effect, the lazy git just wants to sleep forever. :facepalm:

At least I got lacqodising out of this, nice but empty case is useless but the technique is useful for my future projects, I am in a slight state of depression from it though so I'm taking a break but I will do final photo shoot of useless empty case, ugh. :?

Photo shoots will be incoming over the next couple of days.

[Stonerboy779]

How's the other build coming along?

[TheMainMan]

Have you checked the heatsink on the CPU? I replaced a CPU once and found that I had missed noticing that the heatsink wasn't fully seated. It would do the exact same thing: power up for a few seconds then shut down once the CPU hit the thermal cutoff. I had been planning an upgrade anyways but it was still annoying to figure out AFTER spending the money. Re-seating the CPU cooler is cheaper than buying parts, so give it a shot if you haven't already.

[Waynio]

How's the other build coming along?
The Intel NUC one or Lean & Green?, anyway the NUC & this one is now complete so Lean & Green will be getting resumed soon. :)


Have you checked the heatsink on the CPU? I replaced a CPU once and found that I had missed noticing that the heatsink wasn't fully seated. It would do the exact same thing: power up for a few seconds then shut down once the CPU hit the thermal cutoff. I had been planning an upgrade anyways but it was still annoying to figure out AFTER spending the money. Re-seating the CPU cooler is cheaper than buying parts, so give it a shot if you haven't already.
I checked that but it wasn't that, at least it got some better thermal compound on there now, was a faulty power switch on the marble button, really didn't expect that, it's working now which was a big relief, thanks for the suggestion though Main. :):up:


It's complete & it works & will serve it's purpose as a low power very quiet HTPC, it's virtually silent with the fan plugged into the CPU header, I didn't bother making internals look good because only the front will be seen really & it won't be close enough to notice the multi-coloured wires.


Anyway it houses a SFX PSU, mini-ITX motherboard, SSD, 2x HDD's, modded 140mm akasa apache fan, IR sensor which lets me use the marble switch or remote control, snake mess of a wire job mostly stashed between the PSU & SSD so not in the way of air flow.

The SSD mount helps to direct the air flow down onto the motherboard & out through the sides, rear, top & PSU as well as blowing over the HDD's.

On with the final shots.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis158.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis159.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis160.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis161.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis162.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis163.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis164.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis165.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis166.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis167.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis168.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis169.jpg

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/waynio_2008/Midlag%20Crisis/MidlagCrisis170.jpg

Now I can focus on lean & green again when I'm feeling up for it which should be pretty soon, I don't idle so well lol.

[d_stilgar]

Looks awesome! I love the color of that lacquer.

[blueonblack]

Absolutely beautiful. The layered effect on the fan grill, the lacquer color, the contrast in the color on both of them, just beautiful.

Awesome work, +rep!

[Stonerboy779]

+rep when I am off the mobile site

That is amazing and not that I am complaining at all but what happened to the homer grill? I honestly believe this isthe better choice but am not sure if I've missed what happened there.

And it was lean and green that I was after, I've missed it and its awesomeness. Hopefully it can be finished in the not so distant future.

[msmrx57]

Great work!!! Love the grill design and the colors. :up: Glad you got it working and it wasn't anything expensive.

[SXRguyinMA]

nice work!

[TheMainMan]

That is one slick compact machine! Nice work, I'd say the effort was worth it in the end.