Newbie Practice?

[Ironcat]

Brand new to this stuff but LOVE it already! Do you guys have a "best" way to practice? Do you try, try, try, on old flea market computers or do you just jump right in on your system?

Do you start with cutting and meshing or start on the innards first?

I have a few friends who were kind enough to donate some old towers to my training phase but I feel like I keep screwing them up... any advice?

I hate to sound like such a noob but I am...

[nil8]

First off, welcome to the forums.

Starting off on a few towers that don't matter is a great idea.
You will learn more from your mistakes than your triumphs. It's the way learning works.

Nothing wrong with being a noob, we all go through it.

I would definitely suggest starting off on some cases/hardware you don't care much about so if it fries or causes other issues, you're not out a lot of money and heartache.

Ebay and ~700 mhz machines are a great place to start with hardware. It's cheap, plentiful, and won't cause too many tears if destroyed.

As for cases, they are all over the place and it's a matter of choice on what you want to start on.

Good luck and if you have an questions, don't hesitate to ask.

[Cevinzol]

Welcome to the boards
I would definately practice on junk first.

making windows, etching, soldering, etc. Also plan out your mod. How detailed that plan is, is up to you. But at least write up a general desription with a pencil drawing. Include a parts list. It helps you plan your budget, prevents unforseen delays (like un-ordered parts) and it helps you see how your idea grew and changed from start to finish. You may have an inspiration partway through and its nice to log how things evolve.

What ever you do. take lots of pictures and share them with us.

[gaz_the_chav]

Welcome

I'm a n00b to lol

Look at what I'm working on man (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4368)

Now If I screw that project up I wont be crying at night!

[Acey]

If you fail at the first and second attempt, its always good as you'll learn what not to do and what to. It takes like 1-2 normal mods to learn the basics of the materials.

[Ironcat]

Thanks for the advice...
The things I think look coolest are the exterior mods so that's where I am starting... I have practices my cutting and filing skills to the point where I can generally stay within the lines and hardly ever cut myself anymore.

My first mod is gonna be a Tonka Truck mod. Looks only, not actually building a PC in a Tonka. If anyone has any experience with this sort of mod, drop me a note.

The case is already taken apart for painting (I know I shoulda started with a complete before pic, next time...) so once I get stuff painted and put back together I will take a few pics.