this case has sooo much potential. love the res and etchings +rep
Printable View
this case has sooo much potential. love the res and etchings +rep
GReat work so far man welcome to the forums and please create a sculpting tutorial :D + rep
First of all let me apologize for not posting sooner. I am having connectivity problems at home that are really frustrating.(stupid cable company!)
I am overwhelmed by the positive comments from you all. Thank you very much for the positive feedback.
Regarding a tutorial on mold making, casting and sculpting--believe me I am no expert. Any success I have had at casting and molding has been pure trial and error and a whole lot of searching and reading on the internet. I will certainly try to put together some of my most valuable links and a "lessons learned" paper and share them with the group, but all credit goes to those artists and craftsmen from whom I have taken guidance and help.
I will also spend a bit more time with the pictures I am posting. Thanks for the laugh SpaceHonkey. I didn't notice that "photographic coincidence" until you pointed it out :) I'll try to take better care in the future.
As for the subject matter of the sculpture and the etching. I debated about whether or not to have male figures or female figures for a while. At first I thought male figures would be appropriate seeings as I am a male, but, in the end, I would prefer to look at, sculpt, and etch the female form. So, for better or for worse, that is the decision I made:D My wife says I am a misogynist, but I assured her it is the exact opposite. I really love women, and it is only happenstance that the female imagery in this build is so--rough.;)
On to yesterday's work--reservoir mount.
The case comes with a pre-cut section on the top. Lian-li sells various modular parts like dual 120mm fan cutouts, Plexiglas sheets, etc that screw into place. That is where my reservoir will live.
I debated back and forth on whether to put the reservoir on the top of the case or inside the case. If it is on top of the case I would have easy access to the connectors and could hook up the water hoses without difficulty. However, doing that would mean that taking the top off to work on components underneath would be difficult, not to mention cutting holes in the side panels to run the water lines. Putting it inside the case would allow me to take the top of the case off more easily for inside access, but I would be sacrificing water line clearance.
I decided to go with the inside-the-case solution and deal with the water lines when I came to them.
I went to Home Depot and picked up some aluminum that already had a 90 degree bend on the long axis.
After taking some measurements, I cut the aluminum strips to length with the handy Dremel.
I made two roughly 45 degree lines on either side of the measurement line and cut out the triangular piece.
I then scored the mark and bent the aluminum on a 90 degree angle and made two brackets.
For stability, I cut two cross pieces and placed them on the ends.
The next step was good ol' JB Weld.--love that stuff. I used JB Weld because rivets would have created a pivot point that I didn't want.
After it dried I sanded off the excess Weld and had a nice sturdy bracket.
Next, I drilled 1/8th inch holes in each support leg (how do you like that nice straight cut on the right? Nothing but quality here! ;)) and riveted them to the sides of the case.
After that it was time for a final test fit. I set the reservoir in place and put the top on and it all fit perfectly. Before final painting I will file down my crooked cut to be flush with the case support to which it is riveted. This will prevent any marring of the underside after it is painted.
And as I knew, water line clearance is going to be a problem. The picture is a bit deceiving. There is about 1 1/2 inches of clearance between the ends of the fittings and the bracket. I am going to have to make some l-shaped connectors that I can hook my water lines to. Oh, well--nothing like having to solve a problem to spark creativity. Any suggestions?
Unfortunately, my honey-do list is growing at home, so I probably won't be able to do any more work for a week or two.
I still have to make the Plexiglas face on the side and cut the windows in the side panels of the case. I could buy them pre-cut online, but where is the fun in that?
After that I still have painting, buying components, test running the cooling system, the list goes on and on.
Thanks again for the warm welcome to the TBCS community and for making my first posting adventure a pleasure. I truly appreciate it.
Byendor
You could try a trip to the local hardware store and look through the plumbing section for some fittings for you cooling hoses. I'm sure they will have some right angle elboes there to do the job.
This is looking great! I'm loving the whole gothic/cyberpunk feel to this case. It's looking sweet dude, and i'll be keeping an eye on this mod.
-Dave
try water lines for a refrigerator...
Sorry about the lack of updates. Don't give up on me.
I have a family member who recently suffered a stroke and I have been taking care of family business. He is doing well...
I hope to restart work on the project by the end of the month and I will post more updates then.
On a very positive note--I have some time off on Friday and I am heading to the local Tiger Direct Outlet for some goodies--this is going to be fun:banana:
sorry to hear about the family member :( it seems something bad has happen to every single forum member :/ me included
your modeling skills are superb! and this case is lookin great!
and i like the art ;)
Wow! I just ran accross this thread. Your etching is amazing.
wow... great work man... +rep
