First model - really better than #2
Awsome case, I'm waiting for next update ;)
Printable View
First model - really better than #2
Awsome case, I'm waiting for next update ;)
Love #1. If you wanted to get alot of detail like trim etc. Id say to go with some of that wonderful plastic styrene I made my first cuts in it a couple days ago my first couple sucked but then i found a method that word VERY well for me and got perfect cuts outta the stuff.
ANYWAYS back to your mod. If alum and acrylic are the two materials youw ant to use I say acyrlic with alum accents. Since what the pumps are mounted to are allready alum. The acrylic will set off the background and add some good contrast. Not to mention glow :P
#1
#1
yea i have to say #1 looks tight
I'm going to with number 1. All aluminum with UV green accents. I have an update from yesterday but my image host was down. I will have two updates today. I will post yesterday as soon as I get home and the owrk I do today will get posted tonight when I'm all done.
Bummer wishing for them alum accents instead lol. Cant wait to see how you do accents in acrylic unless ur defyant i thing details got to be HARD witht he stuff :D Have you allready started on the actualy shields or just planning to?
Hold on cowboy,... You might just get you aluminum accents. Right now I have begun to make the side in aluminum. I am going ot make side in the UV green too. I will most likely use both for the side to give that glowing edge thing. For the inner shields,... I will make the aluminum ones first. If I decide that i want to use UV green instead,... I can use the aluminum pieces to help bend a form the UV green shields. I can always cut up the aluminum ones and use them for the accents. I will most likely make one of eveything to try it all out. You guyz have to keep in mind the the tower itself once finished, it will be about 60% aluminum and 40% UV green. So it wont really look like the pumps are being held up just by aluminum. It will all work out in the end. But for now I am making one of everything. Wait for yesterdays pics,... give me a minute.
UPDATE!!! WHAOOOO!!!!
Here I drew a more precise and modified version of the prototype side. This side has better curves. I drew it on the cardboard instead of some aluminum because some of the drawing consisted of freehand. With freehand there is some erasing and I didnt feel like erasing on aluminum.
Also,... because of the fact that its difficult to determine how big the side can be in any particular place of mounting, the cardboard allows me to cut out a trial real quick for fitment. Once I have to cutout I like, I will use it to trace onto the aluminum. This may sound like an inaccurate way of doing it but keep in mind that this piece doesnt really have a target size. Just what I would like it to be. Once it's on aluminum I can file it down so that it looks smooth and continuous. See the difference between the prototype and the new. Much better.
This is the aluminum version. Now,... this is not a piece to be used with the pumps. This is my template:) I will use this to accurately make 4 others. Looks sweet dont it:)
Now,... how to make 4 other almost identical pieces in a fair amount of time? Easily! I took my template of placed it on the sheet of aluminum that I will use to cut out the other pieces. Using pencil I drew around the template leaving about a 1/4" inch of space all the way around. I did that 4 times, obviously. Using the lig saw and some cutting oil, I cut out the those pieces. I use engine oil as cutting oil. It dont really matter what you use, just that you use something. Cutting straight you really dont need it but it does improve cutting big time. When cutting circles and stuff you really need it because the blade twists in the little groove it just cut, rubbing alone the edges causing it to heat up. The blade will start to hang on the project kicking the jig saw all over the place. Anyways,... I then file the burr off all the edges and even do some sanding so those pieces are very smooth. You take all the pieces and stack them up from smallest in front to largest in back. This is important so when you put your template ontop of that stack, it's easier to see if the template is covered by all of the pieces. If one piece in the middle is off and you file the whole thing down and then take it apart, you will see what that one piece was off. That will be not be fully formed and therefore you will be one piece short. So,... take all those piece and stacking as I said before with the template piece all the way in front. Line them up so that every pieces covers the template then lock them in a vise. Drill out the mounting holes for all 4 pieces using the hole in the template as your guide. Once done, without removing the pieces from the vise, sand the hole on both sides of the stack. Then pass some bolts through the holes locking them together. This way when you take them out of the ivse they wont move. Check the pic,...
Here I begun filing. YOu basically file away all the slack on the 4 new pieces. File down to the template but without removing to much from the template. Once you touch the template, you are done in the area for now. Go all the way around.
It's important you keep your file perpendicular to the piece while filing. The edge you are working on must be square when you are done. If not them one side will be larger then the others.
Look at all that meat I had to remove! Just picture that all the way around! Lordy! I was dying! I need to come a bit closer to the template with the jigsaw when doing the inner shields.
All done for now. I used a belt sander upside down to sand the edges down a bit. It helps make the pieces nice and round and helps maintaining a squre edge.
I have to cut out some designs still. Well,... I'm goign to back into the garage now to do some more work. PEACE! Need to get some breakfast first though :moron:.
How long did that one take you? It is amazing what YOU do when you put your mind to it.
Out of curiosity how would filing perpendicular help keep them all the same size wouldnt a steady hand be the reason for that? Ive never filed anything so sorry ift hat is an ignorant question and is commonly known lol :)
Good job on everything your attention to detail is amazing.
One more question, the hardware for that case are u using it in another case for now and if you're not man o man are you patient... That would be the biggest issue i ever had with a mod.
