Temple of Fusion - All Your Transistors Will Bow to Me

[6-Bolt]

Etching & Cleaning - 11/17/2010

I am almost done with the etching. The only piece left is one door panel. I screwed up the brass panel and have another panel on the way. It took a lot longer then I thought it would to get all the etching done. It is more of an art form. I really enjoyed the process and learning a new skill. Here are some pics of the work on the outside piece of the obelisk.

When I ordered the door panel, I also got all the brass trim needed for this project. There is going to be a lot of trim and brass for this project. I need to get a polisher/buffer to help out getting all the brass pieces clean and shiny. I also need a good chop or miter saw that can cut brass cleanly. This would really help with all the trim pieces.

With the etching wrapping up, my work space was a mess. Had stuff everywhere and chaos was napping in the room. I spent some time cleaning up the work area and got everything organized. Now with chaos kicked out, I can get back to work. Before I started working, I took some pictures with the new brass. I hope that you like them.

With the etching done, I can move back to work on the Temple. I have to cut out the panels and and get them painted. Since I have the paint scheme already picked out, it should be fast. Then I can finally mount the obelisks to the base and get the few remaining pieces for the obelisks done. Also, I can not forget that I need to get the pyramids done for the obelisks. There will be some tricky cuts, but it is going to look awesome. With the Temple out, I wanted to see how well the E-ATX panel was going to fit into the Temple. It was not too bad. I have to trim a couple of places, but it should fit very nicely into the Temple.

Here are some new stickers that EK Water Blocks sent me. They are pretty cool and have a nice 3-D affect.

[6-Bolt]

Panels & Power - 11/24/2010

I finally got all the Temple veneer panels cut out. It took some time to measure things out, but I got it done. Now I just need to paint them and attached them to the case. Also I need to attach the base veneer panels too. However, I have to wait until I can get all the computer hardware hooked up, so I can make the holes for the PSU, Optical drive, USB ports, and so on. Also, I finally got my last door piece in the latest metal shipment.

Next thing that I did was get the E-ATX tray to fit into the Temple. I got the Dremel out and started to cut out the extensions on the tray that were not needed. After I cut the extensions, I did have to shave about 1/8th inch from the long side. After that, it fit like a glove.

The next thing on the list was to get the holes cut out for the PSUs. The PSUs will be on the bottom of the Temple with the pumps and the tubing for the reservoirs and radiators. I am going to keep the PSUs on the edges.

With the PSUs placed, I measured out and leveled a line for the E-ATX tray. This took some time, but definitely worth it. I love having thing level and done right. Now I need to work on getting the E-ATX tray installed, with the MB back and I/O slots.

To see how the E-ATX tray will bee seen through the Temple doors, I stack some things up and placed the tray close to the line. Here is a picture.

All my edging come today in a very long tube. I saved a lot of money buying the longer pieces and then cutting them down to size. The money saved easily bought the chop saw that I needed, with a lot of money left over. I am glad that I have a large garage to fit all the metal.

Also I got some moldings that I will be using for inside the Temple for decoration. I will have Egyptian columns and some spinxs. Also, I will try to use it to hide some wiring.

On a sad note, I had to drop out of the Case Modding Showdown 2010 contest at New Mod City. With all my health problems, I couldn't complete the project in time. I am definitely going to finish this project and hopefully next year I can enter the contest again with a new project.

[6-Bolt]

Beginning to See the Light - 12/2/2010

Now that I got the last brass panel piece for the doors, I could finally finish the metal etching. I am getting pretty good at the process now. I transferred the toner, fixed some of the problems with paint, then gave it a nice etching bath in copper sulfate. There are some spots to touch up, but I am really happy that I am done with the etching. It was a great learning experience and adds a lot to the case. Cannot wait to get the doors and obelisks up to see how it all looks.

The next part was installing the tabs for the E-ATX tray. Since I had a level line from last time, it was easy to cut out some tabs and get them screwed into the sides of the case. Then I drilled the six spots on the tray and screwed the E-ATX tray to the tabs. Then checked to see how level it was, and it was pretty damn close to being level.

Next part was getting the MB panel and expansion slots installed. I first had to fit the panel back onto the tray. Once on the tray I could get some markings on the back. The it was a matter of outlining and cutting. Then a little extra trimming in a few places. Then I screwed the MB panel & expansion slots into the back of the Temple. Now it is finally looking like a computer case.

Now with the power supply and E-ATX tray finished, I moved onto making the finally pieces for the obelisks. I know that I should have done this a long time ago, but it is not the funnest job. Basically there are three pieces. Two in the front to cover the top and the bottom. Then the last piece will be in the back on top. This will help support the brass pyramid that will be placed on top.

To see my progress, I put the piece together and took some pics. Sad thing is that I forgot to add the brass etching panels for the obelisks. Have to say it is coming along nicely.

I got 50lbs of Merlin's Magic. It is used in casting. In my last post you saw that I got some molds that have an Egyptian theme to them. Going to to try to use the casting molds a lot for the final details, especially hiding the wires in the Temple. Plus I will have plenty left over for my next project.

Santa knows that I am having a hard time with all my medical issues. So to cheer me up, he gave me my present early, a 8 foot long table for the garage. I was running out of table space, and this fits perfectly.

[x88x]

It's finally really starting to come together! The doors came out quite nicely too.

[6-Bolt]

It's finally really starting to come together! The doors came out quite nicely too.

Yeah, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel for this project. After I get the veneer panels, brass edging, and the pyramids for the obelisks done, the outside of the case will be pretty much done. Then can start focusing on getting the computer up and running.

[6-Bolt]

Painting and Molding - 12/14/2010

It has been awhile since I updated last time. I haven't been feeling the greatest and taking things slowly. With the new table, I organized some things and got a lot of the brass pieces and the base painted veneer panels altogether in one spot.

After I got everything organized with the new table, I started painting the Temple's veneer panels. I first painted the panels a grayish white. Then I used brown shoe polish to bring out the texture of the panels. Also, using the brown color with the gray gave me the color I wanted for the Temple. At first I wanted to go with a light browning, then decided to go darker. It just looks better darker. Here are some pictures of the process.

After the painting and staining was done, I moved onto the molding. I never tried molding before so I just did some test runs. First I tested out the floor pattern, then moved onto other molds. Here are some pictures.

[x88x]

Moulds came out great.

[SXRguyinMA]

indeed, nice work!

[6-Bolt]

Moulds came out great.

indeed, nice work!

Thanks guys.

I do want to note that I bought the molds (blue trays) from Hirst Arts.
http://www.hirstarts.com/

[6-Bolt]

Edging & Molding - 1/6/2011

Sorry it has been awhile since I gave an update. The holidays took their toll on me. Also, I am still not feeling too good, so all my energy went into family, which is my first priority. Now that the holidays are over, I can get back to work on the case.

With the new chop saw, I cut out the edging pieces needed for the top. I still need to get the side pieces for the top, but ran out of metal. I am planning on trying to use all the brass angle I have before ordering some more.

I found the best way is to cut with the chop saw using the 45degree setting. Then using the sander with its 45degree. This gets a good 45degree cut with the edging. Then with the sander, you have good precision on the length.

These are the pieces for the top of the Temple. There is edging on the top rim and bottom rim.

The front corners of the temple were a pain to do. Since I have the two bump outs for the front of the Temple, it made edging a pain in the ass. I fist had to cut out a square piece in the front edging. Then I had to sand/grind in the 45degree cut. But at the end, it was all worth it. I learned/figured out something new.

The last edging I got done was inside corners of the bump outs, by the doors. I had to grind the pieces in to fit. The Temple is looking good. I ordered a buffer, and it will come in next Monday. It will really help out polishing all the brass pieces and edging.

When doing the edging, I have been doing the molds too. I know I will need a whole bunch of these pieces, so I am trying to do much as I can. Here are some pictures of what I have done so far.