Painting a drive

[The Modfather]

Ah well, might have been cool but, if it's too much of a hassle and you have other plans, well, lets see what ya got?

[xmastree]

I got a source of Cheap bright blue LEDs...

A disposable lighter for less than the price of a Blue LED in the shop.

The CDROM I'm using, which is already black, has what appears to be a translucent open/close button so I'll shine a blue LED through that one. Maybe permanent or maybe as an activity indicator. I think permanent, and I'll also replace the activity LED with a 3mm blue one.

[The Modfather]

That should look neat. You know the voltage, etc for that LED so you can wire it up right or do you intend to just go with a battery and replace it every so often?

[xmastree]

That should look neat. You know the voltage, etc for that LED so you can wire it up right or do you intend to just go with a battery and replace it every so often?

Nope, I just replaced the activity light. The button itself is difficult to light since some crazy designer has fitted a switch right behind it... So I can't light it evenly.

[xmastree]

Anyway, as for painting the drives. I painted them matt black, then gave them a couple of coats of clear. Looks ok, but I made a complete and utter mess of the little handle on the 5.25 drive. I think I just put too much paint on it. The surface was rough, and when I tried to sand it with 600 grade, it seemed to rub the paint off in lumps...

I need to start over, what's the best thing for removing acrylic? I heard acetone is good.

Edit: turns out Acetone was good, so I've started over, using primer this time.

[The Modfather]

Acetone is good but use it OUTSIDE, it'll literally eat your brain. Chances are the acetone you used was made in my back yard (almost literally). The chemical plant behind us here produces about 2/3rds of the Acetone and Fenal used in the world. NASTY stuff.

Sounds to me like the paint didn't get a chance to fully dry before you went at it with the sandpaper. Acrylic can be like that no matter how you work with it, it often peals off like rubber, I like to use it for painting, like on canvas, but for working on metal or plastics I don't care for it so much, I prefer enamel or water based paints.

[xmastree]

Yeah, I used it outside, then repainted it outside. Many light coats, primer first then black, then clear. It looks ok now. All that effort for something so tiny. I think I just put too much paint on before, thinking the thing is so small it can't run as it has nowhere to run to.
Maybe if I had baked it in my mini oven... But what would my reheated pizzas taste like afterwards?

Acrylic was about all I could find easily.

What would you suggest for the case itself? If you see the worklog you'll see I want four stripes around the window, metal coloured. I have some 'chrome' paint (which is a light shiny silver and seems to cover very well) I was planning to use for the chassis, and maybe the stripes. The rest will be black, and there are two stainless handles running the length of it.

Bummer. Power just went out... better post before the UPS dies

[OvRiDe]

I would if I could find it.

Is this the post you were looking for?

Good luck

[The Modfather]

For the best effect on paint I'd use an airbrush, but that might not be an expense you want to tackle and it'd mean learning to use one.

For stripes, why not take the easy route and use car pinstriping, you can get that at most auto stores, then again I don't know what's available in your part of the world but, I'd imagine you can get pinstriping anywhere or as a last resort, online. Short of that, just use blue painter's tape or masking tape to do your line work, but be sure it's dry first and I wouldn't use acrylic. I figure you'll be using spraypaint of some sort so that should work out.

[xmastree]

Is this the post you were looking for?

Yeash, tucked away in Q&A and called wet sanding. I was looking in Tips&Tricks for something about paint..

Thanks, some reading to do it seems.