*cough*Quote:
Originally Posted by TAZTG
*cough*
thing had a lot of dust on it! ;)
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*cough*Quote:
Originally Posted by TAZTG
*cough*
thing had a lot of dust on it! ;)
Hey there guys....
Well... progress is progress.... and as embarrassed as I am that this mod is still in my garage, I'm happy to say that more work has been done!
I had to do some repairs after the move into out house, as several of the panels were scratched. I also had a blown clearcoat that clouded up the black and made it nearly gray.... so... out it came, and it introduced a whole new set of problems that I am working through.
I started my masking off all of the graphics that I did not want painted over... and on pictures, this masking is a PITA!
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/s...el_refresh.jpg
after 2 coats....
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/s...l_refresh2.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/t...el_refresh.jpg
After the 3rd or 4th coats:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/s...l_refresh3.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/t...l_refresh2.jpg
Now, when you are masking you have a bit of a dilemma.... take the masking off too soon and the paint might run on to your work. Take it off too late and the paint may adhere to your mask and pull off at the edge of the mask and damage the paint job. So, it takes some experimenting with different paint types to know when to pull. This stuff is quick drying, so I removed the masking about 2 hours after I painted it.
The water jetted panel is proving to be a project all by itself. It's finish needed a lot of help, and sanding a piece that has been cut in this way is nearly impossible due to the flexibility of the piece and the sharp points tearing up the sanding paper! But... it needs to be done...
Scuff it up...
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux.jpg
2 coats later, a bug becomes enamored with my paint job.... ^#!*!#^&@*!!!!!
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux2.jpg
"Alright, Mr. Demille, I'm ready For my closeup"... lil paint booger....
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux3.jpg
Looking better... or is it.....
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux4.jpg
Awww crap.....
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux5.jpg
So.... I start trying to sand it out, and realize the problem if much worse than I thought.... the texture... it was all over the panel.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux6.jpg
So I go ahead and strip the panel back to metal (too many coats of paint on the piece now):
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux7.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux8.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux9.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux10.jpg
Glazing putty and more sanding to try an flatten out the surface. ANd this was where the real sanding challenge was due to the flexing of the panel...
2 coats later it was looking good... but on the 3rd coat.... sonuvab***!!!!!!
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/waterjet_redux11.jpg
So, I wet sanded it down last night, and will hopefully paint it again this afternoon...
I have also done some work on the frame, and am rethinking the white frame color. I am likely going to paint the frame a matte black as the white is causing some problems contrasting too much with the front behind the bezel.... looks like *** where the intake fan is, and the white frame makes it worse.
More coming.... I promise....
Oh... and one more thing... took the side panel after it had cured, and got some additional art work on it...
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/s...fresh_auto.jpg
Yep, those are Stephane Robidas and Brendan Morrow's autographs! I have another panel that I used the same paint pen on and will test to see how well these take a clearcoat. Want to protect them.... :)
Whaaaaaa?!?
No Sean Avery?
;)
Bwahahahaha!!!
I would have pitched the case off of the nearest overpass if I had made that accident! ;)
LOL!!!
Welcome back TD.. Guessit was time to clean out the garage... ;)
How did you get the panel signed? Kinda curious what they thought of the MOD after you told them..
Nice work. It sucks how the best laid plans often turn out horribly wrong and it takes a lot of elbow grease to get them back on track.
Keep it going! :)
Thank you Taztg, apologies for the long gap. Real Life has been a bit of a kludge for me the last 8 months or so when it comes to modding....Quote:
Originally Posted by TAZTG
The same contact that I had for the previous Dallas Stars case (DSF - Dallas Stars Foundation) took care of it for me. I took it up to the executive offices and they made sure it made it in front of the right people! :)
I supplied the paint pen, they supplied the art work! :)
Nice, good to have Contacts in high places.. Might earn ya some good tickets. LOL Hope the home life is settled down now.. The way the economy is its been pretty tight here financial wise.
Yeah, I've gotten a few bene's from the affiliation. They have gained and I Have gained... it has been very neat to be working with my favorite sports team! Eye opening and very fun!
Soooo.... how does the uninitiated know when my muse is starting to sing to me again??
When I start hanging crap from my gutters again! Bwahahaha!!!!!
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/paint3a.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/paint3.jpg
More coming, I actually came up with a solution on the case frame that has been driving me NUTS, and the inside of the case will actually be multicolored! The front/back/bottom frame panels will be matte black and the inner drive tray will be emerald green (as seen in the pics), while I will also leave the mobo tray solid white (like an ice rink). I will airbrush a red "center line" on the tray to give it more of a hockey rink appearance. The black and green are the primary colors of the Dallas Stars, hence those decisions.
My mock ups with the colors show a neat dynamic playing between the matte black and the gloss green. I am unsure about the white of the mobo tray, but it only seemed natural for such an expansive part to bear a resembalance to a sheet of ice!
More pics as I build and coat. The green pieces are done.
The Matte black pieces have their color coats on them, but I need to go get some matte clear coat to protect the black painted surfaces. Then I can bolt it all back together and start running the lines and getting everything attached and wrapped up!
I like the Green Color.. Hey when you get time do a little work on the Home Page, I like to show folks your work. Lupine is still one of my Favorites.. :):)
"Do a little work on the home page".... how do you mean?Quote:
Originally Posted by TAZTG
My wife is still very protective of this mod! ;) Glad you still like it so much!
:)
Add Deuce to the Finished Projects.. I am assuming it was 99% Done. I remember you was working on replacing a broken piece of acrylic and received a new case for more parts but it should be done right??
*Shuffles uncomfortably....*Quote:
Originally Posted by TAZTG
no....
;)
I really did take a break due to RL. I dropped off and had to focus on the job. No modding, no repair work, nada...
I still need to rework the top of Deuce...
I cant bring myself to like a stars case
No Biggy, it jsut means more future modding.. Slow and Steady FTW..:p
Life First, Modding Second..
I went with a 3 tone chassis. I had actually considered putting a red stripe down the middle of the white motherboard tray to simulate the center line... but never could get it to simulate properly on my test pieces, so I left it as is.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_chassis.jpg
To power the tops of the puck lights, I had to run cabling down under the chassis, so I drilled a hole and fed the cables through the space behind the mobo tray.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light1.jpg
Using a 4 post bus bar, I attached the grounds to 2 of the posts, and then used the other two posts to supply the 5v line.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light2.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light3.jpg
I then needed a way to mate a female molex to bus bar. So I cut 4 lengths of cabling, attached 2 to the center grounds (like normal) and then I sandwiched 2 cables into a single 5v molex pin...
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light4.jpg
and installed it into the molex...
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light5.jpg
Testing to make sure I have the lines setup and feeding from the proper lines:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light6.jpg
...and attached the molex to the power bar.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light7.jpg
Here I mounted the bard to the back of the tray, sleeved the cables with some plastic split looming, and fed the molex out just under the hard drive bays:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/D...eet_light8.jpg
I then went to work making clusters of LED's. 6 green and 7 amber.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_leds.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_LED2.jpg
Hotglued them all into place:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led3.jpg
And then begain splicing all of them together so that they all received the 5v from one common line, and then everyone used the same common ground.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led4.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led5.jpg
Wrap it up:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led6.jpg
Solder it:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led7.jpg
put the heat shrink around the joint:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led8.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led9.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led10.jpg
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led11.jpg
Here is a close up of the tool that I used to create splice points on the common lines:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led12.jpg
And one of the finished result. I took about 8 or 9 pics, but all of them came out blurry, so I need to go out and snap some more shots of the case.
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/dst/DST_window_led13.jpg
I have the black RTA to apply to the back of the window that will add in contrast to the smoke/flame etching, as well as add in the centers to the letters "D", "R" and "A", while allowing the front and rear white LED fans to work without blasting color into the Stars logo. Should be a nice effect.
:D :D :D :D
Wow, nice. Not as nice as a Minnesota North Stars case, but nice. ;)
Team logo looks awesome so far, nice to see an update!:p
Hey TD, nice huge update. Love the detail and how the two colors belend together.... Does that Hot Glue have staying power? Never used it and was wondering if it could work for the Plexi instead of double sided tape when adding a window. Anyway welcome back and Thanks for the Update..
Hey TAZTG!
Hot glue, by itself, would not likely hold the panel for a long period of time if you were just to put the hot glue down and them put the window on top of it. Hot glue excells with oddly shaped surfaces, not perfectly flat and smooth surfaces.
*buuuuut*
If you were to drill a small hole where you were putting the glue, and then put the glue on the back of the panel, then push the window *with the hole* over the glue (so that the glue pushes through the hole and adheres, that may make it a stronger joint.
Typically, I use double sided "super tape" for my window mounts. Is is a 3M tape... I'll get you the model on that stuff. Would recommend that more than hot glue. Super strong, and damn near permanent.
Wow... other than the sucky team, the case is AWESOME!! :eek: :D :p
Hey... we are UNDEFEATED!!! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by proxops-pete