Interior painting

[bg92]

So I need advice about painting these parts in the attachments.

Any clues of what type of paint should I use? How many coats, should I apply somthing like pre-coat first, primer?

The metal parts are the gpu support thin and the expansion slot covers, the others are plastic.

Also do think thing that the removable tray and the ssd adapter should be both painted? becuase my plan is painting the removable hdd tray and leaving the ssd adapter black.

The colour I want to use is obviously BLUE, has anyone used a paint of this colour for something similar and is satisfied with it?

I'm also looking for something simple,however I do want to achieve a good finish.

http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-general-discussion/931849-case-mod-need-some-advice.html link to same thread on overclock.net

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pengipete]

Automotive spray paint would be an obvious choice - tough, fast drying, widely available, lots of colour choices including metallics (could be interesting) and cheap. It will stick to almost anything without primer as long as the surface isn't too smooth but in your case I'd definitely use a grey primer as you're covering black. If you've never used spray cans before, you'll be doing yourself a big favour to practice first on some scraps - even cardboard will do. The most important thing is apply very thin coats and let them dry thoroughly - sanding down with a medium to fine grade wet and dry between coats. On the last coat, makes sure it's really dry then use a really fine grit paper - 1200-2500 depending on the finish. If you want a shiny finish, rub it down with cutting paste or use abit of Solvol Autosol to polish it to ahig gloss. If you prefer a matt finish, just sand it gently with something like 2000 grit paper. An alternative to automotive sprays - if you fancy something different - is the textured paint you use for guttering and iron work.

The one thing I wouldn't do if I were you is to try painting with a brush - it will end up thick and messy no matter how careful you are.

If you want to add any detailing, the best way to do it at home is to use decal paper. It's a very thin paper-backed plastic sheet - you print on it with a normal ink-jet or laser printer and when it's dry you soak it in water for a few seconds and the paper comes away leaving the plastic with glue on the back (basically, it's the same as those tranfers you use on Airfix kits). The best thing to do - to avoid any chance of the ink running - is to give the print a day or so to dry completely then spray with a suitablepoly laquer. If you do that, don't cut the piece you need out until after you've laquered and let it dry out otherwise the laquer will seal the edges and the paper won't come away when you soak the transfer. (Note -you have to buy the right paper for laser or inkjet - different papers for each. You can buy the paper from model shops or try the crafts section on ebay - usually much cheaper)

(I've built and customised a few guitars and these are the techniques I've learned)

Other than that, I'd be very wary of painting those drive-bay clips as they have moving parts. Even if you manage to paint them without clogging them up, there's a good chance that paint will peel when you use them. Perhaps you could remove the middleclip section and maskoff the recess so that there'sno chance of paint getting near the moving part. The mesh - okay as long as you don't apply to much paint - you'll have to watch out for bubbles forming in the holes though. The SSD adaptor - seems okay - just be careful around the embossed lettering - you don't want to apply too much paint or it will look blurry. If any of those parts have threaded screw-holes, I'd suggest leaving screws in them to prevent them from getting clogged with paint.

Other ideas - look for UV reactive paint or laquer and add UV lights inside the case. If you really want a professional finish, you might find a local car paintshop that will do the job for less than the price of buying all the stuff you need. If you do the spraying at home, the biggest annoyances are dust and working out how to spray the whole part when you have to hold it. For those parts, I'd suggest either hanging them with fishing line or screwing them to a wooden pole. You can also build a simple spray booth by cutting out part of the front of a cardboard box (think of an old TV set with the "screen" being the hole) - that will protect the rest of the room from overspray and reduce the chance of dust getting into the painted surface. As always, safety first - wear a mask and goggles when spraying. Don't spray outdoors - it's too dusty. If you use spray cans for paint or laquer - a good tip is to stand the can in a jug of hot (not boiling) water for a few minutes before using it - you'll get a finer spray and less chance of blobs. When you spray, start spraying slightly away from the iten you're painting as the first spray tends to come out a bit fast - also, don't stop spraying directly over the item - move the spray away as the last spray when you release the button will be "blobby". Shake the can after every pass and stand it in the warm water whenever you stop sprying - to get the next item, for example.

I saw something earlier that might interest you... Google "Nexus PCI-300" - they're meshed expansion slot covers - I reckon they'd look good on your case - they'd go with that PSU mesh.

 

[JSG10]

All fantastic tips from Pengipete there Just one more to add and that is when spraying make sure you hold the can about 15-30cm away from what you're spraying, don't spray too close and try and spray evenly and continuously over the piece as he said.

 

[bg92]

Thanks for advice guys, +rep for both of you

 

[Tom DWC]

I think it looks pretty sweet as it is already.

 

[pengipete]

I think it looks pretty sweet as it is already.

Me too - it's classy all in black.

Not a tip - just someting I saw the other day. Have you read about the latest trend in car colouring being used by the likes of Gordon Ramsey and Becks - the ones with mega bucks? They have their very expensive cars vinyl wrapped. According to the reports, it gives a far better finish than any paint job shortof completely stripping the car back to metal and it can be peeled off later without damaging the orginal paint which would affect the resale value.

In the stories I read, there's quite a trend towards matt black finish - notoriously difficult to acheive with paint. Another option is to have a "chrome" finish across the entire car - gaudy but definitely eye-catching, especially on the right car. Perhaps the most fun is that you can just as easily have a design such as a Union Flag for that Austin Powers look. According to the UK suppliers, as you're not actually changing the colour of the car, you don't even need to notify DVLA.

I have to say, I can imagine some criminals absolutely salivating at the idea of having an instant colur change on their getaway cars.