Well I started to tear up this Ahanix EX110 case and I am learning lessons as I go.

1. If you are going to drill this kind of metal, get an electric drill that does at least 2100RPM. It will suck the battery life from a cordless quicker than a crack whore in Oakland.

2. If you can afford it, get a dremel that is 35,000RPM made by Dremel. The speed makes cutting easier (along with the enforced discs). I actually gave up on the hole saw and dremeled the blowhole using one disc.:

3. If you put a dremel against metal, sparks WILL fly. Always wear PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR to preclude against metal bits and sparks hitting you in the eye. I had so many sparks flying on my front porch, my neighbors thought a steel refinery opened up. Oh yes, it is louder than hell when you are cutting steel. Their dog loved me.

4. I decided to paint my case inside....then I got high.

5. Always keep the house well circulated if weather doesn't let you paint outside. Wear a PAINTER'S MASK to keep you lungs healthy (see #4).

6. To clean your case before painting, Home Depot computer geek said plain rubbing alcohol will due (to remove any oils). He said if you do use commercial paint thinners/cleaners, use extreme caution because some of them are EXTREMELY FLAMMIBLE . Follow the directions carefully on the back (M.E.K., etc.).

More to come I'm sure.

Good basic advice G Money. Keep notes and tips on your progress, I know it will help someone else get up the courage to hack their new Lian-Li they get for Christmas.

Good stuff.

Bottom line though, no matter how many writeups, reviews, and howtos you read on the net, nothing beats firsthand experience as I assume you are seeing Gmoney.

I disagree with you about the ease of a holesaw though, but if you are trying to go through thick steel panels with a handheld corldess dril and no cutting oil I can see where you might have problems. use a drill press and cutting oil and your holes will be done in less than 30 seconds. Oh and make sure you get the bi-metal holesaws or better, not the wood cutting ones.

Also when using a holesaw, if you can only find standard sizes, get the one barely smaller then the size you need (78mm equivalent instead of 82 or 83) OR use the size larger if you plan on using molding for your blowholes

Keep the tips coming =)

Quote: Originally posted by abyssling Good stuff. Bottom line though, no matter how many writeups, reviews, and howtos you read on the net, nothing beats firsthand experience as I assume you are seeing Gmoney. ...

Yes sir.
You must learn and apply, and learn while you are applying

Hehe....All good advice G-Money. Painting masks are usefull when your dremeling too, else youall end up with a lung full of metel dust(not fun )

I think the holesaw I got at Home Depot was for wood, and I didn't get any cutting oil. The only drill press I had was my weight . The wood shop on base here is closed, because their ventalation system is inoperative...so I had to do it on my own.

I used a 4.25" hole saw, and it only put a small dent in the metal without the oil and drill press. That metal got so hot from the friction of the hole saw, I could have cooked breakfast on it. It did make it a little easier for the dremel work, kind of a path for the cutting wheel to follow.

For those of you that remember the movie "The Jerk", and laughed when Steve Martin was buffing the car and wound up running down the side of it when he put the high-speed buffer down...well...if you hit a snag with a dremel..it can take on a life of its own and create a "battle scar" on your case

i took the easy route and had my brother-in-law take it to work with him and laser cut a perfectly straight window...however i did etch the design for it...

I had sparks flying last night at my uncles house. He has a compressor and we cut the hell out of the mobo tray to make my box lighter. It was so fun, my uncle even helped out!

wow! a wealth of info here...especially because im getting a holesaw after xmas and im gonna do it during holiday break. great tips on the holesaws...

Quote: 4. I decided to paint my case inside....then I got high.

uhmmm...would that be a precurser to painting? or a result of said task????LMAO
But,good suggestions nonetheless.
and i agree with abyssling...you can read everything known to man about doing something,but the real learning begins when the dremel hits the metal!