Hi, I'm a noob and this is my first post......

I have a computer that is very plain and I was wondering if it was possible to cut into the left side panel....and then put acrylic "windows"(or whatever the clear plastic is called) on.....and then maybe make it so I could put a fan and some lights on the side too.........I have a little picture that I drew really fast to give you an Idea......Is this possible??? How would I go about doing it?

Questions like :
What would I use to cut into the metal?

Where to buy the Clear "window" sheets? and what to use to cut it?

How I should go about drilling and putting on screw/bolts onto the metal to hold the windows....What kind of screws should I use?

Sorry, I am new to the whole modding cases thing.....any help would be appreciated, Thanks!




OH! BTW.....the material of the case panel is some really cheap feeling thin metal......just one sheet of metal and easy to bend....should be very easy to cut into but I do not know what I would use to do it.......ANYONE KNOW GOOD SITES THAT SHOW YOU HOW TO DO IT?

Quote: Originally Posted by scottv Hi, I'm a noob and this is my first post...... I have a computer that is very plain and I was wondering if it was possible to cut into the left side panel....and then put acrylic "windows"(or whatever the clear plastic is called) on.....and then maybe make it so I could put a fan and some lights on the side too.........I have a little picture that I drew really fast to give you an Idea......Is this possible??? How would I go about doing it? Questions like : What would I use to cut into the metal? Where to buy the Clear "window" sheets? and what to use to cut it? How I should go about drilling and putting on screw/bolts onto the metal to hold the windows....What kind of screws should I use? Sorry, I am new to the whole modding cases thing.....any help would be appreciated, Thanks! OH! BTW.....the material of the case panel is some really cheap feeling thin metal......just one sheet of metal and easy to bend....should be very easy to cut into but I do not know what I would use to do it.......ANYONE KNOW GOOD SITES THAT SHOW YOU HOW TO DO IT?

to cut you can use anything you want to cut the metal. most of us use dremels or jigsaws though some people have access to better and more expensive tools like waterjets and such.

you can buy the window material from places like ace. its just plexiglass or acrylic. you can use real glass to if you want but there's some other difficulties with that. a dremel or jigsaw at slow speeds can cut it without melting or you can score it with a razor blade and snap it off.

rivets will work to hold the window on. just use a normal drill for the holes. you can also try using edge molding to hold it on or use an adhesive material and attach it to the inside of the panel.

First and foremost, welcome to PR!

Glad to see that your anxious to get out there and start cutting on your rig. Here's a few steps...(Enko's got most of this covered already).

You need to go purchase yourself what is known as a "dremel". You can pick one up at your local Wally World for as cheap as $30 up to $80 (400XPR) and some metal cutting discs.

Next, draw the design out on the INSIDE of the panel you want to cut. Be sure to measure twice and cut once, as the saying around here goes. Once you're done, put it down and come back the next day to take another look at it. Is it what you really want? If so, start cutting. If not, draw again.

The plexi-glass...well, Enko told you where you can get that at. Fairly cheap, too. I get my at Home Depot.

When you go to cut your panel, be sure to wear safety equipment such as a long sleeve shirt and some eye protection. What good is making your rig Pimp if you can't see it when you're done?

Once you have it cut out, use a metal file and file down the edges some to get all the burrs and to take any sharp edges off of it.

You can get some molding at Home Depot, too. However, as thin as your panel is (so you say), it might be better off just to use some double-sided tape to hold the window on. This is good as long as you are not continually moving it around. You can use rivets if that's the look you are going for. Maybe cut the top off with the dremel and superglue them on.

Oh, I forgot...you can cut your plexi with the dremel, too. Make sure it's on a slow setting.

Rob

if you do get a dremel, make sure that you don't get a cordless one. batteries don't last long enough to make significant progress at each session.

for a large window like the one you you're doing with few intricacies, you might want to go the jigsaw route. its faster.

Good catch, Enko......I'm a little light-headed right now after getting that steal...er, I mean, deal from my new favorite Pimp, Wordbiker, on that RAM.

Rob

Also, be sure and get the good cutting wheels. I've gotten lousy ones before, and they suck. Don't be afraid to throw a disk away. It takes forever to cut anyting with a badly warn disk.

Welcome to PR!



J

Wow! Thanks ALOT to everyone that posted!

You can also find some rather detailed guides floating around on the internet, here are a few:
*Note: the guides have several pages, so keep going on at the bottom

- http://www.twistedmods.com/article.php?artid=36&page=1 (this is part one, when you finish go onto...)
- http://www.twistedmods.com/article.php?artid=35 (part 2)

-http://www.twistedmods.com/article.php?artid=169