Case Painting

massahwahl

VIP Member
So Im interested in painting my computer case and Ive never done this before. There seems to be a lot of opinions on the best way to do it so what can you share with me how to do it cheap and easy? I want to paint the chasis black and do a neon green on the plastic shell. Again, cheap and easy would be nice lol
 
spray paint as long as you don't put so much it runs, and have either the parts out of it or something behind any and all holes on the case.
 
I was looking for more of what types of paints and whatnot... lol I know how to spray paint but do i need a primer or anything, sanding, etc?
 
you know what you need, you need a nubi or however the hell they spell it, the guy off american chopper who does all their sick painting :D
 
good job.thx
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Are those images of the pc?? The links are broken for me
 
I've seen the results of vinyl paint used on a car. It's ok for cars if something needs to be done with it, but like on door panels it will get nicks and scratches from the heavy use.
The PC won't get that heavy use, but if it's plastic and not vinyl, and if the plastic is smooth and not very porous, I'd go with just some reg o'le spray paint. Solvent based, not water born and not lacquer. Arcylic would work well. With the neon green you'll be limited to the type of paint you can find your color in. No problem tho.
With painting it's all about the prep. My suggestion,
Clean foreign matter from the metal and plastic. Use about 320 grit sandpaper and give the plastic a light sanding. Don't leave any spots unsanded. The metal won't need sanded. Clean all the dust and use a dust free area to do the painting. Nothing like having to wait for paint to dry so you can sand out the painted dust, then paint again.
Use the same multi-purpose primer on the metal and the plastic. Just a light coat will do. Doesnt have to be opaque. Just coated. For top coats: inside the chassi a spray can that sprays a dot works better than the ones that spray a fan. For the shell, the fan will work better. After the shell is painted, you could use clear as a finish over the green if you think it needs it. Depends on the product the green comes in. If it's something like the readily aviable florescent green, then I'd recommend a clear coat.
Tip: if you get a run, while it's still wet put a piece of tape on it and pull it off. The resulting mark is easier to deal with than the run...
 
Good tips, Ive never spray painted metal before so i didnt know if i needed to sand it or not. Im still debating colors, i know Krylon makes a spray that is specifically used for spray painting plastic i might look into that as well as no one around here seams to sell the dye mentioned above.
 
Just remember that the better your prep work is the better your finished product will be. Also, one thing my dad has always taught me was NEVER try to make it look good on your first coat.
 
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How many coats you guys think I will need?
It will take about 4 sprayings. Be ready to spray another coat as the previous one gets tacky, like the back side of tape. This will give the next coat something to grab on to.
With the first one your just getting some material on there. Just a light coat. No concern for coverage or light places. You can go more full wet coats as you spray each coat since it will have more tacky to hold it in place. When it becomes solid in color (opaque) you can go with a last full wet coat but still don't overlap your spray pattern too much/heavily because it can still run.
 
Well I just did the first coat on the the chasis and it looks really good! I found a product that has primer/paint in the same can and it covered really well, I had a few runs but they were under the motherboard so im not worried about them. Still debating what color I want to do on the shell. Its going in our bedroom so Im almost thinking of maybe a wood color to match our dresser.
 
Took three coats on the chasis but it turned out really nice! Very glossy, Still debating on a color for the shell. I might surprise my fiancee and paint it pink for something unique since thats her favorite color and its going in our bedroom! :D
 
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