Painting the Tower
- Thread starter Atrosity
- Start date
schw32m
New Member
Here is one I did last fall.. Haven't done final assembly on it yet but it shows some painting of the chassis inside.
http://www.computerforum.com/161598-project-breathing-new-life-into-older-case.html
bkribbs
New Member
why would you paint the insides? noone looks there...
G25r8cer
Active Member
Yes I have painted the inside of mine gloss black then, did a coat of clear to keep it from scratching when taking it apart for cleaning.
Tips
1. Sand everything down (very important esp when using enamel paints) Sand it just enough to give the paint something to grab onto.
2. Blow dust away with air compressor or compressed air can
3. Wipe down with wet rag or rubbing alcohol
4. Let dry
5. Start painting and DONT rush it
6. Use very light coats (2-3 total)
My results (older picture but, paint has not changed)
Tips
1. Sand everything down (very important esp when using enamel paints) Sand it just enough to give the paint something to grab onto.
2. Blow dust away with air compressor or compressed air can
3. Wipe down with wet rag or rubbing alcohol
4. Let dry
5. Start painting and DONT rush it
6. Use very light coats (2-3 total)
My results (older picture but, paint has not changed)
ScottALot
Active Member
Hey, everyone knows it's what's on the inside that counts.
JareeB
Active Member
Yes I have painted the inside of mine gloss black then, did a coat of clear to keep it from scratching when taking it apart for cleaning.
Tips
1. Sand everything down (very important esp when using enamel paints) Sand it just enough to give the paint something to grab onto.
2. Blow dust away with air compressor or compressed air can
3. Wipe down with wet rag or rubbing alcohol
4. Let dry
5. Start painting and DONT rush it
6. Use very light coats (2-3 total)
My results (older picture but, paint has not changed)
you dont want to use sand paper to sand it go to fleat farm if you have one and get a red scuff pad just to make the paint stick
John A
New Member
Heat Physics
A little bit of heat physics. Black(like a polar bear's skin) absorbs heat. So any heat in the case will get absorbed. As for white(like a polar bear's fur) it's the oppisite. Just remember that. I know a lot of people with bad cooling systems and black chassis'. Didn't go to well.
A little bit of heat physics. Black(like a polar bear's skin) absorbs heat. So any heat in the case will get absorbed. As for white(like a polar bear's fur) it's the oppisite. Just remember that. I know a lot of people with bad cooling systems and black chassis'. Didn't go to well.
ScottALot
Active Member
A little bit of heat physics. Black(like a polar bear's skin) absorbs heat. So any heat in the case will get absorbed. As for white(like a polar bear's fur) it's the oppisite. Just remember that. I know a lot of people with bad cooling systems and black chassis'. Didn't go to well.
Black absorbs light, not heat.
Yeti
VIP Member
First off, as ScottALot alluded to, black absorbs light in the visible spectrum whereas white will reflect visible light. Infrared radiation, on the other had, which I believe you're refering to as heat, is often equally absorbed (and emitted due to Kirchoff's law) by both white and black materials. For example, white and black electrical tape both have emissivities/absortivities of ~0.90-0.95. As for the point about black cases being bad, if you're relying on radiative heat transfer for cooling in your case then you definitely have a problem. Copper and aluminum heat exchangers have very low emissivities so the hottest components emit heat least efficiently.A little bit of heat physics. Black(like a polar bear's skin) absorbs heat. So any heat in the case will get absorbed. As for white(like a polar bear's fur) it's the oppisite. Just remember that. I know a lot of people with bad cooling systems and black chassis'. Didn't go to well.
Last edited:
bomberboysk
Active Member
In english for everyone else: Small scale like a computer a black case will not affect temperatures negatively due to the low amount of visible light that will be absorbed to the case, let alone the fact that most interior lighting is relatively low intensity. However, in larger scale such as say, a car in the sunlight, a black car will have higher temperatures than say, a white car(this has been tested a few times by multiple places and confirmed accurate). Not to mention, the purpose of a computer chassis is not to
Key pieces of advice when painting(somewhat repeated as what g25racer mentioned):
1. Sand! Sand! Sand! Cannot stress this enough, as paint does not stick well to the galvanized zinc surface of a computer case interior, get as much of the zinc layer off as possible. I recommend using either a 320 or 400 grit wet or dry sandpaper for this step. If you have access to a media blaster, that is an even better option.
2. Wipe it down like g25 mentioned, acetone is best here, rubbing alcohol will work however.
3. Get a self etching primer, put a few light coats on.
4. Get a good quality spray paint, something such as krylon fusion although meant for plastics works excellent on computer cases, rustoleum is also an excellent choice.
5. Let the paint dry fully between coats, dont try to cover everything perfectly on the first coat, multiple thin coats will result in far better looks.
6. Let the final coat dry for at least a week, then wipe everything down with rubbing alcohol and apply a final coat, allowing the final coat to dry for at least 24 if not 48 hours in a well ventilated environment.
bkribbs
New Member
haha ok. but i would guess that would mean the components. not what color it is painted. but hey, you do what you want. haha
Dystopia
Active Member
Yeah, I've painted the inside of my case before. Here is what I did: http://www.computerforum.com/164965-my-case-mod-awesome-lots-pics.html
Except I forgot to sand down the paint that was already on the inside, so it scratches a lot easier than if I would have remembered to sand the paint down.
Except I forgot to sand down the paint that was already on the inside, so it scratches a lot easier than if I would have remembered to sand the paint down.
funkysnair
VIP Member
mine was de-greased lightely sanded washed down then primed (about 5 coats) then sprayed black (about 5-7 coats)
before
after
in my opinion it just finnishes the look off, i still dont understand why companys make black cases with side windows and have a silver interior?
before
after
in my opinion it just finnishes the look off, i still dont understand why companys make black cases with side windows and have a silver interior?