Help with color change on case

[vike105]

I have the xaser III 2000a, the silver one with the red plastic parts. I would like to change the red parts to blue so it matches the blue led thermaltake sign. Anyone know any way that i can do this. I'm not that good at painting or what not but i dont want to make it look tacky with normal paint. What's the best way to do this?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-133-104&depa=0
link to the case



P.S. You guys think this is a good idea or that i'm better off leaving it as is?

 

[akira34]

If you're not good at painting, I'd leave it alone. If you're good at taking things apart so that they go back together, then you could remove the face and other items, mask off the areas you DON'T want paint to go onto (do a good job of that, it's critical) and then work on painting. I'd scuff the surface with some medium to medium-fine grit sandpaper (probably 200-400 grit) and then use a spray on primer that is made for the material you're painting (such as platic and/or metal). Then, once that is dry and cured, start with the color you want it to be. If you want it to be a matt finish, then just spray on a few coats (even, light coats are good, don't go too heavy or you risk having it run on you) until you have solid coverage. Also let that dry and cure according to the instructions on the can. Once it's all done, you can either leave it as is, or go the extra steps to make it a really glossy, high quality finish. That will require having a bit more paint as a base, possibly sanding between coats (very fine grit, wet sanding, cleaning up and then painting more coats) and then laying on the clear-coat. You'll want to sand that as well between coats so that you get a truely glossy finish. This won't be an afternoon project, more like a weekend, or a full week deal. All depending on how good/professional you want the end product to be.

Of course, it wouldn't hurt to get extra paint and practice on something you don't care about first. THAT way, you know if it's something you can handle or not.

 

[jhurst]

I did this to my V8000A.....my door cover disassembles nicely, and I was able to paint the red part glossy black. Very easy to do with my case, not sure about yours. Can you isolate just the red plastic part? If so, it is really easy then, just go buy some metallic blue paint, or at least some glossy blue (or any color), and then just spraypaint it. You don't need to primer or anything like that, its a computer, there isn't going to be any chipping or anything. Plus, since it is kinda covered up, any mistakes will not be noticeable.

 

[akira34]

If you're happy with potentially peeling and flaking paint, then go ahead and just spray it on. Make sure you mask off ANY area you don't want painted before you start. Personally, IF I was to repaint my case, I'd go through the steps to make damned sure it's an excellent job/finish. I've painted more than a few things in my day and the extra steps always make for a better finished product. Hell, even when I painted minitures I primed them to make sure the paint had good coverage (also made it easier for the paint to stick to the metal).

As for the covered up part, who knows, maybe he wants to show it off on top of his desk. OR he has the computer in a place where it can be easily viewed.

Right now, I have a nice, all black, case. IF I do anything, it will be to install one of the vehicle LCD screens either in the front door or maybe on a hinge off the side... Of course, I think it would also be rather cool to have a flip-down screen in my desk that I could use for the odd palets and such. That's a project for another time though. So many projects, so little time (and money usually).