How to paint a case?

[Becks2k]

I've painted my keyboard and cdrom/cdr/dvd drive's face plates blue and it worked out well.

I gotta paint a entire case for someone now... any different?

I read one "how to" or whatever and they sanded the side panals and all before painting... is that really necessary?

I was just thinking 2 coats of paint and a clear coat maybe.


Also has anyone ever painted their monitor? I was just looking at my comptuer nad it looks pretty sweet.... my keyboard is blue with white keys, my mousepad is blue and has a siilver mouse.. my desktop has a blue background and the monitor is white... it looks neato! lol

Theres 2 parts to the monitor, the back shell and the cover plate thingy... i just want to paint the back part. Is it hard to take it apart?

 

[SWScorch]

sanding is not necessary; I ony sanded one side of my case, and while it did make the paint stick a little better, it really wasn't necessary. Just go nice and slow, use very thin layer, and let each layer dry completely before you paint the next layer. By thin, I mean, you should go through at least 6 coats before you cant see the underlying surface. Then let it dry for 24 hours before clearcoating it.

 

[KouklatheCat]

I have done cases both ways with and without sanding. I prefer the results I get when I sand and prime the case better. I recently painted one of my monitors. I painted my whole monitor. I used the blue masking tape you get at home depot to mask the screen off. The blue masking tape seems to stick better and come off easier.

 

[FlowerMan]

Sanding is not necessary, but saves a bit of paint by allowing the first couple coats to be flat, instead of trying to fill up the little gaps of the beige powder coating. Primer is optional if you sand, but I consider it necessary if you dont sand. In either case, make sure you wash the surface well with dish soap to remove oils, etc...

I used 4-5 coats paint and 4-5 coats clear coat. If you dont use clear coat, your finish will be less durable and harder to shine.

Painting plastic (mice & monitor): same as above, sand or prime. You can probably get away with less coats, but I'd stick to 4-5. If you want, you can use Vinyl dye, which is easier to use and gives a different finish. Some have used it for painting cases, but I prefer the finish of paint and a clear coat.

CAUTION: Be careful painting your monitor. When you remove the plastic shells, be wary of the capacitors in the monitor, which can electrocute or stun you pretty bad. Dont remember how to discharge them, but you can just stay away from them and all will be fine.

 

[Ziptar]

Heh yeah.. Watch out for the "Throw Back" Capacitors......

 

[Becks2k]

w000t i won't be sanding, thx for the replies

about the monitor, I figured to be careful hehe

Is it alot of work getting the shell off? And then getting it back together?

 

[BeauJangles]

guide to painting on VH, works well for me.

 

[IBuySouls]

Go here and look at his Enlight mod, he has some really good painting instructions in there. I followed them and it turned out great.

 

[FlowerMan]

I remember using the Neima guide for my case painting project. Good article, read it, learn it, apply it

IMO, you're making a mistake be lazying out on 5-10 mins worth of wet sanding You dont have to sand all the way down to the bear metal, just enough to remove all the bumps. Use of 150-300 grit sanding mesh + water is great for this application.

Edit: Dont forget you void the warranty of your monitor after opening it up and painting it Make sure its something you can afford to replace easily.

 

[JokerF15]

Here is a link that i thought was extremly helpful when painting my case:

HERE

Good Luck