removing fan grills (from cases)

[Politik]

Do nibbler tools work for this? They need to have a hole already there to work, right? are the holes in fan grills on cases usually big enough to let the nibbler cut it?

Anyone know the cheapest place to get a nibbler?

 

[deerslayer]

I have never used a nibbler, but if you don't have a dremel you could probably use tin snips to cut out the fan grilles. It woudln't be as nice of a cut as a dremel, but it would work.

 

[amdskip]

Originally posted by: LyNx01
I have never used a nibbler, but if you don't have a dremel you could probably use tin snips to cut out the fan grilles. It woudln't be as nice of a cut as a dremel, but it would work.

I cut my fan grills out today using my variable speed dremel with cutoff wheels which is much easier than a snip of any kind IMHO.

 

[RalfHutter]

Nibblers work fine for this sort of thing. I've used them for cutting out all my case grills. They leave a fairly neat hole too. You do need to have about a 1/4" hole to start it from but that's it. They have them at CompUSA for around $8-9 and you can get them online too.

 

[amcdonald]

I used tin snips on a steel case recently because I didn't have a heavy-duty wheel for the dremel.
6 thick steel fan grills = sore hands & lot of places to cut myself in the future

 

[PCHPlayer]

I am considering doing this to my Antec 1040. I am worried if I do it with the MB still in the case that some metal filings may get into the case and cause problems. Am I being paranoid, or is there some technique for avoiding this problem?

 

[amcdonald]

You are right to be concerned.
Its good practice to remove all the case innards before cutting into it.
You can use tape to catch/block shavings, that should minimize cleanup.

 

[ChefJoe]

Best to remove everything from the case.... though I did use masking tape and tarps made of paper sheets (a la painting) when using a dremil for such a job in a full tower case. Safest, remove everything, be sure to clean the case with damp paper towels (does a great job of getting the metal bits) before placing things back.

 

[BG4533]

Radio Shack sells nibblers for like $10. Mine jammed on the first nibble, but a bit of WD40 fixed it.
Make sure to remove your things from the case as well. If you use a Dremel, it is probably a good idea to tape things off like said before. I used a Dremel to sand my cuts after making them and after wiping everything down there were still many metal fragments in the case. I used a metallic screwdriver in the edges of the case and more metal just kept coming out.

Brian

 

[bergenvr6]

i just used my cordless drill with a cutting wheel attachment.