Will SECC case steel rust?

[thilanliyan]

I cut up some of my case. I'm just wondering if the parts that I cut will rust if I don't paint it or something.

 

[Zepper]

It's not stainless steel, is it? So if the finish gets scraped off or cut somehow or wasn't applied properly to begin with, then yes it will rust. If you cut your case for a modification, then treat the bare edges with RustOleum or other metal primer.
SECC just doesn't have so much recycled steel in it (maybe none) as other, lower grades. You can look up the SECC spec if you're really interested. Google is your friend...

.bh.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: thilan29
I cut up some of my case. I'm just wondering if the parts that I cut will rust if I don't paint it or something.

Yes!

 

[thilanliyan]

thanks.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

A decent steel case -- and you'll find them with myriad OEM discards both recent and older than ten years -- has a powder-coated primer on the unpainted metal surfaces. You will also find in such cases that there are pop-rivets exhibiting some rust.

So even if you cut fan holes without further treatment, it will take a long, long time for any rust to be of much concern.

If you want to treat exposed metal, you can use a "self-etching primer" -- usually an olive-drab color -- to be found in auto-parts chain stores. There is a self-etching Duplicolor primer that seems to meet all expectations.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it though, because it's not likely to be of notice or concern for as long as you intend to use the case. Unless -- of course -- you live in a very wet climate, or especially, near the ocean or on a yacht.

Barring the latter problem of salty air, you can even mod steel cases with aluminum parts. But using self-etching primer to coat the surfaces of the two metals where they make contact will pre-empt any galvanic corrosion. So you can safely take the computer with you on your boat, too.

 

[SparkyJJO]

The only steel case that I found was rusty had been sitting out in the weather for months. They typically don't rust much, unless you get them all wet routinely

 

[thilanliyan]

I just ended up buying some Rustoleum galvanizing coat paint. Hopefully that will take care of it.