City_Idiot
28-09-2002, 09:17 PM
Dark Nerd Guide To Painting You’re Case:
Alight so I have just finished painting my new case, making this job the 3rd paint job I have done. I know that doesn’t make THE authority on paint but my case looks pretty mint :D
Before you star some things you need to think of:
1. The area you Paint in should be Dust free, indoors if possible and have a heater of some kind
2. Have a Separate Area for sanding the case down if possible, if you cant make sure u clean the room thoroughly before you spray otherwise you will end up with a DUST effect on your case :(
3. Before you buy any paint DECIDE on a colour, the colour you chose will dictate what colour the under coat will be
4. THIN COATS!
Let my just go over WHY some of these things are important. The area you paint in should be dust free due to the fact that dust or other debris may land on you freshly painted panel and will set in with the paint, this looks crap… plain and simple. It should be inside to also lessen the chance of you ending up with a case that looks like the Southern Alps. A heater is also good near the panel that will be drying. This helps sets the paint on the panel and will allow a faster paint job and one that will last longer with out touch ups. If u can sand outside or somewhere other than where you will be painting then do so. Even if you clean the sanding area before you paint there will still be dust and metal in the air and surroundings. Not everyone has a entire house to mod in but if you can sand else where to you paint area. You will need to decide you top colour before you buy you top coats or undercoats because if you have a dark colour for you top colour you will get best results by using a dark undercoat and vice versa for a light top colour. I painted my case a darkish red called “newfire” and for this I used a grey oxide colour undercoat. We will go over spraying tips later but always do multiple THIN coats instead of one thick coat
SANDING:
When it comes to sanding the panels I suggest you find a orbital sander with some 60 or 80 grit disks to taking the top coat and colour off the panels. When doing this do it on a level surface otherwise the pressure you apply could bend the panel out of shape. This is very easy to do with a panel that has a window in it. Don’t spend too long on one spot and try and spend the same amount of time on the corners as you do the centre, these are often the most neglected places on the panel and are the first to be damaged. When you have the entire top coat and colour off put a 120 disk on and give it a good 10 minutes on each panel before switching to a 220 grain disk 5 ore minutes on this gain will level most of it out. If you want to you can go over it by hand with some 280 and 330 grit paper.
SPRAYING TIPS:
1. Shake the can for at least 2 minutes before use
2. Always hold can upright
3. When using a new can spray a little onto some paper before hand to bleed the valve
4. When spraying don’t stop spraying on the panel always start and stop spraying off the panel to avoid light/dark patches occurring
5. Allow the following dry times between coats (In a warm room). Unless the can states otherwise
Undercoat: 20 Minutes
Colour: 25-30 minutes
Top Coat: 1 hour
6. Use top quality paints, preferably automotive grade. Don’t be cheap when it comes to the pain
UNDERCOAT:
The undercoat if the foundation of the paint job so time and detail must be applied here. Make sure you get an even coat across the entire panel and do THIN coats. I recommend 2 undercoats Minimum with 3 coats preferable. Between each coat wait 20 minutes don’t touch/move the panel while it’s drying. Make sure that all of the panel is coated in undercoat and don’t do half of the panel let it dry and then do the other half. DO each entire panel at the same time. Before Attempting the Colour coat wait an hour to allow the undercoats to fully dry and set in place
COLOUR:
When doing the colour coat much the same method as the undercoat is need, Thin coats applied evenly at the same time will give the best results. However between colour coats allow for 30 minutes and don’t be tempted to touch up one spot between coats. 3 coats is a absolute minimum for the colour coat and I recommend 4 thin coats to get best results on the panels. Between the colour coat and the top coat allow 12 hours for the colour to properly dry
TOP COAT:
This is the second to last step in successfully painting you case. And if you done what I have said by now you should have a sweet looking set of panels. You could if you wanted to put you panels on now and brag to you mates about you mint paint job, but in six months when you paints all chipped off and it looks lame they will have the last laugh. Out of all the coats the top coat is the most important as it will protect you paint job from light/moderate scrapes and keeps it looking MINT for months to come.
For the top coat I suggest a coat quality automotive top coat and I suggest you do five or 6 coats. I shouldn’t have to tell you by now how to spray only to allow an hour between coats and 24 hours after the finale coat for the job to be completed. The last step is optional and I haven’t done this before but some people use automotive cutting compound to buff up the panels after they have been done. I am unsure as to what this dose but it comes do to individually taste and will leave that one up to you guys.
And Remember.... It's Not a Race (from I.R)
Coming Soon From Dark Nerd:
Plastic Painting Guide
Drive Painting Guide
Alight so I have just finished painting my new case, making this job the 3rd paint job I have done. I know that doesn’t make THE authority on paint but my case looks pretty mint :D
Before you star some things you need to think of:
1. The area you Paint in should be Dust free, indoors if possible and have a heater of some kind
2. Have a Separate Area for sanding the case down if possible, if you cant make sure u clean the room thoroughly before you spray otherwise you will end up with a DUST effect on your case :(
3. Before you buy any paint DECIDE on a colour, the colour you chose will dictate what colour the under coat will be
4. THIN COATS!
Let my just go over WHY some of these things are important. The area you paint in should be dust free due to the fact that dust or other debris may land on you freshly painted panel and will set in with the paint, this looks crap… plain and simple. It should be inside to also lessen the chance of you ending up with a case that looks like the Southern Alps. A heater is also good near the panel that will be drying. This helps sets the paint on the panel and will allow a faster paint job and one that will last longer with out touch ups. If u can sand outside or somewhere other than where you will be painting then do so. Even if you clean the sanding area before you paint there will still be dust and metal in the air and surroundings. Not everyone has a entire house to mod in but if you can sand else where to you paint area. You will need to decide you top colour before you buy you top coats or undercoats because if you have a dark colour for you top colour you will get best results by using a dark undercoat and vice versa for a light top colour. I painted my case a darkish red called “newfire” and for this I used a grey oxide colour undercoat. We will go over spraying tips later but always do multiple THIN coats instead of one thick coat
SANDING:
When it comes to sanding the panels I suggest you find a orbital sander with some 60 or 80 grit disks to taking the top coat and colour off the panels. When doing this do it on a level surface otherwise the pressure you apply could bend the panel out of shape. This is very easy to do with a panel that has a window in it. Don’t spend too long on one spot and try and spend the same amount of time on the corners as you do the centre, these are often the most neglected places on the panel and are the first to be damaged. When you have the entire top coat and colour off put a 120 disk on and give it a good 10 minutes on each panel before switching to a 220 grain disk 5 ore minutes on this gain will level most of it out. If you want to you can go over it by hand with some 280 and 330 grit paper.
SPRAYING TIPS:
1. Shake the can for at least 2 minutes before use
2. Always hold can upright
3. When using a new can spray a little onto some paper before hand to bleed the valve
4. When spraying don’t stop spraying on the panel always start and stop spraying off the panel to avoid light/dark patches occurring
5. Allow the following dry times between coats (In a warm room). Unless the can states otherwise
Undercoat: 20 Minutes
Colour: 25-30 minutes
Top Coat: 1 hour
6. Use top quality paints, preferably automotive grade. Don’t be cheap when it comes to the pain
UNDERCOAT:
The undercoat if the foundation of the paint job so time and detail must be applied here. Make sure you get an even coat across the entire panel and do THIN coats. I recommend 2 undercoats Minimum with 3 coats preferable. Between each coat wait 20 minutes don’t touch/move the panel while it’s drying. Make sure that all of the panel is coated in undercoat and don’t do half of the panel let it dry and then do the other half. DO each entire panel at the same time. Before Attempting the Colour coat wait an hour to allow the undercoats to fully dry and set in place
COLOUR:
When doing the colour coat much the same method as the undercoat is need, Thin coats applied evenly at the same time will give the best results. However between colour coats allow for 30 minutes and don’t be tempted to touch up one spot between coats. 3 coats is a absolute minimum for the colour coat and I recommend 4 thin coats to get best results on the panels. Between the colour coat and the top coat allow 12 hours for the colour to properly dry
TOP COAT:
This is the second to last step in successfully painting you case. And if you done what I have said by now you should have a sweet looking set of panels. You could if you wanted to put you panels on now and brag to you mates about you mint paint job, but in six months when you paints all chipped off and it looks lame they will have the last laugh. Out of all the coats the top coat is the most important as it will protect you paint job from light/moderate scrapes and keeps it looking MINT for months to come.
For the top coat I suggest a coat quality automotive top coat and I suggest you do five or 6 coats. I shouldn’t have to tell you by now how to spray only to allow an hour between coats and 24 hours after the finale coat for the job to be completed. The last step is optional and I haven’t done this before but some people use automotive cutting compound to buff up the panels after they have been done. I am unsure as to what this dose but it comes do to individually taste and will leave that one up to you guys.
And Remember.... It's Not a Race (from I.R)
Coming Soon From Dark Nerd:
Plastic Painting Guide
Drive Painting Guide