# how to paint case?



## forcifer (Nov 20, 2005)

im thinking of doing a new paint job on my case, or at least the metal bak. i hav an idea from my dad(owns a sheet metal company) but i wanna c if ther r more ways.


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## cainmosozihcs (Nov 28, 2004)

so is your question on how to paint a case?


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

I think the base paint on most metal cases is a powder coat (they don't use solvents to attatch the paint). Could be wrong though.

This is an industrial technique, so don't count on being able to do it at home. I've been thinking about modding a huge white tower I just got and painting it, and I think I'm going to call some of the automotive respray shops in the area and ask if they'll do paint work on a PC case.


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## wastedtime (Jan 11, 2006)

What about CARC...never hurts to be prepared. :wink:


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## forcifer (Nov 20, 2005)

yea. my dad says that u can sand it down, then put on the special metal paint eh has at work(he works alot with aluminum). just seeing if ther r other ways.


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## manofsorrow (Feb 5, 2006)

ive painted a case before. First sand the existing paint. You don't really need to take it all off, it just needs to be rough so that the new paint will stick. When you apply the paint ( I assume it will be spray paint ) spray it in very very thin layers. these thin layers will make sure the paint is even and no drips form. If your layers are of the correct thickness it should literally take you over ten coats to obbtain full coverage. If you search the internet there are several articles that explain the painting process much better than I ever could. Also they have pictures on what your thin coats of paint should look like. I hope you have as much fun painting as I did!


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## Volt-Schwibe (Jan 12, 2003)

i normally just wash the case with denatured alcohol, and from my experiences, paint sticks just as well to clean paint as it does to sanded paint.


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## Fr4665 (Nov 18, 2004)

sand it down nicely and to get the perfect look wet sand it. yes it does make a slight difference. just put on some coats of paint but make sure you wait to let them dry dont rush !


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## timk9 (Feb 22, 2006)

What about painting the inside of an aluminum case? I've never painted any part of a computer before, I don't want to paint the already black outside. I was thinking of painting green the bare inside drive cages, bottom, mobo tray, etc. There is no paint to sand off. Does it need to be sanded anyway or primed? What kind of paint do I use?

I don't have access to or desire to use automotive or professional-grade paints, just something simple. But I don't want to do it half-assed either.

Thanks!
Tim


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## Fr4665 (Nov 18, 2004)

well actually that does sound like a cool idea i never thought of that. My color of choice would be a Black case with white inside and blue cathodes.

The point of sanding the metal is that the paint can stick and have some rough surface to stick to. If you dont sand the metal sometimes,like i said sometimes,chips can occur or the paint will just peal off. You also want to keep in mind that it can get pretty hot in there,especially behind the mobo, so you would need some paint that doesnt start melting at 50*C. i know there is high heat paint out there so that might be a choice

good luck but i wouldnt garantee that it will work right


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## prsings (Oct 31, 2005)

I may be wrong, but I wouldn't paint the inside, it may affect heat transfer.


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## Fr4665 (Nov 18, 2004)

got a point there but if ur running a pretty cool system and as long as thers enough fans blowing cold air into it and sucking the hot air out right away i dont think there would be much of a problem


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