.::High Roller::.

KikBox

The High Roller has completed powder coat. The case has a red metallic finish that pops like crazy. This is a 2 part finish consisting of red base coat and then high gloss clear coat. Each coat is applied and baked separately.







As you may have noticed, I have changed my design from a 2tone finish to just red. I ruled out the interior color because of budget and time constraints on this project.
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I am doing a nice smooth polished look for the blow hole mod. This will compliment the polished doors that are going on the front of this case.

I picked up this derby cover which is the perfect size for mounting over a 120mm blow hole. The derby cover does not have a smooth edge all the way around. There is a small gap where space has been left for a cable to run through the cover. I am using this gap to mount the fan speed control knob for the blow hole fan.

For this mod I snagged a Tek Chain fan from MNPCtech.com because of its built in fan speed control. I will be relocating this knob to the small opening in the side of the derby cover. First I mounted the fan to the case with rubber gromets and standard fan screws.



I started off with 1/2" standoffs and then cut them down to 1/4" on the band saw. I used 1" chrome plated machine screws and fastened the cover to the top of case so that I could measure the gap and then cut a 1/4" piece of modder's mesh.



I used a roll of tape to get a nice even loop and then used a small machine screw and nut to hold the loop closed. At this point I also cleaned and clear coated the mesh to make sure that the metal does not deteriorate over time.





Once all my pieced were completed I used a wire cutter and Dremel to carve a small slot in the mesh for my control knob. The knob fits perfectly in the gap and is secured by the mesh and mounting tape.





I think the end result looks pretty sharp.









Lights out!


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At the end of the night I recorded a brief preview of the project...I was not feel great by that time.:vomit:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_CmrTTjeA

KikBox

As I mentioned earlier, this is a red metallic finish but the flake is very small. The camera flash tends to wash out the color making it look flat but thanks to my good buddy Bill, here are some pics that really show off the metallic quality of this awesome finish!

We shot this powder by hand and it's the same stuff we would put on your motorcycle. Not only is it beautiful to look at but it's tough as nails making it a great scratch resistant finish for a LAN system.









Number 1 baby!

Grez

Niiiiccceee, Stu! That powder coat is beautiful! It makes me wish I'd sent my current case out for powder-coating (not in the budget, though)...dealing with red paint is a gigantic PITA!

BTW...highly-improved-in-quality theme music is coming your way tonight, man! TheModNation will rock!!

Congrats on being on the home stretch on this one...looking forward to the big finish...

Barak

jesus, how much does powder coating cost around? Do it myself and how much for someone to do it for me?

My Friend and i are going to bust out some hardcore modding, hes a mac boy. i love PC's so we are going to bust out some crazy stoof but DAMN! that case is gorgeous

xtremegamer_624

Damn, this is turning out to be my favorite of all your cases, Stu.

Looking forward to more updates, keep up the good work as usual.

KikBox

I am not halfway through the polishing process yet but I am starting to see the results I want. I had to run to the hardware store to buy some more elbow grease...

I am planning to continue sanding this weekend with the goal being to get the top panel to the same stage as the bottom one. Then I will be hitting the polishing wheel again for the final buffing.

The top plate shows the untouched finish I started with.

KikBox

Our services start at about $150 and go up depending on the type of finish you want.

Zenshi

OMG that is one sexy case. The finish looks more like a brand new car finish than that of a PC. And the shiny stuff! The shiny stuff! Man that looks sweet.

I got one of those Tek Chain fans too to cool the Noctua U9 I want to put into my wife's rig. It was the few 92mm fans that had all I wanted, Its nice and blue, has LEDs, said to be nice and silent (according to SilentPCReview), is inexpensive and has a speed control knob that you can put anywhere you want (instead of taking up a PCI slot). I was a bit worried that it was going to be permanent on one corner of the fan (making mounting to the U9 impossible) but it actually can be put anywhere including the corner. It's basically the same as the Enermax fans since Coolergiant makes both.

This is going to be one sexy case and I bet this one will sell right away. That shine!

KikBox

I am REALLY looking forward to it Grez! As soon as I get it I am forwarding it on to Matt who is doing our video editing. Should be sweet!

KikBox

VGA venting is something that I have wanted to add to this project. I have a nice chrome plate that will look great so I installed it right into the window. Any venting it good, especially given the heat that graphics cards can generate.

I have already mounted the window so I will need to install the vent carefully. I started by squaring up the vent to my window frame and taping it onto the front of the panel. Then I flipped the panel over and scribed a line in the plastic where I wanted my cut to be. I used a metal ruler to get my lines nice and straight. After scribing the lines I put tape down along the lines and then remove the vent from the front of the panel.

With my cut marked, I place the panel on top of a cardboard box and used my Dremel with a light weight cutting wheel to make the cut. The standard cutting wheels are more than enough to handle this 1/16" plastic. I took small straight bites with the Dremel running at about medium speed. Take your time with this! If you try to go too fast you are going to get a lot of melting and end up with a mess.

After cutting my opening I drilled out the mounting holes with a plastics drill bit and mounted the VGA vent with the provided screws and nuts. The VGA vent was provided by MNPCtech. The vent is a nice feature and a good match to the other chrome pieces that will be part of the finished build.





The entire installation was really quick at about 15 minutes. Given the chance to do it again I might have mounted the vent slightly higher since most SLI motherboard's video card slots are a bit higher.

montypythizzle

must find more chrome to sacrifice to the kikboxes king!!!

KikBox

Bow to the chrome mortal!

KikBox

AMD RULES

nice video...The progress is coming along well.
Nice job Stu ;)

montypythizzle

wow fancy shirt i bet its probably for sale :(

that front is "HIGH ROLLER"

KikBox

The shirt is one of a kind and is not for sale...sorry.

AMD RULES

What type of Paintjob is that Kikbox and about how much would it cost to be done?

Grez

Man, right when I think that I have the red paint on The General nice and shiny, along comes High Roller...

Lookin' great, man. The Mother's mag and chrome polish is what I use for metal, and is step 3 of my 4-step process for removing scratches from acrylic.

Polished front door = bling! Nice, man.

KikBox

It's red metallic powder coating and a layer of powder clear coat. It's very durable stuff. It was hand applied in layers...the more layers you put on the more red it looks.

We run the red at about $150 and then apply the optional clear coat for another $70. The metallic finishes always look better with clear coat but our non-metallic finishes do not require it and are glossy with one coat.

AMD RULES

ok. thanks for the reply.
Again, nice job. What hardware is going in this case?