My first Mod ever! - Page 2

Elysium · January 12th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitman

See people do agree with me. And since I pay YH to agree with me he is always a sure thing.

Opinion for hire!

**Hitman** · January 12th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowhello

Opinion for hire!

Thats my good little hooker (Tell your Mom Hi for me)

EdsX86 · January 13th, 2008

Thanks for all your responses and support...
I decided to follow my second option and I did some cutting today
I do however have some questions for the people with some experience using the dremel.

1- so far I have used 6 cutting disks. I have some bad quality disks from ebay that don't last as long and some dremel that las much longer but still is this normal? I mean using this amount of disks?

2- the cuts seem a little rough, (I will sand the edges and the surface when I'm done) but I'm still wondering if those edges are normal or if I'm doing something wrong.

here are some pics

oldman_gamer · January 13th, 2008

Well im not to exp. with a dremmel....more exp. with big shop grinders etc.I would suggest though that you use a different image host

not that its a bad one your using.But for here in this part of the forum it is somewhat too graphic.

EdsX86 · January 13th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldman_gamer

Well im not to exp. with a dremmel....more exp. with big shop grinders etc.I would suggest though that you use a different image host

not that its a bad one your using.But for here in this part of the forum it is somewhat too graphic.

I was wondering what was your problem with the image host I used and then I realized that I'm using firefox with AdBlock activated all the time so 99% of the time I don't see any advertisements or anything like that! sorry about that I already fix it.

oldman_gamer · January 13th, 2008

LOLOL no problem...I thought it was a simple issue and didnt mean to sound anything other than that.

Elysium · January 13th, 2008

No expert on dremels either, but I think the cutting discs do wear out fast. The edges of the cut are going to be rough, that is normal, just finish it up with a metal file and then some sand paper.

Jokerswild · January 13th, 2008

Aviation snips like the 3 with the colored handles below are made for sheet metal and are not that expensive. They are right cutting left cutting and there's one that does both but not as tight of a turn. There's also tin snips and nibblers but the nibblers need air power. Buy the aviation snips and use them to cut the metal close and then use the grinding wheel to fine tune it. The cutting blades don't last long. Drill holes to give yourself a starting point. If your not familiar with drilling sheet metal you'll need to drub your drill witch is basically just taking a stone to the sharp cutting edge and dulling it so the drill doesn't grab and lock up in the sheet metal causing it to spin and drill a triangle hole. Start with a small drill and work up to a larger one.

**gvblake22** · January 14th, 2008

If this case is steel, you're gonna get a REAL workout using those aviation snips! I used a dremel with fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheels to cut the side panel on my Cooler Master Cavalier 3 case (which is steel). It's tricky and slow going, but can be done. I used at least four to six cutoff wheels on my side panel, so you probably aren't doing anything wrong. Just remember to use the edge of the wheel for cutting, not the flat side. Another thing I do is to cut on the very inside of the line (like what Jokerswild mentioned) and then finish the cuts of with a good bastard file made for filing metal.

Another tip for using the dremel to cut through a steel side panel like this is to not try and cut all the way through on your first pass. Take your time and slowly work your way through the material. I like to kindof "etch" out the cutting path (just inside the line) with the dremel first, making the cut go about 1/4 or 1/2 of the way through the actual material. Then go back over it all and do another 1/4 depth, then finish it all off. I've found this method to be easier and seems to keep the cutoff disks around longer.

Overall, just make sure you give yourself enough room between the line and where you are actually cutting that you can file and grind off the jagged edges without going past the marked line. You can always take more material off, but you can't put it back on! So give yourself a generous amount of room between the line and your cut so you can finish the edges later and make it all look straight and smooth. Start with a bastard file to get rid of the extra burrs and make the edge straight. Then move to sandpaper (probably start with 400 or 600 grit) and sand the edges to get them smooth. You can finish up sanding with 800 grit if you want something even better, especially if you plan on painting the whole thing afterwards (which I suggest).

It looks like you are doing a decent job for your first time though. Just take your time and do it right, it will all pay off in the end. You can look at my Cooler Master Cavalier 3 case mod project for some pictures of my side panel case cutting adventures using a dremel and reinforced cutoff wheels...

Jokerswild · January 14th, 2008

Yea I should have mentioned that aviation snips are harder to use if that is steel. The nibblers are great if you have air power.

January 13th, 2008	#14
oldman_gamer Want me to ice him,boss? Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northeast Pennsyltucky Posts: 1,467 Blog Entries: 1	Re: My first Mod ever! Well im not to exp. with a dremmel....more exp. with big shop grinders etc.I would suggest though that you use a different image host not that its a bad one your using.But for here in this part of the forum it is somewhat too graphic.

January 13th, 2008	#16
oldman_gamer Want me to ice him,boss? Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northeast Pennsyltucky Posts: 1,467 Blog Entries: 1	Re: My first Mod ever! LOLOL no problem...I thought it was a simple issue and didnt mean to sound anything other than that.

January 13th, 2008	#17
Elysium Fields Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Pacific Grove, CA Posts: 4,402	Re: My first Mod ever! No expert on dremels either, but I think the cutting discs do wear out fast. The edges of the cut are going to be rough, that is normal, just finish it up with a metal file and then some sand paper. E8400 DFI Blood Iron P35-T2RL 4GB G.Skill 800MHz Sapphire Radeon HD3870 512MB Silverstone DA650W WD 250GB + Seagate 320GB

January 13th, 2008	#18
Jokerswild ButtHead Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 5,211	Re: My first Mod ever! Aviation snips like the 3 with the colored handles below are made for sheet metal and are not that expensive. They are right cutting left cutting and there's one that does both but not as tight of a turn. There's also tin snips and nibblers but the nibblers need air power. Buy the aviation snips and use them to cut the metal close and then use the grinding wheel to fine tune it. The cutting blades don't last long. Drill holes to give yourself a starting point. If your not familiar with drilling sheet metal you'll need to drub your drill witch is basically just taking a stone to the sharp cutting edge and dulling it so the drill doesn't grab and lock up in the sheet metal causing it to spin and drill a triangle hole. Start with a small drill and work up to a larger one. Last edited by Jokerswild; January 13th, 2008 at 18:04.

January 14th, 2008	#19
gvblake22 Modder-ator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Tempe Desert Posts: 6,480 Blog Entries: 1	Re: My first Mod ever! If this case is steel, you're gonna get a REAL workout using those aviation snips! I used a dremel with fiberglass reinforced cutoff wheels to cut the side panel on my Cooler Master Cavalier 3 case (which is steel). It's tricky and slow going, but can be done. I used at least four to six cutoff wheels on my side panel, so you probably aren't doing anything wrong. Just remember to use the edge of the wheel for cutting, not the flat side. Another thing I do is to cut on the very inside of the line (like what Jokerswild mentioned) and then finish the cuts of with a good bastard file made for filing metal. Another tip for using the dremel to cut through a steel side panel like this is to not try and cut all the way through on your first pass. Take your time and slowly work your way through the material. I like to kindof "etch" out the cutting path (just inside the line) with the dremel first, making the cut go about 1/4 or 1/2 of the way through the actual material. Then go back over it all and do another 1/4 depth, then finish it all off. I've found this method to be easier and seems to keep the cutoff disks around longer. Overall, just make sure you give yourself enough room between the line and where you are actually cutting that you can file and grind off the jagged edges without going past the marked line. You can always take more material off, but you can't put it back on! So give yourself a generous amount of room between the line and your cut so you can finish the edges later and make it all look straight and smooth. Start with a bastard file to get rid of the extra burrs and make the edge straight. Then move to sandpaper (probably start with 400 or 600 grit) and sand the edges to get them smooth. You can finish up sanding with 800 grit if you want something even better, especially if you plan on painting the whole thing afterwards (which I suggest). It looks like you are doing a decent job for your first time though. Just take your time and do it right, it will all pay off in the end. You can look at my Cooler Master Cavalier 3 case mod project for some pictures of my side panel case cutting adventures using a dremel and reinforced cutoff wheels... Last edited by gvblake22; January 14th, 2008 at 10:52.

January 14th, 2008	#20
Jokerswild ButtHead Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 5,211	Re: My first Mod ever! Yea I should have mentioned that aviation snips are harder to use if that is steel. The nibblers are great if you have air power.