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Case mod help and ideas needed
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18. January 2010 @ 05:31 |
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Ok i am trying to do a large mod on my case. I have what i want to create but i also need some assistance. I wont tell what the mod is exactly as to it is a suprise but the details are all you guys.
I am not that great with paint brushes and all that jazz so what i am doing is taking a design and putting it on a largepice of sticker paper to put on the console as sort of a guide and as a background. I have no clue how to make this background permanant so that i can paint on it or just leave it as is. I was thinking of a clear finish to put on it to make it stay but clear coat is not exactly enough, maybe some clear liquid like acrylic or something that coats the whole thing to to make sure it doesnt come off. The other question is where on this earth you buy such a liquid.
Now to the second part of my "little" mod quest. I want to make moulds of things like a case for the console or the controller. It would need to be identical to the original (besides screw holes being bored out). So that i can piece it together and make things as i wish without fear of screwing things up too bad. I thought of fiberglass but can see a true hassle in that. Rubber - too much give to weight. Metal - PERFECT....melting point. Plastic - thats the substance i want to mould into shapes...ANY IDEAS!?
When i have the perfect setup and start the mod i will be posting many many pictures. Maybe step by step after i do each part, like the window i cut or the lights i install. Just give me some ideas and some advice too XD anything that could help make this smooth. Thanks guys and Gals and modders alike!
EDIT!!!
Yes i do relize this is the first post for this account but it seems as though my previous account is under a permenant ban......for reasons unknown to me.
Mods are like games.....GO BIG OR GO HOME!!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 18. January 2010 @ 05:50
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18. January 2010 @ 08:45 |
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18. January 2010 @ 13:50 |
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That thread really wasnt much help. i need ideas for molding and creating my own shells for controllers and maybe cases.
I did find one handy thing in my quest.
http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merch...e=Casting_Resin
This stuff has one drawback. When it is curing the side that is exposed to air will not fully cure and become kinda sticky just like fresh glue stick glue. They have stuff to make it cure but that makes it cloudy so it would not be very clever to use for completely clear projects. I think i have something to fix that though. Maybe put wax paper over the side that is exposed to air and to any surface i want flat it would make things cure properly but i have no clue if it bonds to what ever it is touching or what. I also would like to know if it bonds with itself. like say i made a mold of a controller with it (and got it right) then use the same substance to make a controller shell. would it bond to itself or would it come right off? if it doesnt bond with plastic it is not the end of the world but if it does then i am back to square one.
Mods are like games.....GO BIG OR GO HOME!!
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chris4160
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18. January 2010 @ 21:09 |
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Originally posted by Demon323:
That thread really wasnt much help. i need ideas for molding and creating my own shells for controllers and maybe cases.
I did find one handy thing in my quest.
http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merch...e=Casting_Resin
This stuff has one drawback. When it is curing the side that is exposed to air will not fully cure and become kinda sticky just like fresh glue stick glue. They have stuff to make it cure but that makes it cloudy so it would not be very clever to use for completely clear projects. I think i have something to fix that though. Maybe put wax paper over the side that is exposed to air and to any surface i want flat it would make things cure properly but i have no clue if it bonds to what ever it is touching or what. I also would like to know if it bonds with itself. like say i made a mold of a controller with it (and got it right) then use the same substance to make a controller shell. would it bond to itself or would it come right off? if it doesnt bond with plastic it is not the end of the world but if it does then i am back to square one.
To make the mould you will need some "silicone moulding rubber" (or something similar). Making conponents out of casting resin is a lot harder than it seems. To make a controller shell you will probably need a three part mould which would mean there will be seam's on the outside of the controller. If you manage to make a re-usable mould then you have to consider how the resin will be poured into the mould.
The proper eqipment (vacuum degasser, vibrating table etc) are be very expensive and unless you are planning to make hundreds of cases it is not worth the startup money.
As to your question about painting the cases an airbrush or aerosol cans are used, not paint brushes. For the best finish I would recommend wet sanding the case, then 2+ coats of plastic primer (or what the can recommends), then colour coat, wet sand, repeat colour coat and wet sand 3-4 times (ending in colour coat), then 2-4 coats of acrylic lacquer (if colour coat is enamel then use enamel clear coat).
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19. January 2010 @ 00:04 |
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why would i use an elastic substance to make a mold for something i want stiff? the imperfections would be imense. Also why a three part mold? Two halves of the mold per side of the controller so truly a two part mold per half. buttons i would not care about due to the fact i have them in my current shell i just want test shells to get my designs right and be able to make mistakes and test theories. I think this stuff would be perfect for the molds because it is solid and clear. i just need to figure out what to make the controller out of.
Plastic - melting it and pouring it quite a hassle.
Same substance that i am using for the molds - does it bold with itself and how easily can it be painted?
I don't need some fancy equipment to make simple molds like this and the products. my only questions are what to make the controllers themselves out of! This is the question that baffles me.
As for the case i still don't know it this stuff would work to make a custom window with my design laid in the window without a lip on the side so it is nice and smooth with the side of the case and the lettering i have set for it along with the light set up.
Also i just ran into a problem that is kinda crucial to my mod i need a amber or as we like to call it piss yellow cold cathode 4" would be best. so any help there guys?
Mods are like games.....GO BIG OR GO HOME!!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19. January 2010 @ 00:30
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chris4160
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19. January 2010 @ 01:21 |
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Originally posted by Demon323:
why would i use an elastic substance to make a mold for something i want stiff? the imperfections would be imense. Also why a three part mold? Two halves of the mold per side of the controller so truly a two part mold per half. buttons i would not care about due to the fact i have them in my current shell i just want test shells to get my designs right and be able to make mistakes and test theories. I think this stuff would be perfect for the molds because it is solid and clear. i just need to figure out what to make the controller out of.
Plastic - melting it and pouring it quite a hassle.
Same substance that i am using for the molds - does it bold with itself and how easily can it be painted?
I don't need some fancy equipment to make simple molds like this and the products. my only questions are what to make the controllers themselves out of! This is the question that baffles me.
As for the case i still don't know it this stuff would work to make a custom window with my design laid in the window without a lip on the side so it is nice and smooth with the side of the case and the lettering i have set for it along with the light set up.
Also i just ran into a problem that is kinda crucial to my mod i need a amber or as we like to call it piss yellow cold cathode 4" would be best. so any help there guys?
You are going to have to read a lot of info. Firstly, the controller case is by no means a "simple mold", on the contrary it is an incredibly difficult mold. Some parts of the case are less than a millimetre thick. Secondly as I said before silicone molding rubber is the best option for high detail molds. It is stabile and retains it's shape. Other than that Aluminite might work, but I have never used it so I cannot confirm this. Casting resin will not work as it binds to itself.
For the actual material casting plastic would best suit. You don't "melt" it, it comes in liquid form.
Here's a list of what you'll need:
-Molding product
-Casting plastic
-Mold release spray.
-Talcum powder (you apply this to the mold after the mold release has dried... it minimises bubbles).
-Modelling clay/plasticine etc - this is used temporarily to make the mold.
Also, I have heard that most molding products will not stick to porous objects when creating the mold (i haven't experienced this, but I have never tried anything rough). So you might have to spray the case with some sort of sealer if the mold sticks.
About the case window - you can get clear acryllic or plexiglass for less than $15, using casting resin would be a huge hassle.
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19. January 2010 @ 02:09 |
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i think the resin would work easy for the mold. Now knowing that it bonds to itself so easily i can see using a poured plastic is best. that question is answered fully.
Now why would resin be a hassle when creating my window? The plexi-glass is not the smooth finish i want it creates a lip that i must then have to accomadate for that to me is too easy and not as unique as i would like it to be. This mod is as to use part of my previous question, to break the mold. I see too many people use plexiglass and it have the annoying lip and not be able to take my design. I do realize limitations to things but i am going to push those limits for the perfection i aim for.
Mods are like games.....GO BIG OR GO HOME!!
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chris4160
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19. January 2010 @ 03:04 |
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Originally posted by Demon323:
i think the resin would work easy for the mold. Now knowing that it bonds to itself so easily i can see using a poured plastic is best. that question is answered fully.
Now why would resin be a hassle when creating my window? The plexi-glass is not the smooth finish i want it creates a lip that i must then have to accomadate for that to me is too easy and not as unique as i would like it to be. This mod is as to use part of my previous question, to break the mold. I see too many people use plexiglass and it have the annoying lip and not be able to take my design. I do realize limitations to things but i am going to push those limits for the perfection i aim for.
Well, the only way to use the casting resin for the clear window would be to put a piece of material on the inside of the case then pour the resin onto that. The problem with this is that you will get small bubbles in the resin which are clearly visible. Also the viscosity of the resin would make it incredibly hard to level (depending on the brand). And if you are planning on having a coloured resin you have to figure out how much pigment to use... it took me a lot of tests just to get the red that I wanted the first time I used casting resin. Then you have to consider if it will stick to the painted edges of the window.
You can cut the plexiglass to the shape of the window so it lays flush with the case, so there is no lip.
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19. January 2010 @ 03:20 |
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Cutting the plexiglass to me is painstaking also i don't have the "proper" tools for such a thing. Using wax paper behind the area i am going to make clear would make it nice and flush and then make a lip inside the case to use some kind of adhesive to hold it to the inside. Thus i get no lip it is easily poured into the "mold" to give the clear effect i want. and gravity will to the leveling for me as well as slow pouring gets rid of the bubbles. This also lets you put tags and designs in the new type of glass so you don't have to have the annoying edge to hold it in place the form fitted crystal clear plastic does it for you and you only may have to use adhesive to hold your design onto or rather into the plastic.
This resin has one drawback and that is when one side is exposed to air it doesnt cure fully. They have a fix for that but it makes it cloudy so that ruins our crystal clear effect. But i believe the true fix in our case is to have the small lip in the back and then lay wax paper on top of it and then a heavy smooth object on top of the outer rim to make the smooth finish on the outside and a perfect cure inside and out as well as the perfect lip on the inside to attach it to the case easily.
I am still having a LED problem. I need amber and OEM green to light the case. LED strips or cathodes would work as long as they can exsist together without some external power and can be mounted on each end of the case showing perfectly outward.
Mods are like games.....GO BIG OR GO HOME!!
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19. January 2010 @ 15:31 |
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Any ideas guys? need LEDS bad
Mods are like games.....GO BIG OR GO HOME!!
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chris4160
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22. January 2010 @ 02:34 |
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