Original Idea: I wanted to create a medival style case with stone bricks and arches. I wanted a large arch in the side panel to function as a window and dungeon door. I also wanted to have stone blocks carved out of the sides to create a castle look. Having a skeleton and some flames at the bottom of the case would help the dungeon Look and feel. So I plan to use 8mm fans with red cathodes and felt to appear as flaming fires on each side of the skeleton. I have several other ideas which I will explain as I go.
Below is a rendering in AutoCAD of some ideas I brainstormed while creating the model. I have decided to paint half of the case as metallic copper and the other half as unfinished brickwork. Each of the stones will be carved by hand and painted in different shades of gray. In case you are curious, the background is a screenshot of a Doom3 mod that modeled Reims Cathedral.
This is the original case I bought for $24 off of Geeks.com Simple steel construction with plastic panels on all sides. It has room for 3-optical/control panels, 2-3.5 floppy/control panels, and 5-hard drives. This case is enormous! I’ll have plenty of room for the largest motherboard and all the cables I may need. On the back side there is plenty of room for hiding the cabling also. The plastic panels are great because it is so easy to cut, carve, and sand for modding.
After stripping off all the panels and screws I got started with the chassi modding. I already knew I would need two holes in to bottom for the 80mm fans and possible one Hole on top for a blow-hole fan. I decided to cut a large rectangle for the fan and for plugging cables into the fan controller.
After cleaning off the case and spraying a primer, I lightly sanded it with some 220 grit and cleaned it off once again. Then I started painting on the hammered gray spray paint. I have used this type of paint on almost all my mods. It has A great texture, glossy finish, and hides my sanding mistakes. This shot is the backside of the chassi. Notice all the room for hiding cables behind the motherboard tray. I planned ahead and cut 3 ovals into the case so I can run power cables, lighting wires, and drives cables in a completely hidden space. Large cases are great for this stealthy strategie.
The fan holes came out great. I’m very satisfied with the result and the color. Notice where the hard-drives sit. There is a hole to the font bezel where I plan to mount an 80mm fan to cool the drives. It’s the perfect place and I’ll Mod the bezel by cutting a special fan grill for the fan to mount behind.
Here is the side panel where the Arched window will be. First I drew out the stone pattern using a piece of cardboard cut out like a rectangular stone and then started carving away at the plastic. I’m using a regular wood carving tool because the plastic is soft enough for whittling. To make a gothic arch, I used the two holes for aligning a pencil with a string attached to it and another pencil. Then I just draw a portion of a circle with full tension on the string until it reaches the center mark.
When the whittling is done I go over the stones with some sand paper to make the edges appear rounded off. You can still see a lot of carving gashes but the hammered paint should hide these details. Otherwise, the stones are supposed to look hand cut anyways, so some imperfections will enhance the gothic feel.
Here I am carving away at the side panel. I’m using the merciless woodcarving tool that leaves quite an impression on my hand. You can see the design of the original case at the top of the panel. I plan to paint this side a glossy copper for the metal-like appearance that contrasts with the stone.
This is a close-up of my carving skills. The tool is called a "gouge" and does exactly that.
After cutting out my window I needed to make some room for the plexi-glass on the back of the panel. The plastic panel had a lot of tabs and molding strips that had to be cut off and sanded to keep a tight fit with the plexi-glass window and the panel.
Everything is sanded down on the window-side panel and I filed the stones out. Then I set up the old spraybooth and started primering. One thing I hate about primer is that is sprays on like loose sand. So before I could add a second coat I have to wipe off the loose dust. Unless I'm doing it wrong of course.
This is the first time I have used a primer in a paint job. I finally realized why.... the colors will have consitant tints. For example: in my frozen case I painted the entire thing blue, but you can see different shades of blue when the light hits it just right. That is because the metal and plastic I painted on had different base colors. So using a primer keeps everything consistant and professional in the final coat. So the extra steps mean a lot.
Carved and sanded the same way as the side panel. Then primered it up. I even carved one of the bricks like it was broken off. Ironicly I cut out the blow-hole the same way Weldzilla (aoaforums.com) did on his case. Its just seemed to be the best way to have a hole consistant with the design of the case.
I also did a test run at making my own door for the front bezel. I am planning to form a door and attach it with some gothic hindges. This will stealth my optical drives and enhance the front bezel. Won't be easy and I won't spoil how I'm going to do it. Otherwise I'm carving the brick-work on the back-side and going to cut a window for a stained glass affect. Lots of work ahead...
Lots of progress this weekend. I took monday off and got some painting done. I'm very happy with the results so far... I have a special masking tool I am using for fine detail. I'm not going to spoil that either because I will be making a tutorial on how to mask for the AOA articles. I am using my favorite hammered finish spray paint on the bricks. This gives them a special textured glossy look. I even created a mask to paint a few bricks with darker paint. Also, remember the rest is going to be a mirror finished brass/copper color. Hopefully this will be a good contrast to keep an edge on my design instead of all stone (which would have been cool too).
This is the back panel of the case where I plan to have a small window with a stained glass etching. The brick-work came out very well and the paint job enhances the castle look. I can't wait to get the window on there and a red cathode behind it. As allways I drill the holes before I paint so I don't have to worry about chipping the paint away. I'm re-using a window from an older case that I allready etched (by hand). The window fits perfectly because as I am drilling holes I am putting self-tapping screws in each one to keep it in place. I don't screw them all the way in, just enough to hold it down while I drill. This saves major headaches in the future trying to get the screws to fit the holes.
This is my first optical drive mod where I painted the entire case. It turned out to be easier than I though. I started by searching the internet for tutorials and read up on it. Then I took apart the drives case after popping off the bezels and started sanding. Next is a primer and some more sanding. Then make sure its completely clean and start with the final color of your choice. Since my case's chassi is a hammered gray, I am painting all of the drives gray. Exept for the bezels, they will be brass to match the case's bezel. Thats it. Let them dry and pop them back on. Just try not to scratch the finish when you are sliding them into the case.
Coming soon is my polished finish on all the brass areas on the case. This has been the hardest phase of modding because it requires great care, attention to detail, and patience. I've had to re-paint and re-paint to get the finish to look right. I've allready finished the front bezel and it looks awsome! I'm also working on the bars for the dungeon cell.
I have been using this super machine for about 3 years and it has never failed me. I started with Windows XP and then upgraded to Vista Ultimate.
I late upgraded the Memory and added a Second Video Card.
Current Specs 2010:
Core 2 Duo 2.3Ghz CPU FSB 1333
Corsair 2 Gigs DDR2 800
Asus P5N-32 SLI
EVGA GeForce 7900 GS x2 in SLI
Enermax Power Supply (Modular)
Optical: DVD & CDROM (I know obsolete huh?)
Western Digital 150 Gig hard drive
I will be adding a more current picture of me and the computer in action.
All the the images are external link to the webpage linked above. Just click on my "Dungeon Of Fire" title at the top.
If for any reason you don't see the images in this thread, just let me know and I'll upload them manually.
Thanks
good luck to you and your casemod 
