Grump's Wave

[Grump]

Several months ago I began a project that was supposed to be for an article in a Sandhills Publishing magazine (they publish Computer Power User magazine, among others). Due to circumstances beyond my control (okay, I coulda controlled it - 35 years ago when I decided to smoke cigarettes), I missed the deadline and it never got finished. Cooler Master very kindly supplied the case and some of the parts for the mod.

The case is the WaveMaster, a very beautiful case even with no modifications. However, I am addicted to modding, so I had to customize the thing. The project went fairly smoothly during the planning (an extremely important part of the process), breakdown and preparation phases. Because it was for an article, I spent a lot of time documenting the process with photos and copious notes. I will share some of that with you here.

Like I said, it was going fine. I ran into trouble when I painted the case. I've painted before, with a nice spray gun, compressor and custom mixed paint. The article was for the novice though, so I had to use rattle cans and the kind of paint you can find in any automotive or hardware store. That wasn't the problem. Like I said, I could have alleviated the problem, had I never picked up that first smoke so many years ago.

This is what the inside of my lungs must look like:


Actually, that is the exhaust fan in the paint booth I was using. My friend is a cabinet maker and he let me use their booth to paint the case. I wore a paper mask, but I spent a LOT of time in that booth putting coat after coat of pretty paint on the parts.



That is one of the better looking parts. The painting never actually got completed because of the problem I had breathing and I spent way too much time in a bed after that, sucking on a tube of oxygen. Bummer.

So, my life changed a little after that. There's a few things I can't do anymore and painting a case is one of them. I put the WaveMaster on a shelf for a few months and just recently decided it was time to do something with it.

I will combine some of the work I already did with the new plans and try to make this an interesting worklog for you. I hope it will inspire you to do something with your own computers to personalize them and make them unique. Please feel free to share your efforts with us all by beginning a new topic here with your own worklog featuring Cooler Master products -- or just share some pictures you've taken of some mods you've already done (be sure to follow the picture posting guidelines though - don't post huge pictures we have to scroll forever to see and take an hour to download on dialup).

Before I get into the progress pictures I took a few months ago, let me share with you a teaser of what I picked up today.







As you can see, I made some changes. No more school bus yellow -- at least not outside. Textured powder coating and polished aluminuminuminum for a little bling.

More to come in the days ahead. Your comments are welcome. I hope you'll enjoy the project.

Grump

[Coqui]

Can't wait to see it complete. Sorry to hear about the breathing problem, hope you get better. I always wanted a different colored wavemaster, but I don't have the time to do it myself. Keep up the good work...

[notoriousbigs]

Very nice Grump! I too can't wait to see the finishing product. What did you use for the chrome finish? How many coat did you apply to the paint? Man I can't wait to meet up with you and start a project ourselves.

[notoriousbigs]

Hey Grump, could you post picture of each of the part of the case. I saw a cut side panel and I want to see a detail pic of it. I showed my boss your pictures and he was impressed. Very nice Grump

[Karma Ghost]

It's stunning, but those pictures are such teasers.

Show it off!

[Grump]

Well, I'm happy there's some interest in the project.

I always wanted a different colored wavemaster, but I don't have the time to do it myself.

I like the process of customizing a case (and other things), but there won't be a lot of painting going on anymore. It may sound like an excuse, but powder coating is much more durable and you just can't do the kind of finish I had done, at home. The shop I went to didn't charge too much, but I s'pose that's relative. I paid about $100.00 to have what you see done. That's the powder coating, not the shiny bling-bling stuff.

What did you use for the chrome finish? How many coat did you apply to the paint? Man I can't wait to meet up with you and start a project ourselves.

That bling-bling ain't chrome, it's what happens to the stock aluminuminuminum (jeez, once you get goin' with that word, it's hard to stop) when you polish the be-jeezes out of it. The paint you see is powder coating. I'm not familiar with the process, but I'd like to write an article on it soon. The shop I took the parts to said they'd let me come in for the 50 cent tour and some pictures sometime.

I mentioned you and I doin' a mod together to Jessica, but I'm not sure she is fully understanding the concept. I hope she has time to drop by and see some of this worklog. We could do another project and post the worklog here and on several other forums. It's great exposure and fun too.

...could you post picture of each of the part of the case. I saw a cut side panel and I want to see a detail pic of it. I showed my boss your pictures and he was impressed. Very nice Grump

Yes, yes, many more pictures to come. That's the best part of a worklog. It might also help someone else who wants to do something similar. Of course, I can't post all the pictures at once. There's no fun in that.

It must be nice to have a boss who lets you goof off on the Internet. I gotta find me one of those. I'm glad he likes it. Thanks for the compliments.

It's stunning, but those pictures are such teasers.

I know. It's sorta like a TV series. Tune in next time -- same time, same channel -- for the continuing saga of The Grump Case.


Grump's Wave in its original paint.

[Grump]

The Grump Case began life in Taiwan as a Cooler Master WaveMaster. I contacted Jason Low, of CM's California offices and asked if he could help sponsor the article I was writing for Sandhills Publishing. He very kindly sent the case and a few other items and I arrived home from work to find this on my new front porch (major house remodeling going on at the time - yep, I modded my house too).



I couldn't wait to rip into the box -- looks like someone else did too. But it was in excellent shape.



The other gear had me intrigued too. Cooler Master wasn't the only one willing to help sponsor the article, and I received a few more items the following day. It was picture time.



That switch on the cold cathode light gave me an immediate inspiration. It's significance will be apparent soon.

The most important part of case modification is the planning stage. You must have a vision, a goal and steps to follow so you can make it a reality without too much trouble. Like I said, the light switch was my inspiration -- it flicked a light bulb on in my head.





Do you recognize that picture? Yes, that's my avatar. I've been using it for several years. It is what I think best depicts my personality -- it just looks grumpy. I thought, what better way to personalize your case than to plaster your own portrait on the side panel.



Another important phase of the case mod is the disassembly of the case. Cases are put together with screws (some phillips, some hex), rivets and pegs. My brain is wrinkled with age, so I have to label everything and I took pictures of every fastener and part as I removed it. I like to be organized. It saves a lot of frustration later on.





Tomorrow, I will get into the procedures I took to turn a perfectly good aluminuminuminum (whoa!) side panel into a piece of metal with a big ugly hole in it. I hope you'll join me.

Grump

[notoriousbigs]

Grump, I would love to see this case in person when you decide to visit me. The side panel is amazing! Nice case mod

[Coqui]

It's like watching a tv show, But each episode is just better and better... Oh darn, I have to get more popcorn. Keep em commin grump, you rock.....

[notoriousbigs]

Grump, I'm still waiting...

[Platinum]

Great Case Grump..
You live in California?

If so would like to come visit ya possibly share some Idea's for some Case mod's I got about 8 Cooler Master Cases that will be worked on Soon Possibly we could work some idea's out. (My shop will do all the work, no worries) Possibly Email me or PM me

Keep the TV Show going for the Peep's "Good Fun"
Allway's keep the Advitar Logo in your Cases. I have seen allot of your Work and they all turn out Very cool.

We all will be waiting to see the finished product Stay Well and Get Better.

[notoriousbigs]

Platinum, Grump is planning a trip to visit CM USA Ontario office to work out some cases with me. Would you like to join us?

[Grump]

Grump, I would love to see this case in person when you decide to visit me. The side panel is amazing! Nice case mod

Thank you. I had planned on flying down and wouldn't want to trust them with the well-being of my computer. I s'pose I could drive down instead, but that's a long drive for me -- about 500 miles. We'll figer something out.

Grump, I'm still waiting...

I work during the day (and sometimes late into the evening like tonight), so I can't post or work on the project any time I want. And when Jessica gives me something to do, that has priority -- you know how that is.

...would like to come visit ya possibly share some Idea's for some Case mod's

Drop me a line -- email is listed here. I'm in the Northern part of CA -- just 80 miles NW of Reno, NV.

Now, on with tonight's episode...

[Grump]

A couple of years ago, I did a tutorial on cutting cases. It was a simple window cutout, but clean and smooth looking.



Cutting a window is not terribly difficult. You need a plan, of course, and the right tools, a steady and firm hand and you have to follow through to clean up the details. As you saw in the previous post, I had a plan. Now I need to gather the tools...

My favorite cutting tool is a Bosch variable speed jigsaw.



My father told me never to lend out my tools, but how can you say no to a neighbor.

Let's see, where was I? Oh yeah, cutting the side panel.



I positioned the window shape on the panel after marking where the hard drive cage and power supply are located. I didn't want to have the view inside the case marred by something boring.

I traced the pattern onto the metal and then drilled the first of several holes to help me position the jigsaw.



Ever hear of Norm Abrams, of New Yankee Workshop fame (also "This Old House" and other home improvement shows)? Well, I like what he says at the beginning of each of his shows: "Be sure to read and understand the instructions for operating your power tools. And there's nothing more important than safety glasses."



He's right too. Using a jigsaw, Dremel and other power tools can be dangerous for your eyes and your lungs. There's metal particles and dust, and cutting bits can break and fly through the air, so be careful.

There are a lot of modders who swear by their Dremel tools. They are an excellent tool, but they are not the end-all, be-all of modding tools. There really are very few cuts that a jigsaw can't make. But I like my Dremel too.



Even with a good Dremel or jigsaw, the cuts need to be dressed. There's gonna be burrs and jagged edges that need to be filed and/or sanded. Yes, you can use one of the hundreds of different bits for your Dremel, but sometimes you just need to do a little hand work for a very fine finished edge.





And sometimes, I make a boo-boo. The picture below shows where my jigsaw bit (I use a fine metal cutting bit for thin metal and for acrylics) snagged the edge and bent the corner a bit. It doesn't look too bad, but it's nearly impossible to just bend it back in place.



Being a tool addict like I am, I just happened to have the tools I needed to make this small repair.



So, finally the side panel has taken on the decidedly ugly silhouette of my mug.



Some cutting, some filing and sanding... Notice the plywood under the panel with almost the same cuttings? The trick to cutting thin metal, like the aluminuminuminum Cooler Master side panels, is to back them up with a sturdy piece of plywood. Clamp them down together and hold your jigsaw firmly and move it steadily.



That's the basic cutout. We're not done yet, of course. There's more details to cut and the window material needs to be cut and fitted. More about that next time. I can't promise you progress notes and pictures every day, but there'll be lots of interesting work on this project in the days ahead.

Grump

[Coqui]

Like I said before, "you rock" Can't we for the next episode....