Moding

[Strongwolf]

Do a Dremmel tool do to cut open a case. Any suggestions?
Please no plasma cutter, don't want to burn the house down.

[fearless joe]

dont use a dremal, there stupidly loud, it will destroy 1000s of disks to get it done, if you dont have acess to all the tools, go spend £5/$10 on a coaping saw,

make sure you buy one of the round blades for cutting metal, i cut a blowhole in mine with one of them, took abough 10 mins,

you also need a drill, and a file for cleaning it up, im stating the obvious now

good luck

[Pitch]

Meh, I use an Angle Grinder.

[danrok]

Doesn't cost so much for air powered tools:
http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Air-Die...=9&category=27

Plus cheap compressor to run that:
http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Oil-Fre...=9&category=20

£150 for the 2. You can probably find a small compressor for less than that.

Then you can use proper dies which won't wear out so quick.

[Samuknow]

I used a dremel and a jig saw.

A jig saw worked the best for cheap...

[Strongwolf]

Originally Posted by danrok

Doesn't cost so much for air powered tools:
http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Air-Die...=9&category=27

Plus cheap compressor to run that:
http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Oil-Fre...=9&category=20

£150 for the 2. You can probably find a small compressor for less than that.

Then you can use proper dies which won't wear out so quick.

Way to big of an investment (at least for now). What I want to do is to cut a hole on the top side of the case for 1-2 120mm fans.

[Samuknow]

A cd is a good guide to mark a hole for a 120mm fan. Then drill a hole and use a jig saw. just tape up the metal with masking tape first to keep from scratching the paint....

[aghastpumpkin]

Mark the center point with a pencil. Using a ruler, mark 60mm out from the center. Do this many times to form a circle of dots. Join up the dots.

If your ruler has a hole, you can conveniently use this as a pivot.

[raphael2040]

There's nothing wrong with a dremel. Just don't use the standard bits that come with it. You may end up forking out another £20 for accessories, but it's worth it. I got about 150 bits for £20. Very good investment.

If you don't wanna fork out for air-powered tools, go for a dremel and a jigsaw. They work wonders. =)

[aghastpumpkin]

Depends on the material. Aluminium or thin steel is a peice of piss for a Dremel.
Try cutting through more solid materials, or harder materials and it's a lot harder work.

[Favu]

If you're just cutting a hole for a fan, use something like this and drill the screw holes. If you mark up right you get a perfect hole and screw holes, plus it is dead easy and most people already own a drill.

Top stop yourself marking the paint, cover the whole area you plan to be drilling with maskingtape and pull it off when the job is done

[raphael2040]

Originally Posted by AghastPumpkin

Depends on the material. Aluminium or thin steel is a peice of piss for a Dremel.

Originally Posted by Strongwolf

Do a Dremmel tool do to cut open a case. Any suggestions?

In short,

...

[Strongwolf]

Thanks guys, will let you know how it goes and what do I use. The case is a ThermalT Tsunami (aluminum).

Was planning to use a hammer and chisel but couldn't find the hammer.

[Strongwolf]

Originally Posted by raphael2040

In short,

...

[Samuknow]

So, did you hack it up?

[booman]

Jigsaw all the way!
I never touch a dremel.
Then after cutting the holes I file them by hand to get em totally smooth and rounded.
By the way, don't use a round-punch (with teeth) to cut the holes becaue I have burnt out a drill and almost wasted a new one with it.
You can use a router if you have one and attache the punch to it.
I found a punch that is 82mm and I think there is a 120mm.
Those work great for a perfect circle.

[ferret40]

A Great Tool For Cutting Round Holes Is An Adjustable Dual Bit Cutter,mainly Used For Plastic Or Laminates But Also Great For Thin Metal,hint Pc Cases.....
They Can Be Adjusted From 1" To About 6".
Must Use Them At Low Speed Or You Can Cause Serious Damage Or Injury....

YOU CAN USUALLY BUY THEM AT ANY TOOL SHOP OR $2 SHOP...
MINE COST ME $7aud

[Daniel ~]

I just stare holes in mine...but noboby really wants to work anymore...":O}

[cadaveca]

I use dremel, angle grinder, hacksaw, drill, etc, etc. Sometimes larger tools are just too big for what you need...in comes the dremel.

If using a dremel to cut metal, use re-inforced discs, as the non-re-inforced will dissappear faster than it's worth.

Holes...nothing beats a proper hole-saw. For tubing and wires and such, I've got a bit that will do any size hole from 1/8th of an inch up to 2 inches...was very expensive, but it cuts through everything like butter. Holes for screws and such should be done with a regular drill...same for removing rivets.


Get some green painter's tape and cover your whole surface. this will give you something to draw your pattern on, as well as protecting any paint from scratches, and seems to minimize chipping for some strange reason i don't quite understand.

MAKE SURE TO PLAN EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU PICK UP ANY TOOLS! a well-thought-out mod is just gonna turn out better than a rushed one...