Painting my case. Need advice :)

[Macvin]

Hi guys,

So i am sick of looking at my black pc case and I'm thinking of painting it. I'm gonna go with candy green over chrome or silver. I've read about the process a lot and I think I have a pretty good idea of how to get it done nicely (as nicely as can be done with what I've selected).

That said the one area where I'm stumped is the wait time between the primer and paint. I'm going to be using spaz stix spray paint cans (it's the best that's available to me) and some ppl say I only need to wait an hour after the primer to apply the base coat. Some other reports, mostly from car painting websites, say I should wait 1 or 2 days. I need to use my pc 5 days a week so my question is will the finish really look that bad if I only wait 6 to 12 hours before applying the basecoat. I would wait the 2 days if I could but it's just not an option for me as this is my main pc and I don't have another case i can use while the primers drying.

 

[Guest]

Always remember "better safe than than sorry."

 

[Guest]

So here is what i would do. Take a bit of your paint, and apply it on a piece of cardboard, and let it dry, after an hour check on it. If its dry, go on, but if its not wait for 2 more hours. If its dry, go on. Keep going like that and you will know when its dry. So if it dries in the first hour, you can paint your case and let it dry for 1 hour.

 

[Guest]

In common sense, car paintjobj take a long time due to the amount and thickness of it.

 

[Grugbug]

The primer needs to dry and cure for proper adhesion. Putting paint over uncured primer will stop the primer from curing properly.
Follow the instructions on the containers as there are lots of different primer/ paint combinations.
A rushed job will looked just like a rushed job.

 

[velocityg4]

Wait times vary by temperature, coat thickness and humidity. The back of the can should give you a good idea. I prefer to wait until the next day between primer and paint. Remember to lightly sand between coats and sand the case well before painting. Also use an enamel clear coat after painting. It makes for a much harder and less porous finish. Avoid the temptation of putting down a thick coat. If coverage isn't perfect the first pass it will fill in on successive passes.

 

[Macvin]

I really like the cardboard idea and i really dont want it to look like a rushed job. I think my best solution is to try is out on the inside part of the reverse cover of my case. And see how long it takes to do a good job. If it goes well I can do everything the next weekend otherwise I'll just have to do 1 or 2 pieces at a time every weekend and do the inside of the case someday when I have a vacation.

 

[Guest]

I have been doing the card board thing with super glu too. Its really usefull.