# How long will paint take to dry on my case?



## Ben Clarke (Mar 2, 2008)

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about buying me some black spraypaint for my case, since I don't really like the beige colour it is right now. My questions are, is spraypaint suitable, and if not what should I get, and how long will it take to dry?

Thanks, 

Ben


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## PaulieG (Mar 2, 2008)

Ben Clarke said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm thinking about buying me some black spraypaint for my case, since I don't really like the beige colour it is right now. My questions are, is spraypaint suitable, and if not what should I get, and how long will it take to dry?
> 
> ...



Spray paint will be fine. I would take off the side panels and do them separately, and tape everything else off that you don't want to get paint on. Don't expect perfection with a can of spray paint though. It's hard to get everything even. Airbrushing works better, if you know someone with a compressor and airtools.


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## Ben Clarke (Mar 2, 2008)

I want to go as cheaply as possible, since I want a case window too (when I find somewhere selling them), and a don't really mind about perfection. As long as it looks OK, I don't mind


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## PaulieG (Mar 2, 2008)

Try this. Use a "hammer" texture spray paint. It looks really cool and industrial, and it doesn't need to be perfect since it's supposed to be textured. I used  the gray hammer spray on a beige case, and it looked awesome. It dries in like an hour or so.

http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-175066/Detail
http://www.ocforums.com/archive/index.php/t-514646.html


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## Frogger (Mar 2, 2008)

MKmods seems to like this paint   http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=681894&postcount=133


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## Black Panther (Mar 2, 2008)

It will be dry (as in tactile dry) in about a half hour or one hour, depending on your room temperature, but before trying to assemble the case you should do it the following day. That way you be sure that it's all dried, even those areas where perhaps there is more thickness of paint.

Try to avoid layering the paint thick. Otherwise you'll get what is called 'solvent-entrapment' meaning the surface would get dry and underneath would remain soft and never dry.


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## Cold Storm (Mar 2, 2008)

Just remember Ben. When you get it done, your going to have to take pretty pictures and let us know how goes! But Paulieg is right. It's better to take it apart and spray indiv. Spray as even as you can with spray paint and like it says on the can it self.


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## intel igent (Mar 2, 2008)

spray painting can look just as good as anything if done properly 

this means sand, prep, clean + mask ALL of your surfaces.

use a quality paint/primer (for me duplicolor)

apply the paint in thin coats using a L>R R>L motion with rests in between direction change while keeping the nozzle about 6"-8" away from the work surface.

allow time to dry inbetween coats, i like to wait ~20min in good conditions but it also depends on the paint. i wait 2 days before complete re-assembly. if youre after a truly professional look you can allow each coat to completely dry and then wet sand before applying the next coat.

i like to tip my cans upside-down and blow out the nozzles every 5min or so, keeps the nozzle from getting plugged and reduces the chance of getting "spatter"

thats all i can think of right now i just woke up


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## TechnicalFreak (Mar 2, 2008)

If it's metal/aluminium it would dry rather fast (I only use Auto-K & Multona since I get them for free). When I paint within 2 hours I can add a 2:nd layer already.

But for the plastic parts, well I use (used) Humbrol and an Airbrush to add the "Urban cammo" effect. First day it was all painted black, 2:nd day it was all painted dark grey & on the third day I added the light gray and white color (randomly). PM me if you want an example of the "Urban cammo" job.

I also learned how to do tribals, but I'm saving it for my ASUS Vento case


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## keakar (Mar 2, 2008)

intel igent said:


> spray painting can look just as good as anything if done properly
> 
> this means sand, prep, clean + mask ALL of your surfaces.
> 
> ...



i agree with all of this and wish to add:

most all spray paints dry to the touch in 15 minutes or less but the paint isnt bonded well untill 24 hours so i would wait 30 minutes to an hour between coats and wait 24 hours before reassembling the computer. the paint will take about a week to be truely durable and will scratch and scrape off easy during this time so be carefull.

have a steady constant sweeping motion as you go and never stop with a dry edge you are spraying on, always take it to the edge before stopping. a dry edge will show up as a shadow line in the finish shine so keep a steady pace so your always painting from a wet edge outward to get a perfect finish. 

use several light coats to cover it and dont lay it on thick or it will wringle from surface drying faster than paint under it.

you should paint all edges and corners first to get good coverage of the area so you dont miss anything. 

its advised your always painting top to bottom so the overspray dust (dusty mist of dry paint in the air that falls as your painting) wont settle on the fresh paint and mess up the finish.

EDIT: cool temperatures slows drying time so if your painting in the garage in cold weather use a space heater to keep the room warmed to like 75-80 degrees for best results


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