how to remove rivets?

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What ^ said...the more work you put in the prep the better your paint job will look. Give it a going over with 400-600grit before the self etch, will promote better adhesion of the paint, even if it is a chem reaction with the aluminum. As mentioned, sand between coats to get rid of small imperfections. I've also used a wire brush on my dremel to scuff up the metal rather than hand sanding, is faster and saves the wrist and hands from the wear and tear. This past weekend I raided my dad's barn while on holidays and swiped...I mean borrowed a portable sand blaster to speed up these sanding jobs. He'll never notice it's gone :D

As for the rivets, double check your HAF but most cases use 1/8' rivets, any old 1/8' bi-metal drill bit to knock them out. Good luck, remember to post photos!
 
^check my other thread, added some pics of my WC parts that came in.

I will probably be doing the cutting tonight, but may end up being tomorrow.

Another question... lol... would you guys recommend a 4.75" hole saw or just a dremel for cutting a 120mm hole in aluminum?

I have both, just wondering which would be easier/better.
 
If you have the hole saw then go with it, it's much easier and cleaner. Just clamp the work and use a decent drill to cut the hole, tape it with some masking tape first, that's help with the heat. You can also use a squirt or two of WD40 for cutting heat.

Good luck!
 
Your schools use rivets to keep computer cases secured?

That would be **** from a technical service standpoint.... We used to have to fix computers fairly often at my high school and having to deal with rivets would have been insane.

Generally we just used padlocks on the expensive ones and didn't much give a turd about the P-3's and the like.

That's the problem. All the expensive ones are secured down. However i get these young kids coming on with a computer with PROPERTY OF BLAH HIGH SCHOOL thinking that they just hit the jackpot with the computer. Or they are just trying to knock off the hard drive and Ram.

Most of the time, the kid has at least half a braincell and he's trying to knock off the Ram.

Problem is now days alot of the computer that are going into the schools are coming with a BIOS tracking system. Computer or Laptop gets stollen, the Asset Number is reported. The second that computer connect to the internet, the Asset Number is pings a server with your IP Address
 
I didn't know that many people steal school computers. Most of ours aren't secured at all, besides the lock on for the side panel. Most kids don't really seem to care about the computers much at my school.
 
If you have the hole saw then go with it, it's much easier and cleaner. Just clamp the work and use a decent drill to cut the hole, tape it with some masking tape first, that's help with the heat. You can also use a squirt or two of WD40 for cutting heat.

Good luck!

My dad works in construction and told me that I should probably put something underneath the hole saw (like a chunk of 2x4 wood) so the pilot bit has something to grab hold of to secure the saw in place. Good thing to do or no?

Also, went to Home Depot with my dad tonight (i had been there earlier thinking i could buy spray paint but forgot about the 18+ rule... lol) and picked up this paint:

one can of this primer:
RustOleum.com

3 of these:
Rust-Oleum 6-Pack 12 Oz. Flat Black 2X Painter's Touch Spray Paint - 181427 at The Home Depot

will that work well or should i take it back for something else?
 
You bought 18 cans of spraypaint?

Also, when using matte, a lot of the general rules for getting a good paint job can be ignored to a point as the finish will never been anywhere near gloss.
 
I think he was referring to the law that you have to be older than 18 to buy spray paint.

18+ cans of spray paint would be a bit excessive. :D
 
^lol. yeah just a little bit :D i meant 3 cans of that flat black stuff, not 3 6 packs, lol.

i was a bit frustrated when i found out i could not buy the paint... just wasted a gallon of gas for nothing...

Also, when using matte, a lot of the general rules for getting a good paint job can be ignored to a point as the finish will never been anywhere near gloss.

Yeah, I chose flat black because I didn't want my paint job to look horrible if i messed up.
 
Not familiar with those paints, the most important thing to remember is the proper primer for bare metal, that stuff may work, it does say metal on it. I always pick up a self etching primer. Maybe try that stuff on a piece of scratch first...I know the first job I ever did I used the wrong primer over the bare aluminum and then flat blacked over top. Because the primer didn't adhere properly the paint job would chip way easy. I now have that case in storage to eventually re-sand and finish for another job. Another place for good paints is your local automotive supply store, they always have decent flat blacks and gloss spray paints available in the autobody repair section of the store. I find them better than the stuff at Home Depot and Lowes.

That 18+ rule sucks, not an issue here in Ontario, our big challenge is that next year new VOC rules go into place and they will be switching all organic paints over to water based paints (automotive grade). Rumor mill has it you'll need a business license and need to register with the paint supplier before you buy the paints so they can track you and therefore check your ventilation and respirators etc...good idea for industry but a royal pickle up the arse for anyone who wants to do a home spray job.

As for sanding and stuff on the flat black, yeah, most of what has been said above is for a gloss job, don't go trying to polish and buff a flat black job.

Good luck!
 
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