Materials list for a mod

Roark

Lord of Bacon
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I work at a clothing store and my boss told me to move our bust form mannequins to a smaller location and dumpster the extras. I thought any of these extras I could get my hands on would be a great template for very unique computer cases. The thing is I'm not very experienced in modding (and this isn't very common I don't think), so looking for some suggestions.

The mannequins are rough male and female form, size S-M and 2-4 respectively. They reach from the top of the legs (flat base) to the top of the throat and have no arm protrusions. They are covered in linen and I don't believe they have any filler.
Closest image I could find

So I'm looking for suggestions on materials and orientation of internals.
I feel like I will need to coat the outside in some sort of lacquer, otherwise the linen may peel back from any cuts I make, and completely fall off the section I cut out to access the internals.
I'm also not sure the best tool(s) for the job. I have a very basic tool-box and plan on renting whatever power tools I'd need over a weekend from Home Depot or something. I originally thought Dremel, but maybe a skillsaw would be better?
Finally, thought of placing the MB tray on the inside of the abdomen, however I'm not sure how I'd mount it, I don't want the ends of screws/bolts coming through the front. PSU would likely be bottom mounted, ODD along the back of the neck, HDD cage can go almost anywhere, and fans can go in the top of the neck, down along the sides, and in the bottom.
 
Depends on how thick it is. I would use a Dremel for low RPM to cut through the material. Since it's not in front of me I can't really offer much help as of location. Are you trying to fit a standard ATX board in it?
 
Standard ATX is the plan, don't have exact measurements yet though.
Although there isn't a flat surface large enough to mount an MB flat they are deep enough so that I can mount a multi-form factor tray on the stomach or back and have clearance for the parts with a slight gap under it for routing cables. The I/O shield will either mount on one of the sides, the shoulder if its level enough, or possibly the bottom and move the PSU elsewhere.
 
So I found a rotary tool for sale on CL, figured its one of those purchases that I'll appreciate regularly. But thanks to my complete lack of knowledge about power tools, and the sellers lack of a price, I have no idea what to offer him.
Rotary Tool with Accessories
Was thinking $50, seems like rotary tools usually range from 30-80 used.
 
You can have the airflow from waste to neck.

As for cutting the fabric... Try and cut the fabric holes smalle than the final hole, you can us the extra to finish the hole nicely.

$50 bucks seems resonable
 
As for cutting the fabric... Try and cut the fabric holes smalle than the final hole, you can us the extra to finish the hole nicely.
I'm not terribly worried about the holes I'll need to cut, its the access panel I'll need to cut that is troubling me. Not sure how to keep the fabric attached to the panel once its been separated from the rest of the form.

I could potentially just use a piece of metal/wood/plastic/etc instead of the piece I cut out, but I'd like to keep it looking whole if possible.
First thought was to have the access panel in the back as one piece, hinged on whatever edge is most convenient. Might also look cool to do a double door in the front and cut along autopsy lines (then paint accordingly), not sure if I'm morbid enough to have that sitting in one of my rooms though.


*Edit - Checked Sears.com and found this.
$54 for what looks like a similar tool (5k-32k variable speed), no idea what a gooseneck is or why I'd ever need one...
 
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I gave the circle as an example, but any opening, the fabric opening should be slightly smaller so you canroll it back so you keep clean edges, and the fabric stays nice.

The goose neck is a flexible connector, you can see it in the box, and basically you can use the end like a pencil to draw detailed grindings.
 
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