Hey there everyone,
I'm relatively new to case painting - I've done it once before (custom HAF932 painting) but didn't like how it came out and ultimately sold the case.

I'm going to give it another shot, however, with my ATCS 840. This case was pretty expensive for me, so I want to do it right this time! Here is my basic "plan", step-by-step. Please critique it, as well as make suggestions for what paints/primers to use. I haven't the slightest clue! Please keep in mind the case is ALUMINUM, not steel, which seems to require different primer (self etching?)

Here we go:

1) Disassemble all parts which I wish to paint (done. Painting all the internal components like motherboard tray, optical drive bay, HDD cages, etc)
2)Rough up the surfaces of all the components with 220 grit sand paper.
3)After surfaces have been roughed up, clean with a degreaser/dewaxer (Suggestions on what to use / brand?)
4)Wipe down with degreasser again, then clean once more with a tack cloth.
5)Spray primer (brand? Should I get self-etching kind?). Hold 6-8 inches away, do quick, smooth passes (overlapping each pass about 50%).
6)when item is fully primed, allow to sit for 15 minutes.
7)Repeat steps 5-6 2 more times.
allow primed components to dry over night.
9)Next day, lightly sand with 360 grit paper
10)switch from 360 grit paper to 600 grit wet sanding (with soapy water). Use a cross-hatch pattern for sanding.
11)After the part dries from the wet sanding, proceed to spray-paint in the same manner as the primer (allowing 15 minutes inbetween coats).
12)Dry over night.
14) once dry, wet-sand the surface again with very fine paper (1000, 1500, 2000 grit)


How does this all look? Any steps I am missing? I plan to use automotive-quality spray paint purchased from an autoparts store or a hardware store. I do not know what brand or 'type' I should go for. Same with primer. These are the aerosol can "spray paints", I don't have a paint gun.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Well, most of those steps could be simplified into your steps I just like being thorough. Do you have any tips/suggestions for getting a perfect paint job?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_YY83dGbEI

As said in many previous posts, you dont need to go back to bare metal on painted surfaces, you just need a good "key" for the primer/Paint to stick to. There are hundreds of guides out there and you seem to have the basic idea, only thing left to do is bite the bullet. Get a piece of metal or a spare panel and practice. Hell, you can get a case for around 10 bucks, practice on that!