Stroke your box - Modjitsu #29

Can’t have a mod without some paint. Just like you can’t have an anitgrav torpedo without a super impeller, or a pole dancer without a pole. So, whip out your brush, and spray your case.

As sure as death and taxes, a good case mod will always evolve slowly. You'll start a project with a certain objective in mind, but somehow it'll always morph into something different. This odd phenomenon is known as 'dynamic art'!

The other unfortunate truism is that, regardless how much care is taken, the modding process will inflict some 'scars' -- scratches, dents and the like -- on the original case finish.

By the time you've sorted out fan-holes, windows and interior mods, the end result often looks as though it's been dragged over a barbed-wire fence. Backwards. If your case is brushed aluminium there is very little that you can do. But, if your pride and joy has a painted or powder-coated finish, then salvation is relatively simple -- a fresh coat of shiny new paint!

Regardless of whether your artistic ability rivals Salvador Dali, or you have trouble with colouring between the lines, the first step to perfection is getting a smooth, blemish-free base-coat to stick to your battered tower.

One thing that cannot be stressed enough is that the final outcome depends on the amount of effort you're prepared to put in to the initial preparation. Paint will not hide imperfections -- it actually emphasises them.

As mentioned, if you want a really professional finish then the initial preparation is by far the most important part of the project. That means totally stripping-out the case of all of your hardware and dismantling it. In my case, this involved drilling out the rivets with a 1/8 drill-bit and removing the top of the case. The reasoning behind this is that by reducing the case to a series of components the whole process is made simpler and, if something does go wrong, then only one section has to be redone.

Once the case is down to its bare bones, the real preparation starts. The first step is to consider if there are any additional mods that you want to do, or if any existing mods need to be redone, before the paint is applied. Once any extra pre-work has been taken care of, it's time to sand back the existing paintwork so that the primer has a good surface to adhere to.

An idea worth mentioning here is to start by using a file to smooth off any sharp edges that might tear the sandpaper or rip off a finger.

Start by using a medium-coarse ( #400 grit) 'Wet'n'Dry' sandpaper, and pay special attention to any areas that are chipped or scratched. The idea of using 'Wet'n'Dry' paper is that you use water to lubricate the cutting surface so that it doesn't block-up, which also extends its lifespan. Where possible, use a sanding block so that the sandpaper is in contact over a larger surface area, as this will 'feather out' the edges of the scratches, making them blend in better. As the surface becomes smoother, progressively work down from #400 grit to #1000 grit, until it's as smooth as a baboon's arse. If you aren't sure of that analogy, just make it really, really smooth!

The final step here is to thoroughly wipe the surface with a 'Wax and grease remover', and let it air dry. The solvent will displace any water, and remove any surface impurities, such as Silicon substances that stop paint from sticking to the case. If you skip this step there is a fair chance that the primer-coat will end up flawed, and probably scratch off easily.

Once the remover has dried, give it another wipe with a clean, lint-free cloth to remove any dust and grit. If you're only painting some of the case, it is time to mask off the parts that you don't want painted with, you guessed it, masking tape. Use a good quality tape, as cheaper brands will often let paint 'bleed in' along the edges. Remember that the tape will need to be replaced every time that you wet-sand or wipe over with the wax remover.

If there are areas that still have visible 'damage', then the next step is to use a 'spray putty' to act as a surface filler. The idea is to give the surface a light, even coat of spray putty, which will fill-in any fine imperfections, and once it has dried properly block-sand the surface back with #1000 grit until only the scratches have the filler covering them in. In other words, you will end up removing 98 percent of the putty that you just applied! This step might seem a waste of time and effort, but if you really want a 'perfect finish' then it really is worth doing.

Once done, clean the surface off with wax remover (you should be doing this between each step from now on) and a clean cloth, and then give the surface a light coat of multi-purpose undercoat, or primer. There is an old painters trick that is worth sharing at this point -- warm up the part that is to be painted with a hair-dryer, just so that the surface is slightly hotter than skin temperature -- about 40C. This will help to get an even cover onto the surface while reducing the incidence of runs or 'orange-peel'. A word of warning though, if the temperature is too hot the paint will dry prematurely, resulting in a powdery finish that isn't very durable and affecting the bond between the primer and the top layers. An expression that is commonly heard is 'key coat', where the word 'key' actually refers to the grip that it provides for the colour coat to bond to. Sanding back between coats also gives an enhanced grip for the following coat to stick to, as it breaks up the smoothness of the surface, and also allows the paint to penetrate better.

Once dry, the look of the surface after the primer coat is your first real indication as to how the final coats will look. If you can still see surface imperfections, lumps and bumps then head back to step one! The finish should be smooth and even, without any build-up of thickness on the edges or contact surfaces. Any rough patches of over-spray should be removed with #1000 grit sandpaper, and then the entire surface sanded over lightly in preparation for the c