Blow-hole cutting guide

[mcmad]

right, been promising for ages so here goes..

I'm using a 120.3 rad in my project for GFX card, HD & maybe NB, its a pretty big rad so needs a bit of care to get it installed correctly & not wreck the case..

there are some templates out there but Ive never found one that is exactly correct, most are off by a few mill & when you are cutting three holes that can bugger things up..

Best thing to do is make your own, basically cut a piece of paper the same size as the rad & place on top (I use a bit of spray mount to ensure it doesn't move)

rub where the screw holes are with your finger & it will make a nice indent in the paper, punch through the centre with a pencil, repeat for all the holes..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/1.JPG

now remove paper & draw lines from hole to hole to find centre point this will be used for the hole cutter..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/2.JPG

Ill be cutting from the inside of the case lid so mask up the outside to prevent scratches etc..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/3.JPG

then flip it over & mount the template.. I would suggest taping it down well once you have centred it to make sure it doesn't move while punching. Using a centre punch, punch out the screw hole locations & the fan centre.

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/4.JPG

remove the template & store for later use

now onto the fun part.... (will update later tonight..)

 

[Phil Stanbridge]

looking good. Out of interest what case will you be using for the rad? One of your Coolermasters?

 

[mcmad]

yeah its one of the coolermasters mate,

now onto the cutting part.

But first a word of warning, in all serousness this can be dangerous so safety glasses on please. Also when using a holesaw dont start or stop the drill when it is in contact with the metal, the drill will whip round & probably break your wrist If you really want it done properly get phil to do it when you order a case !

First thing is to clamp your piece to a scrap of wood, this will give you a much better finish to the cut.

Start off with pilot holes where you punched before, 2mm is fine.

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/5.JPG

then use a 5mm drill (fan screw size) & go over them all again, remove & flip over & deburr all the holes you have just drilled..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/6.JPG

clamp the piece down again & load up the hole saw, again note what I said above about not starting in contact with the metal, run the drill up & gently apply the saw to the case. It is a help to drill the guide hole for the saw first. Stop frequently & remove any Alu stuck to the saw, a bit of cooling fluid done no harm either (use an RCD if you are gonna use fluids with a mains drill !!!)

take your time & you will end up with this..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/7.JPG

2 to go...

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/8.JPG

after a bit of a cleanup you should have something like this..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/9.JPG

you can see some burrs on the holes, but notice overall how smooth the cuts are. I am aiming to do this without using blowhole trim so the cuts have to be perfect & theres 3 of the mofos !

a quick file & wet & dry & its finished..

final shot below shows finished edge on the left, on the right it has still to be rubbed down..

this shot is with camera in macro mode so you can really see close up how good a finish you can get.

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/10.JPG

FEAR MY HOLE DRILLING SKILLS !!!!



well thats it for blow holes unless anyone wants any other pics, will be mounting & soundproofing later..

(blimey that was almost done live !)

 

[Legguk]

right, been promising for ages so here goes..

I'm using a 120.3 rad in my project for GFX card, HD & maybe NB, its a pretty big rad so needs a bit of care to get it installed correctly & not wreck the case..

there are some templates out there but Ive never found one that is exactly correct, most are off by a few mill & when you are cutting three holes that can bugger things up..

Best thing to do is make your own, basically cut a piece of paper the same size as the rad & place on top (I use a bit of spray mount to ensure it doesn't move)

rub where the screw holes are with your finger & it will make a nice indent in the paper, punch through the centre with a pencil, repeat for all the holes..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/1.JPG

now remove paper & draw lines from hole to hole to find centre point this will be used for the hole cutter..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/2.JPG

Ill be cutting from the inside of the case lid so mask up the outside to prevent scratches etc..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/3.JPG

then flip it over & mount the template.. I would suggest taping it down well once you have centred it to make sure it doesn't move while punching. Using a centre punch, punch out the screw hole locations & the fan centre.

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/guide/4.JPG

remove the template & store for later use

now onto the fun part.... (will update later tonight..)

nice 1

 

[Cashman]

Only thing I can add after having only done a 1x120mm blow hole is....

Mark and measure twice... cut once! I you think through the job as much as Macca has here then you will be ok!

Excellent job and an excellent guide mate!

 

[mcmad]

ta mate, noticed you recently tried it yourself, looks good..

One thing on yours.. looks better if you put the fan guard inside the case..

something like this..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/newbuild/top.JPG

 

[Gangster]

good guide - theres me sitting with my heatsink and fan, and you guys with your vapochills/machII's on your cpus and watercooling setups for your graphics cards. Nice setup & nice guide...

 

[Psykotik]

I've seen the fan grill thing on a lot of cases here (it looks damn sweet by the way) and am attempting that myself in the next few weeks

 

[Master_G]

ta mate, noticed you recently tried it yourself, looks good..

One thing on yours.. looks better if you put the fan guard inside the case..

something like this..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/newbuild/top.JPG

I had NEVER thought of that, great idea, im going to try that with mine (hopefully getting my rad grill soon if i can find a place that stocks it)

Does mean though that if your cutting skills arent very good (i did my blowhole as the exact edges of my BI pro and you can see where it isnt very str8 )

G

 

[Cashman]

MacMad> Good spot mate.. Ill try putting mine inside too, looks a bit smarter doesnt it! DOnt you think that the grill looks better with the fans on the underside of the RAD tho? so you cant see those messy fans through your fan guard? Choices Choices eh

Master_G> You can get those grills at this very site. Goto "Products" then "Fan grills"... then look right at the bottom... hey presto!

I think they're well worth the money, they are even more gorgeous in the flesh!

 

[mcmad]

MacMad> Good spot mate.. Ill try putting mine inside too, looks a bit smarter doesnt it! DOnt you think that the grill looks better with the fans on the underside of the RAD tho? so you cant see those messy fans through your fan guard? Choices Choices eh

you dont see em when they are spinning

that was an old project of mine, I moved onto a MM case but try as I might I cant fill the damm thing !

 

[Cashman]

hehe

I do love those MM cases. What have you got in her? Watercooling stuff?

Gotta post some pics man, I think those cases look stunnning

Are they really VERY big or are they still practical?

 

[mcmad]

the get it in & working photo..

http://www.mawhyte.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/new.jpg

basically its all getting ripped out & will use an external water chiller instead of internal rads (at the moment i have 2 double heatercores inside the case oh & 2 X 1250 pumps as well).

Waiting on Maplins opening this morning to get some relays for the chill controller...

 

[Phil Stanbridge]

They are very nice grills.

 

[HARRY]

they are arnt they they loook very classy and profesional were as some just look abit stupid

 

[Master_G]

Master_G> You can get those grills at this very site. Goto "Products" then "Fan grills"... then look right at the bottom... hey presto!

Ah, but that's not the grill that i want

They do look damn sexy on a blue case though :drool:

G

 

[Grov]

Iam going to be modding my Silverstone TJ05 for a Dual heatercore from weapon.

So the holesaw method is the best way? I might be able to get one from work, if not, where's the best place to get one? and what size do you need, as it's not 120mm is it?

 

[mcmad]

starrett bi metal holesaw

114mm & dont forget the arbor for it as well (a10 arbor i think it is)

google should sort you out with a supplier mate..

 

[Grov]

Geesh looking at close to 30quid for this. WTF.

 

[Grov]

Here's how it ended up guys:

http://img186.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img186&image=pict01858yr.jpg

Dad did it, used a Jigsaw. Started with some tin snips, but they were bending the steel around it. I think there pretty dam good, and it looks decent with the grills on top of case.

Peace.