Project : Synthetica by AnG3L

[AnG3L]

One more update on the go for you guys!
I ve been working really hard these days in order to "almost" finish 2 sides of the top part out of 6 and I still have the ventilation neuron designs to do and finish!

Here are some shots of the front and curvy part finished. The curves are aligned in an unorthodox style yet are flowing among them really nice and in a unique style.
That wasnt an easy task at all as I am going to show you in the 3 final pictures.

First lets see these 2 finished parts.

Here is how I start to form the various shapes. I am using a filler which is really hard yet easy to work with and sand, I found the specific brand after years of using many other materials and brands.

And a little preview of the 3rd side's final steps to finish.

Here you are going to see the step I took in order to create these 2 sides of the top part.
The amount of work is ridiculous (and the materials used from the beginning to finish).

STEP1:

STEP2:

STEP3:

Thanks for reading my worklog guys!!! Till next time, peace!!

[AnG3L]

Update no 10 guys and the amount of work I did is unbelievable and I have a looooooot more to do yet!!!
I ve been working every day for an average of 6 straight hours, under a burning sun and I can tell you for sure that my arms are in real pain as the amount of filing and sanding is ridiculous!

Here is the finisher I use for the final touches. Also with this material I "build" some parts, like extending the curves, filling parts to harmonize the flow of the curves etc etc.

When I spot an imperfection on the organic shape, I immediately start filling the spot, let it dry and start sanding till I have the desired shape.

Here you will see that I choose for my input output part of the case not to use the regular rectangular shape but instead I ve calculated the motherboard i/o shield placement, gpu and psu outputs in order to create something different and more modern looking.
At first I did some freehand drawings while I was calculating over and over again the right space and also I had to keep the flow on the case and to not disturb the overall design.

First big cuts were made by a grinding wheel and a steel cutting disk.

Then I used the sanding disk to remove big chunks of excessive material.

After a lot of filing and sanding I had to fix the imperfections and also shape the curve to fit flawlessly with the rest part.

After 2 days of total in work I managed to finish this part.

I kept working on the other sides and believe me it was really hard as I had to redo many of the curves as they wouldnt align perfectly with each other. I increased their length by adding more isopon and also shaped them in order to flaw with each other perfectly.

Here are some shots of the finished (for now) main top part.

And here are some tease shots of the upcoming work on the creation of the "neuron" ventilation system. I choose to create them by adding 2 layers of handpicked fiberglass (no molds used or anything like this) and then cut the desired shapes. So that way it will be easier and more durable as the design has many thin lines.

Thats all for now guys, the updates will be slow for the moment as the amount of work is really big and the real changes will come after many many days of exhausting work.

Thanks for reading my update guys, till next time, peace!

[AnG3L]

Update time guys! After 6 days of exhausting work I am here to present you the results so far.

The most difficult part of the case was the interior. None of the available tools could help me so I had to sand all of it by hand! I wanted to cover the fibarglass edges and create a very smooth surface. That required many many layers of body filler and extremely difficult sanding.

Here is the first layer of isopon and sanding.

After a suggestion in the forums by a friend (thanks man) I created some Rondo! This is a mixture with isopon (body filler) with resin. That way you create a very smooth and more "liquid" material in order to apply it with a brush or just by pouring it and shake it around.

I used that technique to apply 6 layers (yeah I am crazy) of rondo in order to create a balanced and smooth surface and also add some thickness on the inside, to create a 3d effect on the neuron ventilation system as you are about to see later on this update.

After 4 days of work I managed to finish the interior!!

After I finished the interior I start working on the front part of the ventilation system.
The process its the same, filling, sanding etc etc until I had a satisfying result.
I had to use the dremel too though as I couldnt work only by hand.

Second layer of isopon.

Second time sanding.

As you can see I found a soft spot so more filling and sanding!!! OMG! That thing happened to me a gazillion times with this mod!!!

So after more filling and sanding I finished those pieces.

As you see I ve worked my way with isopon in a way that the ventilation system has a really nice flaw with the rest of the case.

Next step was drawing the design on the fiberglass. Due to the strange and unorthodox design of my vents I am using Zaha's design as a guide and I will create something similar yet with my own "artistic" touch too.

I also finished the last vent.

The following part drove my crazy!!! The discs on the dremel werent big enough to cut so I tried a thousand ways to cut the holes but eventually I managed to somehow route the holes by using a dremel bit for engraving. The proble was the depth of the vents as I wanted to have a 3d effect extending in the interior of the case.

And here are some shots after 4 hours of filing. This is not the final thing as I will come back later for the details.

Thanks for reading my update guys! The next update is going to be delayed as I have a loooooot of work so please be patient! Till next time, peace!

[AnG3L]

Time for our new and.... maybe last update for some time as I have to move in a new house, if everything goes well!

I will not post comments on the pictures as you already know the drill (sanding, filling, filing etc etc)

I will only say that it took me 40 hours to come to that point and that I ve already primed it and I am working on minor fixes and details right now!
I also cut a hole for the tubing in a way that I will be able to remove the top without interfering with the tube.
I also did some changes on one vent and I will work with the acrylic in a way that it will cover the space.
The primer I am using its a filler primer which is the best for my job as it fills little holes and it works like a thin layer of bondo too!

Enjoy the show guys!!!

Thats it for now guys I hope you enjoyed my slide-show progress Very very difficult job so far, my right hand cant hold a sandpaper anymore lolz Till next time, Peace!

[AnG3L]

So guys here I am after a long period of time cause as most people know I moved to my new place! Wasnt an easy case for me as I had to move a lot of things and also I had to make the desks and tables by myself due to lack of money.
I am back and I will be away from this project for some time again, as I have to make a new mod in only one month, in order to show it on the latest Campus Party in Spain. Difficult task yet I have to work really hard to make it to the deadline.

I primed the top part before I moved to the new house with the filler primer and when I finished the new house I start sanding it, in order to fix any imperfections by adding isopon and more filler primer at the end.

I will not comment between the pictures as it is sanding, filling, primer and the repeat till the final 2 primer coats.

But first lets see what I got from the sponsors!
My thanks goes to MSI and Coolermaster!

And now the work I did these last days on the mod.
The top part is ready for final inside primer coats and black matte with some candy blue touches at the end.

A random sunset shot not something professional though lolz

Thats all for now guys, I am glad I got back to my work and off course amongst you.
I would like to dedicate this update and this mod to my friend Syrillian who passed out recently from cancer.
As I told before I will put this mod on hold once more as I am going to build a new one so I will see you over the new small worklog!

Thanks for reading my worklog guys, till the next update, peace!

[AnG3L]

So I am back after a long time (due to my trip to Spain and my new mod) and the first thing I did, was to experiment with various paints and techniques on the main part of the mod.
After a discussion I had with my friend and fellow modder voigts, we agreed that one single color on this big piece wouldnt look nice, especially the black color. So after a lot of experiments I conclude to that I had to use a kind of texture painting effect, as it looks like a modern "building". I aint going to comment between the pictures but you are going to see the process between the different stages of experimenting. I would love to hear your opinion and as always I will take notes and follow accordingly!

Also I cut some holes for the USB 3 and.... lets start with a "modded" snack!

So....

The technique of this texture painting was using silver with black, 2 different brushes and also I created darker spots fading out to lighter ones as a "fake" lighting effect. It has a glossy surface which I am going to make it ever more glossy by adding acrylic varnish. If you like it though...

Thats all for now guys, I am glad to be back on this project and with all of my friends here, tell me your opinions and ideas and until next time, peace!!!

[AnG3L]

Time for one more update guys! This is a very random update with some of the things I did during these days.

Lets begin with the GPU modification. As many of you might now, there isnt any full waterblock for the GTX 560 Ti or at least there wasnt till the day I was searching for one so I had to find a solution. I found a kit from Arctic Cooling but I didnt have money for the universal GPU block so... improvising time!!

First of all I disassembled the card by removing the heatsink and inspecting the card further.

I also removed that heatsink in order to attach the Arctic Cooling ones but later I changed my mind as you will see in the process.

You will see that I decided to use the fins along with that original heatsink for 2 reasons. The first reason is that the fins that came with the package there were insufficient and also the size of them wasnt correct. The second reason is that by combining the fins with the heatsink I can hypothetically improve the cooling. So I attached the fins with an adhesive thermal paste.

As I couldnt afford to buy a waterblock for the GPU (also no access to a cnc mill) I had to dig in my water cooling stuff to find a solution. The only compatible in a way block I could find was a Heatkiller CPU block which with some modification would fit just right! So I start measuring and marking the block.

One note to all of my modder friends out there! Working with stainless steel by hand its a PITA for sure!!! It took me 45 minutes to find a proper way to drill 4 holes!! I had to use a cone carbide drill bit after I did some reading on the webs. Also I used some reinforced discs on my dremel to do the cuts.

I polished the copper too as it was really messy lolz!

That backplate came with the Arctic Cooling set.

And after this and that I finished my custom made waterblock and now the card is finished and ready for some tests (crossing fingers!)

Now some other things I did. USB holder modding in process...

Spacers cut and filed after measuring the proper distance between the top part and the USB holder....

Holes for the Bitspower's fan controller....

Clamped the face of the controller to make perfect holes the ghetto way!

Finished!!!

And finally the creation of the power and restart buttons. I cut 1 mm clear acrylic to glue it on the back of the buttons, sanded it, glued it, filled it and last I attached the part from the switch on them. And yes... I also painted them blue candy! I have to tell you that the combination of the colors will look awesome as I did some minor tests with the various items and colors to see how it look and I have to admit that it looks pretty nice!

Thats all for now guys, till next time, Peace!!!

[AnG3L]

WOW!! that thing is looking amazing!

Thanks bro nice to see you again!!!

Great attention to detail as always, I'm especially fond of the painting style you went with. Very interesting.

Thanks buddy glad you liked it!!!


These days I am working really hard in order to finish the mod as I have some other things that I have to do and ... I dont like leaving unfinished jobs behind!
This will be a quick update as my time is very limited but you will get the "idea"!

So lets begin!

As you will see in this update, I did some mistakes on the designing of one of the aluminum parts and while I was trying to fix it by changing my original plans I was only making it worse.
The most of the pictures are my efforts that gone wasted...
First, the holes for the fan controller and the addition of threads on the face of it.

Some extra shots of the power and restart buttons after the acrylic varnish.

A real mess!!!! Only if you could see the rest of my house.... Here I start measuring for the i/o holes of most of the components and also marking the aluminum.

I also messed with the idea of the creation of a backplate for the mobo i/o shield. More on a following update.

The beginning.... :p

The middle...

Me... messing with my previous "backplate" idea!

And here is... my mistake. I placed the hole for the DVD rom in a wrong place so I decided to use a slim DVD in a different place. I was going to cover the old hole with an acrylic illuminated logo of the mod... Yeah I messed it up!

And here is my creation of the GPU stand-holder. I did something easy but... functional! More on this on an upcoming update!

And here we are!!! New pieces.... I decided to change these 3 not only the "faulty" one as I wanted to do some minor changes. Special thanks to my friend who works in the laser company for the quick delivery and not only!!

And I finally got the acrylic parts!

The cpu block was painted by using a new technique which is textured were the black color is only! Quite amazing huh? :p I thought I could use this technique as from far is distinctive and it blends quite nice with the rest of the "inside" theme!
It also has 3 layers of acrylic varnish which it gives it extra durability and also glossiness.

These are the feet of the mod. Are composed by 6mm a grade black acrylic and 3mm blue fluorescent. I will add a white led in each one of them in order to give them a very smooth ambient light effect. The polish.... gosh it took me forever as the particular black acrylic is very hard as its a good quality one. These pictures are one step before the final.

And the reservoir stand painted a darker blue candy with a very small portion on the right edge treated with the same technique as the cpu. Not visible from far.
The reservoir was frosted except from a horizontal line of 1.5 cm.

Random shots of the ssd cage assembly.

I ve spend one whole day trying to cut the holes on the top black acrylic piece!! I also made some minor changes as you will see.

Final polished feet!

Changed the stand for the usb due to the new laser cut aluminum face...!!!

And one of the ...many test assemblies!

Thanks for reading the update guys, till the next time, peace!!

[AnG3L]

One more update for you guys is on the way!
Many things I did these days and I am a couple of steps (or more) before the finish line.

First of all is the creation of a "proper" slim dvd stand. The first one wasnt the best solution so I had to create something better. So I came up with that.....

A single piece of aluminum angle which I used to create a housing for the slim dvd.

Neat idea huh? :p

Holes for cathode and led switches..... done!

Various steps of the top acrylic polishing process. 180-230-320-400-600 and polishing buffer wheel at the end.

Led stands were made out of 3mm acrylic and 1mm cnc precut pieces. I gave them the shape accordingly of their placement in the case.

Pieces filed and sanded.

Glued together with plastic welder epoxy.

Filing, sanding and final fixes with some isopon. And ready for painting!

Here is also the gpu stand after the addition of aluminum putty. I filed it into the desired shape and its ready for some painting too!

I used black hammered paint for those parts as it naturally gives a thick and textured surface and its durable as ****!!

I also finished the corners of the bottom case. I used black hammered paint here too for the reasons explained above even though it wont be visible I wanted that textured-durable touch inside the bottom case too.
I let the visible part unpainted in order to apply some carbon Di Noc vinyl I had available.

I finished the modification and installation of the 5 windows on the top part. 2 of these windows are semi frosted for aesthetic and lighting reasons. I also gave the top one, a shape to follow the ventilation's line.

Aluminum parts arrived from the powdercoater with the color of choice : black semi matte.

And I will leave you with some teaser shots!

Thanks for reading my worklog guys, till next time, peace!!

[AnG3L]

With this and that here we are guys at the final update of this year and of this mod!!! I wont say much as is nothing left to say but I will let you know that THIS was one of the most difficult builds I ever did after Totechnika! The pump refused to start so I had to dismantle it and fix it, the watercooling loop took me 11 hours to get it right due to tight space and the lack of the proper fittings even though Bitspower gave me more than enough to use, the cable management was a nightmare as I had to create and mod each and every cable so.... ok thats all!!!

First some random pictures of some of the soooooo many things I did these days. I wont show more pictures as I said before is pointless to show me holding a screwdriver and attaching a motherboard. One of the many custom cables and some steps of the final assembly.

I used 2 kind of sleeving in this mod. At the left side is the MDPC one and at the right is a sleeving a friend of mine has send to me from USA. The quality of this sleeving and its density is 10 times better than anything else I ve seen and used so far (sorry MDPC fans) but is quite difficult to work with so this is meant to be for pro modders with lots of experience and patience.

And a small teaser shot of the final build.....

Here are some "artistic" kind of pictures with the sleeving my friend send me from USA. I took these pictures for him and I thought it will be nice to share them with you just to see that I can also take some "nice" shots with my cheap camera but I prefer to stay "true" and while I mod on my bed or kitchen table or in the backyard I will always take shots from there and as bad as it might look, this is were I mod. I have nothing against nice photography I really love it but for me its impossible as the kind of work I do cant be placed under black velvet sheet for some shots!

Thats all for now guys see you soon with the final shots!!! Till then, peace and thanks for the support for one more time!!!!