ATCS840 Powder coating (estimated price)
 

Hi all,

I ordered this CM ATCS840 case (the black version). I'll get it this week from NCIX. $165 after MIR is a good price for a case like this. (rebate house's address is in Ontario, shouldn't be too bad to get the rebate)

I want to keep this case for my main rigs for years to come (let's say five years), so I might mod it...paint, fan controllers, cold cathodes close to the top, you know, mostly aesthetic stuff...

Anyway, the case's interior is not painted. It's NOT a big deal, but I was looking at this modding post:

Case Mod Project: ATCS 840 - bit-tech.net Forums

The first few pics show exactly what to do, how to take it apart...

There is only a few rivets to pop, everything is pretty straightforward...could be easy to do.
Paint is paint, I'm not the best painter, but I could take my time, apply appropriate primer first, then the right paint, no prob...

BUT, powder coating seems a great option too...the result is probably awesome!

Could the coating screw up all the screw threads?

Do you guys know how much it could cost in Canada to have thees few parts powder coated? If it's cheap I'm interested.

I've had the interior parts of my Cosmos S and TJ-07 powdercoated. It's the way to go.

Usually the powdercoater will put little sponges in to preserve the threads, but you can put spare screws in too.

Shop around, I was able to get both my case's interior parts done for around $60, in black. If you're doing black, I'd recommend flat black, the gloss and semi-gloss really show the dust. If you are going some other color, expect to pay more unless they've got something else to do in the same color.

My TJ07 came to a total of $120. Just to give you another idea. That included cleaning, prep, and thread filling.

Yes, it's my intent to go flat black! Are you saying that the price for BOTH cases was $60 total?

Ouch! Now that's too much for my blood. I'd rather spend $120 in fans/grommets/fan controller and maybe a case window!

Well, I assume that depending of where you live, pricing may vary quite a bit too.
Before I jump the gun I'll call the local shops around here...see what they say. Some of them are dealing mostly with industrial customers.

More to follow!

Im pretty sure Sugar paid that for per case. For $120, I was happy with it. Sure beats the rattlecan :)

Yes, it was $60 per case. I did all prep work myself. Most places seem to charge about $100-125 to do a full case, around here anyway.

Thanks for the replies!
What I want to do is to paint only the inside. I would take everything apart, so only the structure of the case and the removable mobo tray would be painted. I would keep the ball-bearing railing as it is...

To be clear (for those of us who know nothing about powder-coating): Sugar you are saying that the inside of a case (unpainted) was done powdercoated in a black colour for about $60? I don't like to mod myself but if it was $60 to get a plain interior done in a durable black for $60 I would consider it too.

Yes, that's correct. See my build log here for what parts I had done in the TJ-07. http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...7-build-2.html

Now, if you go different colors, or the whole case, expect to pay more. For example, lowfat's stacker in the BST cost much more, because of the different colors and more parts I think.

SugarJ,

Nice worklog, well documented and nice pics!!!

I just called a local "industrial" paintshop around here (Saguenay Lac-St-Jean, Qc) and basically, their baseline is $120. This is the minimum that they'll charge, even for a really small job. I guess it has to do with time necessary to setup their equipment/labor ETC...

I'll try to get more estimates!

Ouch, second estimate is: Baseline $300...holy jeez. Must be gold nuggets they spray!
It's out of my league.

I'm moving close to Montreal in 2 weeks, so I'll check there...maybe there is more competition between paintshops there...