How in the world do you paint lian-li's?

S

StupidGreen

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Jan 10, 2004
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Hi guys, I got my first case in the mail two days ago. I have big plans for this project but I hear its hard to paint these cases. Btw its a PC-67 and I love the quality compared to the crappy hp that im on right now. Anyways, apparently these cases are anodised or something which makes painting hard because you need to sandblast it or something. I would search the forums but I can't so sorry if this has been covered before. And to get a little bit off-topic, I bought a ps-2 lcd off my spoiled friend for $20 :cool:
 
i think you just need to prime it (sand + use primer) maybe not even... my brother just spraypainted his and it turned out ok (but now the sidepanel he painted doesn't quite match the rest of the case but its better than being scratched up)

good luck painting it if you do try.
 
GAAAAAAAA...

Why in the world would you want to paint a Lian Li. The Annodizing job is art in and of itself. But, if you really want, yes sandblasting is the easy way to go, or elbow grease + 100 grit sandpaper should do the job. Once you've got down to bare metal, prime, paint, and enjoy, although I still be mad about your ruining a perfectly good finish, unless it's something cool like airbrushing the whole case, etc.
 
Thanks for the imput but I just wanna make a case that separates this case from the rest of the lian-li's. I was thinking about airbrushing in some robots or something. Right now i'm broke as a joke so I have nothing but time to work on this case.
 
I'll tell you what I did. Rustoleum, acts as it's own primer, no need for sanding, nice flawless finish, tough as shit, cheap. I agree the beauty of the Lian Li's is that it's aluminum, so I only painted my front bezel. You'll enjoy owning your case. Good luck.
 
Why do you want to paint a Lian Li? I think that they look great just the way they are. They are one of the few cases out there that don't need touch ups.
 
Why paint a LiLi?
why paint any case? why cut windows, why add lighting, etc

to be different!
to have something truly unique!

there are so many lian li owners, and they all look the same pretty much
 
I would have it custom anodized instead of painting it but that's just me :)

I would highly reccomend sanding and priming over just painting right over the top with rustoleum or any type of paint for that matter, will get a better, longer lasting finish.

-Matt :cool:
 
But Rustoleum was designed to act as it's own primer and as a protective coating. trust me, it bonds well to the metal on it's own. Sanding beforehand, I don't see the point, sanding afterwards for a smoother finish, that's your preference.
 
But rustoleum was also not designed to be used in situations like case paiting where you are going to be wet sanding and putting a nice finish on it. Sure, it's great for no-hassel painting of, say, your sign post, but not for a work of art like a case, especially a Lian Li.
 
rustoleum works just fine, but i would suggest priming

many a case panel's mirror finish has come out of a rustoleum can, with extra work involved by the user.
 
My names StupidGreen but you can just call me Derek :). That looks great redhalo! Now where can I buy this stuff? And is it paint or just a special primer?
 
Yeah, I can't say I have a mirror finnish, but I didn't want one either. You can buy it at walmart, home depot, ace hardware, any place like that. And it's just a spray paint.
 
:rolleyes: not designed for != won't work, my point is why spend more on rustolium when it isn't designed for what we are talking about. Spend the money you save on clear coat, and wax if you are going for mirror, or as it would seem in this situation, airbrushing.
 
Vertigo, have you ever done a paint job before?
you cant get a mirror finish unless you put work into it - aka sanding at high grits, which redhalo did not do.

Rustoleum is designed for metal, plastic, wicker, etc etc

at $3 bucks a can, unless you get the metallics line, which is usually $4 its a great deal, with great quality results

if you can find an airbrusher that will do a case for $30 bucks, it'd be a great help for those that do not wish to DIY

modding isnt about having someone else do the work for you (unless, you dont have access to a laser cutting machine, then its acceptable for someone to do that kind of work for you... but you would get even more respect if you dremeled out the design for whatever)
 
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