Thermaltake Level 10 GT Casemod

My first paint coat was a sealer primer that would cover the existing paint and give the new color something to stick to, this is a very important step and any errors at this stage will only amplify as more coats get applied.

As you can see the sealer is a traditional grey and goes on as thick as it needs to be, which isn’t much.

The next color is a white basecoat and the first part of the tri stage paint.  Had this case been pearl white the basecoat here would have also been the color coat.

Both the main chassis and the bottom of the case were hung for easy painting while the grills were placed on the table.

The midcoat is the main orange and pearl mix followed by the clear coat.  You often hear of painters mixing their own pearls and putting the particles in the clear.  This adds depth to the paint but really isn’t needed.  Even cars from the factory have their pearls mixed with the color.

At this point you can begin to see the color change occurring as light bounces off of the pearl.  Up until now none of the coats have introduced any catalyst (hardener) and simply cured in the air.  I mention this because once you add catalyst the paint it becomes extremely sticky and will grab things from the air and cause your clothes and hair to become magnets for dirt and dust.

Of the coats the clear is the most nerve racking too because the paint has no color so you must rely on how the paint reflects to know if you have enough down.  Yes you can paint by feel but you can often leave sections rough or cause parts to run if you aren’t careful.  (I had a few of those myself)

About an hour later the clear coat has set and the parts could be moved out of the booth to "rest". 

Start to finish the painting part of this project took 12 hours which also included setting up and taking down the paint booth. That must be some kind of record.