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*EDIT*

Here's a good comparison of before and after:

 

_MG_0154_zps932026d5.jpg

 

This is really a beauty. Can't wait for more details and prices. :thumbsup_anim:

 

Thanks so much!!! I'm very pleased with the work - you should see some of the other things they anodize in there. For such a grungy, dark place, they sure do ship out some beautiful items!

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And finally the other side:

 

_MG_0158copy_zpsf615d902.jpg

 

You can't see it well in this photo, but there was some bleeding from the logo (see the mild halo on the left side?). Apparently Apple has some sort of film over the logo which is invisible to the naked eye, but if you run your fingers over the logo you can just feel a raised edge. Well, I had no idea about this (I have never seen it mentioned and like I said, it's invisible) so didn't take it off. The problem is that it made the dye streak a little when they took it out of the dye bath.

 

I'm not too bothered by it - it's on the side that will be against my desk, but I'll do some research and elaborate in my article.

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That looks brilliant ...

 

Need to find an anodizer willing to do this in the UK!

 

 

Might see if the Lazer Hive can make me a matching backplate to the one I have now out of aluminium and then I could have the whole thing anodized in the same colour ... :thumbsup_anim:

 

 

EDIT: Maybe you could offer to update their (2001!) website in exchange for some anodizing for your next case ;)

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I believe the apple logo is screen printed on?

 

That's what the anodizing guy thought at first, but he said it's not any screen-printing he has seen before as it didn't come off in the treatments. I thought I heard minihack say something about it being lasered on a while back - honestly I can't find any definitive word on the internet, and have half a mind to find Jonny Ive's number :D (besides it being a dream of mine to meet him...lol)

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Thanks for the comparison photo - I have a dark workspace so I didn't really notice much of a change until you had them side by side... WOW... every nice and very clean looking.

 

be careful with that new finish!

 

"It could get wrecked, stolen, scratched, breathed on wrong... a pigeon could {censored} on it! Who knows?"

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I'd hazard a guess that if you emailed him and linked your website/build log he might actually reply :P

 

If Steve Jobs could reply, then surely Sir. Johnny can

 

Already done a while back...no response yet, but also no canned "thanks for your interest in contacting Apple" either...

 

 

Thanks for the comparison photo - I have a dark workspace so I didn't really notice much of a change until you had them side by side... WOW... every nice and very clean looking.

 

be careful with that new finish!

 

"It could get wrecked, stolen, scratched, breathed on wrong... a pigeon could {censored} on it! Who knows?"

 

I'm treating it like a live missile right now....very carefully moving it from one bubble-wrapped area to another!

 

 

UPDATE:

 

_MG_0167_zpscc1aa9d7.jpg

 

I got the second batch back from the anodizer which means the mammoth task of reassembling has begun! Everything looks fantastic, although I can't say perfect. There are a few "hotspots" here and there, and they are not by any means the fault of Anodizing Specialists. I have learnt a lot through this process, namely that Apple uses some crazy alloys, and that those aluminum alloys don't always take the anodizing very well. Take a close look at the power button and you will notice some flaring like with the logo - just another example of Apple making things difficult for us modders. Still, these are very minor details that can easily be passed along, which I will be doing in my article. You have to be hyper-critical (like me) to really care about such things, and when it comes down to it, the guys at A.S. did a fantastic job with everything - really very splendid.

 

Now I'm waiting for my Montana Anthracite Gray spray paint to get here (tomorrow) so that I can spray the steel frame that couldn't go through the anodizing process. I considered leaving it silver (like with the door fixtures and lock handle) but it's a pretty big piece of metal, and I want the overall aesthetic to flow, only broken by small silver highlights here and there.

 

_MG_0160_zps3d13d89b.jpg

 

Thanks for watching - more updates soon!

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Following SirKeldon's Watercooling article, I decided to go with a 120mm AIO kit - the Corsair H60. Despite having some poor reviews on Amazon, I realized that the majority of these were related to the 80/100's iLink software, and that most people were pretty pleased with the performance. A friend of mine gave me a spare (brand new I might add), so for the $25 I gave him I figure "why not?" I'm not an overclocker, and right now I'm only running a 1155 celeron - hardly a heat-machine.

 

When I got it, I realized that it wasn't going to clear the PCI bracket, so off I went to Lowe's to pick up some bolts (M3.5 - 6/32" if anyone is looking for them) to give it some distance to clear the bracket. They didn't have any cheap rubber washers, so I picked up some metal ones with one rubber washer at each end. This is the result:

 

_MG_0184_zps0a519ef0.jpg

 

Overall, I'm quite pleased, especially at how that gray fan tones in! I'm even MORE pleased that I get to use the stock 120mm grill!

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very nice - and I love the improvised spacers. If only you had heat shrink tubing in that dark grey color - then you could just sleeve the washers!

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very nice - and I love the improvised spacers. If only you had heat shrink tubing in that dark grey color - then you could just sleeve the washers!

 

Thanks! I have a lighter gray, but with the spray paint coming in I might just paint them. Honestly if I had more space and time I would invest in an anodizing set-up (pretty cheap to do at home) and just anodize the {censored} out of everything :D

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Right, started emailing around for anodising quotes ... it looks far too nice :wink2:

 

All said and done, the total cost at Anodizing Specialists is $75, which is more than reasonable (it's a freakin' deal). I thought this would be a one-off for me, but at that price I'm doing a black G5 next!!

 

Without tooting my own horn, I'm really loving it. Everything is starting to come together, and I rebuilding the top shelf, also painted with the same gray. I can't wait for it all to be done, except I have to because (a) the paint is still drying and (B) I lost a couple of pieces somewhere in my office :rolleyes:

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The anodizing finish looks amazing. Really "Dark Mac" style, even the apple logo got brighter, which accents the contrast, just great, i really feel envy of that scheme =)

 

Cool spray-painting, it fits the color contrast perfectly. And very nice work with the radiator adding those spacers, now it's gonna be a real watercooled beast!!! Yeah!

 

Keep up the good work, specially the professional aesthetics finishes since you're always good with that =)

Edited by SirKeldon
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The anodizing finish looks amazing. Really "Dark Mac" style, even the apple logo got brighter, which accents the contrast, just great, i really feel envy of that scheme =)

 

Cool spray-painting, it fits the color contrast perfectly. And very nice work with the radiator adding those spacers, now it's gonna be a real watercooled beast!!! Yeah!

 

Keep up the good work, specially the professional aesthetics finishes since you're always good with that =)

 

Thanks so much man - especially for all of your help!!!

 

UPDATE

 

Ok, so I now have the inner assembly totally done! It was a pain, especially since I had to do it twice (shelf goes back on before the lock) but I can comfortably say that I have the whole lock mechanism down to a science - it took me four minutes to put it together the second time, versus over 10 minutes the first!

 

Here's the top fan assembly which holds a lot of the weight of the top shelf:

_MG_0193_zps40f6649d.jpg

 

 

Here's a picture I took BEFORE realizing that I was an idiot and had to do this after the shelf was put in:

_MG_0196_zpsf9a725c1.jpg (LOL)

 

 

And finally, the whole thing put back together:

_MG_0197_zpsd1281763.jpg

 

 

The lock mechanism is totally working (thank God) and maybe it's just me but the color scheme is really floating my boat right now. I was a little worried at first that the different color for the spray paint was going to look weird, but actually I think it adds to the whole monochrome feel by adding a different shade! Now it's time to put the handle shell back on, which is the part I am DREADING. It's the last exterior piece, and has a ton of screws that are welded on, non-removable, and that have the potential to really scratch the anodizing. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

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having no experience with mac pro cases, what is that rectangular hole in the bottom there for?

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having no experience with mac pro cases, what is that rectangular hole in the bottom there for?

 

I believe that this is where several sensors were kept (in a small compartment that is currently drying from being spray-painted). It may even have contained the bluetooth module, as there was an antenna attached and I can't figure out if it was bluetooth or something else!

 

UPDATE

 

I got the handles on!! It was a tough job - again I had bubble wrap in between the two shells (inner and outer) and gently eased the handle assembly over the inner shell. Then it got stuck. With MUCH prying, levering and grunting (on my part, the mac pro case took the process with grace), it finally clicked into place! I then had to tug out every last bit of bubble wrap which was now firmly clamped in between the two parts. There may be some left in there ;)

 

Well, here's the final picture of the day, and perhaps the best representation of how dark everything actually is, something I have had difficult conveying due to the nature of flash photography and metal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

 

_MG_0200_zpsa1fd5f58.jpg

 

Now I'm sitting here looking at the 30+ screws that need to be put back in. If my Jedi mind tricks won't will them into place, I may pick up a screwdriver....

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I really like the accented power button - sets it off nicely against the darker mesh... what color will the optical drive doors be?

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I really like the accented power button - sets it off nicely against the darker mesh... what color will the optical drive doors be?

 

Thanks, and good question!

 

I'm a little torn. I could bring them to the anodizing place, but there's a good chance that the threads for the screws on the back are that same alloy that doesn't respond well to anodizing. Since, for all intents and purposes, they are non-replaceable without going to some expense, I'm deciding between (a) leaving them silver and ( B) painting them the darker gray. I see the merit in both so (as usual) it's going to come down to whatever last-minute decision I make...

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Thanks, and good question!

 

I'm a little torn. I could bring them to the anodizing place, but there's a good chance that the threads for the screws on the back are that same alloy that doesn't respond well to anodizing. Since, for all intents and purposes, they are non-replaceable without going to some expense, I'm deciding between (a) leaving them silver and ( B) painting them the darker gray. I see the merit in both so (as usual) it's going to come down to whatever last-minute decision I make...

 

Tough call; with the silver you get the contrast and with the dark grey painting you get the unity of color. :help:

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Tough call; with the silver you get the contrast and with the dark grey painting you get the unity of color. :help:

 

Errrxxactly. Well, for now I think I will install as-is and see what it looks like/everyone thinks. My concern that it's almost too large for a highlight piece, whereas the power button and rear latch are both relatively small. I'm also trying to decide whether the 40-50 visible screws should be painted or not, or whether there even exists a durable way of doing so...

 

having no experience with mac pro cases, what is that rectangular hole in the bottom there for?

 

Along these lines, I may actually use it for the Apple Chime mod. It has a decent amount of space in there, and I may see what it sounds like with the bottom sticker (the one with model and serial numbers etc.) or even use some speaker material if it's muffled?

 

_MG_0192_zps2043069e.jpg

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Well, I ran in to several problems tonight.

 

1) The first is that even with the motherboard attached directly to plate I am using, the standoffs themselves are too high for me to use the PCI brackets.

2) The USB 3.0 panel mount connectors that I bought have too much depth in the female port to be usable without pushing in to the motherboard.

 

So, I am toying around with the following solution, as shown by the image below:

 

_MG_0202copy_zps623ee559.jpg

 

As you can see in the text, the rubber bar that I cut from the PSU area will allow me to use pointed screws that dig in and create their own threads. I did a test screw, and it actually holds very well. This will then be attached using double-sided tape or even glue to hold fast to the PCI bracket. Despite not being to most aesthetically pleasing solution, at least the rubber is black. I also ran in to the issue of my USB female panel-mount connectors being too deep for the small space afforded by the original bracket placement. To counter this, I am thinking about moving them above the PCI bracket as shown. The screw holes are perfectly set so that I can screw right through the Mac Pro's mesh (lucky or what?). Despite still meaning I need to cut the back, at least it's only two small USB-sized cuts, rather than the entire back as would be needed for the entire I/O area.

 

This is NOT ideal, and is definitely not my first choice, but it's a workable solution to several small but inconvenient issues. If I didn't need the internal motherboard USB 3.0 headers for the front panel I ordered, I would simply put them on a PCI bracket and be done with it, but sadly in this case that is not an option.

 

There is some good news - my Corsair H60 clears the motherboard nicely, and will stay in the mod!

 

Any thoughts?

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