Etch a custom design on your case

Fit your Dremel with an engraving bit and recreate your favourite artwork on the side of your case.

An etching on your case's side panel will make your PC look incredibly cool (check out the brilliant work by GoTall at www.customengraver.se if you're looking for inspiration), and you don't have to fork out hundreds of pounds for a specialist to perform the job for you either. In fact, if you have a Dremel or rotary tool, the job will cost you next to nothing and also offers a good excuse to avoid a few hours of housework.

The basic idea of this mod is to remove some of the paint from your case and etch your own design in the metal underneath.

In this guide, we've used a picture by an artist called coldasylum (http://coldasylum.deviantart.com), which is called (as you can probably guess!) Iron Cross Ace of Spade. It's an effective but simple image, which is what you want to start with, since you don't want to try your hand at any big and fancy etches too soon. Many people's first attempts at metal etching are absolute rubbish, and you might find this to be the case with yours, but keep at it and you'll eventually perfect the art.

Practice pays off big time in the long run when it comes to etching. Once you've had a bit of practice, you can then start to go nuts and become more elaborate with your etching.

What you need:

• Dremel, or an equivalent rotary hobbyist’s tool.

• Ball-tipped engraving bit for your Dremel. The Dremel part number is Engraving Cutter (106).

• Clear sticky tape – you’ll need a fair bit.

• Masking tape.

• Black marker pen.

• Paintbrush for cleaning. This isn’t essential, but it’s handy.

• Goggles and mask to protect you from flying paint and metal dust.

• Comfy chair – you’ll be sitting down for a while.

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