Gonna paint my Cosmos S, need some advice!

[will]

Hi everyone,
I bought a Cosmos S a while ago and have got some spare time atm so have decided to spray it black. I've never painted a case before so I need a bit of general advice! I have stripped the case down to the bare aluminium chassis so far, I am hoping I dont have to actually take the case apart by drilling rivets etc? I know I need a primer and some spray paint, do I have to sand the whole thing? It would be pretty hard to sand in all the corners and tight spaces... Could I just use self-etching primer and skip out the sanding? Also I'm assuming I dont have to sand the primer once it's dried, I can just spray the paint on? How many layers of paint should I do?
Thanks for the help!

 

[EnglishLion]

It all depends on how much work you want and what level of finish you want. For the best finish you want to be certain that the metal is completely clean and dust free and sanding will help the primer go on properly.

Then between layers of paint you will improve the final finish by again sanding but make sure it's a very fine level of grit (1000+). This grit will not be available in a hardware store (eg B&Q), you will need to go to a car parts/accessories shop (eg Halfords) and it will be stocked amongst the paints!

 

[will]

It all depends on how much work you want and what level of finish you want. For the best finish you want to be certain that the metal is completely clean and dust free and sanding will help the primer go on properly.

Then between layers of paint you will improve the final finish by again sanding but make sure it's a very fine level of grit (1000+). This grit will not be available in a hardware store (eg B&Q), you will need to go to a car parts/accessories shop (eg Halfords) and it will be stocked amongst the paints!

Thanks for that, appreciated! Funnily enough I actually found 1200 grit wet&dry at B&Q a while ago when I lapped my cooler, didn't think to check Halfords...
My local hardware store sells aluminium primer but it's in a tin and I'd prefer a spray can (easier to get an even coat), do Halfords sell any good primer/paint? Do you know any good paint brands that are available in the UK?
Thanks

 

[EnglishLion]

Thanks for that, appreciated! Funnily enough I actually found 1200 grit wet&dry at B&Q a while ago when I lapped my cooler, didn't think to check Halfords...

Wow, when I looked B&Q could only offer 600 at the top and Homebase were the same!

My local hardware store sells aluminium primer but it's in a tin and I'd prefer a spray can (easier to get an even coat), do Halfords sell any good primer/paint? Do you know any good paint brands that are available in the UK?
Thanks

What we do mimics in many ways what the car enthusiasts do...

Overclocking = Engine Tuning
Benchmarking = Racing
Lots of products available for modding on both sides (many featuring LEDs)
Paint to a high gloss, well polished finish.

If you need paints, primers, sand papers even polish - a car place is a good start!