I have a 500GB passport external drive that I sometimes use.  Solid black, plastic clam style case. It looks rather nondescript all black, it is a gloss black, and over the years it has its share of light scratches. So I decided a face-lift was in order.

This is my second attempt at swirl painting. The first was okay, but the color selection was horrible, too many colors, and the word garish doesn’t even come close. It was a Wi-Fi Cantenna I built, may it never be seen again.

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Inside the house:
First we removed the hard drive from the case, that was an adventure. They put those things on snug, with no visible spots to release anything holding it. I taped off the information sticker on the bottom. 

Then to keep paint out of the inside, I made some filler from foam poster board I had lying around. Folded a piece and inserted a piece of plastic coat hanger as a handle for dipping.

Outside:
We moved outside and applied a base coat of gray aluminum color enamel (all the paints are enamel spray can). After drying for a couple hours, I lightly sanded it with 2000 grit sandpaper. Then I taped the open portions sealing the foam poster board and insides. Again, there was no hard drive inside the case. 

Then I prepared my five gallon bucket by placing 3 gallons of water in it. Enough water to dip the small case in without touching the bottom. I used hot tap water, and stirred in 1.5 tbsp per gallon of borax detergent (20 mule team). Making sure It was thoroughly dissolved. I waited for the water to reach about 80F. Once this was 80F, I alternated spraying Gloss black, Aluminum gray, and Gloss White, and Blue. Alternating the amount (about 5 seconds of spraying) onto the top of the water. Each spray formed a color ring in the water. Using each can twice. I then used each can to do a 2-second spray in three areas near the bucket edge and the paint there.

Using a pencil, I slowly moved it through the paint, drawing it along into different patterns until it looked good to me. I slowly dipped the case into the water, edge on, at about a 50% angle until the entire item was submerged just below the surface. Another stick was used to move the paint just above the case away so it was clear.

NOTE: I would suggest using liquid paint, for swirling, a lot less messy with the overspray and fumes, you can then do the dipping in your garage or hobby room. There are various liquid paint brands mentioned in YouTube tutorials. You still need to use spray enamel for the base coat/primer (applied outside of course, or with PLENTY of ventilation).

I removed the case and allowed it to air dry for 30 minutes. Then I VERY gently blotted it with a paper towel to remove any large water droplets that might be clinging to the surface. 

Clearcoat: Some do some don’t. A coat of clear always brings out the details in my opinion.  I applied 3 coats of clear. One light,  two moderate, spaced 20 minutes apart.

Finished case:
For only my second try at swirl painting, I thought this one turned out much better, due to the color choices. I took several pictures to share. Each one looks different. Some under a lamp, and some with a flash. You never know how they will turn out, or what effect you will truly have. You can shoot close arranging your swirls, but there are so many variables that can occur while dipping. The paint is constantly reacting as well.

There are a couple spots on the top, where the flash illuminated some minuscule droplets of the Aluminum paint. They look like deep space stars.

Smooth or Textured
It has a slightly textured finish. Very smooth, but you can tell it’s got some soft texture, some like that, others like a smooth glossy feel.  I haven’t decided yet if I am going to do my normal buildup of the clear coat to a smooth finish, or leave it textured. What are your thoughts.

Can you see the stars in the large blue and black areas? Your imagination can really make interesting images out of the patterns.

Case bottom where the rubber feet go. You can see the soft texture that resulted. It feels good though with the clear coat on it. No hard edges to the texture. You only know if the light hits it just right, or you run your fingers over it.

Under desk lamp, no flash.

Obligatory Safety notice:
Always use safety and appropriate protection when doing any type of project. 

Comments welcome,