Note: This is a user submitted guide done by YucA.

I first started with a Shuttle SK41G SFF case.  The first thing I did to it was cut a window on the case.  I knew I wanted to put plexiglass or some sort of mesh, but I don’t care for something being so plain.  The case was left with the open window for a few months.

After reading the “10 minute window etching” guide on gideontech.com, I went to home depot and purchased some plexi.  I really had no idea what I wanted to etch, but about a week of pondering about it, my girlfriend recommended the Puma cat, so that was that.  The etching itself took about 4+ hours, as I was being REALLY careful not to mess up.  When it was finished I was truly amazed at how good it came out for my first etch.  I have never been very artsy, but I must admit, it came out very nice.  For a long time, I had the plexiglass glued on the inside of the case with liquid nail, and lit by a lazer LED (3 leds).  This was VERY weak so I planned on working on that in the future.

I finally got tired of looking at the case how it was, with the etch only visibly lit at night, so I decided to do something else.  I decided to attempt to polish the aluminum on the case… Easier said than done.  The cover has a hard anodizing that is very difficult to remove.  So, me being the lazy ass that I am, I begin to sand the case down with automotive wet/dry sand paper.  You can chemically remove the anodizing, using a Lye solution, but if you are not careful, or don’t know what you’re doing, you can pit the aluminum.  I started with 400 grit wet, and worked my way up to 1500 grit wet.  This took me about a total of 10 hours, more or less.  You can go up to 2000 grit, but I am happy how it is, so it will stay like that.  I sanded it completely by hand on my spare time, but you can definitely use a sander to get it done faster.  Just be careful, as the machine can eat the aluminum pretty quick, especially with the thicker grit sandpaper when starting off.

After sanding the aluminum down, you should have a dull mirror finish.  You will now have to polish it with an aluminum polishing compound.  I used Mothers Aluminum polish, but you can also use, Flitz, Simichrome, or any other compound you prefer.  I recommend using a buffing wheel, as it makes life much easier.  Remember, that the more you polish the case with the compound, the better it will look.