rjohnson11
This continues to look better and better

Thanks you. That's very nice of you to say. I've decided to remove the bar in the front of the case that blocks one of the 3 fans. I think it'll look a lot more uniform.

 
IKONiK EDITiON:
 
I've wanted to do a special or limited edition build for a long time now. I felt that it would be fitting being that this build will be primarily high end hardware and exotic finishes. I recently finished up a new design for the Envious Mods logo which consists of an angled “EM.” The EM logo will be used in a couple minor places throughout the build. I will also be adding the, “IKONiK EDITiON” badge under the Be Quiet badge that is mounted on the front of the case. It's the little additions like these that really bring a build together.

 
 
Rear SSD Mount:
 
I more than likely won't be using the single, rear SSD mount but I wanted to do something to dress it up. I made a template for a cover piece and also placed the EM logo for Envious Mods. I intentionally made it small to help keep it within the design for the overall build.
 

 

Very nice work on that.

rjohnson11
Very nice work on that.

Thanks you. I'm doing a little bit different building process on this one. Making most of the templates first and then I'll go cut out a large batch all at once. I think this process is more conducive to creativity VS stopping to cut each piece before moving on to the next. 

Silent Wings 3 - 140mm Fan Blade Tests:
I've been wanting to do more to customize the blades of a fan in one of my builds. I took the opportunity to try out a few ideas using vinyl. I have two more ideas to try out before I settle on using one. Once I've determined a final style and layout I will use the vinyl to make a, “mask.” This will allow me to paint the entire fan one color with the vinyl mask off and then paint it another color with the mask off. This is a technique painter's have been using forever. Another way of doing in is to lay down the vinyl and clear coat over the entire piece. Doing so will protect the vinyl and make it more uniform.


Update: IKONiK EDITiON & EM Logos
The first set of EM Logos and IKONiK EDITiON badges were cut in a new textured exotic vinyl I got for this build. I'm almost ready to order the rest of the vinyl needed for the IKONiK build. The order will be fairly substantial due to all the different types and colors needed. After I measured all the placements out for the vinyl I started designing a cut path for the vinyl cutter. I also wanted to try a new technique which makes lettering look like the light is reflecting off of it. The new vinyl has a brushed or drawbenched look to it. I like the fact that you can actually feel the texture when you touch it.
I've weeded or removed the excess vinyl and prepped them to be test mounted. I decided to add the IKONiK EDITiON badges first. I've special ordered chrome mirrored vinyl just for this badge. This will match the Be Quiet badge very well which will make it look like it came from the factory with this badge. The pictured test version will help me to determine the correct size and placement.




Hardware Shipped: EVGA
The long list of hardware from EVGA has been shipped and should be at the shop in the next couple days. I will do some quick unboxing pics of the hardware and share a few of those here. For those of you who love to see a bunch of pictures of the hardware; I will post those on my site and social media. I have some really neat ideas for modding the motherboard and GPU. Some of those ideas will be 3D printed as well.

Excellent

rjohnson11
Excellent

Thank you! The hardware from EVGA just arrived so I'll have lots of good pics and an update tomorrow.  I can't wait to get unboxing that beautiful hardware 

 

 
EVGA Hardware Arrival:
 
The hardware from EVGA arrived at the shop today and I'm like a kid in a candy store. They sent me their Classified (known as Classy) lineup which will be integrated into the design. Below I've added a few unboxing photos so that you can see the gear first hand. As some of you know I've been a big proponent of EVGA products for a long time. My first deep dive into custom hardware was with EVGA so they will always hold a special place in my heart. Quickly after opening the boxes you can see and feel the quality that synonymous with their hardware. I haven't had a chance to dig into the PSU yet but, I wanted to post an update with the ones that I had finished. As previously mentioned I took quite a few photos of the entire unboxing process; I posted the main ones here but, soon I will post the rest of them via my social media and site. For those of you who love to see tons of product photos; they will be available soon.
 

 
 
EVGA Motherboard:
Starting off first we have the EVGA Z170 Classified K motherboard. It came unbelievably well packaged. Every heatsink was covered in a protective coating so that it would arrive perfectly to the user. A lot of time was spent on every detail of the design and it shows. I couldn't have picked a better motherboard for this build. It embodies the exact design cues that I'm putting into the IKONiK build.
 





 

EVGA GPU:
 
Next up we have the EVGA GTX 980ti Classified Edition GPUS. This too came very well packaged. Like the rest of the gear from EVGA; you can quickly tell the extremely high quality of the hardware. It came with two power adaptors and a vga adapter. The box was fully stocked with some swag from EVGA as well. This made me very happy as I am the type of person that loves this sort of stuff for the shop.
 

 

 

 

 

EVGA DDR4:
 
The EVGA Superclocked DDR4 is a perfect fit for this build. I will be doing some custom work to these as well as the other hardware sent from EVGA. Each piece will get some custom touches to put the Envious Mods style on it. In the past I've heard of a lot of people who wanted to use this ram on builds but, it was backordered at that time. I'm unsure if this is the case today but, I'm honored to get to use it in the IKONiK build.
 

 

 

Keeping It Classy:
 
The IKONiK build exudes modern design styling and reaches towards a classy sophistication. Classy is a term commonly used by enthusiasts to refer to the Classified Edition of EVGA's hardware. I felt it was important to tip my hat to this by custom designing a decal that says, “Keepin It Classy” on the cable shroud. This slogan fits the build well and will be recognized by enthusiasts everywhere. The font for this has to be perfect and I've tested out about 25 different variations. Below is a pic of the best fonts so far.
 

Looking great so far.

rjohnson11
Looking great so far.

Thank you very much!