Best way to cut case? Shears? (+Removing lettering)

[Hubbert]

What's the best way to cut a case? I found that a Dremel tended to just melt and fill my office with nasty plastic shrapnel. The best way seemed to make a groove with a utility knife (or better, a Fiskars Multi-Tool) and then snip with diagonal cutters (wire cutters). I think it would work better with some sort of shears that were a little longer and symmetrical rather than diagonal so they'd cut straight. Scissors aren't powerful enough. Aircraft snips (or whatever they're called) seem too thick and bulky. What would the best tool?

I'm looking to cut a little notch out of the case below the spacebar so that I can add a switch there (basically where the buttons are on an M13).

Secondly, is the lettering on a Scorpius M10 pad printed or some other method? [strike]Is there an effective method to remove the lettering from one or two keys (not the entire keyboard).[/strike] (saw this in the other thread: there's no good way. Fortunately, it's not a big deal.)

Update: While at Michaels for StretchMagic (credit ripster) and the thing I called a "multi-tool" (actually the "Fingertip Control Craft Kinife:" http://http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Crafting/Knives-and-Multitools/Crafting-Multi-Tools/Fingertip-Craft-Knife, the staff directed me to this:
http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Sewing-and-Quilting/Sewing-Scissors/Classic-Series-Scissors/Ultimate-Craft-Titanium-Snip

It may not be the ultimate best way, but it's 100x better than the other methods I've tried. It did cause some cracking in one of my tests, but the other methods are so slow, messy, and imprecise that I'd rather just make a decent cut quickly with this and glue things back together if necessary.


I'm still working out the final technique.

[Hubbert]

Yeah, webwit, that's pretty much what happened with the Dremel. But I tried it on a $5 junk keyboard from Microcenter, not something valuable.

[Hubbert]

Update in the original post.

[nanu]

It just takes more time than most would prefer, to get good results when dremeling plastic with a cutoff wheel. It means you have to very often pull back and let in-progress cuts cool down a bit, letting it reharden so you can then (use your finger to) break off the blobs that for other materials would be be in airborne. The heat can tend to irreversibly warp thin areas though, like the strips between key groups.

[ricercar]

You may want to try a trick I learned for cutting lucite / plexiglas sheets with a power saw. Cover the cut with masking tape and draw your cut line on the tape. Double bonus: the tape helps keep the saw from scratching the piece, plus helps keep melted burrs from forming.

[ta497636]

I cutting my old keyboard's case only by hand-saw, slow but safe. But I see someone cutting by band-saw.

[Hubbert]

I bought a "hot knife" extension for my soldering iron, but won't be able to try it out until the end of the month.

[InSanCen]

hmmm... I have an urge to take my mates Plasma Cutter to a rubber dome now...

[Findecanor]

For cutting plastic computer cases, most of the time I use a regular hacksaw.

For using a dremel and cutting wheel: if it has a speed setting, use a slow speed. There are special mini-drills for hobby builders that are slower than ordinary Dremels. (they are crap for when you need torque, though)

For very fine cutting: razor-saw (serrated razorblade on a handle. See model/hobby stores)

For cutting flat sheets: The "score and snap" method: Score the plastic with a knife (do it more than once to get it deeper) and then just bend it, and it should snap cleanly along the score line. There are specialty knives that are easier to use, but a hobby knife works.

I have never cut plastic with power-saws. I have heard about people mounting the blade backwards in the machine to get a finer cut without needing a super-fancy blade.

I often do the finer work with files, and sometimes with sandpaper. When putting it together, I often used proper solvent-based plastic adhesives and I then putty to fill gaps (and blemishes). Use both coarser and finer grades of files and sandpaper for a better result.

Btw. This is my first post on this forum. I am quite new to case/keyboard mods, but I am involved a lot in Star Wars costuming and props -- and that involves putting together plastic armor.