Drilling into drive bay plastic

Hamster · 31 Jan 2007 at 13:33

Any do's and don'ts for drilling small holes into a drive bay cover please?

Want to get it right first time and don't really want to make a mess

m

Messiah Khan · 31 Jan 2007 at 13:41

Marmoset said:
Any do's and don'ts for drilling small holes into a drive bay cover please?

Want to get it right first time and don't really want to make a mess

m

Measure twice, cut once. Start with a small 1mm drill for a pilot hole, then use the bigger drill. This will ensude that the drill doesn't slip and wander all over the place. And maybe set the drill on a fairly slow speed or it might start to melt the plastic. Good luck.

Hamster · 31 Jan 2007 at 16:30

Thanks. Will practise on an old bay first.

m

w3bbo · 31 Jan 2007 at 17:55

Mask it off too, prevents rough edges

PinkFloyd · 31 Jan 2007 at 18:10

Make sure you go slowly and let the drill bit do the work. Have seen people splitting plastic by rushing in the past.

Dwbreeze1982 · 31 Jan 2007 at 18:24

i have the same problem but i want to drill into my lian li alluminuim drive bezels to fit some cathode switchs but what would be the best way, the way to have listed above or what ? please help me as well and i am not gatecrashing this mans thread. ?? :cool:

Messiah Khan · 31 Jan 2007 at 18:48

Dwbreeze1982 said:
i have the same problem but i want to drill into my lian li alluminuim drive bezels to fit some cathode switchs but what would be the best way, the way to have listed above or what ? please help me as well and i am not gatecrashing this mans thread. ??

Yeah, same way pretty much. As w3bbo mentioned, you'll want to mask it off as well. If you take your time, it shouldn't be hard at all. I really enjoy working with aluminium. Its hard enough to keep shape, but soft enough to work with.

Dwbreeze1982 · 31 Jan 2007 at 19:36

thanks mate, i will have a bash on my day off later on this week. :cool:

Paolo · 31 Jan 2007 at 21:12

Dwbreeze1982 said:
i have the same problem but i want to drill into my lian li alluminuim drive bezels to fit some cathode switchs but what would be the best way, the way to have listed above or what ? please help me as well and i am not gatecrashing this mans thread. ??

I did exactly the same thing on a pc7 for someone yesterday, if you take your time it`s easy, i`ve used this method for absolutely ages,in fact i fitted 2 cathode switches into a 3.5 bezel on that one i did yesterday.Mask off the Bezel,mark out the center of your proposed hole,drill a small pilot (i use 1mm bit).Take a 20mm flat Wood bit (Zip bit) use the pilot hole you drilled to center the point on the flat wood bit, set your Drill to slow,and take out the hole that way.A 19mm flat bit will do it,but you might need to use the Dremel to make the Hole slightly bigger to allow the locating lugs on the switch to pop through.This works for all the Akasa switches,and most of the others i`ve fitted too.Hope that helps

DaveMac · 1 Feb 2007 at 22:43

On metals and hard plastics a centre punch will reduce drill bits slipping and spoiling the surface, automatic ones are easiest to use and only a couple of quid.
Or improvise with a hammer & nail but pack out with wood to prevent buckling.