Is bolt modding hard without a drill press?

[wes1099]

I was wondering how hard it would be to bolt mod my model with a handheld drill. I was also wondering what size drill bit I should use for m2 screws. I think it is 1/16 but I'm not sure.

[matt3o]

I did it without a drill press. totally feasible.

no clue about weird inches measurement, sorry. 1/16 is probably more like 1.6mm, so it looks too small to me.

[wes1099]

OK I will see what other drill bit sizes I have. Thanks by the way

[0100010]

M2 screw diameter is 0.787". A 1/16" drill bit is 0.0625".

What kind of M2 screws - straight shank machine screws for use with nuts, or pointed shank for direct engagement with the barrel plate?

1/16" should work very well for pointed shank, but you will want a larger diameter, probably around 5/64 or 3/32 for machine screws.

[Hypersphere]

Just be sure not to use these:

2001_explosive_bolts.jpg (32.28 KiB) Viewed 3817 times

Although it would be rather fun to see a bolt-modded Model M blowing apart at the touch of a switch.

2001_oops.jpg (50.15 KiB) Viewed 3817 times

[Muirium]

To be perfectly honest, the one time I attempted a bolt mod was easily the worst experience I've had with keyboards. Glad it was just a 122 key M! I made a right old mess, and I still need shorter bolts to get the case on comfortably.

Won't catch me doing that again. I'll pay Phosphorglow instead! For anything less than an SSK it plain ain't worth the hassle. For me, anyway.

[wes1099]

M2 screw diameter is 0.787". A 1/16" drill bit is 0.0625".

What kind of M2 screws - straight shank machine screws for use with nuts, or pointed shank for direct engagement with the barrel plate?

1/16" should work very well for pointed shank, but you will want a larger diameter, probably around 5/64 or 3/32 for machine screws.

I got this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NHXO ... a_aw_od_pi

And this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NBGG ... a_aw_od_pi

[fohat]

I always use M2x8 screws with a 1/16" drill bit. It works great because the hole is slightly undersized and the screw cuts its way in. It can be just a bit hard to start, you can hand press a small philips-head screwdriver into the mouth of the hole to open it up a bit. You can also do this from the other side to fix a single broken rivet and you won't need a nut.

Use your Dremel and hold it with both hands. I cut the rivets nice and flush and flat with a chisel-tip Xacto blade. Use both hands and you can make a very nice clean cut. I leave the former rivet shaft as long as possible, but others cut them short.

You need to make a mark on the top of the mesa to keep your bit from walking. The point of a scribe is OK, the tip of a soldering iron is better, and a tiny spherical burr grinder on a Dremel is best.

[chzel]

M2 screw diameter is 0.787".

More like 0.0787", or according to a conversion chart I have, #46 or #47 drill.

[geniekid]

My experience and advice matches fohat's. The 1/16" drill bit will work fine with the screws you linked. Definitely prep the rivet before drilling.

[0100010]

M2 screw diameter is 0.787".

More like 0.0787", or according to a conversion chart I have, #46 or #47 drill.

D'oh! yes, missed that zero...

[Madhias]

I think it's not a big problem to make it without a drill press. I used a rechargeable driller with a 1,5 mm drill bit. For a 'normal' nut and bolt mod the wholes can be a little bit slope, when using screws it is better that the wholes are straight or in a right angle to the frame. I prepared before drilling the spots with a soldering iron, that helps a lot!

I would not recommend a normal nut and bolt mod, but to use screws instead - it is way faster, and with the 'normal' way the nuts touch/scratch the case, i didn't like that. I only used normal nut and bolts in the middle row. I never used a Dremel, but only cutting knive blades to clean the wholes. At my first bolt mod experience i restarted from scratch and did it a little bit like Phosphorglow. I watched his bolt modding method video about 10 times in a row! Here are some unsorted images without description of my bolt / screw modding experiences, maybe it helps a little bit:

Spoiler:

[Cherry1990]

I just used 1.8 mm drill. Was perfect for my Model M.