Can anyone ,with any original Moog Modular modules, advise me as what thickness aluminum was used during fabrication?
Ive found there are roughly 2 grades that fit the bill, either 1.2mm or 1.5mm as used in Synth.COM modules (quite chunky) so dont bother with Micrometer..a visual estimate will do !
I’m guessing 1.2mm for the 60’s / 70’s Moog Modules. (1mm being very thin..1.5 armour plate.)
any help…thanks
p.s. has anyone a really good method of drilling holes in aluminum panels? mine tend to create burrs and are not perfectly round.
Use the proper drill bit for aluminum/metal and don’t apply too much pressure. Use a high RPM electric drill, battery powered drills don’t have high enough RPM for drilling good holes in metal. Also don’t bother with the sharpening jigs, never had good luck with them.
My RA Moog minimoog panel is the same aluminum stock as the modulars and from memory I’m pretty sure it is at least 1.5mm
The panels on my 60’s Moog are 14 guage aluminum, about .0641" thick.
Drilling aluminum panels as stated, high speed with low/medium pressure. Little punch marks to start and gradually increase size with either a step drill or several smaller sizes up to needed size. I usually put wood behind the panel I’m drilling, and finish up lightly with a fluted countersink cutter.
A drill press will help. Here is a Modcan panel being drilled with wood behind the panel.
The holes turned out nice. The custom panel (Sequential Counter) to the right was drilled with a step drill and a rail on the drill press to help align the holes. If i’m drilling unpainted panels, a drop of cutting oil helps too.
I tend to cover a panel in masking tape or adhesive vinyl first for protection, then center-punch the locations of holes prior to drilling.
If a metal shard is created, the tape or vinyl will help avoid marring or causing an outer circle scratch.
An automatic center punch hand-tool with adjustable tension is very useful if you plan on aligning holes precisely.
A step drill can be great too and can produce a deburred hole by itself.
If you use actual drills, make sure you have a good selection and quality.
A tapered reamer can cheaply enlarge a hole, but I recommend using a deburring hand-tool afterward.
Punches are useful, but expensive. Reserve those for large holes or cutouts.
A drill press is ideal, but if you choose a hand drill, make sure it can hit a high RPM and has some torque.
That is, don’t use a wimpy cordless drill.
Even a hand drill or pin-vise is better than a bad electric drill as you can control them better.
But most important thing- every tool has to be sharp!
