WMD Part I by G-gnome

Strapping Bands

I wanted to have some wide steel bands around the case, that would appear to hold the timer and keypad, and give the mod a more industrial look.



The bands are 1.6mm stainless steel, 40mm wide and rolled in a sheet metal roller to the same radius as the main cylinder.



I began by cutting a small section from the end of each band, measuring and drilling 4 holes. I then taped the pieces in place on the main cylinder and marked the centres of each hole...



...before drilling the main cylinder and using M4 socket screws to secure two catches to each. As the steel of the cylinder is *only* 2mm, it doesn't hold much of a thread when tapped, so I simply drilled and used nuts and washers. It's hard to appreciate how strong the case is, especially when rolled to a curve - it would require some serious effort to even dent the thing with a hammer.



By positioning the clamps, I marked off the top edge of them. Using these marks as a start point, I was able to measure around the case to where I wanted the bands to end, and I used a hacksaw and mitre box to cut the bands to the right length. I then rounded the corners on one end with a file.



The bands were carefully lined up along marks made earlier, when I was marking up the position of the timer box. I wanted to ensure each band was exactly parallel to the flange next to it, and the same distance from the end of the cylinder as the other band.

I ran masking tape all the way around to hold the bands firmly in place. Using the clamps sitting on the bands as templates to mark where to drill the holes, a centre-punch was then used (as with all the holes in the case) to mark and guide the drill bit.



I started by carefully drilling small pilot holes. The smallest I could drill for the pilot holes was 3mm - anything smaller and the drill bit would just snap in half from pressing down on the drill to the force required to get through the steel. I then drilled these out to 4.5mm, each time drilling through both the band and case simultaneously.

Thanks to all that tape, the band never moved and all the holes lined up perfectly - 4 at the top of each band, and 2 right around the back of the case, at the other end.