Drilling / tapping new mobo standoffs?

[Machupo]

Just had a quick question -- I'm modding a cheapo steel case (an Apexi MI-008) and am mounting a de-boxed psu on the floor of the front of the case.

Is there anything special I need to know about tapping thin sheet steel for #6/32 standoffs? I imagine that the sheet itself is too thin to hold a good thread, so I've got nuts/thread locker on standby, but anyone run into other issues?

Thanks in advance!

 

[grimster]

You're best off just drilling and using nuts to hold in the standoffs.

 

[FTWPC]

Hi. Tapping for 6-32 is easy. Just get a 7/64 drill bit and a 6-32 tap. If you don't have a tap, 6-32 will self tap into the 7/64 hole you just drilled. Just be sure to discard whatever you use to tap with, i.e. don't use the screw you used to tap threads into the hole you drilled. The threads will be junk.

I use one of these.

You can get them at Home Depot

 

[grimster]

It's pointless to tap sheet metal. They don't drill holes and tap them. They either punch them or use friction drilling to create a hole with nice thick walls to thread. The sheet metal would have to be 1/32" thick to even make one thread, and 1/16" to create enough threads to actually hold a screw.

 

[Nivram]

Yup, drill thru and put a 6-32 nut on the back side. Or mount something thicker, that you can tap (1/16 to 1/8 aluminum plate, that you could epoxy to the bottom of the case, would work).

 

[wra18th]

Yup, drill thru and put a 6-32 nut on the back side.

exactly.