After a quick search I couldn’t find any posts on here about making your own metal panels so I figured I’d make a post about my method. My methods are pretty straightforward and I’m by no means a skilled craftsman or artist but they work and are able to be made from scrap metal for free with just a few basic tools.
I started out by finding a good source of relatively sturdy steel. I had some old broken shop drawers that I was planning on taking to the recycling center that were perfect for the job. I chopped off a large section with an angle grinder which was large enough to make 10 or so panels.
As you can see, it’s a bit pockmarked and rusty so I sanded it down with an old deck sander, dremel and fine grit sand paper. The next step was cutting it to size with a table saw. It was a bit of a pain to get a good square piece because the piece I cut out of the drawers didn’t have a single square or straight edge on it. I got there eventually though.
After I got the panel cut, i used a dremel with a cutoff wheel to smooth down the jagged edges and sharp corners. I took it to the drill press and using a stepped drill bit I made all of the holes for pots, jacks, screws and standoffs. The stepper bit is exceptionally useful because it eliminates the need for pilot holes and changing out the bit repeatedly made my previous panels take quite a bit longer. At this point I usually spray paint the panel and label the sockets and pots. I haven’t settled on a design for this project so I just attached the PCB to the blank panel. I think the panel must’ve slipped on the drill press so the jack sockets are poorly spaced, but as we all know, measurements are for mathematicians and crazy people.
Here’s a picture of some other modules I built.
I’m not a great artist but I had fun spray painting them and then using a dremel to carve words and designs on them. The ring mod was the first one that I made with the heavy gauge steel. Before that I was using metal salvaged from the housing of old dvd and blue-ray players. Those were pretty flimsy and would flex whenever I plugged in a cable so I started using sturdier materials. Like I said, I’m not the best craftsman and my tools are either ancient relics of the 1960s or cheap Chinesium from Amazon so if I can do it I’m sure someone with more experience and a better workshop could get fantastic results.