Low cost ways of working with aluminium for a n00b

[Doddy]

Wow, thank you all for the replies!

In other words, I don't want the way of mounting them to be visible from the outside. I suppose superglue might be one option, but perhaps that would be a dumb thing to do. I have no welding or soldering equipment, nor do I have any experience with welding. Now I'm thinking about it, perhaps it would be a good idea to create an entire frame for this purpose out of aluminium as well and then just place the entire frame inside the case, attaching it to the bottom plate and middle plate in a similar way as the side plates will be screwed together. Any thoughts on mounting options are most welcome.

Google "JB Weld". This is the cheaper part of the job.

[Doddy]

Interesting. This is where, if you wanted to, you could sink an awful lot of money.

I might agree with you to an extent about the use of flat sheets of ali. You may want to research two finishing technologies that may go hand in hand with what you're trying to do - "shot peening" and "anodising", particularly if this is going to be an aesthetic piece. This is likely work you'd want to farm out once you have your panels cut. Your point of making a skeleton and bolting the plates to this does offer an easy-out for this, and you can get the Ali sheets guillotined reasonably accurately by most metal suppliers. Add your holes, then erase your markings with the peening process and hard-anodise to get a durable and sexy finish.

Widening holes is easy (files, etc). It's filling them in afterwards that's trickier. Get everything fitting properly before looking at the finishing processes.

[Stonelesscutter]

I've started working on a design (not anywhere near finished) and was having trouble figuring out the part at the back of the case for the PCI slots. Then I started wondering if there are parts for sale which could help, as in there would just have to be a large cutout at the back in which the part could be mounted. I found this one.

https://www.mountainmods.com/product...roducts_id=486



Unfortunately the shipping costs are so high that it would work out to 50 dollars just for this relatively small part of the case. I've been trying to find something similar for sale in the UK, but so far haven't had any luck. Would anyone have an idea about this?

[cdag]

Hi Stonelesscutter,

I am based down in galway, i work with Aluminum alot and its uses and treatments. I would suggest that you draw up your design in cad if you have the facility and develop the pattern [ie solidworks sheet metal] and sub out to a local fabricator. What you are describing could easily be fabbed up with one of the many fabricators based in your locality and also powdercoated - for easily less than 400 and with a greater quality than what your will achieve by yourself. I would suggest making the corners chamfered rather than rouunded as all of that can be fabbed easily with a profile cutter and press brake. Hope this helps
Best of luck

[Boyan Silyavski]

Are you doing 1 case or are you designing a case to be sold? If second- better design it and look in China for a manufacturer. All else is insanity, especially with your knowledge.

If you are making 1 fantasy case for yourself, you can do it with a saw, Dremel and a file+ 10 types of sanding paper. Probably will need to learn working with aluminum low temp solder. Work will be ridiculous, but i have done it and know people that do super complicated stuff by hand. We are artists, so we do that.

Choosing a material you don't know nothing about it and not having basic tools is a recipe never to do it. Anodizing at home is possible, have done it but on the scale you will be doing it with only one case= lost money.


Don't get me wrong, but better find something else to do if you are not an accomplished DIYer with a modest workshop. The real answer to your question is you need a proper mill to do correctly a project like that. People buy and use mills just to finish the front panel of custom amps and the engravings.

On the opposite i have to contradict with myself. I know of 2 people apart from me that could do such a thing with absolutely basic tools but each of us has like 20 years of experience in manual art , DIY and creative projects.