Phil Allison wrote:

"Chris Hornbeck"

Sescom will do punched lightweight aluminum chassis to order,
and can anodize them afterwards. They're beautiful, but you'll
need to build an internal framework of various angle stock to
bear the weight of transformers and such, and to carry the load
to the sides past the flimsy (for tube amps) corners. Maybe worth
the trouble and cost for some projects.

Once you've seen a punched panel anodized through the holes
you may fall in love with flimsy chassis. Or maybe not.



** Beware - anodised aluminium is an INSULATOR !!!

Any areas to be used for grounding will need to be SCRAPED bare first - a
real PITA.

.............. Phil

One of the summer jobs I had while still in high school was running the
anodizing machine at DeHavilland Aircraft near Toronto. The drop off wing fuel
tanks for the Vampire (DH110) jet fighter aircraft which first flew in Sept of
1943 were all anodized in a large tank of Chromic Acid. The whole thing was
powered by a motor /generator set up. When first turned on the DC current to
the bath was very high but as time progressed the voltage had to be increased
to maintain the current. Eventually the wing tank was finished & lifted out for
rinsing in water, then dried. As Phil has noted, anodizing results in a very
thick layer of high resistance on the surface of the Aluminum (Aluminium).

That was my summer in 1949 while my pals were carrying bricks & cutting grass.

Cheers, John Stewart