Source for Aluminum Panel?

[subatomic]

Hi, this is my first post, I've been gathering parts needed to build the midiboxsid, and I'm trying to find raw aluminum sheets I can use for the panel.

What are some sources either local (I'm in the US, chicago area), or internet where I can buy something like 6"x20"x0.125" or bigger aluminum sheet (or 16 gauge thickness)...

I've seen some things on ebay, but I was hoping metal would be less expensive.

Also, does anyone have opinions on using aluminum baking pans?  I've seen some that are sized 18"x24"x16gauge, 3003 aluminum alloy, and only like $7.  Is there a reason the aluminum in these wouldn't work well?  I figured I'd cut out what I need from the pan...

I've also considered 16 gauge steel sheet  (I found this at HomeDepot), and acrylic .25" (also at HomeDepot). 

Though I'm afraid of the steel rusting (it wasn't "stainless") though maybe paint would stop that (I don't know), and the acrylic not being as nice as metal...  was thinking of painting the acrylic some color...

I'm using an old C64 case...

So, anyone got some cheap sources for sheet metal? 

I'm happy drilling and using a nibbler tool to create my own, assuming nibbler works on 16gauge thickness, no idea, otherwise thinking jigsaw...

[subatomic]

Another idea I have is to use acrylic, and instead of paint, use a photo printer to print a background that goes on the back side of the panel, so it's protected from touching it.  it wouldn't look like most synths, but it might look cool anyway...

I'd still like an aluminum panel though, so any ideas about cheap sources to buy aluminum sheet?

[Davo]

I was thinking last night about using paper-backed acrylic too.  For finding large enough sheets of aluminum, ask an air-conditioning contractor.  If they don't have any, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

[moebius]

Try the yellow pages.

There should be several sources available for plain sheet metal cutted to dimensions even in small quantities.

Bye, Moebius

[Jidis]

I'm coincidentally looking for a chunk too right now :)

Someone sent me to:

http://www.metalsdepot.com

I mainly went to see how much it ran. Unless I looked at the wrong type, it was a bit high, like $60 would get you 1 or 2 feet by 2 or 3 feet or something (around the size I'm seeking). Ebay, surprisingly, had decent prices. There's a sheet metal section and a sub-category for aluminum. It looked like 30-50 dollars will get you something a bit larger on there, even with the U.S. shipping.

Eighth inch is great panel thickness for that, and relatively easy to work. That's what I've been using here. A friend here has a bunch of 1'x2' pieces and gave me one. He's offered me another, but I felt guilty :'(  I'll probably go with eBay.

                                                           -Take Care

George

PS- I was also wondering about making multi-ply panels with aluminum faces. I wonder if you could do a sandwich of thin aluminum with a thicker, cheap core, like tempered hardboard or thin plexiglass. The stuff builders use for flashing is cheap as crap, and looks the same as the thick stuff. I've bonded it to plywood before, using a "J" roller and contact cement, just like with plastic countertop laminates, and it hasn't budged since. If you had it screwed in or supported from underneath, you wouldn't even need to cover the back to keep it from warping. I think you can get a nice long roll of that for 10 or 20 bucks.

PSPS- As nice as it is to cut, the nibbler most likely won't handle eighth inch.

PSPSPS- Was just thinking, that flashing stuff would also have the ability to be bent or curved around a frame or chassis. I used to sell it in lots of colors too. Beige, brown, white, black and plain mill finish are common.

[subatomic]

What about the baking sheets?  $8  is a lot less than what eBay is selling for (I've found as low as $15-$20 on eBay not including shipping!).  If they really are 16 gauge thinkness, man, wouldn't that be so easy to run to the local cooking store and pick up some panel material for under $10? :)

For coating plexiglass with thin aluminum...  I'd worry about it denting easily or pulling up at the corners.  Be careful using thinner plexiglass.  Thin plexi can be very bendy (and cracky)...  I'm guessing 1/4" plexi with a really strong bond to the thin aluminum sheet would be the way to go and might turn out nice.

For aluminum baking pans (3003 grade 16 gauge) , see:

- here  17 3/4"  x  25"    16 Gauge  $8.79 - $9.80

- here  18"  x  26" 16 Gauge    $6.99 - $9.49

- here  17 3/4"  x  25 3/4"    16 gauge  $10.49 - $11.70

- here  bunch of stuff using froogle.

- here  15"  x  21"  ?? gauge  $7.95

If anyone has used this as a material, or ends up trying it, come back here and let us know please.

[johnh]

McMaster Carr

www.mcmaster.com

1/8" 12x24 3003 aluminum $27.  Plus shipping of course.

I checked www.mscdirect.com and they are a few dollar more.

Good service can be expected from either company.

[Jidis]

Subatomic

Yeah, that would be cool if it's the same stuff. My mother's got a couple that look like the ones on those links. They almost seem like more than one layer though, and are more "wiggly" than the raw panel I have here. They may not be as thick.

I hadn't considered the dent factor on the built up panels with flashing, but it would seem that it would have a lot to do with the substrate, if the metal is the same stuff we like. Good tempered hardboard (Masonite), like the rich chocolate brown color is hard as a rock, as would be certain composite materials and other cheap metal sheets if they backed the aluminum. It would be cool to be able to flex into inside curves to make a traditional, angled, multi-panel type console, like Axel's giant LC board in the gallery, or to wrap around larger outside curves on front edges, like a rolled, postformed countertop. If your chassis included a hard substrate for the control areas, you might be able to turn small corners with no backing without too much "dent risk". I've also gone with rounded (routed) wood, or readily available quarter round moldings to support and aid wrapped edges on plastic laminate. Another cool thing might be using a metal laminate over something that looked good and allowing cutouts or holes around control areas, where the underlying material (or light) could show through, or an inverse with the aluminum around those inset areas showing through cutouts in a contrasting top sheet.

Just a thought. None of that is probably what either of us are trying to design right now :-\, I'm just so into this material that I may try some experimenting if time permits. I've got two fairly new rolls of that mill finish stuff (12" and 24") which I used to shield some cabinets here.

Not to encourage any type of vandalism, but a friend here also mentioned that highway and street signs are likely that same thickness and material that we're seeking. ;D

                                                               -George    

[Jidis]

www.mcmaster.com

1/8" 12x24 3003 aluminum $27.  Plus shipping of course.

I checked www.mscdirect.com and they are a few dollar more.

Thanks! That does sound like a good affordable price. I thought the eBay sheets I had seen were around that width, but quite long (like maybe 4'). I'll probably go back and check before I need some.

-Take Care

[Jidis]

Hey again,

I just went ahead and grabbed a piece of 13.25"x48" for $28.80 with shipping from this guy to keep me from wasting too much time shopping-

http://tinyurl.com/8j2uq

He looks to have a bunch. I figure I can slice off a 19&1/8" side of it for several spaces worth of rack crap and have about 2'x2' left for all else. Should hold me a while.

There's also some 24"x24" for $39 total here, which might be about the same cost as the mcmaster 12"x24" depending on how much you need-

http://tinyurl.com/7ghdw

It just started snowing here. Maybe someone will hit a good stop sign or something. ;) (-I wouldn't actually hope for that)

                                -George

PS- I really don't know what those "composition numbers" mean to us, but I guess they have a lot to do with the cost. Mine is supposed to be that 3003 type.

[johnh]

I really don't know what those "composition numbers" mean to us, but I guess they have a lot to do with the cost.

This page from mscdirect has a brief explanation:

http://www1.mscdirect.com/HTM/2006/img/1752.gif

3003 is 'general purpose'

[subatomic]

I'm starting to realize that "16 gauge" is a little thinner than I was thinking so the baking pans might not be ideal.

I have played with 16 gauge steel sheet and it did seem good enough.  So maybe 16 would still be ok, but it'd be the thinnest I'd go. 

I've not tried aluminum to know if it's more bendy than steel...

So... what's a good thickness to use for the front plate?  What's common?

I noticed Schaeffer sells 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm thicknesses...  So maybe that's the range...

Right now I'm thinking I'll do acrylic/plexiglass with photopaper on the back of it for custom printed graphic. 

It's a cheap way to prototype, and if I love it I can immortalize it by buying something expensive.

[Jidis]

John,

Thanks! That's a good chart to have on hand. I think the 5052 is the more expensive one that I ran across while shopping. Hopefully, when the 3003 gets here I'll know if it's significantly different than the freebie scrap piece I've been using. I don't know what this stuff is, but I like it a lot. If the eBay sheet is a different grade and doesn't work as well, I'll ask my friend for another piece of this.

Strength probably won't be an issue, but your link does mention that the 5052 is known to take finishes well. ???

-George

PS (Subatomic)- Those pans here have endured some heat, so that may have something to do with the twists and flexibility I mentioned. I can't remember what they felt like new. The eighth inch stuff feels ideal for a panel. I'm not sure how much thinner you could go, unless it was a laminated panel or would be supported or reinforced in places. It was also a fairly common thickness when I was shopping. Looks like that comes out around 3mm. I too wondered how thin I could go when I was looking into panel material and dug up a cool looking 1970's GLi DJ mixer I had. It uses that same thickness of raw colored aluminum for the face, and has a thinner steel body for the other five sides (like a shoe box). The face protrudes beyond the left and right sides of the body by a couple inches on either, has the rackscrew holes milled into it, and has no additional reinforcement there. I think it may have a standoff support brace or two between the panel and the back, around the mid section, but I can't remember. Looks like it's at least five rack spaces and was built to withstand PA/club duty, so I'd guess that thickness would be a safe choice. I believe it's also the thickness of the anodized blank rack filler panels at the studio, and they have absolutely no reinforcement.   

[Jidis]

when the 3003 gets here I'll know if it's significantly different than the freebie scrap piece I've been using

Believe it or not, it showed up this afternoon and looks about the same. May even have a slicker finish than what I had, but I'll probably be sanding anyway.

-Wish all the eBay'ers were that fast. :)

I promised someone I'd check some toner transfers with a new Reynolds Wrap, so it may take me a couple days to try to put anything on this aluminum, but I'm guessing (hoping) that it won't be any different than the last.

-George

[Rigo]

I got mine out of a rack(19" standar) blank panel is anodize brushed aluminum am still looking where did a buy it from i forgot the site had from 1u to 9 or 10u sizes offcourse all 19"wide

[subatomic]

if you find out, let us know.  I know I'd like to see it...  sounds interesting.

[Jidis]

if you find out, let us know.   I know I'd like to see it

Is that to me, or Rigo? ;D

I haven't chopped up my new sheet or used the Reynolds wrap yet, but I need to. Someone in the PCB group was interested in the results. There was a weird iron mentioned in there the other day too. Looks like a more cooperative thicker base plate with no holes and maybe better heat options. Supposed to only cost around $30(usd).

                                                                           

If it's the rack panels, they're all over everywhere. I think Digikey has all different styles and heights, as should all the Sam Ash type music chains. I've had a couple of the brushed black ones here too. IIRC, they were never very cheap for what they were. If you're sanding the finish off, you may want to just get some raw. With a small size piece, you might even end up with a bunch left over.

-Take Care

George

PS- I forgot, the texture can have a significant affect on the transfers, so a slick one may take labels better. If I didn't mention in the earlier part of this thread. A thin mist of clear acrylic spray, before the transfer, made a *huge* difference here. I used a Krylon brand that was laying around.