Enclosures
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From: Frnak McKenney on 21 Mar 2010 10:03 On Sat, 20 Mar 2010 09:24:06 -0700, Mark Borgerson <mborgerson(a)comcast.net> wrote: > In article <lf-dneqPZ_GqIDnWnZ2dnUVZ_j2dnZ2d(a)earthlink.com>, > frnak(a)far.from.the.madding.crowd.com says... >> On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:32:42 -0700, D Yuniskis <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote: >> > Hi, >> > >> > I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} >> > enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a >> > simple rectangular prism shape. >> > >> > So far, I haven't found anything "stock" that looks >> > appropriate (I did find a COTS "console-like" case but >> > the angle is too shallow). >> >> Need an odd-shaped "container"? >> >> Carve the front and back of the shape you want into two blocks of >> wood, then hammer sheet brass (aluminum, if you must) into them. >> >> Remove, and bolt, screw, weld, or solder the two halves together >> around their contents. Apply Brasso lightly with fine steel wool >> to shine it up. >> >> Repeat 19 more times. > > Wouldn't it be a lot more fun to mill a female mold from > steel stock, then lay an aluminum or steel sheet on top > of the mold and top that with a few ounces of suitable > explosive? That way you compress all the hammering > into a few milliseconds! Mark, Sounds like a lot of fun! <grin> You also made me realize that this discussion really belongs in the rec.crafts.metalworking newsgroup, where lots of people enjoy talking about hammering, welding, and exploding. And sometimes even about doing those things to metal. <grin!> Frank McKenney -- I do not deny that laws are important, but...the passage of new laws has continually served as a substitute for thought. -- Aldo Leopold -- Frank McKenney, McKenney Associates Richmond, Virginia / (804) 320-4887 Munged E-mail: frank uscore mckenney ayut mined spring dawt cahm (y'all)
From: Phil Hobbs on 21 Mar 2010 15:06 On 3/19/2010 1:32 PM, D Yuniskis wrote: > Hi, > > I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} > enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a > simple rectangular prism shape. > > So far, I haven't found anything "stock" that looks > appropriate (I did find a COTS "console-like" case but > the angle is too shallow). > > If push comes to shove, I can have a friend mill them > out of blocks of aluminum but that seems terribly wasteful! > > I'm wondering, instead, if I can't hack together something > with a sheet metal skeleton (or, maybe even a cardboard or > wooden form!) and fiberglass? This doesn't need to be > terribly strong, structurally. And, I could no doubt > come up with a way of mounting everything to a *base* > (i.e., to eliminate the need for fasteners *in* the skin). > > Has anyone done this sort of thing before? Pointers to > helpful tips as well as things to avoid... :> > > Thanks! > --don Tinsmithing with 1100-T0 aluminum, pop rivets, and Bondo? Cheers Phil Hobbs -- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal ElectroOptical Innovations 55 Orchard Rd Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 845-480-2058 hobbs at electrooptical dot net http://electrooptical.net
From: JosephKK on 21 Mar 2010 19:12 On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:32:42 -0700, D Yuniskis <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote: >Hi, > >I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} >enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a >simple rectangular prism shape. > >So far, I haven't found anything "stock" that looks >appropriate (I did find a COTS "console-like" case but >the angle is too shallow). > >If push comes to shove, I can have a friend mill them >out of blocks of aluminum but that seems terribly wasteful! > >I'm wondering, instead, if I can't hack together something >with a sheet metal skeleton (or, maybe even a cardboard or >wooden form!) and fiberglass? This doesn't need to be >terribly strong, structurally. And, I could no doubt >come up with a way of mounting everything to a *base* >(i.e., to eliminate the need for fasteners *in* the skin). > >Has anyone done this sort of thing before? Pointers to >helpful tips as well as things to avoid... :> > >Thanks! >--don In your position i would get someone to bend up some aluminum, like a local high school / trade school. Of course you would have to dimension it. Now let's see what the others have to say.
From: JosephKK on 21 Mar 2010 22:29 On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:32:19 -0700, D Yuniskis <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote: >Hi Charlie, > >Charlie E. wrote: >> On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:02:04 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim(a)seemywebsite.now> >> >>> D Yuniskis wrote: >>>> I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} >>>> enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a >>>> simple rectangular prism shape. >>>> >>>> I'm wondering, instead, if I can't hack together something >>>> with a sheet metal skeleton (or, maybe even a cardboard or >>>> wooden form!) and fiberglass? This doesn't need to be >>>> terribly strong, structurally. And, I could no doubt >>>> come up with a way of mounting everything to a *base* >>>> (i.e., to eliminate the need for fasteners *in* the skin). >>>> >>> I'm not sure what you're thinking of in terms of a "skeleton", but a >>> fiberglass enclosure, by itself, would certainly be structurally sound >>> enough for anything small. >>> >>> If a sheet metal case would be acceptable, then consider finding a sheet >>> metal fabricator to make you some. A run of 20 will cost a lot more in >>> setup and design than in the actual case itself, but if you just gotta >>> have a case, you just gotta have a case. >> >> If you really need something custom, then consider clear plastic, like >> you can get at Home Depot. It is easy to cut, and you can get plastic >> glues that bond it like it is all one piece. If you don't want it >> transparent, get some plastic spray paint and paint the inside to any >> color you want! > >I've used lexan in the past for this sort of approach. Solvent >weld the "corners", file to debur, paint. > >But, it's hard to get anything other than a bunch of "planar >surfaces". (well, maybe if you used *thick* plastic and >filed/sanded away a *lot* you could get to an arbitrary >curved surface) > >The fiberlass advantage -- especially over a wooden form -- would >let me "sculpt" the outer surface instead of relying on how >many flat "facets" I wanted to glue together :-/ > >> If you are careful, you can even drill and tap it, although I would >> recommend using a nut glued and embedded in the plastic as more >> reliable. Well, if you are going to get into it that far, you can do equivalent things with sheet plastic and a household oven.
From: Win7 on 22 Mar 2010 01:32
The man's trying to help you, so don't be a smartarse. |