Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Michael Black wrote:

"Ralph Mowery" ) writes:

Aluminum is usually easier for most to work with with simple hand tools.
Steel is fine but it might rust and look bad after a while. Make the
chassie out of whatever kind of metel that you think is the best for you to
work with . Electrically there will be little if any differance.



And of course, everyone did use steel (once things progressed beyond
wood and bakelite chassis) right up until aluminum because readily
available and/or cheap enough, at which point I doubt anyone used
steel except if what they were building was really really heavy, ie
a kilowatt modulator or final.

Michael VE2BVW


I have seen a few nice layouts on Brass chassis, as well. Easier to
work than steel, and you can still solder to it. I built some tube RF
decks on 1/16" brass sheet stock, and mounted them into a steel cabinet
years ago.

I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny! I've build some equipment in home made
boxes made out of copper (you can get small pieces of sheet copper from
the hobby shop). Not cheap, but solders easy and makes a great ground
plane!

kenneth scharf wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Michael Black wrote:

"Ralph Mowery" ) writes:

Aluminum is usually easier for most to work with with simple hand tools.
Steel is fine but it might rust and look bad after a while. Make the
chassie out of whatever kind of metel that you think is the best for you to
work with . Electrically there will be little if any differance.



And of course, everyone did use steel (once things progressed beyond
wood and bakelite chassis) right up until aluminum because readily
available and/or cheap enough, at which point I doubt anyone used
steel except if what they were building was really really heavy, ie
a kilowatt modulator or final.

Michael VE2BVW


I have seen a few nice layouts on Brass chassis, as well. Easier to
work than steel, and you can still solder to it. I built some tube RF
decks on 1/16" brass sheet stock, and mounted them into a steel cabinet
years ago.

I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny! I've build some equipment in home made
boxes made out of copper (you can get small pieces of sheet copper from
the hobby shop). Not cheap, but solders easy and makes a great ground
plane!

Yes, I know what you mean. I still have some pieces of sheet brass,
angles, and small tubes for RF work. I use to solder small brass boxes
together for shields when I built filters and RF pre amps. I was using
K&S Engineering materials sold at hobby shops, but the last hobby shop
in Ocala closed about four years ago. I am looking for a place to get
some deep drawn brass boxes and small tubing to build some DC blocks,
detectors, and dummy antennas to sell as alignment aids for older
radios.
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

kenneth scharf wrote:
I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny!

No, it was copper plated steel.

Jeff

--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
Tara Morice as Fran, from the movie "Strictly Ballroom"

kenneth scharf wrote:

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Michael Black wrote:

"Ralph Mowery" ) writes:

Aluminum is usually easier for most to work with with simple hand tools.
Steel is fine but it might rust and look bad after a while. Make the
chassie out of whatever kind of metel that you think is the best for you to
work with . Electrically there will be little if any differance.



And of course, everyone did use steel (once things progressed beyond
wood and bakelite chassis) right up until aluminum because readily
available and/or cheap enough, at which point I doubt anyone used
steel except if what they were building was really really heavy, ie
a kilowatt modulator or final.

Michael VE2BVW


I have seen a few nice layouts on Brass chassis, as well. Easier to
work than steel, and you can still solder to it. I built some tube RF
decks on 1/16" brass sheet stock, and mounted them into a steel cabinet
years ago.

I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny! I've build some equipment in home made
boxes made out of copper (you can get small pieces of sheet copper from
the hobby shop). Not cheap, but solders easy and makes a great ground
plane!

Yes, I know what you mean. I still have some pieces of sheet brass,
angles, and small tubes for RF work. I use to solder small brass boxes
together for shields when I built filters and RF pre amps. I was using
K&S Engineering materials sold at hobby shops, but the last hobby shop
in Ocala closed about four years ago. I am looking for a place to get
some deep drawn brass boxes and small tubing to build some DC blocks,
detectors, and dummy antennas to sell as alignment aids for older
radios.
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

kenneth scharf wrote:
I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny!

No, it was copper plated steel.

Jeff

--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
Tara Morice as Fran, from the movie "Strictly Ballroom"

I have seen a few nice layouts on Brass chassis, as well. Easier to
work than steel, and you can still solder to it. I built some tube RF
decks on 1/16" brass sheet stock, and mounted them into a steel cabinet
years ago.

I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny! I've build some equipment in home made
boxes made out of copper (you can get small pieces of sheet copper from
the hobby shop). Not cheap, but solders easy and makes a great ground
plane!
========
For equipment NOT involving heavy components like large transformers ,you
could consider making a chassis out of (scrap) double sided printed circuit
board material , which is very easy to handle (drill ,cut ,solder) .
Components can be directly soldered to the chassis and RF screens of the
same material can be readily added.
When screening sections ,feed-through capacitors can be easily soldered .
Over the years I bought cut-offs up to large sheets of double sided PCB (at
amateur radio flea markets) , which can also be used to make front panels
and small cabinets/ enclosures.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

I have seen a few nice layouts on Brass chassis, as well. Easier to
work than steel, and you can still solder to it. I built some tube RF
decks on 1/16" brass sheet stock, and mounted them into a steel cabinet
years ago.

I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny! I've build some equipment in home made
boxes made out of copper (you can get small pieces of sheet copper from
the hobby shop). Not cheap, but solders easy and makes a great ground
plane!
========
For equipment NOT involving heavy components like large transformers ,you
could consider making a chassis out of (scrap) double sided printed circuit
board material , which is very easy to handle (drill ,cut ,solder) .
Components can be directly soldered to the chassis and RF screens of the
same material can be readily added.
When screening sections ,feed-through capacitors can be easily soldered .
Over the years I bought cut-offs up to large sheets of double sided PCB (at
amateur radio flea markets) , which can also be used to make front panels
and small cabinets/ enclosures.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Michael Black wrote:

"Ralph Mowery" ) writes:

Aluminum is usually easier for most to work with with simple hand tools.
Steel is fine but it might rust and look bad after a while. Make the
chassie out of whatever kind of metel that you think is the best for you to
work with . Electrically there will be little if any differance.



And of course, everyone did use steel (once things progressed beyond
wood and bakelite chassis) right up until aluminum because readily
available and/or cheap enough, at which point I doubt anyone used
steel except if what they were building was really really heavy, ie
a kilowatt modulator or final.

Michael VE2BVW


I have seen a few nice layouts on Brass chassis, as well. Easier to
work than steel, and you can still solder to it. I built some tube RF
decks on 1/16" brass sheet stock, and mounted them into a steel cabinet
years ago.

I think RL Drake used copper chassis on their tube ham gear. Looked
real nice when new and shiny! I've build some equipment in home made
boxes made out of copper (you can get small pieces of sheet copper from
the hobby shop). Not cheap, but solders easy and makes a great ground
plane!

Michael Black wrote:

"Ralph Mowery" ) writes:

Aluminum is usually easier for most to work with with simple hand tools.
Steel is fine but it might rust and look bad after a while. Make the
chassie out of whatever kind of metel that you think is the best for you to
work with . Electrically there will be little if any differance.


And of course, everyone did use steel (once things progressed beyond
wood and bakelite chassis) right up until aluminum because readily
available and/or cheap enough, at which point I doubt anyone used
steel except if what they were building was really really heavy, ie
a kilowatt modulator or final.

Michael VE2BVW

I have seen a few nice layouts on Brass chassis, as well. Easier to
work than steel, and you can still solder to it. I built some tube RF
decks on 1/16" brass sheet stock, and mounted them into a steel cabinet
years ago.
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Ralph Mowery" ) writes:

Aluminum is usually easier for most to work with with simple hand tools.
Steel is fine but it might rust and look bad after a while. Make the
chassie out of whatever kind of metel that you think is the best for you to
work with . Electrically there will be little if any differance.


And of course, everyone did use steel (once things progressed beyond
wood and bakelite chassis) right up until aluminum because readily
available and/or cheap enough, at which point I doubt anyone used
steel except if what they were building was really really heavy, ie
a kilowatt modulator or final.

Michael VE2BVW