"Gregg" wrote in message
news:MsxGc.62277$_5.39830@clgrps13...

Wood, tin, copper, brass, aluminum and steel, in that order, are my
personal preferences.

Let me come up on the other side here. My list would be

plastic, aluminum, wood, copper, brass, tin, steel

OK, I'm lazy. If the circuits are well thought out they rarely need
shielding, and plastic is easy to work, doesn't tarnish, looks decent, and
it's cheap.

Copper tarnishes, steel rusts, and brass and tin are darned near impossible
to get. Wood is a bit of a pain because to get decent strength it needs to
be too thick for many controls. Besides, I'm a terrible carpenter!

The main problem with plastic is that cases of the size you need, whatever
that size is, seem to be hard to find. But with a decent brake, you can get
a sheet of aluminum and make whatever you want. Of course, it's a bunch
more work than just buying a plastic case. But, you get exactly what you
want. I don't think I would actually go out and buy a metal case unless it
was something I considered very important. Getting a case of just the right
size is just as hard as plastic, getting one that looks good even harder,
and it's going to be bloody expensive.

One thing that works well sometimes ... cigar boxes. They are cheap, decent
looking, especially with a little finishing, and come in a wide range of
sizes. The problem is that you need to be careful with circuits that
involve small controls, because of the thickness of the wood. There are
plenty of cigar shops around that sell these things for a decent price.

So mostly I stick with plastic, and use aluminum when I get the urge to bend
some metal.

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