DIY Enclosure

[mac]

Except for germaniums I always find at my construction sites wires, zinc sheets, wood, etc, ready to be the trashed...
Wait, no... not wood, cool for a good asado.

I was about to trash some zinc sheets, but after a second thought I decided to use them to build enclosures for my projects. Cheaper than importing 125 boxes, and my partner pays 50% of them   

These zinc sheets are a bit thin, less than a mm, cool to cut with scissors and bending, and if they are the size of a 125 they are pretty solid.

I needed just a few things as you can see in the pictures below, a permanent marker, alcohol and cotton to erase, scissors, 45 degrees ruler, short metal screws, screws and nuts, and a driller.

Drawing is easy, just try to be precise. If you make a mistake use alcohol and draw again. The more precise the better the bottom cover is going to fit.

Bending is not tricky. The long sides can be bended using the edge of the table, or with a rectangular wood stick, or with pincers, etc.

Use screws and nuts to put the main box together, and the metal screws for the bottom cover.
If you have a hot iron or a small soldering torch you can solder the sides of the main box, and sand the edges later for a better finish.
That's it.









Ok... ok... not so pretty, but it's just a few cents and with some spray painter it can look a little better.

This box is for a single HItachi 2SB77 9v mid booster,
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=99651.0

mac

[armdnrdy]

Now that's being resourceful Mac.

You can call this size... the little Mac, and make a larger enclosure and call it the Big Mac! 

[J0K3RX]

Taking "hand built" to a whole new level!! Very cool!

[alparent]

And I can tell you clean your keyboard regularly! 

[ashcat_lt]

That's not pure zinc is it?  Galvanized steel, no?  I've always heard that it's a Bad Idea to heat galvanized, so not sure you should be soldering it.  Otherwise it's quite cool!

[Electron Tornado]

Very cool.

Would it be easier to work with and be stronger if you used wood for the left and right sides kind of like on the gnome pictured here?    http://electro-music.com/forum/post-290402.html

[Mike Burgundy]

@ Ashcat: that's mainly when welding. I doubt soldering will create lots of zinc fumes, but if to be sure you do it in a well ventilated room or outside and not a lot, I'd say you're good.
@ Mac: how do these hold up to stomping? If you would want to keep them for a long time some zinc etching primer on the cuts would be a good idea, before paint.

[duck_arse]

hey electron, I use wood chheks too. I start with an old pc case and a jigsaw. replacement jarrah fence paling from the hardware, ot an old lounge for something that looks a bit like maple. and some "toy fur" to cover "things".



good and strong, but you can expect damage if you drop it.

ahh, well, I tried twice. seems pics ain't going to work for me ........

[mac]

Would it be easier to work with and be stronger if you used wood for the left and right sides kind of like on the gnome pictured here?

Looks nice!
Good idea.

That's not pure zinc is it?  Galvanized steel, no?  I've always heard that it's a Bad Idea to heat galvanized, so not sure you should be soldering it.  Otherwise it's quite cool!

Yeap, it is galvanized steel-->wikipedia.org



Zinc is not pure, the cover is zinc oxide which is good for your immune system and help you with your testosterone levels, girls will love you after a show!!! Just lick the box some minutes every night before going to bed!!! 

@ Ashcat: that's mainly when welding. I doubt soldering will create lots of zinc fumes, but if to be sure you do it in a well ventilated room or outside and not a lot, I'd say you're good.

Roof workers use a soldering torch, acid, and tin sticks to solder Zn sheets. But this process is being replaced with silicone for Zn for small repairs.
I´ve never heard about soldering Zn sheets is dangerous. I guess that the amount of Zn that is vaporized, if any at those temperatures, is tiny, and not a problem in open air. Nevertheless,  I will ask my workers.

@ Mac: how do these hold up to stomping?

The top of this case is a little flexible, but not a problem at all.
There are thicker sheets for bigger boxes.
Mhhh, I could try to glue another sheet below the top to make it more rigid.

You can call this size... the little Mac, and make a larger enclosure and call it the Big Mac! 

I don't want to be prosecuted by McDonalds!

And I can tell you clean your keyboard regularly! 

... and the rest of the house... and myself!

mac

[Mark Hammer]

After my B.A., I worked briefly in a sheet metal machine shop that made restaurant fixtures.  I spent every day at the bench shears, cutting up 4' x 8' sheets of 18 guage aluminum for those "hot closets on wheels" that get used to transport food on trays, or for cafeteria counters where you slide your tray along, or sneeze guards for buffets, and such.  At the end of the day, we had a lot of decent scrap aluminum sheeting that wasn't really big enough to do anything useful with, as regards our business lines, but would have certainly been useful for folks interested in making small chassis.

You should check to see if there are any fabrication shops in your area that might have similar scraps of aluminum they don't mind selling cheap.

[amptramp]

You can call this size... the little Mac, and make a larger enclosure and call it the Big Mac! 

I don't want to be prosecuted by McDonalds!

Nor do you want to be prosecuted by Apple.  You could write about it and call your writings the MacBook.

[J0K3RX]

look...

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/steelstud/steelstud.htm

You could use a spot weld on the corners/folds etc..

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/spot-welders/115-volt-spot-welder-45689.html

Or you could use your DIY super powers and make one  
http://mdiy.pl/polautomatyczna-zgrzewarka-punktowa-26v-1ka/?lang=en

Or you could go super cheap and use pop rivets..?
http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-riveter-set-38353.html

Get a small manual break press and you will be cooking with fire 

[defaced]

Spot welding galvanized steel can be problematic without jumping thorough extra hoops.  This PDF details out the issues and some solutions in a pretty straight forward manner. 
http://www.rsfinishing.com/downloads/pdf/downloads_page/ZINC-COATED-STEELS.pdf

[J0K3RX]

Spot welding galvanized steel can be problematic without jumping thorough extra hoops.  This PDF details out the issues and some solutions in a pretty straight forward manner.  
http://www.rsfinishing.com/downloads/pdf/downloads_page/ZINC-COATED-STEELS.pdf

Good point, I should have addressed that...  Also you can sand/grind off the areas to be welded front and back. I always clean around my weld area anyway with tiger flap discs and or a high speed wire wheel on regular steel so that's just habit... Do it in a well ventilated area and wear a respirator! Do your homework and read up on it! It can be done easily and safely as I am living proof...I think?

Disclaimer: I assume no responsibility of any sort for any injuries suffered, or costs/damages incurred by following any of my advice in this forum! If you DIE it's all your fault!

[Jdansti]

^+1

Our guys at work grind off the galvanization before welding. We regalvanize it after welding, but you probably wouldn't have to do that for a stompbox.

J0K3RX assumes all responsibility for my post.

[defaced]

Our guys at work grind off the galvanization before welding. We regalvanize it after welding, but you probably wouldn't have to do that for a stompbox.

Yep, in industry that's how it's done.  Here I'd probably paint or clear coat it and call it done. 

[GFR]

My first job was at a steel plant, they produced two kinds of plated sheet, zinc plated and tin plated. The tin plated steel is the kind used to manufacture cans. I think it would be OK for a stompbox because you can solder to it with the same solder you use for circuits and a regular soldering iron. And they're easy to paint too.

[duck_arse]

this time for sure ......



I've tried using tin/lead solder for load-bearing joints, and it doesn't work, just like the old blokes tell you. you need to use silver solder if you want it to stay together.

(I promise better typing/spelling from now on)

[defaced]

I've tried using tin/lead solder for load-bearing joints, and it doesn't work, just like the old blokes tell you. you need to use silver solder if you want it to stay together.

Out of curiosity, what sort of joint did you have at the seams?  Were they just two piece of metal touching to form a corner, or were the lapped over like the pics in the original post.  I ask because there are some tricks you can do with the joint design to make up for a weak solder metal. 

[duck_arse]

I've never done box seams using solder, but things like brackets, pillars and screws, usually without much mechanical support.