George,
Welcome to our AKSA family - you will find huge experience in this group and nary a harsh word......
With your trade background, you have a gazillion choices of material. Perspex, exotic timbers (Jules has used Huon Pine, and I use Tassy Myrtle in my preamp!) brass, copper, Al, steel, corian, powder coatings of all types - they are all up for grabs, and with imagination you can create amazing shapes and finishes.
Getting the amp actually running is probably the easy part. Making a fine, distinctive and robust case is more difficult, but it adds ownership to your creation and gives pride. It's worth thinking very carefully about finish, because this amp will be in your sitting room and something you gaze fondly at every time you play it..... A simple, boring black box on the shelf certainly works, but it's not terribly imaginative.
I have always felt that the best front for an amp is a nicely milled cast alloy panel, nice and thick, with the AKSA logo cast into it, and a nice pattern which stands out and accommodates switch, LEDs and logo in an artistic render. But, alas, the die for this is costly, although it might be possible to do it with CNC machining of a solid billet. I've had good results in the past with powdercoating, followed by baked enamel coating of the powder. The baked enamel is a very refined finish, and gives a perception of depth to the surface which is very attractive.
When it's all done, you might like to take a few digital piccies and present it in the gallery - everyone will be interested, and it will add to the great diversity of AKSAs around the world!
Good luck with the build, remember, any difficulties, I'm here on the net ready to help......
Cheers,
Hugh
