Old Buzzard Construction

[KA8WTK]

  Previously I have posted photos of the 812 push-pull rig I am restoring. The rig is in a home made metal rack of welded 1.25" angle iron. Front panels are some form of masonite. There is no side or rear covering. The "open" type construction is, IMHO, not so safe for me, visitors, or my cat.
  I took a little time to price some sheet metal for the sides and back. I looked at solid sheet and the fancy, decorative stuff that is readily available. Gets pretty pricey when you add up the price of the sheets and the amount of waste you will have when finished. Getting a little depressed, I though I just might use some aluminium screen for the sides and top and plexiglass for the back. That's when I made a nice discovery.
  The hardware store had an old roll of copper screen. The story goes that during the summer a widow was cleaning out her husbands stuff and found this roll in the attic. She just gave it to the hardware store along with some old tools they now have on display. I thought, this stuff is going to be expensive! They sold me 8 feet of 30" wide copper screen for $1.69 a foot. (I think I'll go back and make an offer on the whole roll.)
  So, I now have real old buzzard homebrew rack covering material. Having never seen the screen covered rigs of years ago, only the section of the ARRL handbook where it talks about rack construction, I am wondering if I should mount the screen and then paint it and the rack. Or, should I clean it well so it has a real nice copper look. Then mount it and spray it with clear lacquer to preserve the appearance? Either way, it will be grounded to the rack by the mounting screws.
  Thoughts?
 

[KI4OWV]

Wow! nice find. I search junk shops for this type of stuff. IMHO I would clean it nice an coppery and give it a couple of coats of good quality urethane clear maybe using some copper strips for the edges. I have an advantage that most don't have in that I have a bud in the sheet metal business. They use 30 yard dumpsters for their "drops" (partial sheets) of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. They let me tumble thru for scraps. Then I pay them a few bucks to shear or brake the metal. Goes in a "Christmas fund".   In return I service their boats (minor work) at a very reasonable rate. Always keep eyes open for small sheet metal shops. Most sell the scraps per pound to scrap vendors for about nothing and ten bucks goes a long way.

[n3lrx]

I'd over cut it and and solder the piss out of the edges or solder it to thin copper bar stock so it doesn't distort and come undone on you while you're rubbing and scrubbing. Cutting it larger than the hole and it will leave you with some nice solid ground to secure it to the case as well as hold it in shape for years to come.