[sdiy] rack enclosures

[drew meyer]

i am wondering what experiences people have had with rack enclosures.  i 
found a 1U rack enclosure with panel for under $50 shipped.  2U for 
around $70.
the body is 20 gauge steel and the panel is 16 gauge steel.  both have a 
black powder coat finish and the enclosures are 6" deep.

my rack will eventually have 1 1U device and 3 2U devices.  all should 
fit in the 6" depth enclosure.  in addition to these, i have/will have a 
roland v-synth xt (3U rack), a patchbay (1U rack), and a presonus 
firepod (1U rack).

considering the commercial gear and the diy devices with steel 
enclosures, will this rack be insanely heavy?  i would like to be able 
to transport it.  would it be best to look for all aluminum enclosures?  
i haven't been able to find a better price yet, and the black powder 
coat finish is a selling point for me.

would a cnc shop have more trouble cutting a steel plate rather than 
aluminum?  is it a problem that it's already painted, and should i 
expect to have to touch up the black paint a bit?

i haven't researched how to paint text labels and graphics to a panel 
yet, but i know there are many ways.  is it an additional difficulty to 
do some sort of paint or transfer to a powder coated panel?

thanks,
drew