Fireproofing

[Ax1]

I need some ideas regarding Fireproofing a new guitar amp I am making.

Its a guitar amp 'head' so it needs to be covered, but this thing is going to generate insane amounts of heat.
The front will be a laser cut metal grill so you can easily see all the tubes, and provide good natural airflow.

Any ideas on how I should make the case (not the chassis, that will be steel). What material, and what I should do for cooling?
Anyway I can do it in wood (outside covered in tolex), and somehow fireproof it. I don't like the idea of forced cooling tubes with a fan. Maybe a couple of extractor fans at the top, or 2 large vent holes for chimney effect.

I am still designing the amp, but this is why it will need fireproofing:

PSE 6c33c (2 tubes)
2 parallel 5C8S for the rectifier
Pre-amp at least 4 tubes in this section, 12ax7, 12au7... still working on this section, not sure how it is going to work yet.
Pre-amp will be powered by a separate rectifier, either 274B or a mercury rectifiers: 866A or 355A or 354A or 866Jr (but heard bad things about them concerning safety, and may not be a good idea in a portable guitar amp)
Also I want to try and stick in 2 OD3 voltage regulator tubes for the hell of it

[Geek]

Hi,

Look at Google Images for ventillation (some downright artistic) ideas.

Some 100W Traynor's I've worked on even had a fan blowing on the quad of EL34 to keep 'em cool

Cheers!

[DeathRex]

I need some ideas regarding Fireproofing a new guitar amp I am making.

Its a guitar amp 'head' so it needs to be covered, but this thing is going to generate insane amounts of heat.
The front will be a laser cut metal grill so you can easily see all the tubes, and provide good natural airflow.

Any ideas on how I should make the case (not the chassis, that will be steel). What material, and what I should do for cooling?
Anyway I can do it in wood (outside covered in tolex), and somehow fireproof it. I don't like the idea of forced cooling tubes with a fan. Maybe a couple of extractor fans at the top, or 2 large vent holes for chimney effect.

I am still designing the amp, but this is why it will need fireproofing:

PSE 6c33c (2 tubes)
2 parallel 5C8S for the rectifier
Pre-amp at least 4 tubes in this section, 12ax7, 12au7... still working on this section, not sure how it is going to work yet.
Pre-amp will be powered by a separate rectifier, either 274B or a mercury rectifiers: 866A or 355A or 354A or 866Jr (but heard bad things about them concerning safety, and may not be a good idea in a portable guitar amp)
Also I want to try and stick in 2 OD3 voltage regulator tubes for the hell of it

Fan, big fan, multiple big fans. Mercury vapor + guitar = bad things will happen. Preamp shouldn't need much more than (for pretty effect) 5Y4, 5X4, 5V4, or 5C4S (the ST shapped one).
What kind of cooling did the 6C33C have in the Migs?

[nyazzip]

Some 100W Traynor's I've worked on even had a fan blowing on the quad of EL34 to keep 'em cool

i have one YGL-MK3a. i installed an on/off switch...

regarding heatproofing, aluminum sheet, backed with fiberglass cloth, then attached to the cabinet would make for lightweight protection. i made a little manual coffee roaster chassis like that, and a gas burner puts out a lot more BTUs than any tube compliment
a 12v computer fan in line with a large resistor will run silently and still be effective

[MacL]

I don't know about fireproofing - but on the inside of my guitar head cabinets I install 2" aluminum tape (find in HVAC section at Menards/Lowe) to help with shielding and I guess it might help a little versus raw wood. I overlap the self-adhesive tape a little and cover the bottom and sometimes the top/sides. On my last guitar head for air circulation I used a $3 USB laptop cooler (two little fans). I ran it off a spare 5v rectifier tap (you could use a 6.3v heater tap also) via a rectifier/cap- so when the power was switched on it came on. I mounted it sideways on one end (push or pull-didn't seem to matter)- they are quiet and move little air- but it did drop the temp inside my cabinet over 20 degrees-just moving the air around. Best thing is a open front/back configuration. I have also seen people play their Fender heads upside down so the heat rises away from the tubes- I don't know if any of it matters or it's just guitar mojo.

[Ax1]

Thanks, I think I will go with the fiberglass cloth idea, and a couple of noctua computer fans, I have used them before in computer builds and they run silent.

[Hotsauce]

I would add heat chimneys to the tubes vented out the top of the cab.

Thats hot air out. Plan the path of cool air in from the bottom. Add holes around the tube sockets. You want the flow of air to carry the heat out rather than allow it to radiate to the rest of the amp.

Look at some amateur AM transmitters for ideas on how to do this.

John