I have been debating about this for a while and I think I am going to try it but I would like your opinions. I like the front face of the unit but the plastic knobs and buttons never really did anything for me. Since the replacement knob now uses a gromit to grasp the turn knob, I was thinking it would be easy to cast new buttons in metal (steel, platinum, etc.) to finish giving the unit a brushed metal look. I have started reading books on casting so I can create a negative mold from the extra knobs I have as a test.

Knowing that the plastic knobs are probably machine cast, is there any major problem you might see me running into? What metals do you think I should avoid casting in? (i.e. Gold is a very soft metal and I don't believe it would be a good canidate for small buttons) Would metal knobs and buttons screw up the internals of the unit or conduct electricity away from where it needs to go? Are the connectors too custom that casting in metal will not provide the amount of grab really needed for the knobs to work. Finally, the all important "if I am successful, would anyone be interested in metal replacement knobs and buttons" question?

Greg