I'm working on a project that may well end up having a case made of
fiberglass. As I'm working on a 3D model that will use mostly to make
pretty PDFs for my fiberglass guy and my customer, It occurs to me that I
could just make a 3D model of a mold and send it to a machine shop.

A 1.25 x 12 x 48 inch piece of 6061 costs $430 from Online Metals. Is
that pretty much what I would expect to pay for materials from a machine
shop? Is there any material that's significantly cheaper, that can be
tossed into a CNC mill and made into something mold like, and then hand-
polished to a high shine?

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Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com