Since you are doing the machine work on the alum... for picking up the outputs why not machine some small risers out of alum to put in btwn the tranneys and the top plate... maybe round off your corners to visually match your other doodads (said with envy)... sort of like the wood pieces you have shown in your photo but machined from a matching alum stock...
the brass bolts are solid brass... with no finish... so they will oxidize and get darker over the years... but actually with the black covers and black lams... at least in your photo they don't stand out at all to my eyes.
Kudos... great work...
MSL
Builder of MagneQuest™ & Peerless™ transformers since 1989
