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Hi there, I have been researching as much as possible for my first attempt at 3d printing, and have decided to go for the Hadron. I thought it might be a good idea to keep all my dumb questions in one place. I am planning on going with a j-head hot end, with a wades extruder. My first question is this - is there any reason I couldnt use aluminum instead of brass for the end?
Thanks,
Woody

Aluminum for the hot end? if you check the wiki for the jhead, they tried that, but it doesn't transfer heat as well as brass, at least I think that was the reasoning.

I'm going with the same setup as you, I got the Wades Reloaded though.

http://reprap.org/wiki/J_Head_Nozzle

Use an aluminum nozzle made out of a high-strength aluminum alloy, such as 2024 or 7075. This should lighten the nozzle as well as improve the thermal conductivity of the nozzle. (Depending upon the alloy, the thermal conductivity, can be more than twice that of brass and an aluminum nozzle should be around 1/3rd the weight of a brass nozzle.)

Aluminum should be a good choice.

Thanks! That is exactly the reason I asked, as I found both answers for and against. I was also considering using copper beryllium, which has a high thermal transfer as well.
-woody

Be aware that the dust from machining beryllium copper is highly toxic.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium_copper#Toxicity):

However, breathing its dust or vapors, as formed when machining or welding, will eventually cause serious lung damage. Beryllium compounds are known human carcinogens when inhaled.