Wire

[Dennis]

OK, well then from your description I visualise a 3"disk cut from copper sheet*, approx. 0.7mm thick, annealed and pressed into the back of your aluminium until it fits its concavity.
*Scribe with dividers, Cut with a jewellers saw and file smooth. You can also use metal shears provided you only cut multiple straight lines and then file.

This can then be furnished with suitable lengthhs of copper tubing, soft soldered in place. The purpose of your tubing is to act as crimps for the flags, or the flags can be glued in.

Once the copper work is completed, the assembly can be fixed to the back of the aluminium, with two part Rapid Araldite, provided that it fits reasonably closely. It helps to roughrn the surfaces first.

If you don't have a model shop near you, you could visit the 4D Model shop online, or try Amazon for supplies. Dennis.

[barleycorn]

Thanks.. your 3" estimate of the 'concave' area at the back is spot on. as there is a half-inch 'flat' margin around the circumference. As I understand from your advice I should be able to secure the appropriate number of plated copper wires to a cut (3"dia) plate with the ends a crimp? presumably, I would need to soft solder these 'crimps' to the back of the copper plate ? in which case I would need to determine whether I would be able to fit 3-4 single wires into 1 crimp? or, alternatively, simply soft solder the end of the wire(s) directly to the copper plate anyway? as it wouldn't be seen. with over 30 individual wires in close proximity I could find myself soldering 1 wire and the heat melting the adjacent solder unintentionally. yet another option might be to use a 3mm fine metal drill bit, scribe a circle on the copper plate, and drill a series of holes to accept a minimum of 3 wires through each hole and solder in place on the underside? then finally place the copper disc into the concave space and secure with an araldite bond ?do you envisage any problems with that idea? Many thanks Dennis,I will not give this up!