That's a great idea to get metal! I wonder if cast iron would work for a faceplate, or if it would be too soft. It comes pretty thick anyway. I imagine that aluminum would also be common in a lot of cookware, which is weaker than steel so I imagine best to go a little thicker with that material.

You got me thinking! Really what a great idea to get thicker metal, which can be expensive. I did the same thing, but used 2" or 3" steel washers. I had to keep them small because any bigger than that and it gets very expensive very fast. I suppose because the area of a circle increases much faster than the diameter so there's a lot of difference in amount of steel in 3" vs" 6" washers. That's why it usually pays to buy a large pizza, not a small or medium!

Bigger than 3", I would have to order stock from a supplier. But maybe not any more, thanks for the tip.