Yes, a whole thread just on enclosures.
Your idea of a metal enclosure would likely lead to careless shorts unless you went to great lengths to prevent it. Such as painting the inside of the enclosure with some non-conductive coating, DupliColor Truck Bed Coating comes to mind; or maybe 'wallpapering' the interior with masking or duct tape.
The plastic enclosures work nice, if you can find one to meet your size requirements!
A good enclosure can really dress up the look of the finished product.
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