Where to get 1/8" sheet mild steel laser/water jet cut?

[John S]

I wasn't suggesting "pissing about" making a 100 off on a mill. Hank only wants a couple to prototype his geetah pick-up

sorry but I read this in the first post, hence the reply.

I'm only looking for about 100pcs initially.

.

[BillTodd]

sorry but I read this in the first post, hence the reply.

I'm only looking for about 100pcs initially.

.

So did I, but I've been following Hank's progress closely and realised he's not quite ready for mass production yet !

[Ross77]

Hi Hank, building some hotrails or another variation on the sustainer? does the steal need to be 3.25mm thick? I'm sure the production ones are thiner, if so you could just use a guilotine and a good old file for prototyping.

[HankMcSpank]

Hi Hank, building some hotrails or another variation on the sustainer? does the steal need to be 3.25mm thick? I'm sure the production ones are thiner, if so you could just use a guilotine and a good old file for prototyping.

This is for Sustainer MK XII! (for a non-blade version bedecked with twinkly lights have a look at a quick 'n dirty video I made - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXB92cSQi8E be warned, the first 18 seconds is just me dicking about showing of the lovely blue LEDs! For a marginally better video of what the sustainer is all about here's another rough vid of mine - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=106Se7AHknc (see the circuit on breadboard to the side!))

I relaise the production blade hotrails are much thinner, but remember this is to vibrate the string not pick up the vibrations...everything has to be beefed up - hence 3.2mm thick steel needed.

For the actual prototyping of this latest 'blade' version, yesterday I've ordered some modelmakers' 1/8" x 1/4" bright steel (I'd have prefered black steel, but they don't have it in a suitable size)....that works out at about 3.2mm x 6.34mm in new money, which happens to be pretty damn close for my bobbin 'blade' proto- so I've just Dremel'ed a length of 53.5mm's worth off the end!

For this latest blade type - here's a somewhat rough and ready test coil I wound around a DIY acrylic core (in turn cut from my DIY CNC!) with the steel I've just this minute cut (I'm still fine tuning the spec hence it not looking that refined yet)



The 100pcs of 'radiused' blade would be destined for my first 'batch' (wishful thinking that I might interest 100 people in buying one of thee puppies!)...so not exactly prototype, but not exactly mass production either!



This whole shebang reveals to me why we aren't a nation of inventors anymore - it's so darned expensive to get 'widgets' made (& I need widgets in spades...initially mainly to make the coil winder, but then I needed custom bobbins, hence making a CNC, then I needed some stuff turned so I bought a lathe)...alas, everyone wants more than 34p a piece!

[Ross77]

Very nice work, I'll be your first customer.. I want one

Just an idea but could you make up the thickness with laminations of thinner steel like some transformer chassis's, That way you can find the optimum thickness. Also if it was thin enougth could it then be pressed?

If some one can make the former I'll happilly press you out as many as you need. 10 ton Hydraullic press with foot operated pneumatic pump is very quick.

I relaise the production blade hotrails are much thinner, but remember this is to vibrate the string not pick up the vibratiuons...everything has to be beefed up.

Fair point. dose the tuning not suffer from the pull tho?

[HankMcSpank]

Very nice work, I'll be your first customer.. I want one

You'd be my second - on the strength of those ropey videos alone (which were for nothing more than showing my progress to a related Guitar forum) I've got an Italian chap who's taking a leap of faith & going to buy one off me (only because he's a niche requirement that can't be fulfiulled by existing commercial sustainer offerings!)

It's small beer at the moment (my hourly rate must be about 10p for what I'll be making vs the effort I've put in, but hey, from little acorns blah blah)

Just an idea but could you make up the thickness with laminations of thinner steel like some transformer chassis's, That way you can find the optimum thickness. Also if it was thin enougth could it then be pressed?

That's a reasonable proposal...and I'd considered it - but what's driving me towards 3.2mm more than anything is the availability of pre made Korean ABS 'blade' bobbins with an 1/8" 'blade' slot! (basicallly cutting bobbins on a dodgy homemade CNC takes forever...therefore if I'm ever to sell these in number I need a quicker way). It may well be that I can indeed go thinner, but additionally the blade needs a magnet on the bottom....& I need some amount of physicaly surface bottom area to attach the magnets to. (I don't have the luxury of normal pickup 'depth' to attach a hulking great ceramic magnet to as they do with blade pickups)

If some one can make the former I'll happilly press you out as many as you need. 10 ton Hydraullic press with foot operated pneumatic pump is very quick.

That's a fantastic offer - and I'd have to say a big high five to you all out there, for without one shadow of a doubt, this is the most helpful forum I've ever had the pleasure of being a meber of :clap:

As it goes, I don't know much about formers...how they're made., cost, limitations ...but it's something I'd pondered the other day & need to look into.

Fair point. dose the tuning not suffer from the pull tho?

Surprisingly no - because you're pulling & releasing in sympathy with the string's natural resonance.

Bye for now...

[BillTodd]

but what's driving me towards 3.2mm more than anything is the availability of pre made 'blade' bobbins in korea with an 1/8" 'blade' slot! (basicallly cutting bobbins on a dodgy homemade CNC takes forever

A friend of mine has had some success with 3D printed bobbins in his audio transformers. He had the prototypes made at Shapeways (from 3D models I made for him). Worth a look if you need complex shapes made in plastic as they only charge by weight and material (i.e. cheap-ish).

Bill

[John S]

Hank, Check your PM.

[Ross77]

I'm guessing John has a solution for you but........ Ive just had an idea for a quick fix........

Basically it involves using jigsaw with a fine blade and circle cuting attachment. If you can get the plate already in 55mm wide and say 500mm long then keep cutting blanks off as required. set the raduis to 9.5" to cut the radiused part and then square it off. quick buzz over a bench grinder wheel and job done. :dance:

P.S. how much do they cost?

[HankMcSpank]

Hi Ross,

Thanks for the idea...it's a good 'un!

re having a solution...john was offering to get my part into a larger quote request he was submitting into a laser cutting Co ...but I need more testing with this blade version so will miss that particular landing slot (previous versions have use individual pole pieces)