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A place where restoration project-type threads can go to avoid falling off the main page in the WIX hangar. Feel free to start threads on Restoration projects and/or warbird maintenance here. Named in memoriam for Gary Austin, a good friend of the site and known as RetroAviation here. He will be sorely missed.
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not aircraft related, but looking for manufacturing advice

Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:47 am

hello all

definitely not aircraft related, but I am wondering if anyone out there can suggest a firm that would be able to manufacture a batch of these washers for me. They appear to be anodized aluminum, 0.676" in diameter, and are used on Swiss-made Weinmann brakes as used on mid-50's to late 60's Schwinn bicycles. They are very thin, fade quickly under UV, get chewed up fast, and are getting harder to find...

Image

I have NOS examples to use as reference, and as well I have recreated the artwork in vector format, which can be translated to basically any file type needed. I can also take care of setting up the artwork into any combination required for layout etc.

I assume that a sheet of aluminum would be anodized with the artwork, then be series-punched to create the washers, but I could be wrong.

Any advice appreciated!

cheers

greg v.

Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:00 pm

Greg

Call All Seals INC. in Santa Ana California
You will need to get to a manager to get it done
I'd bet the min order is 500 units

The washer already exists but you would need to go elsewhere for the etching

Tom Neely

Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:26 pm

Possibly any company that makes aircraft data plates could make such a thing.

Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:59 pm

Try Metallics, Inc.

http://www.metallics.net/

They've done some low-volume work for me over the past couple years.

You can also try Texas Nameplate...they may be more open to small quantities, but they can be pricey:

http://www.nameplate.com/

Mon Oct 06, 2008 3:12 pm

thanks guys!

I have sent off several e-mails, we'll see what turns up. I already have a ballpark for about $500 for 200 units, which seems about right?

cheers

greg v.

Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:03 pm

I have a totoal of about 10,000 small aluminum ID name/id plates of various sizes and designs made a year, and my gut tells me that price is right for that qty.

Don't know what the market would be for those items, but you may want to check on price for higher quantities. Much of that $500 you quoted is probably set-up cost, so you may be able to get something like 500 pcs for $700.

Sun Oct 12, 2008 4:39 pm

Beware the Copyright! Unless you have permission from the original owner of the trademark...could be trouble. Unless you own the trademark...then....nevermind.

Mon Oct 13, 2008 2:20 pm

hello again guys

DB2, I got a much better price from Metallics, thanks for the tip! It looks like it will be closer to $270, including setup, whether I get 100, 250 or 500 made; go figure!

I will be sending them the artwork and an NOS sample to get the process going.

As far as copyright goes, I did indeed think about it. Weinmann is still currently in the bike business, but they only manufacture rims now, not brakes, and its not like I'm going to try to make a killing off these anyways. As well, I would never try to pass them off as originals, only repros. We'll see what happens...

thanks again!

greg v.
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