Ohio brush company

When just 1 or 2 brushes will help get the job finished, KD Tools #2309 may be available at an auto parts store. The KD brushes are made in the USA (at least recently), with ss bristles and a very durable hardwood handle, about $5.50 each, mounted on a blister card.

The local autobody supplies dealer has had them regularly for a number of years. I generally always buy 1 or more when I'm there, because if products aren't selling, many places will stop stocking them.

They're great for a lot of other purposes (soldering, cleaning files etc), so they're handy to have around. I try to leave at least one new one in the package for aluminum work (not contaminated).

I believe you could do well with a good internet site, and hope such an effort works it's way up the priority ladder.

Jon

The little bit of direct experience that I have, backed up in the main by friends and acquaintances who are responsible for getting quality parts out of China, is that you still have to ride them. Like any other supplier the quality of the parts you get will slowly go down until you start to bitch, at which point it will (hopefully) go up.

It's just that the definition of "slowly" varies by company and country.

The little bit of direct experience that I have, backed up in the main by friends and acquaintances who are responsible for getting quality parts out of China, is that you still have to ride them. Like any other supplier the quality of the parts you get will slowly go down until you start to bitch, at which point it will (hopefully) go up.

It's just that the definition of "slowly" varies by company and country.

I am with Karl here and I think that retail selling will be a very expensive distraction.

The assortment idea is good, but if they are buying direct from the manufacturer they should expect to stock up a bit to get the good 'trade' prices. If they want ONE Piece, send them to a retailer.

And tradesmen use their specialized products more than the average hobbyist - I could go through a pack of ten "stainless toothbrushes" in a reasonable period, because I use them whenever I work with any aluminum wire.

(As it is now, it's a pain to find the perfect sized ones, or you have to buy a 3-pack with a brass and a steel that get thrown away. So I use them till they fall apart, bristles all bent back...)

Make a reasonable quantity small pack like three to ten per style for the scratch and scrub and sweep products, and stick with it.

For instance, if your hundred pack hand brushes are machine packaged in cartons by making ten layers of ten in a 18X18X18 carton seperated by cardboard buffer sheets, order the same sized cartons but only one layer deep - 18x18x2.

Then all you have to modify on the packing line is pull and tape the box every pick, rather than 9 sheets of seperator cardboard and then pick. And then lower the same box sealing machine to flip the flaps and tape/staple closed a short box of the same LxW dimensions.

Selling singles from open boxes can be done, but picking and packing and inventory management will drive you mad - unless you want to hire a kid or a retiree to handle it. You want to just grab the little box, slap on a label, and drop it into the "UPS Out" bin.

-->--

I can see now how retail can be a royal goatf..k to deal with..;>)) I'd be tickled pink to find USA brushes at the local Fastenal. Forney and Weiler are made in Mexico, at least the ones I have now are anyway. Several years ago I got some from Northen Hydraulics and they were the absolute worst! I declared them government certified safe for unsupervised tooth brushing by young children! The wires bent and stayed bent on the palm of my hand! Silky soft firewood.......:>(( phil

The trouble is that to do web/retail sales the orders are very small and we don't do small orders. we would have to build a whole new system.

Did you get my email about FFL?

There are some differences in methodology but the wire is the big difference. Imports use wire that I could buy for $0.50/lb I use wire that costs $6 to $9/lb. The alloy and temper are very specific to the brush being made. I use different wire for 4" knot cups than for 6" knot cups, otherwise it would fracture or wear wrong and not cut correctly.

Another possibility might be to set up a child or grandchild up with a mail order business. It would have to be entirely separate from Ohio Brush so there would not be child labor laws problems. But you could loan them the money at a very reasonable rate and provide guidance. They could also sell seconds. I would not look at it as a profit making venture for you,( might cost you some money ), but more as an education for a niece, nephew , or grandchild.

=20 Dan

So, what is the difference between those wire types? Alloy ingredients?

A lot of wire that ends up in import brushes comes from the tire industry. When they make steel belts they use 20 to 50 spools of wire at a time. When the first spool runs out they scrap all the rest. Otherwise, the stoppages to change each spool as it runs out would kill production. This scrap goes into the cheap brush industry. Often it is brass plated. It's a hard-drawn steel rather than oil tempered alloy. I use some hard-drawn but it's made to different specs just for brush wire. Some foreign manufacturers make good stuff but like American made good stuff, it's just not available to consumers and is sold for professional use at a much higher cost. Not too many people understand the difference between a $5 brush and a $25 brush...they look the same.

Thanks Tom. I did not understand the difference until I bought the expensive one from McMaster-Carr. That one is made by Weiler.

On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:15:12 -0800, the infamous Jon Anderson scrawled the following:

Let me echo that. ;) (Sincerely)

-- Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints.

Indeed. Ive been following the thread closely.

Did you get my lengthy response?

Gunner

"Aren't cats Libertarian? They just want to be left alone. I think our dog is a Democrat, as he is always looking for a handout" Unknown Usnet Poster

Heh, heh, I'm pretty sure my dog is a liberal - he has no balls. Keyton

Carl Weiler is so anal he inspects items on the shelf to make sure the labels are perfectly straight. They are at least 20 times my size and tolerate NO small orders or even direct contact with the plant. But they do have application engineers for their customers to maximize their operation. They will refer people to their dealer network. A class act! ...except they will slit your throat in a millisecond to steal a customer.

All of the American manufacturers buy wire from the same domestic suppliers for the good stuff. That's why if you get a Weiler, Pferd-Milwaukee, Osborn or Ohio, the brushes use the same or similar wire and will perform about the same. The real trick is matching the right brush with the right wire diameter, alloy and temper, at the right RPM, the right pressure, to the application. Well, I know you have already learned that!

We want to redo the existing site and start a new business with a new name and all. Unfortunately, we don't have "Romantic" products. Sister Pat has an MBA in Marketing so she has to develop the business plan. I think we need a number of "Me-To" items that will be symbiotic with our products. The Food Service market is a s*it-load bigger than industrial or home-shop. And, 80% of my products go into Food Service. If it was up to me, I would abandon the hardware market entirely. We'll see, as soon as we catch up. I do feel guilty being so stuffed in this economy, I know people are hurting...but, they STILL go out to eat! Go figure.

Guess not, please resend.

Will do.

Gunner

"Aren't cats Libertarian? They just want to be left alone. I think our dog is a Democrat, as he is always looking for a handout" Unknown Usnet Poster

Heh, heh, I'm pretty sure my dog is a liberal - he has no balls. Keyton