Aluminium Strip

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Peter

Jim is right, with the proviso of using "a good newsreader" I'm using Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.7 and it clearly shows the links within the thread.

Charles

Looking at the options, I have threading turned off, so that's why. If I turn it on again I can't get messages in date order at the same time, so I tend to follow by date rather than thread.

I wasn't keen on going from V1.93 to V2, although I did pay for the upgrade at the time. V3 seems to be a better deal all round and I got it free as I had paid for V2 already :-))

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

I guess you are hoping for off the shelf supply, but if you get stuck then remember that engravers use thin alloy sheet to engrave signs. Google for suppliers of engraving material. Trophies have small self adhesive plates, but this is available in larger sheets and the suppliers will have the necessary machinery to slit the sheet to size. Not sure if they would go down thin enough.

At an NEC tooling exhibition there was a company that did cutting of thin sheet by some chemical method, bit like laser cutting with chemicals. Etching I guess, this company had a business card that had some of the letters cut out leaving holes in the card and also a chequered chess board pattern on one end in very tiny holes. I guess they would use the thickness that you would need, they would probably have a bin full of offcuts. Search for chemical machining/cutting? and see if they could let you have a few offcuts. The business card was stainless steel, I would think they would use other materials, they make small gaskets and miniature parts that would originally been pressed out. Another thought, offcuts from a gasket maker?

Cheers

Lionel

sheet by some chemical method, bit like laser

had some of the letters cut out leaving

tiny holes. I guess they would use the

offcuts. Search for chemical machining/cutting?

Photofabrication in St Neots

Another thought just occurred to me though - does it absolutely have to be Aluminium? If not then you could probably use some steel or brass shim stock.

Peter

I was down the tip this morning, and remembering this thread I picked up a sheet of Ali out of the alloy bin. It's about 10" wide by 5' long - 0.8mm thickness. Bit scratched and pock-marked here and there, but nothing that a bit of elbow grease wouldn't buff up.

I've no immediate use for it, so drop me a line if you want it ( gratis ) - otherwise it'll go in my spares corner.

Regards,

remember that engravers use thin alloy sheet

small self adhesive plates, but this is

to slit the sheet to size. Not sure if

sheet by some chemical method, bit like laser

had some of the letters cut out leaving

tiny holes. I guess they would use the

offcuts. Search for chemical machining/cutting?

stainless steel, I would think they would use

originally been pressed out. Another thought,

Lionel,

Thanks for your suggestion, the strips were used on plastic model cars from Victory Industries of Guildford in the 1950s and early sixties and are frequently missing.

Regards

Alan (Isleofthanet]

In message , Jim Guthrie writes

There is a distinction between being presented with new postings in threaded order and displaying the whole thread. Any decent newsreader should be able to do both and should be able to do it while off-line. Until the advent of broad-band many people minimised their on-line time purely on the basis of cost. Reading of news-groups on-line with web browsers is comparatively new.

Even at the level of the lowest common denominator, the basis of good manners and etiquette is, "Do as you would be done by". However one level below that is to ask what value is a reply to a posting if a large proportion of those who see it will be unable understand it because of a lack of quoted context.

Just a thought, but how about old beer cans. Not sure of the thickness off hand, but probably around 10-15 thou. Quite easily cut with good scisors, or tinsnips, and should be plentiful around now (if youryesterday was anything like mine ).

Regards Kevin

Within a gnats whisker of 5 thou, surprisingly. And not all aluminium; check with a magnet!

- Brian

You can get steel or aluminium, just depends what you drink. Might get strange looks checking the beer cans on the supermarket shelves with a magnet before purchase though.

Regards Kevin

Printing plates are made of Al and come in 0.30mm which is 12thou if that's close enough. The only problem may be that they're usually etched and anodised so you'd need to polish the surface if you need a bright finish. A local printer would probably let you take a few used ones; if you go this route, newspaper printers always use 0.30mm plates, commercial printers may use thinner ones. Martin

Many thanks to everyone for their input

Regards

Isleofthanet