Nickel plating components yes or no

[JasonGotaProblem]

whats your washer thickness spec?

According to my caliper the original I'm replacing is roughly 0.08" thick. So really a 14 gauge thru 0.1 would likely work.

Let me look in my scrap, I think I have some cut that need more work than I want to put into them.

Dude. Please and thank you.

[jurelometer]

No, get stainless steel.

The problem is that generic/unspecified stainless steel washers are easy to come by. In fact i already bought some of the ideal dimensions and may still use them. But 316 stainless (what I assume I'd want if i wanted the actual saltwater based benefits of going stainless) is much harder to find. It doesnt seem to exist locally in the size I would need, and if I'm gonna pay 50+ bucks for a large pack of washers i only need one of, and then have to cut them myself, i might as well deal with the min order and get them properly cut.

Generic stainless hardware is going to be 303 or 304 (AKA 18/8).   Both should be good enough for a personal reel that you will maintain, just not best.  Some of the machined stainless parts in saltwater reels are 303, as 316 is more of a bear to machine, and therefore more costly to make. Corrosion can be an issue, but it is manageable.

Loosely related, the best offer I've found thus far was a $150 min cutting fee (independent from materials cost) with a 12" square sheet of 14 gauge (desired thickness) 316 stainless costing $40. so $190 + tax whether I order one dog and ratchet set or 38 (the # that fits on the sheet). But I talked to them further and by no means does it need to be all the same part for that deal. There could be 20 different pieces on there for all they care. So in theory if others on here want parts of the same thickness we could split the order and everyone wins. I'm not sure if it even needs to be the same sheet. so perhaps other thicknesses are available too within that same min. Order.

I've been meaning to put something out to gauge interest.

A generous offer on your behalf. 

It is not unusual for it to take a couple iterations to get the parts right, and you may find yourself in the hole if folks get parts that don't fit or work quite right. Just about everyone here who has made custom parts has run into this.  The odds of getting this right for someone on their first foray into metal working and reel parts is a bit lower.  All sorts of unanticipated problems, like tolerances changing over the years in the parts you are trying to fit with.  You want your parts to fit snug, but not too snug.

If you want to get into the custom parts side-business, this is probably an easier part to try. If you just want to want to do some cost sharing of a one-time waterjet run, it could get messy.


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I have only done my own waterjet cutting and haven't sent out work, but I was under the impression that the cost for a shop job starts with a minimum job charge, but that does not include much if any cutting time.  The shop tacks on a per minute charge for the amount of time abrasive is running through the nozzle (cutting) as well.   So lots of tiny parts on a small sheet could add to the charge.

Switching stock size should incur another setup charge.   They have to generate a fresh set of cutting instructions from  a different DXF file, load stock, set the origin, nozzle height, yada yada.   

-J

[JasonGotaProblem]

Generic stainless hardware is going to be 303 or 304 (AKA 18/8).   Both should be good enough for a personal reel that you will maintain, just not best.  Some of the machined stainless parts in saltwater reels are 303, as 316 is more of a bear to machine, and therefore more costly to make. Corrosion can be an issue, but it is manageable.

Good enough but not best is a slippery slope. But heck I already have them. And i have a very ingenious plan for how I'm gonna cut these semi-precisely. It involves a 12 point socket, a saw blade on a track, and some additional steel washers that prevent from cutting past the desired mark, with 13/16" OD washers being the exact right size (steel being harder than brass i would feel it when i get that far and know to stop) but using a steel target washer is still an option it would just be less of a tactile indication.
An employee at the hardware store was saying bronze is better than brass for saltwater applications. A quick googling seems to agree. Thoughts? (They had bronze thrust washers of the perfect dimensions, so i bought a few)

A generous offer on your behalf. 

Not really, its fairly self serving. But I'm not a greedy person, i don't need to profit from everything i do for/with others.

It is not unusual for it to take a couple iterations to get the parts right, and you may find yourself in the hole if folks get parts that don't fit or work quite right. Just about everyone here who has made custom parts has run into this.  The odds of getting this right for someone on their first foray into metal working and reel parts is a bit lower.  All sorts of unanticipated problems, like tolerances changing over the years in the parts you are trying to fit with.  You want your parts to fit snug, but not too snug.

If you want to get into the custom parts side-business, this is probably an easier part to try. If you just want to want to do some cost sharing of a one-time waterjet run, it could get messy.

Way to rain on my parade. Just kidding, you bring up valid points. My work has switched me to hourly with overtime, so frankly I'd be amazed if a sales based side gig could generate anywhere near the income that i could get if i spent that time doing more of my actual work. Thinking of it that way (which is something i prefer not to do) I've already blown hundreds of dollars on this and should really try to wrap it up.

I have only done my own waterjet cutting and haven't sent out work, but I was under the impression that the cost for a shop job starts with a minimum job charge, but that does not include much if any cutting time.  The shop tacks on a per minute charge for the amount of time abrasive is running through the nozzle (cutting) as well.   So lots of tiny parts on a small sheet could add to the charge.

Switching stock size should incur another setup charge.   They have to generate a fresh set of cutting instructions from  a different DXF file, load stock, set the origin, nozzle height, yada yada.   

-J

Didnt consider that re: different thicknesses so nevermind on that. But the way it was told to me the min charge included all of that and that cutting 38 sets on one sheet still didn't reach the minimum. So the cost is minimum plus metal cost. Maybe they're just being generous, or not nickel and diming because they are new and want more work? I dunno. All i can go by is the quote i was given.

[Keta]

[JasonGotaProblem]

Where ya been all my life? Sending pm