Thin Gage Aluminum Supplier

[bob carnie]

I have embarked on a very long project of using aluminum for a support for multiple register.

Right now I have found a supplier for 25 thousand gage aluminum , but frankly its a bit thick to punch and register.. it works but I think thinner gage would be much better.

I am thinking 16thou or 20thou... Can any one help me in locating a vender who one would like to sell large sheets cut to various sizes and also someone close to Ontario Canada.

[Mark Sawyer]

Wet platers generally order .020 aluminum through Main Trophy in Chicago. It comes in 12x24 or 24x48 inch sheets.

[Richard Wasserman]

What about aluminum shim stock? Mcmaster Carr has it, but I would think you should be able to buy it locally. Starts at .001 and goes up from there.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#shim-stock/=we6ykw

[Drew Wiley]

Yeah, shim stock. But you could also contact Ternes-Burton (kinda the Midwest equivalent to Olec-Stoesser). They make custom bars for punches based on shim
stock registration, and must know a source relatively close. They're friendly and helpful.

[Michael Rosenberg]

Here are a couple:

http://www.micromark.com/

http://www.micro-tools.com/store/

Mike

[bob carnie]

Thank you all .. Yes shim stock.. never heard of this... I just got a couple of names here in Toronto that may be able to help me out..

Is it practical for me to cut it myself from oversize and if so how would I do it or what kind of tool would I need to do this . I am thinking .020 or better .016 if it works

I am currently making 11 x14 inch size,,, then moving up to 16 x20 and 20 x24 size, largest my Nu Ark can handle

but I want to be able to go up to 24 x36 within a year.. It would be very helpful to cut it myself. Am I crazy to think this is possible?

btw just in the middle of 30 tri colour over palladium and guess what... the f.. process is working and I am getting good registration.. I knew my years doing photocomp and hand registering
would come in handy.
This paticular project is 30 images - we have mounted Arches Platine to aluminum (thank you Irving Penn for leading the way) punched the aluminum.
Made a master positive with registration marks, and made palladium neg, yellow neg , magenta neg and cyan neg of all for a total of 150 sheets of pictorico
Then we hand registered each film to the positive and we are finished the palladium , yellow and now into magenta layers and its working.. thank my fu... lucky stars.

the .025 was just a bit thick , think I will screw up my punch over time.. thank you Sandy King.. I got a great deal from you..

[mdarnton]

Aluminum is very easy to cut because it's very soft as metals go. If you were using something thin enough, you could use a matte knife and straight edge, or guillotine-style paper cutter. They will dull and need resharpening sooner than with paper, of course but it's not too hard. It depends how thick it is. In thick sheets, which you won't be doing, you can use normal woodworking tools--band saw and hand plane, for instance. Get a couple of test sheets, and play.

[Drew Wiley]

No... not woodworking tools! (ragged edges). For thin shims even a Rototrim will work; otherwise a knife, preferably in some kind of linear mechanism. Thicker
material I'd sandwich between plywood and use my Festool track saw, or a real power sheet shear (almost sold one two hours ago until I told the dude the price.
Now he needs an ambulance).

[IanG]

Get the real stuff Bob, Aluminium, Canada is one of the largest manufacturers

I used to buy quite a few 8x4 ft sheet a year, these days I buy it to make Waterhouse stops. I used 2mm Aluminium sheet to make Pin register negative carriers in the 70's but used a drill not a punch.

Ian

[Nathan Potter]

Bob, a machinists shear is a clean way to go for cutting. Long term you can buy these used for cheap. They come in various lengths from 24 in. to 8 ft. and work like a bending brake, but cut rather than bend. Talk to a machinist. The surface of aluminum is very fragile - but you may have already found that out. I protect the surface with paper and just cut the paper at the same time.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.