Subject: Titanium

From: Bob Bigelow <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 18:26:40 -0700

Hi all,
   Those looking for a source of Titanium bar to forge, and some other
neat stuff, like brass square and round bars and plate aluminum, call
800-833-1259 and ask Shapiro Supply Co. for their catalog.
  The 1996-96 edition, received today, lists titanium solid round in
diameters up to 2 inches, at 65.00 per foot.  They also have delrin up
to 1", Nylon up to 2 1/2", and teflon solid round up to 1 3/4".
  Might be a nice place to deal with, they have grab bags, and "deal
boxes" of assorted stuff, and they also deal in a funny steel tube I 
would like to experiment with, it looks like an airplane wing in cross
section, but much smaller, steel, but probably useful where something
needs to be aerodynamic.  
  I havn't dealt with them yet, a little short this month, so I would
be interested in hearing your experiences.
  The catalog states that some prices are per foot for lengths up to
three feet, so maybe they'll cut little pieces for you, or at least
not demand that you order full bars.  UPS will ship up to nine feet of
most materials, no matter what the weight.
  Hope this helps someone, their catalog kind of fell into my lap.
  Bob

---

From: "[email-masked] 415.855.5707" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 07:57:54 -0800 (PST)

Shapiro is located in my ex-hometown of St. Louis, Mo.  They were always a cool
place to wander around (if you think they have a lot of weird stuff in their
catalog you should see what they have laying around!)  They were planning on
moving when I left for California a couple of years ago, but at the time they
were in a rough section of town in a building that looked sort of bombed-out. 
None the less they were *always* nice folks to deal with.  And I've been
wanting to use some of that streamline tubing for years myself, to make a-arms
for a hot rod independent suspension.  Wouldn't you know it, the car I'm
building now uses old (1930's) Ford junk because it is a "nostalgia" styled
car.  Oh well, next time...

---

From: Jim McCarty <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 01 Aug 1996 13:50:38 -0500

> car.  Oh well, next time...

If you get to Shapiros you can pick up a wad of stuff and find one of 
there workers (who probably earn minimum wage) and ask them what the 
price is and they will say $5 and stuff it in their pocket. Whether it 
ever gets to the cash register is a matter of opinion. This is the 
place to find your exotic steels for that odd punch or chisel you 
need. Well worth finding them. Think I heard they moved, but don't 
know how they would move all that stuff!
-- 
Jim McCarty
Father Helias Forge
Taos, MO
Editor Rural Missouri Magazine
Newsletter editor, Blacksmiths Association of Missouri

³Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds³