Best place to buy brass keelband

[Ed]

Any clues as to best price to buy brass keelband?

Classicmarine have 1/2 at about £2.00 and 3/8 at £1.50ish a foot. Can we beat that?


More than happy to buy by the 3m length.

I need about (26-28ft) of wide 1/2 x 1/8in stuff for the jollyboat

and about 26ft of thin 1/8 x 1/8 for sculling boat.

I notice that Classic Marine don't do the really thin stuff. Any other ideas?

P&B do it, but at about £20 a metre.

I know that I have bought it cheaper before direct from a metal factors in London, but there must be someone else on the internet.

any clues or ideas?

cheers

eib

[Ancient Geek]

Ed, Years ago when I was into Dinghy DIY I used to get all sizes from 1/8th (Centreplate leading edge.) to 3/8" and no doubt could have gotten 1/2" or more from a metal merchant.
You must have one your way probably in Bristol, Plymouth or Truro. The price was by weight, but things being what they are no doubt with just in time inventory etc no one will have anything in stock anymore!

[Ancient Geek]

Try this I used to use them , may stuill be in business they have a web site!

http://www.lewisbrass.com/rodmix.htm#ha ... .htm#halfs

[Ed]

Cheers AG

I used to buy brass and other metal from a wonderful metal stockist called Fayes in Chiswick High Road. Beauty was you could buy anything by the foot rather than having to buy full 5m lengths. Actually the beauty was that it cost half the price of a marine stockist.

As you say there must be similar places in Bristol/Plymouth.....but so far I havn't tracked them down....hence the question.

the link you sent me looks good.....but the postage might be a bit steep from USA!

It might be a case of just getting out the yellow pages and ringing around.

As you say, it might well be sold per weight. A method of costing that I have always enjoyed, that has somehow, however erroneously, made me feel that I was getting a good deal.

The last roll of glass-fibre I bought was a rather high-spec 300g bi-axial cloth. I was rather worried about cost and thrilled when Wizz said "Oh same as all the glass....£whatever it was a Kg" and just weighed it.

I remember always being amused seeing all the anchors for sale in Greece where my father lived, in a pile under one sign giving their price in dracs per Kg. If you wanted to buy one, they would wip it up on the same scales they used for everything else from olives to rolls of leather twine.....next door to the vat of Metaxa ***, where you took your bottle to fill.....and then, you guessed it....weigh it to see how much it would be.

cheers

eib

[Ancient Geek]

Ah gentler times!
Re postage the Royal Mail is so avericious it sets our postage cost expectations rather high, you might find a courier from the USA reasonable, at least by comparison.
A year ago or so when I was "goforing" for Garry in the south (Agba Veneer, Rudders, spinnaker poles; etc.) I accidentaly found that first class letter post was cheapest of the Royal Mail rates for such things!

[Michael Brigg]

Surely A.G., back in those halcyon times before the Gotterdamerung you would have taken the "long pig" of the BBQ, and armed with a pair of bellows and the expertise one or two neighbouring Nibelung, rustled up a length of metal stem re-cycled from your sash weights!!??

[Ancient Geek]

Very witty Michael!
Sash weights went in the bin. (Domestic peace has ensued. -Though her absence in Roumania on business may have more to do with it.)
They were iron anyway.

Are you getting up a team for the Naval Field Gun Race at the Windsor Tournament - resurected from the now sadly defunct Royal Tournament.)