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Product Description
Before you buy your first, or next, set of utility
articles, I urge you to shop around. When shopping, here are a few things that you should consider.
Ends
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My metal ends are 1/8 inch thick – that’s
twice the thickness of the 1/16 inch ends found on many articles.
In my opinion, 1/16 inch thick aluminum is flimsy.
It can actually be bent by hand.
Additionally, the corners of my 1/8 inch ends are nicely rounded,
and the edges are finished smooth to the touch.
My
leather ends are cut from natural-colored sole leather.
When I buy leather hides, I always try to purchase the thickest,
and thereby, the heaviest hides available.
Because hides are sold by weight, this results in maximum cost to
me--but more importantly, maximum quality to you.
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Bars
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All bars,
both leather and metal, are solid aluminum.
The bars for the leather articles are wrapped with leather.
There is no overlap. About
20 different wrapping colors are available.
Click here to view available colors. |
Numbers
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Articles are numbered
0-5. Click here to view available
colors. |
Assembly
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This
is truly where my articles standout from the competition.
After drilling a hole down the center of each bar, the hole is
threaded (tapped) to receive a 10-32 machine thread screw.
The 10 refers to the thickness of the screw.
The 32 indicates the number of threads per inch on the screw.
I even thread the hole in the center of each end.
After both the ends and the bars have been tapped, they are screwed
together. A cup shaped,
neoprene coated, sealing washer is inserted between the
end and the head of the screw to prevent over-tightening and protect
against stripping the threads. I
do not use glue or epoxy to secure the ends to the bars. When you use machine thread screws, gluing is simply not necessary.
My
competitors will tell you that they also use screws. This, however,
is where the similarity ends. When shopping around, make sure that
you ask--What kind of screws do you use? As explained above, I use
machine thread screws. I do not use self-tapping, sheet metal
screws.
Because
sheet metal screws are self-tapping, they involve a lot less labor.
Unfortunately, they just don't do the job. Stated more specifically,
the ends readily loosen. That's why most of my competitors use glue
or epoxy. Worse yet, sheet metal screws strip or break very
easily--a problem which cannot be fixed.
Be
especially careful with respect to the assembly of leather articles.
Many of my competitors wrap leather over wooden bars. The leather
ends are then secured to these wooden bars with wood screws.
Unfortunately, if the glue bond breaks--it's all over. You'll find
it next to impossible to tighten the ends. Once again, the bars on
my leather articles are solid aluminum. The leather ends are secured
to the bars with machine thread screws.
Here's
the bottom line. If the ends of my articles loosen, you simply
re-tighten them. I do not use sheet metal, wood or
"special" screws which make re-tightening an impossible task. |
Repairs
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I’ve been in this business for nearly seven years.
During this time, I have never been asked to repair an article that
I manufactured. If, however, your dog decides to turn an article into a chew
toy, this can be fixed. Replacement
parts (new bars or ends) are readily available. |
Replacement
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I
have, on occasion, been asked to replace lost articles.
To determine the price of a single article (leather or aluminum)
simply divide the current full set price
by 12. Click here for the current
price list. |
Delivery
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Allow
2-4 weeks for delivery. All
orders shipped via U.S. Postal Service. |
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