Hi there, Ive been getting some mail off list asking about sources of
supply. Here’s some North American ones. There are great supplier lists at:
http://www.ids.net/~slvrsmth/goods.htm
A great metals sources page (some of my contributions too)
http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/edu/arts/metal/ArtMetal.html
The ArtMetal Project-a must visit for metals people. check the sources pages
http://www.thomasregister.com:8000/home.html
Thomas Register, a great service and company finding site.
Some useful addresses for equipment, materials and information
from ‘Cheap Thrills in the Tool Shop’ Lewton-Brain
Bonny Doon Enterprises, 250 Tassett Court, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060,
1-800-772-3456: the best hydraulic press system around for small studios
and goldsmiths.
Braun Architectural Metals, 7540 McCormick Boulevard, Skokie, Illinois,
60076: Ornamental stampings in steel with great choice and low minimum
orders.
Busy Bee Machine Tools, 475 North Rivermede Road, Concord, Ontario L4K
3R2, (416-738-1292): Good prices on machine tools and accessories for wood
and metal work. A Canadian version of Industrial Pipe and Steel.
Casting Specialties, W 51 N 545 Struck Lane, Cedarburg, WIS 53012,
(414-377-4361): Cast semi steel hammer set; unfinished (94.00), also set of
T stakes, 8 for $130 and vertical set at $102. Can be hard to get hold of
but I have a set and so do others. The price is right even if the service
may be a little loose.
Dixie EMS catalog, PO Box 55549, Houston, Texas, 77255, USA: Medical and
safety equipment like you never knew existed, great prices on band aids and
medical aids.
Eastwood Company, 580 Lancaster Avenue, Box 3014, Malvern, PA, 19355,
1-800-345-1178: Delrin® hammers, metal and body working tools.
Karl Fischer GMBH, Berliner Strasse 18, PF 567, Pforzheim, 7530 Germany:
Very good tools and prices, s/s and gold findings, bench hammer/red chasing
pitch/black setters pitch. Order anything heavy by surface mail. Ask for
the English catalog too.
Frei and Borel 119 - 3rd Street, Oakland, CA, 94607, USA 510-832-0355,
good tools, great hammer selections and friendly people.
G and G’s Miracle House, 5621 West Hemlock, P.O. Box 23234, Milwaukee, WI
53223: Good prices on gold solders, occasional sales.
GRS, Glendo Corp., P.O. Box 1153, Emporia, Kansas 66801, (316-343-1084):
Heavy duty beautifully made tools designed for the professional goldsmith:
Benchmate/inside ring clamp and more. I highly recommend the Benchmate
system.
Harbor Freight Salvage, 3491 Mission Oaks Blvd, Camarillo, CA 93010:
(Service USA only), Cheap drill sets, 12 ton press under $130, tarps, free
freight, goods are returnable.
Industrial Pipe and Steel, 9936 E. Rush Street, So. El Monte, CA 91733,
(714-523-4191): Machine tools for metal-working of all kinds, cheap quality
miniature lathes.
J.I. Morris, 394 Elm Street, Southbridge, Mass 01550: Miniature nuts and
bolts sold by the gross. Another source is Walthers which can be found in
model train stores.
Susan Kingsley, 20 Ton Press, PO Box 222492, Carmel, CA, 93922, USA: source
for Hydraulic die forming for Jewelers and Metalsmiths, a good book on the
subject.
Lewton-Brain/Fontans Centre for Jewellery Studies, Suite 300 A, 815 1st St
SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 1N3, 403-263-3955 We offer custom workshops.
‘The Literature’, Derek Content, Crow Hill, Houlton, Maine 04730: A
librarians dream bibliography and sales catalog of rare jewellery history
catalogs/books, ancient technology. A real connection for scholars and
researchers as well as technophiles.
Lucas Dental Equipment company, 18 Herkimer Place, Brooklyn, NY,
11216-2714, USA. 718-789-2604 or 1-800-332-5573. Great flex shafts in
limited quantities.
Barbara J. McCartin, PO Box 191, North Sutton, N.H , 03260, USA: Great
hand made welded steel hydraulic 20 ton press for 200.00 plus shipping. A
superb price.
Tim McCreight, Brynmorgen Press, 33 Woodland Road, Cape Elizabeth, Maine,
04101, USA: Excellent selection of affordable books. Ten of the same book
is wholesale.
Merit Abrasive Products, 201 West Manville, Compton, CA 90224,
(213-774-6650): Industrial grade abrasives, shop rolls for flex shaft
mandrels, catalog teaches by detailed action photos.
Micro-Mark, 340 Snyder Ave, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922, (201-464-6764):
Neat miniature model-making tools, cute power tools, great sales on drill
bits; odd tools.
New World Books, 2 Cains Road, PO Box 89, Suffern, New York, 10901, USA:
any book in print in North America at 10 to 30% (or what seems like more)
off.
Reactive Metals Studio, P.O. Box 890, Clarkdale, Arizona 86324: Good source
for ‘Sparkie’ fusion welder, anodizers, titanium/niobium, ready made
mokume, etc.
The Reliable Corp., 1001 West Van Buren, Chicago, IL 60607: Good prices,
fast service on office supplies, computer stuff, good sales. Service USA
only.
Revere Academy, Suite 900, 760 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102,
USA, Professional Goldsmithing, the best training book in English at this
point.
Rio Grande, 6901 Washington NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, (800-545-6566):
Good source, prices fair but wide range and up to date technology. Fast
service.
Shel-tech, 4207 Leas SE, Albuquerque, NM, 87108, 505-256-7073: Pancake die
makers.
Small Business Reports, PO Box 53140, Boulder, Co., 80322-3140, USA,
serious for business, I also recommend Inc Magazine. (Thanks to
T. Mann)
Small Parts Inc., P.O. Box 381736, Miami, FL 33138, Stainless steel hard
drawn wire; nesting tubing; various ball bearings; titanium hardware, low
melting metal alloys.
Thompson Enamels, 650 Colfax Avenue, Bellevue, KEN 41073, (606-291-3800):
(or P.O. Box 310, Newport, KY 41072): Enamels, gold foil for Keum-Boo.
TSI Inc., 101 Nickerson, P.O. Box 9266, Seattle, WA 98101, (800-426-9984):
Great starter draw plate at $3.50; polish holes with toothpick in flex
shaft, cheap sawblades at $6 a gross. Also a combination hex, triangle,
square plate for 11.00.
US Industrial and Scientific, 601 Linden Place, Evanston, Il 60202: Kind
of like having Canal Street through the mail, good deals on odd things;
beauty copy writing.
Williams Low Buck Tools, 4175 California, Norco, CA 91760, (714-735-7848):
Stock car building tools, great prices on sturdy tools, lever punch press
for standard dies.
Robert Wooding, Dry Ridge Co, PO Box 18814, Erlanger, Kentucky, 41018, USA:
Good stonesetting books meant for the professional with lot of pictures. An
order of ten books gets a great discount. The best in English
at this point in time.
Young Manufacturing, 2131 42 St. North, Grand Forks, ND,
(701-722-5541):Miniature bench belt sander (‘Zippee’), @ $79, discounts
available at 8 units, mine is great.
Brain Press
Box 1624, Ste M
Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7
Canada
tel: 403-263-3955
fax: 403-283-9053
Email: @Charles_Lewton-Brain