Tremorfalcon
09-19-2008, 11:38 AM
The Story:
After looking all around my town (Van Wert, Ohio). I couldn't find any stainless steel blank wall plates anywhere. I went to walmart, ace hardware, Doit Best, and carter lumber. I could only find the stainless steel plates with a hole for a switch and those were magnetic! I can't find the plates on the Home Depot website. I found some on the Lowe's website, $1.69 for 302 SS blanks. Not bad...but then it said the nearest Lowes (Lima, OH) didn't have them available at the store it said online only! I talked to the DoIt best guy, and he could order some for $1.89 each and they'd be here by next thursday. But thats a whole week and I had no way of knowing what type of SS it was and whether it was magnetic or not.
I thought I was gonna have to settle for the home depot ones.
Then I thought of one place I hadn't checked. Century Trading Company. They definitely aren't the cheapest place around, but I figured I'd call the store and ask just in case. They didn't have any at the store, but they suggested I check in the metal scrapyard outback. I drive out there and start shifting through the stainless steel pile. I found one plate about the size of a wall plate! I was excited...but then I couldn't find anymore.
The Steal on Steel:
Then I found the perfect solution. A piece of stainless steel. 1mm thick, 5 inches wide, and 34.75 inches long. I could make ten 5"X3.475" pieces of stainless steel! How much? $1.50 per pound. How much did it weigh? 4 Pounds. With tax, it came out to $6.42 for 10 plates! How much would it have cost me from Doit Best? $18.90. I'd definitely say, I made a good deal. Now I know how those people who sell HHO plates on ebay make there money. Get it from a scrap yard cheap, cut it themselves, and sell each plate for what they paid for a whole set of 10. Oh, and what grade was it? No idea, do I care? Not really, why you ask? Because I brought the biggest magnet I had with me (it picked up 110 pounds once when I was testing it) and I put it on there, and it wasn't even slightly magnetic.
I just got 10 plates of non-magnetic stainless steel for $6.42, I can't wait to get them cut and start building the generator.
After looking all around my town (Van Wert, Ohio). I couldn't find any stainless steel blank wall plates anywhere. I went to walmart, ace hardware, Doit Best, and carter lumber. I could only find the stainless steel plates with a hole for a switch and those were magnetic! I can't find the plates on the Home Depot website. I found some on the Lowe's website, $1.69 for 302 SS blanks. Not bad...but then it said the nearest Lowes (Lima, OH) didn't have them available at the store it said online only! I talked to the DoIt best guy, and he could order some for $1.89 each and they'd be here by next thursday. But thats a whole week and I had no way of knowing what type of SS it was and whether it was magnetic or not.
I thought I was gonna have to settle for the home depot ones.
Then I thought of one place I hadn't checked. Century Trading Company. They definitely aren't the cheapest place around, but I figured I'd call the store and ask just in case. They didn't have any at the store, but they suggested I check in the metal scrapyard outback. I drive out there and start shifting through the stainless steel pile. I found one plate about the size of a wall plate! I was excited...but then I couldn't find anymore.
The Steal on Steel:
Then I found the perfect solution. A piece of stainless steel. 1mm thick, 5 inches wide, and 34.75 inches long. I could make ten 5"X3.475" pieces of stainless steel! How much? $1.50 per pound. How much did it weigh? 4 Pounds. With tax, it came out to $6.42 for 10 plates! How much would it have cost me from Doit Best? $18.90. I'd definitely say, I made a good deal. Now I know how those people who sell HHO plates on ebay make there money. Get it from a scrap yard cheap, cut it themselves, and sell each plate for what they paid for a whole set of 10. Oh, and what grade was it? No idea, do I care? Not really, why you ask? Because I brought the biggest magnet I had with me (it picked up 110 pounds once when I was testing it) and I put it on there, and it wasn't even slightly magnetic.
I just got 10 plates of non-magnetic stainless steel for $6.42, I can't wait to get them cut and start building the generator.