Urgent Attention: threaded rod factory closing very soon

[jhovel]

After searching all over the place for ACME or Trapezoidal threaded rods and matching nuts at a sensible price in mild or low carbon steel, I was being told by lots of people who should know better that they are not available anywhere 'ex stock' and are only available on 'special order' and similar nonsense etc...
Eventually I got a Melbourne phone number to call from a stainless steel threading manufacturer.
The number was for "M.P. Sinclair Pty. Ltd." at 12 Lens Street, North Coburg 3058 - phone 03 9354 2588, Fax: 9354 6760
I called and was given a price 'per foot' for whatever I needed - at very reasonable prices indeed!
I asked if I needed to order it in advance (given the advice I had previously), and was told that eveything I could want was in stock and would be cut off for me in any size up to 12 foot length.....
Today I went there to pick up a 3 foot length of 3/4"x6TPI and a bronze nut to suit - total price $60
When I arrived, I found a very old small factory in a small side street in an old industrial pocket area in an old Melbourne suburb. The only open door led me straight into the middle of a machine shop with LOTS of old lathes and milling machines (all 30's 40's and 50's machines or older). OH&S wasn' invented when this place opened 65 years ago.....
Threaded rods of all kinds and sizes all over the place in huge quantities!
Three elderly gentlemen were quietly busy messing with machines and doing maintenance.
Someone asked if I was Joe who who rang last week and told qanother that I was after 3' of right handed mild steel 3/4" threaded ACME and a nut - they remembered me! How nice.
The older of the three went to a rack and looked expertly at a jumbled mess of threaded rods. I asked if he had a piece with a blank end (3/4" diameter without thread)? Yes, he would find a piece "over there".
He found one a showed it to me - totally unpreturbed by me walking with him through the place ducking under gantries and squeezing between machines.... how refreshing!
He found what I was looking for and carried it to a cut off saw. As soon as he had cut it, he spotted a small flaw in the thread shape at one end and said "I think I'll have to give you a discount", if that piece is acceptable...." - it was.
We got talking, I thanked him for the friendly service and that I admired his machines and promised to come back.
He then said he was turning 90 on Monday, he was the owner and it was time to close shop for him after 65 years - "the writing is in the wall and I can't reach it any more to wash it off".

So, the place is closing either at Christmas or next June. Another piece of history going.....
His reduction of stock discount is 50% for any order of 10 length "and better".
Anyone here needing threaded rod of any kind - call them and get yourself a bargain. I dread to think what happens to it all when the time comes to close shop......

Cheers,
Joe

[neilw20]

Hi Joe,

I have known Matt for quite a few years.
He says he likes come to work to do his screwing!!! Always has a few old jokes ready.

At 90 I guess that is the better option.
OHS? What is that? And he still has most of his fingers.

It is a modern factory. Concrete floors have replaced the dirt years ago, although still a bit of dust has settled.

Well worth a visit, and there is probably something worth having.

Neil

[lsd0]

I have been there a few times myself and often wondered when he would "call it a day". Mat was always very helpfull and even showed me the method he used to sharpen Coventry diehead chasers individually using a home made fixture which I have copied and use regularly.

[VWSatOz]

I think it will be great if I can knock off at 90
Onlly 66 so far so still a baby?
I needed to log in her just to keep the CNCzone mob from knocking me off its perch, reckon I havnt made comment for blooming ages, so here I am.

Do I have an auction and sell all/most of the toys and retire to do zilch?

Where is Australia going will all the big mobs shutting down?

If Oz loses all us older engineers and the toolmaking skills just because all the stuff is coming cheaper from China who will be able to restart the show IF we ever have to?

What do all the rest of the workers in the WORLD do if the likes of China become the "factory" of the world?

USA Pommieland etc are all be affected same as we are, their economies and employment are in much worse than ours coz they dont sell coal to china at the rate of 16000 tons per HOUR!

[neilw20]

But we MUST really stop selling the farms, sugar industry, etc.
Do we need this type of engineering? http://www.hoax-slayer.com/13-story-...se-china.shtml
Unless they pipe water from the gulf to the south, we are had it, but I won't see it, hopefully.

[allrounder]

Neil, there are those selling stainless and brass threaded rod and tubing for the hydrogen powered vehicle conversions if your supply runs out. No idea where it's made. But don't worry about the kids getting the factories up and running again, the Chinese will invade us and look after that, and WE'll be the ones working for a bowl of rice a day. I know, it depresses me also. Our government wants everyone in front of a computer screen and nobody getting their hands dirty. A bit like the hospital without patients in "Yes, Minister". But I'm glad to see the continued interest in this forum, not so much down under, but at least in the US.
Worst comes to the worst, you can make your own rod on the lathe. Just need a good steady. I think modelmaking shops have small dia threaded rod. Might be a bit small for serious work, though.The price of the utilities and fuel are the biggest worries for us at the moment.

[D.L]

In response to 'VWSatOz',
Your wisdom is sound and it does expose an uncomfortable truth about Australian manufacturing. Being a bit of a crank myself, I've had my fair share of jobs and had the priviledge of working with some great people. When I left high school it was the late Hawke / early Keating era and manufacturing was booming, fitting and machining was a sought after trade by school leavers. Now, you can drive through any industrial estate in Melbourne and see maybe 3 in 15 factories with a 'for lease' sign out front and no sign of satuday work activeties, most school leavers want 30 to 40 bucks an hour and expect to walk into the top job without any experience, like bluffing in a poker match.
This is pretty much a summary off how things are at the moment.

[neilw20]

D.L

Where are you really.....
Can you PM me.
Using the subscriber list always returns DL_44012 and says you are in US
Try it..
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/members/d_l.html
I am in Melbourne also.
Neil

[D.L]

Hi Neil, I am in Melbourne, the DL44012's profile is somebody elses profile.
It could be an I.T issue since my username has a dot between the letters, D.L may show up to you as a filetype maybe (.L file extension), perhaps???
I am sure we spoke a little at the 11th cnc bbq which was quantum leap from the 10th which I showed up to as well, thanks again to Ben and all concerned.
So far as future bbqs go, I noticed Brisbane and Adelaide have, or are in the process of getting one up and running.
I wonder where it is all heading, I don't get to see that statisics that you and Ben would be able to collate, being moderators.
My cousin is quite well of and he recently bought a Fadal VMC for his carport in Cairns, I noticed Cairns too is organising a shindig but I'm unsure if my cousin is involved.
I am suitably jealous of his purchase!

[neilw20]

Hi D.L

I have complained of the database bug, but to no avail.
It seems that a dot and an underscore are treated the same.

Are you in this photo?

[D.L]

That looks the 10th one, I was late to arrive and early to leave but i recognise you and Ben on the right (viewers right). That bug is bit of a concern, but so long as the other person cannot post as me then no worries. (might have to edit username)
Back to the thread topic, i wonder if anybody has filled the void that M.P. Sinclair Pty. Ltd has left behind? I would imagine the chinese undercutting, but now they are easing inflation so they dont have a bubble, maybe the manufacturing conditions will pick up over here, here's to hoping.

[neilw20]

I can ring Matt tomorrow if you like, but can't PM you due to the bug.
Can you PM me?