When aluminium bar is produced the drawing and rolling consolidates the material. This makes the material more dense and consistent than any casting. When you also consider that a casting will almost certainly have bubbles and voids in it, an iron made from a solid billet will be capable of a much more consistent temperature. Producing my irons from a billet, as I do, also allows me to produce custom shapes and one off tools which would not be possible if I were to cast them.

I make the bases for my bending irons from quality 18mm birch ply for a couple of important reasons. It is an inherently stable material and is employed in a rather harsh environment. Depending on your methods for bending sides, the base can be exposed to moisture as well as heat in use. If solid wood were used it is highly likely that it would cup and or shake. If it were to cup then it would not clamp securely to the bench, this could compromise safe use. Also the stresses applied to the iron in use are transferred through the base mounting bolts, the use of ply means that the material is strong in both directions and this means that it is not likely to split along the grain, in particular where there is the potential for short grain.

Yes I used to use preparatory die cast boxes bought from a third party. These were convenient at the time but were always a bit of a compromise. The aluminium cast boxes were only about 2mm thick and did flex, so I used to have to fit steel stiffening bars inside. The boxes that I used to use have increased significantly in price, but also the manufacturer reduced the size of the mounting lugs on the inside making them no longer fit for purpose. As I now have the facilities to TIG weld it is for more appropriate to custom make the boxes. They are now made from 3.2mm thick aluminium and have much larger mounting lugs. I also have the flexibility to make the boxes of any size and this is particularly useful for special custom irons.

I generally tell people to allow 3 weeks for the delivery of a custom iron as this gives me enough time to produce it and send it out. I can do this quicker so do let me know if your are in a particular hurry! When an order is placed I will contact you and let you know when you can expect it. I keep a stock of materials and components for all my standard size custom irons, but if you want something a little more unusual there may be a short delay while I source particular heaters and other material to suit you requirements.

Yes that isn’t a problem, you can select “collect in person” at the checkout and you will not be charged any shipping. However, I do not have a sales counter or a shop, please make an appointment to call.

Yes, I have a line of stainless steel truss rods I am working on at the moment. Also coming soon, circle cutters/rosette cutters, Radius dishes for forming guitar backs and sanding guitar linings and radius sanding blocks for shaping finger boards and saddles.

For sure, contact me through the methods listed above or click here and give me some details about your requirements. I can then prepare a quote for what you need

I am indeed, contact me and we can discuss what you want and what I can do for you.