Aluminium Dog Tag Blanks?

[Zoot]

As a drought relief fundraiser, the local CWA (Country Women's Association) are running a craft exhibition and have asked if I could take my Widgetmaster along and make customised dog tags.
I am a real newbie as some will know, but have made nice dogtags for my 2 beautiful labradors that were seen and admired by a CWA spy! I cut my tags out of 1.6mm flat aluminium from Bunnings, but was thinking that there must be someone who churns these out by the million with a stamping press.

The question is ... who is that person?! Have googled every conceivable variation, but can't find blank tags here in Australia and as the CWA do is only a week away, I can't get them from os.

Any suggestions ... apart from the obvious one of saying no! Anyone who has said 'no' to a CWA lady would know that it is very difficult!

Cheers,
Alan:no:

[snowyskiesau]

Have you tried trophy suppliers? They usually have tags for adding to larger trophies and these maybe suitable for your needs.

[Greolt]

This is the best I could find on the net.
(http://www.lrl.com.au/)
Leo Rogaly & Lewis Pty Ltd (http://www.lrl.com.au/)
46-48 McCauley Street
Alexandria NSW 2015
02-9699-8422
fax: 02-9319-6759

Greg

[rodm]

There are 138 listings for buying dog tags on ebay. Hopefully you will be able to get something close you can pick up.

[Zoot]

Thanks Greolt, I will ring then and see if they supply blanks ... their web address does not seem to work.

Also thank you Rodm. The ebay listings seem to only be from people who actually provide engraved tags or from people with fancy enamelled tags selling for $10 plus. I am hoping to pick up just straight anodised blanks for 30 or 40 cents each. There are a number of US sites which sell them for that amount.

Anyway i will keep looking!

Cheers,
Alan

[rodm]

Sorry Alan,
I should have looked further into the listings.
Sounds like you have the Widgitmaster going. Would like to see photos if you can spare the time.

[Zoot]

Hi Rod,

Yes I do have the WM up and running but my original very old Dremmel died and have bought a Proxxon. This works well, but Eric Arnold did not have all the parts for the Proxxon mount, so am improvising at the moment. Also, I have not finished my Control Box. I started making it out of particle board, then thought that as a Boxmaker, I should have something special. So am making it out of red cedar with dovetailed corners and Rodm polished aluminium panels front and back.

As soon as it is respectable, i will post some pictures.

Cheers,

Alan

[Greolt]

Alan

Pics will be good. :U

Don't forget to put in an SSR to turn the Proxxon on and off.

Greg

[Zoot]

Greg

I would definitely put an SSR in, trouble is that I don't know what a SSR is!!!

I am presuming it is some sort of relay ... but whilst I can solder things, I need to have a 'recipe' to follow!! Could you please enlighten me (simply!).

Cheers,

Alan

[Greolt]

Alan

Solid State Relay

Have a look at this ebay number, 230274599245

They cost about $30 localy.

25 amps seems a lot but that is about as small as I have seen them.

You can make them with discrete parts but for that price why bother.

An output will provide sufficient power to switch these directly. Mechanical relays usually need more power to activate the coil.

The upshot of this is that your gcode will turn the spindle on and off.

At this stage you probably stand and watch the whole job being cut. That won't last long. Particularly jobs that run for ages. :no:

So turning off the spindle at jobs end is something you will come to appreciate. It won't interrupt watching your favourite episode of "Days of Our Lives" :roll:

Greg

[Zoot]

Looong story!
No I could not find any aluminium dog tag blanks anywhere in Australia ... ordered $50 worth from a company in the States only to be told a few days later that they have a minimum $150 order limit for international orders.

What to do ... Craft Show was approaching very quickly ... the following Saturday and they would not put it off for me!

My wife came up with a brilliant idea (comes from being married to me for 40 years plus!) and she brought home a few 3mm MDF door hanger plates ... Could I engrave these? Could I what! I could have cut them out with my next CNC machine, but alas it is still on the drawing board (or in the computer!) So then came the search for supplies of precut door hanger blanks. None in any local stores ... after a phone around, we could get 9 from Wollongong (1 hour to the east), 9 from Campbelltown ( 1 hour to the north) and I thought that I would need about 25. Again a guess on my part as at this stage I did not know how long they would take etc.
I told you that this was a long story! Anyway on d-day minus 4, Tuesday, I tracked down this company from Melbourne (Greolts and Crocky territority) and they would send me 24 door hangers and they would be with me on Thursday ... d-day minus 2. D-day minus 2 came and went and no blanks! Lunchtime d-day minus 1, a truck arrived with the blanks!
Into action ... SHMBO sanding and sealing with 50/50 PVA (as directed by Granny who knows about these things). Then I attacked them with the few acrylic paints that we had, generating a few interesting colour mixes along the way. Friday morning as well, I still had lots of wires around as I had not finished my Control Box with the dovetail corners that silly boxmaker had to have. Rushed Control Box completion whilst the paint was drying ... construction of a jig to make the production process smooth THEN

Saturday morning, off to the Craft Show for a 10am start and from then on I was flat out till packing up time at 4pm.

The door hangers were a great success ... I probably sold them too cheaply at $5.00 each, but I always had people watching including great grannies who kept coming back to watch the little thing doing its job ... young kids ususally jossling for position in front of the table and blowing the dust back at me so they could see their names appearing out of the dust!

Anyway I sold everything I had and regretted using a blank for my sign, as I could have sold that too!

To the piccies ... Widgitmaster on top of the control box ... am missing the extension plate for the Proxxon tool bracket ... Eric Arnold did not have any, so improvised and raised the working bed. Back and Front aluminium panels ... not brilliant and certainly not up to Rodm standards, but adequate and my first aluminium work ... photo of some finished door hangers ordered on day for me to deliver.

Sorry for such a long epistle!!

Cheers,

Alan

[Greolt]

Looong story! .............................
.
.
.
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.................................Sorry for such a long epistle!!



Not at all Alan. I enjoyed reading it. Door hangers look great.

Pretty nice control box too. :)

Greg

[rodm]

Worth waiting for.
Like the control box and Widgitmaster. Makes a great and compact unit.:2tsup:

[Buzza]

I've just discovered this machine. I want one Father Christmas . . if you read this. :)

[crocky]

Hi Alan,

Ripper story, well done :2tsup:

[WillyInBris]

Hey Alan keep the stories coming I enjoy a good read.

:2tsup:

[Zoot]

I think I should have changed the heading from dog tag blanks to door hangers, but what the heck!

Anyway, my efforts at the Drought Refief Craft Show did not go un noticed with this picture appearing in the Southern Highland News last Wednesday.

Cheers,

Alan

[crocky]

Well done :)

[rob_SOR]

By now you've either found a source for your dog tags or its too late.........

If not try one of the sheet metal shops - one with a CNC punch will throw out hundreds in aluminium or stainless. Holes 15 --> 30mm diameter are common for connectors in electronics manufacturing. They'd probably give them to you for a few dollars "morning tea money". You'll still need to drill the mounting hole.

[Zoot]

Thanks rob_SOR for the suggestion, but as you will notice earlier in the thread I went away from dog tags and made door hangers for the charity craft day I got roped into. They went very well and I am still getting orders about 3 weeks later!!

Cheers,

Alan

[Zoot]

Some time ago I was searching for a supplier of blanks for dog tags and for the life of me I could not find a supplier in Australia and the one supplier I found in the States wanted a minimum order of $500.00 if my memory serves me correct.

For some unknown reason I searched again today and found this company ... O'Brien Engineering, Nameplate Division. They are in Meadowbank in Sydney and supply everything that you may need for engraving. All sorts of name tags, pet tags, sheets of engraving plastic, aluminium, brass you name it! If you need anything along those lines, look them up ...

http://www.nameplates.com.au

Cheers,

Alan

[Greolt]

Good find Alan. :2tsup:

I have bookmarked that one for future use.

Greg