May 2024 Newsletter
May 1, 2024 (Newsletters)

FIRE SALE

Check out the latest items that have been added to the Fire Sale:

1/2" Round CA 360 Brass, 36" Long

On Sale for $17.18.

20ga. (.036") 304 Stainless Steel Sheet #8 Finish,
24" x 48"

On Sale for $82.29.

1/4" x 3/4" A-2 Tool Steel Flat, De-Carb Free, 13-7/8" Long

On Sale for $14.32.

Not what you're looking for? We have dozens of other items available now:

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

This month we're featuring a project by customer Alan West, who used the metal he got from Speedy to customize his HF portable bandsaw.

He says:

"Most of you are familiar with the HF Portable Bandsaw. It is what it is. An inexpensive tool that with judicious use it might just do what it is designed for. It sure beats a hack saw and doesn't rattle everything off the bench like a reciprocating saw.

"If you are like me (I think most of you are) you just can't leave well enough alone. So, I turned it into a portable/miter/vertical saw. It's completely convertible. Three thumb screws remove the unit from the stand. One nut removes the saw from the base. Two screws mount the table for vertical cutting. It actually cuts fairly true.

"I bolted the torsion arm from my X2 clone to the saw and used 1" ID square tube for the pivot. This was then welded to the base of 1/8" hot roll sheet reinforced with 3/8" bar stock. The vise is a cheap HF drill press vise that is bolted and index pinned to another piece of 1/8' hot roll sheet which was then bolted to the base. The base was then slotted to allow the vice to pivot from 90 deg to 45 deg. Using my favorite 3d plotter (carboard boxes) I went through several designs before I found the shape I needed for the spring loaded lift stop arm. A third piece of 1/8" hot roll was welded to the work stop that came with the saw for use as a table when in the vertical position and two rubber grommets in the pivot support hold the allen wrench. All this rests on six feet made from 3/4" lengths of 5/16"-18tpi coupler nuts with rubber chair leg caps. Three of which have holes punched in them the facilitate mounting the unit to a stand.

"You can't see in the photos but the base is stamped for graduations form 90 to 45 deg. and I am still debating whether I will mount a stop switch on it."

Want to see your work featured here? Send us an email at newsletter@speedymetals.com.

You can also check out other great customer projects on our blog or on our Facebook page.

What You're Saying:

"Thank you so much for the precision and speed of your service. This is our second order from Speedy Metals and we continue to be very pleased with the service. You are terrific. Thanks."

-Jan

Did You Know...?

...that scientists have found (another!) way to efficiently make hydrogen from water?

Turning trash into treasure through nanotechnology

Electrolysis of water is one of the most promising methods of green hydrogen fuel production; however, the process requires large (and expensive) quantities of precious metals. But now researchers at the University of Nottingham have discovered that metal waste or swarf can be used to help dramatically decrease the amount of precious metal necessary for electrolysis.

The researchers used a scanning electron microscope to examine the seemingly smooth surfaces of the stainless steel, titanium, or nickel alloy swarf. To their surprise, these metal wasteproducts had microscopic grooves and ridges, along which platinum atoms could be embedded as nanoparticles. Just 28 micrograms of platinum were needed to cover a square centimeter of swarf, and they were able to create a "laboratory-scale electrolyser that operates with 100% efficiency and produces 0.5 litres of hydrogen gas per minute." One of the researchers who developed the technique says, "Firstly, it enables the production of green hydrogen using the least amount of precious metal possible, and secondly, it upcycles metal waste from the aerospace industry, all in a single process."

Learn more in the full article here.

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