Useful site for Tufnol substitute, acetal etc

[Yorkie]

I was looking for some 2mm and 4mm thick Tufnol/Paxolin type sheet that I needed for the restoration of an Ekco AC77 and came across a useful site where I ordered two sheets described as 'Phenolic Sheet Tufnol Substitute' at a very reasonable price. It's arrived and looks fine for my requirements. I ordered brown sheet, but they also do black, and in various sizes.

A sheet of 4mm, 300mm x 200mm cost £3.99 +£1.79 p&p:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121001000101&var=420098681090

A sheet of 2mm thick 300mm x 200mm cost£2.65 + £1.39 p&p:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PHENOLIC-SHEET...ltDomain_3&var=&hash=item92b2762f72

It wasn't until after I'd ordered it that I realised the firm is located on an industrial estate in Hull, about five miles from me, and has been in business since 1971.

I know of course that 'Tufnol' comes in various specs according to what it's intended purpose is, (eg; 'whale' for electrical, others for gears etc), but this stuff is fine for my present needs, and the black would make an excellent substitute for 'Vulcanite' front panels for vintage crystal sets, and such purposes as replica sets.

Worth a look at the site to check out their other plastics.

Hope that's of interest.

[Joe]

Worth a look at the site to check out their other plastics.

Indeed so and I will when sober enough.

- Joe

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks David for adding this Tufnol substitute information.

http://www.directplastics.co.uk/tufnol-sheet

I buy from the above company and as the site is near enough I visit to collect. Upon my first visit years ago I enquired if they had any offcuts I could buy? Yes they had and I came away with a car load free of charge being told it was better for them to give me the offcuts than having to pay to dispose of them. I returned at a later date taking a selection of chocolates by way of thank you and obtained a few more useful offcuts of various materials.

I was assured that if I left my email address they would bag a lot of the offcuts up for me and let me know when to collect; I offered to pay but as this offer was rejected I said I would take along more chocolates.

Later still when I needed Whale Tufnol for headstock bearings I visited the site again and whilst there asked about offcuts? Sorry we don't do offcuts!!

Out of interest I've just checked Directplastics Whale Tufnol price for 4mm thick and a sheet 300mm x 300mm costs a rather expensive £11.88 inc VAT?

For normal workshop use the substitute will be sufficient whilst offering a huge saving.

Kind regards, Col.

[Yorkie]

In fairness to Direct Plastics, re the higher price, it is genuine Tufnol that they sell, in three grades including Whale and Kite, whereas the stuff I bought is billed as ‘Tufnol substitute’, but that said, it’s fine for my present needs.

'Direct Plastics' seems to be the name that the Barkston Group Ltd established in 2005 for online trading, and they do a lot of business on internet. Barkston have a local branch in Hull and I have a chum who has a trade account with them. I didn't know the two firms were one and the same until I got an online quote for a sheet of polycarbonate for a chip-guard for our club’s lathe. My chum also got a quote on his trade account at Barkston, expecting it to be less, but if fact it was quite a bit more. He remonstrated with them saying he could get it much cheaper online from a firm called Direct Plastics and was told: ‘Oh, that’s us’. He asked why the huge difference in price, and was told that online, people can instantly compare prices with competitors so their prices online had to be much keener. Noting his indignation, they let him have it for the internet price. Locally, they don't so much trade on price, but on convenience and local service, which comes at a price.

I think we've come to take for granted how convenient it is to shop around on internet compared to yesteryear when we used to have to thumb through Yellow Pages, make phone calls, and so on. Who would have though not so many years ago that by now, we'd routinely be sourcing stuff from the world over, and buying it with a few mouse clicks? Radio magazines from the 1980s and beyond often had a 'Can You Help? column where people asked for copies of circuits - maybe waiting months for their plea to be published, and possibly not getting a response. Now, such circuits are almost all on one DVD, and on websites such as the BAMA archive and DKMODS etc.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks David; yes it is now so easy to sit at a computer and browse for best prices. As you say though convenience comes at a price but having said that Screwfix appear to be doing OK whilst having their stores open for extended periods whilst retaining fair prices.

Genuine Tufnol is expensive stuff so if such high specification isn't needed than a big saving can be made using the Tufnol substitute.

Direct Plastics which I visit is only a small industrial unit; my last purchase was for round Whale Tufnol which I will eventually make new headstock bearings from for my second Myford Lathe; I've already made and used Tufnol bearings in my first Myford lathe and they work very well indeed.

Unfortunately many stores are now closing due to online shopping being so much cheaper; I was actually standing in a local store whilst wanting to buy a Fein Multimaster Top and had £220 cash in my hand which was rejected so I bought the same machine together with the same accessory kit for under £210 online with free next day delivery. This didn't make sense to me because I was willing to pay over £10 more for the same machine at the store and this would have saved postage and packing ; the store lost a customer and I ended up saving over £40 on this one transaction.

No one wants to see stores close but then no one wants to pay considerably more for items when there is such a convenient alternative as online shopping.

Kind regards, Col.