Great Sheet Metal Guy In Los Angeles

[bluebird]

Just wanted to share the info for the metal guy I use to make chassis. He also does chassis for Chandler, BAE, Summit, and more I can't think of now.

His company is called WHL Sheetmetal and its located in Sun Valley California. This is not really a one off place, but they do small runs. The more you get the cheaper it gets. I think the prices are great. Its all vintage bending and punching machines.  They work in aluminum, steel or Copper. He also does mu-metal boxes for transformers but you have to supply the mu-metal for that. They can send your boxes out to get painted, plated or silkscreened if so required. They do welding as well.
If your interested in getting a product going, give them a call. Jason can help get a good chassis box together from just a hand drawn product on a piece of paper, or a professional CAD file.  Just a really nice guy.  Please only inquire if your serious about having something made. They are a small business and time is valuable.

Phone is (818) 768-6261

Took a picture of Jason in front of a bending machine last time I was there

 

[john12ax7]

Excellent,  thanks for the info.  Do you know ballpark quantities that it would make sense to use them,  10, 100, more?

Also about capabilities,  are things usually punched,  milled,  or something else?

 

[scott2000]

Well I see where joemeek  ganked their color....lol


HI blue!


Thanks!!

 

[pucho812]

nice.  Have you never used Hamilton metal craft?

 

[JohnRoberts]

Took a picture of Jason in front of a bending machine last time I was there

Not to be overly pedantic but that is called a "brake" or hydraulic brake. 

Keep your fingers out of the dies. 

JR

 

[pucho812]

Not to be overly pedantic but that is called a "brake" or hydraulic brake. 

Keep your fingers out of the dies. 

JR

tommi Iommi worked in a machine shop. I believe that was the machine that lopped off his finger tips. Well it was something similar for sure.

 

[JohnRoberts]

tommi Iommi worked in a machine shop. I believe that was the machine that lopped off his finger tips. Well it was something similar for sure.

It's hard to live this many decades without seeing lots of such results. One childhood friend's younger brother cut off a finger tip with a lawnmower and grew back a fingernail on the wrong side.  Another kid in town blew off a finger trying to fill up a CO2 cartridge with gunpowder (bad idea, do not try that at home). I even had an older brother almost finger-tip himself on a table saw being sloppy... I had many bad examples to learn from.

Most modern machinery, made in the last 75 years(?) has protective lock outs that require both hands on buttons simultaneously to operate. Back in the 60s I had a coop job working QC for a sintered metal factory. Besides the relatively high tech sintering and semiconductor technology (strain gauges), they also ran a low tech cut-off shop in the back where workers operated cut-off saws to make lots of short parts, from fewer longer parts. These workers were often paid piece-work or paid per piece, so more parts cut, means more pay. Clearly working this way, workers are highly motivated to cheat two hand lock outs.

One cheat I heard about was holding one button down with an elbow, freeing up the forearm and hand to feed parts, for faster through-put. I also heard about just taping one button down but never saw that done either.  A number of older workers in the back were missing all or part of one or more fingers from working back in the good old days before safety standards were ramped up. I heard lots of horror stories including deaths. 

I spent two HS summer vacations working in a machine shop while I was still legally under age  : ( I hope the statute of limitations has expired in case i get investigated). Respect for heavy machinery was instilled in me from an early age.

JR

 

[pucho812]

Not a machine shop story, but a good one about being careful. I had a drummer in the studio once who, well, this is his story.

" I used to play with dynamite, every 4th of July"  Used to is the key word here. "Well one 4th, we were doing the dynamite.  The fuse went too fast..." He blew off half of his arm,  IIRC it was his left.  So a little past the elbow was a nub.  The dynamite went off in such a way that it blew all his fingers on the hand that stayed attached, his right arm and hand, all the way back and shot his thumb from that hand  through his eye. His fingers were so mangled that although still attached, the doctors couldn't do anything with them.  In the end, he managed to figure out how to hold a stick with his right hand that is mangled and he had a machine shop make a contraption to hold a stick with his left nub.  He is on permanent disability and spends his days playing drums. One of the better drummers I ever worked with. But talk about crazy. I never met the guy or knew anything until the day he walked in. I tried not say anything or gaze. It was hard to do.  I helped move equipment in and set up. Wasn't until lunch when  he told me what happened.