Source of small metal sheet about 1.2 mm thick

Having a potential strategy to make up a small plate to fix the broken caravan locker mechanism, I now need to source some metal.

The existing components are nice steel and roughly 1.2 mm thick, so that seems a good starting point.

As usual, Google is not necessarily my friend.

My first thought was shim steel, but a quick search doesn't seem to go above 0.8 mm. Not sure about galvanised mild steel such as

I assume that aluminium would be lighter and easier to work with enough strength for this job.

I seem to remember chucking out all my spare bits of waste metal which might have come in useful as part of the ongoing tidy and downsize. Ah, well.

Possible candidates at 1-1.2 mm

Shim steel (possibly two bits each 0.6 mm thick)

Mild steel (galvanised?)

Some kind of sheet plastic

Doesn't have to be massively structural, it is mainly to spread the load and provide a backing to bond the broken bits of plastic onto.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David
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Answering my own post as usual, but I just noticed

A 50 mm x 50 mm sample of 1 mm perspex might just be big enough, and at £1.50 post free could be worth a punt.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David

I'd think about doing it in brass: easy to work, nice to look at, corrosion resistant, stronger than aluminium. 1.2 mm is 47 thou, this source has 32 or 64 (plenty more sources)

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Reply to
newshound

In message , David writes

When we built the boat almost all the stainless steel, aluminium and copper sheet came from scrapyards. We just climbed onto the piles of metal and selected suitable sizes and quality. Of course, I was a bit younger then, and maybe they were less in thrall to safety.

Reply to
Bill

For thin metal any food or drinks can with smooth sides?

Reply to
alan_m

I have cut up joist hanger in the past to make a metal fixing plate

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70p from Toolstation
Reply to
alan_m

That's a good call, I must remember that as I have a few kicking around in the box of "brackets which might be useful one day"

Reply to
newshound

I was going to suggest scrapyards, some will allow rummaging if you wear boots and hi viz vest and will then sell at so much a kilo (or pound)

Reply to
FMurtz

1.2mm is a standard size for some older car body parts (and maybe current too). Perhaps someone who repairs classic cars?

But look for a metal fabricator and ask them for offcuts.

B&Q also used to sell small steel sheets - but at a price more similar to gold.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Oh, gawd. I need a new box of memory pills!

This lists all the recent files uploaded.

I have just remembered (!) that the guide plate is eccentric; I am assuming that this is so the position of the locking rod (which goes behind the edge of the locker entrance) can be adjusted up and down and in and out.

This means that the plate(s) - I think I may need one each side - need to be free to rotate as well so can't be bonded to the repair.

At least I didn't realise this after fixing it!

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David

Which suggests that you keep the existing plates, patch behind the cracked/holed plastic using a metal plate (or equivalent) for strengthening. The large round hole can be achieved by drilling a series of small holes, cutting between them to remove the middle and then using a file for finishing. The two existing plates will now be further apart so use some longer screws/bolts.

Reply to
alan_m

1mm perspex is very weak - I wouldn't want to use it for anything structural. You'd probably want to look at 3-4mm minimum, but note that it fractures easily. I wouldn't use it for your application - metal is better.

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is our local metals place - they will cut and mail order, but you might also use the catalogue to find what sort of thing you want.

Theo

Reply to
Theo

[snipped]

How about epoxy glass sheet:

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- Mike

Reply to
Mike

Go round and check all the older road signs. Some of them are 2mm aluminium. Squirt the bolts with 3 in 1 while nobody's looking and go back in the night. Or, if you only need a small piece, have you got a battery jigsaw?

Burglar Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

Brass?

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Plastic? - check out 'pickguard material' used in guitar scratchplates

so many to choose from..

also Al and SS from these guys

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Thanks.

Ordered a couple of bits of perspex to play with. It can't be much weaker than the plastic moulding. :-(

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David

Interesting - thanks!

Reply to
David

Thanks - that is a useful resource.

Now, brass aluminium or stainless?

Aluminium is a bit more bendable, I think brass is a bit more fragile than aluminium or steel.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David

Thin perspex is. It's brittle and will tend to crack if you try and bend it with a tight radius.

Reply to
alan_m

It will be. Plastic mouldings of the sort you've described are flexible to an extent.

Perspex is a very old design of plastic and pretty brittle. It does have its uses, though.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

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