What I can't figure out is why you don't just call the office!!!
So you all know!
1.) We have our own color code and it is available any time you need it. We send out a chart with all the colors with every order. We will also have it on the web site complete very shortly.
2.) CPM steels are rolled and stamped with 2 numbers. They show the tolerance's. Niagara, the company that rolls all the sheet CPM steels rolls it using the under and over method on "1" damn big roller with 3 man teams. One sending, one receiving and one man to push the button that moves the roller after every pass. It's not an exacting science but it works. The tolerances are 10 to 15 percent OVER the finished size of the bar. They usually strive to roll it to the center of the tolerances listed below.
3/32"(.0937) is rolled from .103 to .113
1/8" (.125) is rolled from .140 to .156
5/32"(.1562) is rolled from .172 to .188
3/16"(.1875) is rolled from .207 to .227
1/4" (.250) is rolled from .270 to .305
It seems like you get the beat end of the stick when you consider having 10% of the steel you just bought hit the floor, but "over sizing" is done with purpose in mind. The reasoning is to end up with a "CLEAN" DECARB FREE "ON SIZE" bar after it's ground. We use a wide belt grinder to remove it and usually leave the piece about 5 to 10 thousandths OVER the finished size of the bar. Our grinding is reasonable compared to most and will save you time, belts, frustration and MONEY!
3.) In spite of the size of the roller the sheets typically have a slight crown to them so the edges are usually a few thousandths thinner then the center. This is the case in larger mills as well. If you look at the TRACKING WHEEL on your grinder you can pretty much figure out why.
4.) We started marking every bar with a color code when we opened full time and recently decided to write the name and size of the bar on everything that goes out as well. When we start using the new inventory system the bars will also include the Heat Lot # for easier tractability in the case of any problems.
5.)WHAT WE STOCK! Nathan is correct. We DO NOT list everything we stock. The reason for it is that we've grown faster then we can keep up with(Thanks to all of you). After walking away from 30+ years of plumbing I walked into an empty "Steel Shop" not even knowing if there would be enough knife makers to support the business. We've been playing "Catch Up" ever since. We started working on a new inventory system about 2 months ago designed around our rather unique business and my ADHD tendencies and have completely revamped the shop to accommodate that system. We will be taking a much needed inventory at the beginning of next week, at which point you will all see a lot more grades and sizes available.
We also DO NOT list all the widths available. Up until now we have only listed up to 6" wide figuring that anyone wanting wider sheets may also want other services like water jetting, saw cutting or recommendations for heat treating outfits. We do plan on stating the maximum widths that are available. We just have to do it in such a way that will allow all of you to see it readily and make the call.
I am so very thankful at this point for all your patience and kind words. We are here on your behalf and we want to do what ever we can to make your experience that much easier and more profitable. There is a blog on the web site that we plan on using in the near future to keep you all on top of what we are doing and especially to hear your thoughts. The company was created to accommodate "KNIFE MAKERS" and your input will only allow us to do our job that much better. We would love to hear from you.
Aldo Bruno
New Jersey Steel Baron
