Bronze T-Track source?

[TimH]

I can find lots of end stops but no plain t-track.

Any suggestions?

Also looking for some big bronze round stock to make new port lights from.

[KAIROS]

I resorted to the u-shaped track for a spinnaker track on the mast. Did not see anything but stainless and alluminum t-track. Got the track from RigRite. The car from Davey & Co.....Davey probably sells track too, via woodenboat.org in PT.

[jonboy]

If you can source bronze flat bar buy two sizes and back-to-back them, say 1 x 3/16, 25mm x 5 mm and 1/2 x 3/16 13mm x 5mm. You are going to screw throug the section into the mast anyway so just make the screw spacing closer, I didn't bother to braze the two, but that's an option Worked great on a 25' mast on a whaler.

[JimConlin]

If appearance is the motive, you might consider re-anodizing manufactured aluminum hardware. The boat that Brion Rieff had at the '09 WBS had a Harken traveller that had gotten the treatment. It wasn't altogether convincing, but it didn't look as out of place as the black one would.

[Ian McColgin]

jonboy is on the right track, so to speak, but why ever bother with the inner bit? A strip of wood works as well as a stand-off. Wood is easier to work and cheaper and - especially a consideration on a mast - vastly lighter. The extra bronze from building up either two layers of a single cast T shape adds strength, yes, but it's absolutely unnecessary pointless just there to make the owner spend $tupidly strength.

G'luck

[keyhavenpotterer]

Bronze T track is available here:

http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/product.asp?product=139&ph=search&keywords=track&recor=1&SearchFor=any&PT_ID=all

(Classic Marine UK, they ship worldwide I believe, value of pound dropped so price to you in dollars might not be too bad)

Regards

Keyhavenpotterer

[TimH]

Looks like $18 ft from Classic Marine.
Good thing I dont need much :)

And ABI makes the ports

http://www.sailboatstuff.com/images/AB140012sm.gif

[Dale Genther]

I think ABI is out of business. They used to sell the t-track also.

[TimH]

www.sailboatstuff.com (http://www.sailboatstuff.com) has the ABI ports.

[SV Papillon]

Fisheries has ABI (http://www.fisheriessupply.com/online/ln_menu/product.asp/mode/1/product_id/254636/No/10/N/24915+4294966688/Ne/6/catalog_name/FISCO/R/5827/act/A01/Ntx/mode+matchpartial+rel+Inactive/Shopby/Shop+By+Department/Ns/P_Sort)

[TimH]

Bummer. "These items are currently unavailable"

Maybe Ill buy some bar stock and mill my own.

[Don Kurylko]

Tim,

I have "milled" bronze with a carbide router bit using multiple light passes. Worked fine. That's what I'm going to use to make my bronze T track. Alaskan Copper and Brass in Seattle is a good source for bar stock up to 12' lengths.

[TimH]

Tim,

I have "milled" bronze with a carbide router bit using multiple light passes. Worked fine. That's what I'm going to use to make my bronze T track. Alaskan Copper and Brass in Seattle is a good source for bar stock up to 12' lengths.

That may be my only choice. I dont see 3/4" bronze T-track anywhere.

[Don Kurylko]

TimH…in that size, the best you can hope for is extruded track as shown here: http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/prodtype.asp?prodtype=82&ph=cat (http://www.classicmarine.co.uk/prodtype.asp?prodtype=82&ph=cat)

There is probably a source in the US for it. A web search should turn something up. Stainless steel track is probably easier to get though.

[TimH]

I guess I may have to stick with aluminum or mill my own.

[SV Papillon]

What do you need the track for? jib cars, spiniker, mainsail ? On our last boat the genoa sheet block track was a piece of SS flat far with a thin teak strip under worked fine. You could probably buy 3/4 flat bar and use Delrin or maybe UHMW strip to back it. All availible in Seattle just have to drill holes. I think you can get a green plastic that has lube properties, it would match the patina of bronze.

Jake

[TimH]

Its genoa track.

I spend most of my life in machine shops and now that I need some small simple machining I have no way to do it :)

I need a Bridgeport.

[JimConlin]

Anodized aluminum is sounding better all the time.

I now recollect that the bronze-anodized Harken traveller track at the 2009 WB show was Iolanthe, a Herreshoff Newport 29 by Brion Rieff.

[donald branscom]

Everything is running out or being discontinued. especially things you need to build with.
The younger generation seems to have no interest in building anything now.
Also this worldwide depression is putting a stop to lots of manufacturing.

I went to my local West Marine store to buy a couple "L" brackets or a flat strap I could drill and bend into the shape I wanted and they had nothing in that store.

The motorcycle shop had nothing I could use either.

So I went to Kragen Auto store and the brackets they use to sell have been discontinued. So I went to the motorcycle junk yard and found two brackets I could use.
I could have bought them on the internet but I would have to wait a WEEK and pay for the shipping too.

But here is where the story gets interesting...
I told the manager at Kragen Auto about my problem finding brackets, and he told me they(KRAGEN) had just had a meeting that morning about the fact that if the store HAD THE ITEM, it was a sure sale and to keep the shelves stocked.

[Canoeyawl]

Its genoa track.

I spend most of my life in machine shops and now that I need some small simple machining I have no way to do it :)

I need a Bridgeport.

Do you have a horizontal mill? err - I mean a tablesaw?

[TimH]

Do you have a horizontal mill? err - I mean a tablesaw?

yes, I have a unisaw. I dont know about putting bronze through it though. Maybe if I had an old crappy blade.

Id rather put an old carbide endmill in my router and try it that way.

[TimH]

Thats what Im talking about !

Got the last past pair of ABI deadlights on the planet. :)

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr133/hoehnt/IMG_4323.jpg

[NWcoaster]

About 2 years ago I ordered 2 pieces of 1" bronze t-track from Fisheries supply. It took 4 months to get. ABI had to special order it from China. Cost was about $230 a piece. Only the first 3 holes lined up, so I ended up going with aluminum. Holes lined up better but it was still a struggle to make it work.

[Canoeyawl]

I made some T-track by riveting (using flathead rivets) two layers of 1/8" strap together.
(Alternating the rivets and the fastenings worked out well)

[boattruck]

TH, Raw bronze stock can be 'milled' just fine in your table saw, you can buy a purpose built blade from McmasterCarr or the like, the noise is a bit rude, but... A bridgeport would be nice for all the countersinks, but a few minutes of jig work will set up your drill press to limp through with good results, have fun, Cheers,BT

[JimConlin]

What are these blades called?

[boattruck]

Jim, My catalog calles them 'carbide tooth blades for soft metal', a ten" is about $80. it'll last a long time,( wear earplugs, gloves, glasses and a face shield...) Cheers, BT

[TimH]

Well after getting a quote of $500 for 2 pieces of 1", 2 pieces of 3/4" and end stops for NOS Merriman I was pretty frustrated.
I ordered a bronze bar from McMasters for $68 :

CORROSION-RESISTANT BRONZE (ALLOY 954), OVERSIZE, BEARING GRADE, 3/8" THICK, 1" W, 6' L

I put a 1/2" carbide straightfluter in the router table and whittled away. 2 down 2 to go. Not the most pleasant job. I still need the end caps. ABI has the 1" ones for about $6 each. RigRite is the only place with 3/4" ones - $25 EACH !

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr133/hoehnt/Ttrack.gif

[Don Kurylko]

Nice Tim! :)

I like the fairlead - is it galvanized or stainless? And where'd ya get it from?

[TimH]

Nice Tim! :)

I like the fairlead - is it galvanized or stainless? And where'd ya get it from?

Its a combination of mostly bronze (the main part), the u-bolt is chromed bronze, and the rest is stainless. It came with the boat. There is a name on it, but I cant quite make it out. Something - England.

[Gold Rock]

I put a 1/2" carbide straightfluter in the router table and whittled away. 2 down 2 to go. Not the most pleasant job..... (and) I still need the end caps.

And that's why good track is so expensive! 954 (UNS C95400) is a good alloy for the application. An aluminum bronze with a nice pinch of nickel. Very strong, good wear, peerless corrosion resistance. It's machinability is, well... I don't have to tell you.;)

[Don Z.]

But if you save those shavings you can melt them down and make something...

[TimH]

Actually I got the 954 because it was the cheapest. Strength isnt really an issue.

Most marine hardware is 655 Silicon Bronze isnt it?

It would be fun to machine on a mill. On a router table - not so much.

[Gold Rock]

Actually I got the 954 because it was the cheapest. Strength isnt really an issue.

Most marine hardware is 655 Silicon Bronze isnt it?

It would be fun to machine on a mill. On a router table - not so much.

Ha! Yeah, I've had some scary experiences in my younger days machining with a router. Cutter speeds and feed rates didn't mean much to me then. :) I couldn't tell you what most marine hardware is made of. "Silicon bronze", of which C65500 is a qualified member, is actually a family of alloys, much like "aluminum bronze" and many others. There are silicon bronzes that have a suprisingly high zinc content that I wouldn't care to use for many applications (which gives you justified pause to think when buying 'sil.brz.' fasteners!). When you think of SiBrz the way you want it to be, C65500 is a good one. But 655 has it's limitations. It's not the first choice where high strength is required, nor wear resistance. It is a top choice when you want Si bronze though.

[Raka025]

The Concordia end caps were made of wood if that would help cut down on costs.

[TimH]

The Concordia end caps were made of wood if that would help cut down on costs.

That IS an idea. The ABI caps are on backorder from SailBoatStuff.com.
I still cant bring myself to pay $25 each for the 3/4" ones.

[ahp]

Did I hear anodized aluminum? Were you thinking of clear anodizing or black? Black turns a razberry color after being exposed to UV for a while. You might look into "Hardcoat anodize". It is sort of a pearl gray and it stands up to weather much better, in fact, it is used for weather instruments.