Unusual source of material

[VicParticipant @vic]

I recently became aware of an unusual source of material. Thin stainless steel strip material from old wiper blades. Not all wiper blades have these in them but if they do it’s pretty obvious. They range in size dependent on the size of the wiper. The ones pictured are .8mm x 2.4mm and 1.2mm x 3.8mm. I obviously have no idea of the grade of steel.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Very hard, non corrosive and very handy!!!!. Not sure if the return spring leaf on the auto relief screw cutting tool used a piece of this

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I have used this strip garnered from wiper blades for more years than I care to remember and totally agree that it is useful in the workshop (and the home!).

A couple of years ago a friend bought a new Dell computer complete with printer, for his wife, she struggled to get the colour cartridge in its location and managed to break a plastic retaining clip. She phoned Dell and they sent out a new printer and said they did not want the old one back. I was gifted the printer and in 5 minutes fashioned a cartridge retaining clip from wiper blade strip.

I am fortunate now that I have a (big) reel of the stuff 2.5mm wide 0.7mm thick which with a spot welder I have made into all sorts of objects, many of them not really engineering related.

Ian P

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

Stainless wiper strip is ideal to make a friction spring for setable dials and similar. Make a deep enough groove, and bend the strip into a rounded triangle, then assemble. It is easy to adjust the bends to get the desired frictional force. Apply a smear of grease, and avoid stainless to stainless sliding contact which easily seizes.

[VicParticipant @vic]

I’ve just noticed one of the strips is stamped 8010.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Vic, you seem to have started a stainless STRIP CLUB!

[VicParticipant @vic]

😆

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