GRAFLEX Clamp Comparison=> Tell me what you think

[acolyte]

I plan on offering options for the clamps. With or without the graflex text. The original clamps are brass which are then nickel plated, would it be a deal breaker for anyone if they were instead machined out of something like stainless steel? As of right now I only have the tooling available to make the clamps. I still have to look into what it will take to create the lever, lever bolt, square washer, and sidebars. When this is available i'll provide an update with pricing and availability; however, the going is a little slow right now. I'm trying to secure a fabricator locally. So bear with me and I hope to be back soon with some updates on progress.

 

[Mah-Al Thorn]

I, for one, would still buy it even if it was only the band you've shown so far. In a pinch, the other parts can be salvaged from a Parks clamp. What I don't like about the Parks clamp (besides the fact that it's made by Parks) is that the nickel plating isn't thick enough, and the underlying brass makes the clamp yellowish in comparison with the rest of the Graflex body. For me, matching the look and color to the rest of the body is extremely important.

When you talk about machined stainless steel, are you talking about the side bars, lever, etc., or about the main band? It's hard to imagine that many people on this forum would settle for parts that don't look a heck of a lot like the original, and machined parts are just not going to look like stamp-cut and bent parts. If the main band is the only thing you currently have the tools to make, just stick with that and leave the lever and such to others. :thumbsup

Just for fun, I'd love to see a Graflex clamp with this stamped on in place of "G R A F L E X":

Yeah, it's just "GRAFLEX" written in Aurek-Besh. :cool

 

[acolyte]

Cool, good thoughts guys. I'm having an extremely hard time locating a fabricator locally so Im off to do some research on national or overseas manufacturers who can help make this a reality. I've also been reading up on metal casting and plating so I can attempt these clamps using steel that's plated with nickel. Should be a close enough match to the original and would probably help avoid that nasty yellow tinge people have mentioned about from the Parks version. Thanks for staying tuned, and I'll be back when I've got some more news!

 

[Treadwell]

I think they look great. Just some minor nits:
I think the letters are just the tiniest bit too thick. Lines too close to cutouts (as mentioned), and I think the cutouts are a bit too wide.

 

[acolyte]

I think they look great. Just some minor nits:
I think the letters are just the tiniest bit too thick. Lines too close to cutouts (as mentioned), and I think the cutouts are a bit too wide.

From what I can tell holding an original and one of the replicas in my hand the letters are spot on. One of the photos above does show the lines being too close to the holes, but I think that must have been an alignment problem when they stamped the piece because I can't really see any distinguishable difference on the lines with these other stamped ones I have. As far as the holes themselves I can verify that they are the exact same size as on the original clamps, but before I send off the plans to get more fabricated I'll be sure to double check all the dimensions.

 

[KaanE]

Check the separation of the letters because they should be alligned with the cutouts, but the G and the X are beyond them. Do I explain. Everything else looks fine to my eyes.

 

[acolyte]

Check the separation of the letters because they should be alligned with the cutouts, but the G and the X are beyond them. Do I explain. Everything else looks fine to my eyes.

As I said before, I just acquired the equipment to reproduce these and it is my belief that in the picture mentioned at the top of this post the alignment was off at the time of the stamping. I can assure you that both the original stamp and the subsequent clamps made with the equipment all have the correct alignment and match the original clamps layout and dimensions EXACTLY.

 

[gamester51]

Has there been any progress on the clamps? Just wondering, as I am in need of one.

 

[Paracord Junky]

as it is half of my Graflex saber came from Lowe's; i'd totally jump on a stainless steel Graflex clamp. depending on price, that is; any idea what these'll be going for?

 

[Luke Warmwater]

Just for fun, I'd love to see a Graflex clamp with this stamped on in place of "G R A F L E X": ... "GRAFLEX" written in Aurek-Besh.

I'd buy one.

 

[ItsThatGuy]

Tetmatek still makes these. I am sure he'd make one for you. Just send him a PM.

 

[Tetmatek]

Tetmatek still makes these. I am sure he'd make one for you. Just send him a PM.

As I said before, I just acquired the equipment to reproduce these and it is my belief that in the picture mentioned at the top of this post the alignment was off at the time of the stamping. I can assure you that both the original stamp and the subsequent clamps made with the equipment all have the correct alignment and match the original clamps layout and dimensions EXACTLY.

Actually I no longer own the tooling. The good news is it all belongs to a member here that I am sure will offer them as soon as he can. :thumbsup

 

[scottjua]

So what's the update on this? Who's doing them now?

 

[Planettera]

Would definitely buy a few myself.