K & S Metals of Chicago

[steamingon]

Just found out.

K & S in their wisdom have discontinued all angle, Tee, channel etc., but their range of brass tubing.

[Mike Walsh]

That's unfortunate. Wonder if that's why Hobby Lobby was clearing out a bunch of their product this past summer. I bought 100 packages of various materials for 25c apiece.... Bummer.

[NP317]

Of course I've been searching for 3/16" diameter K&S brass tubing.
I always check locally and the Hood River (Oregon) Hobby Supply cannot get any K&S products unless they have a minimum $500 order! Too rich for them.
So I found some on eBay and it's on the way.
It is concerning to see such a specialty suppler apparently fading in to the proverbial wood work. Their marketing seems intent on ending their business.
RussN

[datman]

It would seem that today's economics is against small businesses in first world countries. Gone are the days you could buy off cuts from a supplier.

[gwrdriver]

For years I could wander in, pick through the bin, and buy "drops" (bar ends) in any steel from the #1 local tool&die supply for 10¢/lb. Ahh those were the days, but I learned that a bar end could be a piece of junk, with folds, inclusions, and hardness. Also sometimes the material couldn't be identified and you didn't know exactly what you got. The local non-ferrous recycler used to let the public buy a piece of whatever they hadn't yet crushed (like 6" copper pipe), but no more. They changed their policy to "Once we have it it's ours, and you can't have any of it!"

On K&S, . . . frankly aside from tube products and an occasional sheet stock, I rarely found their brakemetal shapes useful. But some of you will remember the now long defunct Special Shapes Co. For those of you who don't remember, Special Shapes was a small company which produced milled (as-in milling machine) shapes in brass (angles, channels, zee, etc) in sizes up to 1/2" and their shapes were VERY useful. The products weren't cheap; but if you wanted scale "rolled" metal shapes with crisp corners (and didn't want to mill it yourself) that was what you used. The original owner passed on and for the new owners the economics of producing a unique product for a relatively tiny market wasn't sustainable so the business was closed.

[hoppercar]

Typical american business management....how much money can we make, with the minimum investment....and to heck with everybody in between

[Benjamin Maggi]

But some of you will remember the now long defunct Special Shapes Co. For those of you who don't remember, Special Shapes was a small company which produced milled (as-in milling machine) shapes in brass (angles, channels, zee, etc) in sizes up to 1/2" and their shapes were VERY useful. The products weren't cheap; but if you wanted scale "rolled" metal shapes with crisp corners (and didn't want to mill it yourself) that was what you used. The original owner passed on and for the new owners the economics of producing a unique product for a relatively tiny market wasn't sustainable so the business was closed.

Just yesterday I used some brass stock for an O scale caboose project I was working on. The label had part of the item number worn off so I went to the K&S website to find it but couldn't. Then I noticed that the brass was made by Special Shapes Co. I spent a long time looking for them too online before concluding that they were gone. Very sad.

[ebtfan]

Just wanted to provide an update on K and S. I needed some 5/16 brass angle in lengths longer than in the prepackaged lengths found in hobby stores. I called K and S and they produced 4 foot lengths of the angle for me. It was not cheap as you have to pay a setup charge.

[Bill Shields]

There is a definite difference between HOBBY and BUSINESS.

[Steven E. Kuhn]

Typical american business management....how much money can we make, with the minimum investment....and to heck with everybody in between

Oh c'mon that's just business everywhere, in any country.

[hoppercar]

That's why businesses fold, they don't satisfy the customer

[Bill Shields]

or there are not enough customers for a particular product.

try to get 5" + diameter copper pipe made in the USA

or a new Oldsmobile or Saturn...