I know it's pety... but Alignment Clips for Newman frames.

[Gilligan]

Prices are not only set by what something costs but also by what it is worth......When I solve a problem for a client, I can charge more than if I just sell them "stuff"....Even though in both cases my costs might be the same....

Yep and like the suckers that thought BT Barnum said "there's a sucker born every minute", There's a sucker born every minute.

Hell, I had a dude come in and get a bit nasty with my employee and the wife because he NEEDED a network card.  Luck would have it, being a COMPUTER shop, I had one.  She called me to find it's location and how much and I said "Uhh... $25"  I probably paid $12 bucks for it and it's still new in the box on the shelf.  He goes "What?!  I can buy those on New Egg for like $15 bucks!"  Now unfortunately I wasn't there and wasn't on the phone anymore because I would have laid into the MF'er.  "No, joke, that is exactly where I got them... why don't you just order them yourself?  Oh because you are in a bind and need it NOW.   How much is it worth for me to order these and put them on the shelf PER CHANCE that one day you will need them and come in my store?  How much is that worth?  I guess I pay rent and employees out of my pocket for you to come along and me pass on parts to you at COST!?!"

I get it... parts cost, they cost even more when sitting on a shelf waiting to be sold... but I wasn't trying to sell that NIC for $150 bucks (still less than the markup on these clips).  I was making an honest buck.  If someone comes in to buy a USB cable, I'll likely just give it to them.... if I do sell it, I'll probably ask $5 bucks.  I buy boxes of them for $2 a piece.  To me, it's a loss leader, to Best Buy it is where they make their money!

Maybe I'm stupid, clearly Best Buy is doing SOMETHING right as they have the big stores and I have a little half a shop that shares it's other half with my t-shirt business.  But I'll be fine with that.

[royster13]

As I think of this more, there is also the cost of engineering.....The may have lots of development costs they need to recover...

[Socalfmf]

Gilligan..if they are so cheap to make why do you just make them? 

hahahahahah

I have a bunch sitting right here!!!!

[Gilligan]

Maybe you guys are missing something.  They aren't engineered... they are RE-PURPOSED!

Don Newman didn't engineer the locking strip nor alignment clip, he took already existing products and engineered HIS product to utilize them.  Clever, but not worthy of 100X markup.

Sam, why don't you send me a couple big baller!

[Socalfmf]

I often sit here wondering why you guys are so freaking tight with money?  You guys spend all this time ( not making money ) looking for items for less money vs. buying them and MAKING MONEY.  I don't complain about what something cost, I just decide if I need it and will it make me money...then I buy it...am I a big baller...not at all...am I PROFITABLE?  Hell yes I am...if I don't make money on it, i dont touch it....

so moral of the story is you are wasting more money but not buying than buying it at what someone wants to sell it for.

Sam

[patfinn]

def agree sam!
you know why i dont need alignment clips.. shur loc panels.  I know you love you some shur loc panels.

[Gilligan]

I often sit here wondering why you guys are so freaking tight with money?  You guys spend all this time ( not making money ) looking for items for less money vs. buying them and MAKING MONEY.  I don't complain about what something cost, I just decide if I need it and will it make me money...then I buy it...am I a big baller...not at all...am I PROFITABLE?  Hell yes I am...if I don't make money on it, i dont touch it....

so moral of the story is you are wasting more money but not buying than buying it at what someone wants to sell it for.

Sam

Well, call me up when you need a new computer... I'll even do FREE shipping so you can "feel" like you are getting a good deal.  I'm all for someone that doesn't care about being frugal.

[mooseman]

we use the clips all the time, only have 6 of them but I have often thought if I needed more I would take the typical binder clips you get at office stores or better yet walmart cuz they are weaker spring them out so they were way over opened and then modify the ends to fit the roller channels.
Fortunately I still have all my clips even if most of my marbels are gone.......    A       I        O

mooseman

[JBLUE]

Here are the cheapest clips they make Gilligan. All you need is the weight of the clips to put a little tension on the mesh when inserting the strip. Simple and quick.

[tpitman]

I'm not sure I understand how hanging a couple of clips like that will help align the fabric squarely in the first roller at the beginning, or the third roller when aligning the mesh in the other direction, which is one of the reasons to use the alignment clips. They're not just to put a little tension on the opposite roller of one in which the mesh is already secure, but to secure the mesh squarely in the channel before the strip is inserted. Maybe I'm missing something, or you've got another way to get align mesh squarely in the first roller?

[JBLUE]

I just line the mesh up one the first roller from the start and use those to put a little tension when running the second strip. I do the same on the third and fourth roller. Works well and is just as fast as the clips.

[ebscreen]

Do it long enough you get a feeling for it and if you line the mesh up square, hold both corners, and insert
the strip at the same time it will tend to follow a straight path and keep your mesh square. It's a talent
but certainly possible.

[alan802]

I stretched up a screen yesterday without the clips and I got it done but unfortunately, once I got up to the recommended tension level the mesh split.  I stretch 2-3 screens a day right now and I don't think you need the clips to get a decent screen, but I think you need them to maximize the tension of a specific mesh count.  For example, Murakami suggests taking the 150/48 up to 28 newtons at it's highest.  I can get a 150 up to 38 newtons without it busting because I do everything right, and I think the clips help make that possible.  I'm stuck in the middle on Gilligan's quest, I understand it completely, those clips cost pennies but sell for a huge markup, but why?  Nobody is getting rich selling those clips, so why the huge markup for a tool that is obviously made for another use.  Then I completely understand how important they are and the market says they can sell for way over cost and you pretty much just have to pay it if you want them.  I usually just suck it up and buy whatever I need to buy to get the job done but knowing that locking strips and those clips are marked up such an extreme amount bothers me a little bit.  $80 for 50' of locking strip material?  It's ridiculous when you break it down to what it really is.

[Socalfmf]

one word...SHUR-LOC

i have yet to have one bust because of tension....

[royster13]

If these clips are in fact "re-purposed" from some other use, best to search out and find out where they are used and see if that might be a cheaper source.....