blade humbucker dimensions

[StarryNight]

I'm thinking of trying my hand at some blade humbuckers. Mojo seems to have three different kinds of bobbins: regular humbucker bobbin sizes with a blade slot, firebird size and strat size bobbins. One thing I'm surprised about is the cost of the pre-cut blades they are selling! Can anyone recommend somewhere else I could purchase 1018 or 1010 steel bar in the right thickness? This brings me to my second question: does anyone know the thickness of any of the steel required for the above bobbins? Hopefully the info would help others as well.

[copperheadroads]

I don't think the blades they have in there new section are for the humbucker bobbins ,you need a blade like this
Humbucker Pickup Bobbin Blade - Guitar Parts - they wont ship to Canada
but i do have a bunch of those mojo blade bobbins here & the thickness you will need is .125 " ,The same as a humbucker bar magnet

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

Are you looking for steel bar, or the actual blades? If you're just looking for bars, check out McMaster. I don't know their policies for shipping to Canada, but given their Scottish business name, they better! McMaster is a great middle point between big dog suppliers (who typically can't be bothered with small orders) who have what you really need, and the local hardware store that has an easy retail layout, reasonable minimum purchases, but may not have everything you need. Be warned that McMaster has a reputation in the supply industry of randomly changing their supply on things and keeping the same stock numbers, so if you go into production mode it may be a good idea to graduate to another supplier, or at least buy in heavy if consistency is a big concern for you.

Regarding sizing I'm not sure, but my experience with McMaster (and others too, I suspect) is that when you get the steel, you can expect it to be rolled to a certain thickness and not be perfectly flat like something that is cast or a synthetic. It hasn't been a big deal, but it is there. I'm not sure if you were asking about general sizes or tolerances, but there you go...

[Joe Gwinn]

McMaster is a great middle point between big dog suppliers (who typically can't be bothered with small orders) who have what you really need, and the local hardware store that has an easy retail layout, reasonable minimum purchases, but may not have everything you need. Be warned that McMaster has a reputation in the supply industry of randomly changing their supply on things and keeping the same stock numbers, so if you go into production mode it may be a good idea to graduate to another supplier, or at least buy in heavy if consistency is a big concern for you.

McMaster buys to a specification, and it's this specification that's stable, even as suppliers come and go.

So the question is if this specification is a sufficiently tight specification for your purposes.

Regarding sizing I'm not sure, but my experience with McMaster (and others too, I suspect) is that when you get the steel, you can expect it to be rolled to a certain thickness and not be perfectly flat like something that is cast or a synthetic. It hasn't been a big deal, but it is there. I'm not sure if you were asking about general sizes or tolerances, but there you go...

All the industrial suppliers can provide both raw stock of approximate minimum profile size (the expectation being that you will machine down to the needed final size) and precision-ground stock (at a higher price), where "precision" means within a few thousandths of an inch of the profile dimensions. The length is far more loosely defined.

[StarryNight]

great info guys, thanks. I don't think the tollerances have to be that high (although... I was thinking of selling my pickups to NASA for their deep space guitar program). If needed I can surface the sides on my little milling machine, or just force the little suckers in there. I'll have to do the final shaping anyway. I didn't realize the blades were notched at the top. argh, more work! Mojo is selling the mini-humbucker slug for $1.80! For that price they should call it something more exotic than a slug!

I'm fascinated by the strat humbucker bobbins. I think that's the size that is used for the floating archtop Benedetto style pickups, but I'm not sure. Something I've been meaning to try.

here, they have the strat blades ($2.50 ea!!!) but don't list the thickness dimension: http://www.mojotone.com/Mojotone-Bla...or-Tele-bobbin

[David Schwab]

The Mojo Tele blades are not the ones that go in those humbucker bobbins. The ones at GuitarPartsUSA are. Those humbucker bobbins are wider than normal and don't work with regular humbucker magnets unless you add a shim. I cobbled together a pickup with those parts and it sounds good.

I spoke to the new guy at Mojo and he said they will be making their own blades to fit the various blade bobbins.

I also made a set of those humbucker blades with steel from McMaster. I've been using steel from McMaster for the past four years and it's always very consistent.

[marku52]

By McMaster, you mean McMaster-Carr, i presume? Also, with steel, it is better to buy the cold rolled steel CRS), costs a little more, but if you don't specify, you get hot rolled, which has that icky mill scale all over it. CRS is much shinier, cleaner, and easier to work with.

Also, some info on the steel numbering system, typical numbers like 1018 or 4130 mean:
first 2 digits are the alloy type, 10 is low carbon steel, 41 is chrome-moly, for example
last 2 digits are the % carbon, which will determine the hardenability of the steel.

18 means .18% carbon. pickup makers care about this because as the steel becomes more hardenable, it also becomes magnetizable, so most iron used in magnetic circuits is what is known as "soft iron" with very low carbon percentages, like 1008 or 1010.

here is another supplier's data sheet on 1018

1018 Mild Steel (available in Rectangle, Rectangle, Round, Square, Square, square)

[Magnut]

Those blades are .05 thick.

[StarryNight]

Hi Ken, which bobbin is that measurement for? And is that inches or mm?
Thanks!
Tony

[Magnut]

Oh silly me. Doesn't everyone use ASE?

That would be in inches, or about 1.5mm and that fits the Mojo bobbin #2115464.

[David Schwab]

Those blades are .05 thick.

Those Strat blade bobbins take 1/16" (.0625" - 1.5875mm) blades.

[Magnut]

Thanks David. I have some here as well. Of the blades I have the .06 ones seem to be too tight and the .05 were just right. These are plated and the sizes were varied somewhat. I will give them another test fit, perhaps the bobbin I was working with has some flashing on it.

[David Schwab]

I haven't measured the blade stock I have (my caliper's battery needs changing), but it was listed as .0625", and it's unplated.

[Zhangliqun]

Anybody know where to get some 1010 steel round stock from 3/16" to 1/4"? Been all over the net and it thoroughly eludes me.

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

Anybody know where to get some 1010 steel round stock from 3/16" to 1/4"? Been all over the net and it thoroughly eludes me.

I've had trouble with anything larger. McMaster will carry it, but it'll get VERY expensive. I ended up going local. I knew some folks that could cut me off small pieces for a reasonable amount of money. Of course I was using it just for tooling so I didn't ask for specific alloys, but is where I'd start - then again, I don't know where you live.

I also just checked McMaster, and they have 1018 in a bunch of sizes you want... but you probably saw that already.