[Amps] Transformer shop update

[craxd]

Joe,

Well, the steel prices did come down because of the steel dumping from 
Asia. However, the steel manufacturers have been raising the sur-charges 
on every 1000 pound shipment. This controls the lamination prices and 
the stock market controls the steel. The copper is another thing, it is 
bought around the stock market, as its prices change about every day. 
What a transformer manufacturer has to do is take all this into account 
and try to come up with a yearly budget and set their prices around 
that. This also makes it hard to predict a quarterly forecast to obtain 
financing. One other thing that drops the price is how much the 
electronic industry in the US produces. If this is down, the steel maker 
is stuck with excess inventory, so they start dropping prices to get rid 
of it. This is good news for the lam manufacturers and they should pass 
this savings on. It is then left to the transformer manufacturer to pass 
the savings on. Some will and some wont. I intend on getting quarterly 
quotes from Tempel Steel, Rea, Essex, and EIS for the wire. I will try 
to pass any savings on that I get. I'm self-financing this project so I 
have to be real competitive in order to come out. Where I'm handicapped, 
I am drawing disability, so I can not get orders and still survive. If 
it wasn't for that, I doubt a new transformer company could make it 
without huge orders.

Will Matney


I agree, that's why I didn't buy it -- but I just checked my old email from Heyboer, and it was $200 plus shipping, not $300 (my mistake).  It was supposedly a "Custom Wind", but it's hard to believe that I'm the first guy needing a VikingII mod XFMR from Heyboer!!  Anyway, I just perused Dahl's catalog again, and I THINK some of the prices have come down.  I seem to remember the HD Henry 3K-A (4kV @ 1A) XFMR being close to $600, but it's now listed for $475...  Go figure.  The reason this sticks in my mind is that I bought my 3K-A knowing it had HV problems, and was curious how much the HV XFMR was going to set me back.  Fortunately, it turned out to be $60 worth of K2AW's rectifiers that fixed it.
 
Anyway, I just checked the VII parts, and if I had to replace all the iron from Dahl (except the Choke, which isn't listed, oddly enough), it would cost me $620 + an arm and a leg for shipping.  I seem to recall the VII mod transformer being $225 from Dahl for some reason, and it's now listed for $175.
 
Am I having a 60's brain meltdown or has he changed his prices recently???  I hope it's not the former since I wasn't even born until 1970!!   :-) 
 
Thanks for all the info, Will -- good to know!!
 
Joe, N3JI