The Aluminum Tariff Bites

[smallbearelec]

Regular readers here will know that your chief Bear is a political animal (!) mostly in private and among like-minded li-bear-tarian/Classical Liberal/"Constitutionalist" comrades. Nonetheless, trade-related issues occasionally rear their ugly heads and give me cause for expressing some growliness publicly.

I just received the Customs declaration for our most recent shipment of B-size and 125-B-size enclosures. The present administration's 10% tariff on Aluminum does apply, and is reflected in increased posted pricing for these items. I hope that the tariff is temporary and does not represent the beginning of a mutually-destructive walling-off of economies.

SD

[italianguy63]

I just made an order of some enclosures direct as well.  Should be here tomorrow.  Do you know at what dollar level the tariff is enforced?

MC

[Liaztraht]

Shoot, I just got a 125B from you and was gonna go for another when I decide on my next build. I will save a few more pennies then. Hope its temporary...

[smallbearelec]

Do you know at what dollar level the tariff is enforced?

AFAIK, it is enforced on specific tariff codes, not on dollar amount.

[italianguy63]

I'll report if I get hit too...

[GibsonGM]

I'm against tariffs. That's why, as a constitutionalist also, I believe international trade should be done with NO tariffs on either side....free market = no surcharge on what I send to you.  That is what is going on, though, and has been for decades.  Not good.   

What some call 'tariff' I call evening the playing field.  But yup, it'll be nice when things are re-negotiated to be fair, and then there will be no 'tariffs' to worry about! 

[Rob Strand]

I call evening the playing field.

I think it's a good thing.

We used to have local secondary industries that produced stuff from local raw materials.   Local manufacturers would buy off those guys and sell finished products.    Many of those companies were smaller and sold to local markets.

The world become more global.  Large companies sold to a world market.   The smaller local guys couldn't compete.   It's got to the point where there's no middle industries.  As each layer of industry closes there is a domino effect up the chain.  All we do now is ship unprocessed raw materials out of the country, then import goods with all the value adding markups back into the country.    The people who worked in those industries disappeared.  There's not even a brain drain, the "how to do it" knowledge is completely gone.   As a country we are a bunch of dumb arses!   The US might be saveable.

[DIY Bass]

I have talked to a guy here in Australia in the timber industry.  Australian logs apparently are now loaded onto ships, taken overseas and then brought back as timber.  It is cheaper than cutting it in Australia because there are countries where you can pay somebody nothing to work and you don't care about safety so the machinery is much cheaper as well.

[Rob Strand]

I have talked to a guy here in Australia in the timber industry.  Australian logs apparently are now loaded onto ships, taken overseas and then brought back as timber. ...

Yep, exactly that type of thing.

[thermionix]

Canada is exempt from the Al tariff, right?  Might we reach a point where actual Hammond brand enclosures become the economical option?

[italianguy63]

Canada is exempt from the Al tariff, right?  Might we reach a point where actual Hammond brand enclosures become the economical option?

It will take a lot more than a 10% tariff for that!

[thermionix]

Canada is exempt from the Al tariff, right?  Might we reach a point where actual Hammond brand enclosures become the economical option?

It will take a lot more than a 10% tariff for that!

I would have guessed, but I don't see the wholesale prices on these things.

[davent]

Canada is exempt from the Al tariff, right?  Might we reach a point where actual Hammond brand enclosures become the economical option?

Might be hard pressed to get a Made in Canada die cast, maybe NOS. At first after the Made in Canada's, Made in the EU, the last batch, and it's been a few years, found one still in the wrapper, wrapper says Made in Taiwan.

Hammond factory's about 30 minutes down the road from me in Guelph ON, unless they've moved since we last drove past.

dave

[thermionix]

Canada is exempt from the Al tariff, right?  Might we reach a point where actual Hammond brand enclosures become the economical option?

Might be hard pressed to get a Made in Canada die cast, maybe NOS. At first after the Made in Canada's, Made in the EU, the last batch, and it's been a few years, found one still in the wrapper, wrapper says Made in Taiwan.

Hammond factory's about 30 minutes down the road from me in Guelph ON, unless they've moved since we last drove past.

dave

Didn't know they were no longer made in Canada.  The transformers still are, to the best of my knowledge.

[davent]

Canada is exempt from the Al tariff, right?  Might we reach a point where actual Hammond brand enclosures become the economical option?

Might be hard pressed to get a Made in Canada die cast, maybe NOS. At first after the Made in Canada's, Made in the EU, the last batch, and it's been a few years, found one still in the wrapper, wrapper says Made in Taiwan.

Hammond factory's about 30 minutes down the road from me in Guelph ON, unless they've moved since we last drove past.
dave

Didn't know they were no longer made in Canada.  The transformers still are, to the best of my knowledge.

My last batch of six (three pairs) was a mix, two pairs were Canada one pair China. The smallest and cheapest, Made in China, nothing's sacred anymore.
dave

[PRR]

> Hammond factory's about 30 minutes down the road from me in Guelph ON

The shack is plenty big to be doing die-castings.





Another building, Power Solutions (the transformers), now has the Hammond Museum Of Radio. Some old catalogs and company history linked from their site.
http://www.hammondmuseumofradio.org/museum.html
http://www.hammondmfg.com/pdf/Hammond_G48.pdf

[thermionix]

Canada is exempt from the Al tariff, right?  Might we reach a point where actual Hammond brand enclosures become the economical option?

Might be hard pressed to get a Made in Canada die cast, maybe NOS. At first after the Made in Canada's, Made in the EU, the last batch, and it's been a few years, found one still in the wrapper, wrapper says Made in Taiwan.

Hammond factory's about 30 minutes down the road from me in Guelph ON, unless they've moved since we last drove past.
dave

Didn't know they were no longer made in Canada.  The transformers still are, to the best of my knowledge.

My last batch of six (three pairs) was a mix, two pairs were Canada one pair China. The smallest and cheapest, Made in China, nothing's sacred anymore.
dave

Wow the transformers?  What the hell do they do in the factory?  The last Hammond iron I bought was a choke, a year or two ago, made in Canada.  Can't remember where I ordered it from, may have been on the shelf a while.

[Rob Strand]

I wonder if they can be imported as cans of light salmon.

[PRR]

Was "100% Canadian" in 1935.


All my life, US-Canada relations were cordial. I'm only now realizing the back-story was turbulent. The "100% Canadian" thing was going strong in this period.

[italianguy63]

I got my enclosure order today...  No tariff! 

Shipped via FEDEX.  Maybe I lucked out because the manifest said "die cast enclosures" and not specifically aluminum??

MC