Mori Seiki and Mori Clone Gearbox Nameplate Reproductions Available

[thomasutley]

Moderator: Please delete if this post is not within this forum's guidelines.

I recently had the opportunity to make a replacement gearbox nameplate for the restorer of an older Mori Seiki. After posting photos of his new plate on social media, I received quite a bit of interest in replacement plates for other Mori machines and the Mori clones (Webb, Cadillac, YAM, Hwacheon) that share the same plate layout with the 1800 max RPM spindle.

I have since had a trial batch of four processed by a commercial etching house using my vector artwork. These plates came out really well, and I'm posting here to see if there might be additional interest out there among the Mori community.

Being completely candid, these plates are large, very complex, and costly to make compared to the smaller tags I usually do for restorers. Due to the cost of this initial order, I'm floating a trial balloon at $225/plate for individual orders but will discount for multiple copy orders. I cannot process less than four at a time, but I can make as many as the community needs in multiples of four with a 4-5 week lead time.

Photos attached below so you can see the quality of what you'd be receiving. They are made from 0.032" brass sheet stock and will come undrilled so you can match drill to your original plate for a perfect fit.

If your Mori has a different ratio set, I would like to talk to you about scanning your original so I can flesh out artwork for the rest of the Mori lineup. DM me and let's talk.

Best regards,

Tom Utley

Edit: the photos make the background appear almost black, but it's a dark navy blue similar to the original plates from Mori.

 

[markp]

FYI, you can still buy the speed/gear/threading name plates from Cadillac/Yang USA distributor in LA for about 25$. I bought one for my Mori clone Cadillac 2260 two years ago.

 

[thomasutley]

Markp,

Thanks. Did you get an etched brass plate for $25? Or a decal? The gentleman I spoke with at a prominent SoCal importer/dealer mentioned he has an Asian source for repop plates and decals. However, he told me his own cost for the plates is much more than $25. I’m not sure what he sells them for.

If there’s a source out there today for $25 plates, then I’ll need to bundle up a lot more quantity to get down to pricing that low for a high fidelity plate like this.

Best regards,

Tom

 

[markp]

The plate I got from Yang was aluminum with rivet holes. Looks like it was silkscreened onto the plate. I put a lexan sheet over the plate using silicone adhesive to protect it

 

[thomasutley]

That makes a lot more sense now! The plates I’m offering are traditional acid-etched brass. The etched relief area is filled with dark blue color for good contrast like what these machines would have shipped with originally.

You really had me scratching my head on the cost—I have the better part of $25 just in the raw brass sheet stock! Ha.

Thanks for the follow-up post!

Tom

 

[vonleyser]

I would be interested in purchasing one.
PLUS do you have ALL the other small pieces that show the other settings.

 

[thomasutley]

Hi there, I have one new gearbox plate remaining. Unfortunately, I have not been asked to reproduce any of the other Mori Seiki plates. We’d be starting from scratch on artwork for those.

I’d be happy to talk you through the cost to get to the first copy of the other plates, starting with photos of what they look like to give me an idea of their complexity. It won’t be inexpensive, but it’s definitely doable now that the most difficult of the plates is done.

My direct email address is [email protected].

Thanks!

Tom


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[rpseguin]

FYI, you can still buy the speed/gear/threading name plates from Cadillac/Yang USA distributor in LA for about 25$. I bought one for my Mori clone Cadillac 2260 two years ago.

Have contact info for them?

 

[thomasutley]

Update: I have sold the last of this first batch of Mori gearbox plates. Future orders will require a new min batch qty of six plates.

The semi-good news is I have already paid the non-recurring setup cost for the silkscreens so the next batch will be a bit cheaper if I can aggregate enough requests to place the order.

Thanks!


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[rmw]

Mori Seiki data plate

I’d be interested if you make more. Your work is beautiful. Greg

Update: I have sold the last of this first batch of Mori gearbox plates. Future orders will require a new min batch qty of six plates.

The semi-good news is I have already paid the non-recurring setup cost for the silkscreens so the next batch will be a bit cheaper if I can aggregate enough requests to place the order.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rpseguin]

Update: I have sold the last of this first batch of Mori gearbox plates. Future orders will require a new min batch qty of six plates.

The semi-good news is I have already paid the non-recurring setup cost for the silkscreens so the next batch will be a bit cheaper if I can aggregate enough requests to place the order.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Your plates are beautiful!

I peeled the plastic and applied 4 coats of clearcoat:

I’m going to put a polycarbonate cover plate over it.

 

[thomasutley]

I’m so glad you like it!

I have three remaining in this latest batch. If you know of others whose plates are hard to read, please send them my way!

Best regards, Tom.


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[thomasutley]

Second batch of Mori Seiki 1800RPM gearbox plates is now sold. I can always order more, just need to aggregate a min buy of six to keep the unit cost out of the stratosphere.


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[Mike Cop]

Are these plates for Mori Ms 850?

 

[thomasutley]

Are these plates for Mori Ms 850?

Mike, I’m not sure of the model number, but here’s what the plate looks like: Login • Instagram

 

[jbacc]

Mike, I’m not sure of the model number, but here’s what the plate looks like: Login • Instagram

What do the new one cost?

Thank you, very nice work.

Joe

 

[thomasutley]

What do the new one cost?

Thank you, very nice work.

Joe

Thanks Joe. Because these plates are so large, I’m unable to make them in my home shop. I send the artwork out to a commercial nameplate shop that does a fantastic job as you see in the Instagram link.

The challenge is the unit cost. In order for me to be able to get them under $200/plate, I need to order a minimum of six copies. Anything less and the cost is just embarrassingly high!


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[Gyzmo]

Do you make these plates in a metric version?...
I'm interested in one of these plates if you do, providing shipping costs to Sydney Australia aren't rediculously high...
The one on my Hwacheon (HL435 an ex-college machine) are exactly the same except it is anodised aluminium and the anodising has faded over time so it is difficult to read.

 

[guythatbrews]

Looking for a mori ms-1250 now. If I find one I'll see if you still make these. They are beautiful. Hate to see those great old brass plates beat to eff by shop monkeys.

 

[thomasutley]

Do you make these plates in a metric version?...
I'm interested in one of these plates if you do, providing shipping costs to Sydney Australia aren't rediculously high...
The one on my Hwacheon (HL435 an ex-college machine) are exactly the same except it is anodised aluminium and the anodising has faded over time so it is difficult to read.

Hi Gyzmo,

I need to ask what the "metric version" looks like? If the artwork is different compared to the ones previously reproduced, then it will require quite a few hours of artwork development to create a new etching mask. If it's the same, however, then making an aluminum version should be straightforward. You can email me with pics and/or questions anytime: [email protected]

Thanks!