Quote:
Originally Posted by 69Rumbler
you ever thought of just machining the parts ?
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That's a good question, and something I've put a lot of thought into. I'm glad you brought this up actually.
With these mirrors for example, there will be parts of if that will be machined, as well as custom hardware that I will be showing you any day now.
But to machine the entire mirror housing out of a single piece of billet removes an important element in the process; and that is a human connection. That's hugely important to me.
Anybody can push a button on a CNC machine, and yes, it will look REAL pretty. But I like to know that the part I'm bolting on my truck was made with an artisans hands and that it has a story behind it. These factors give the part character and substance that hopefully means something to its owner.
Here's an example. One of my mentors is Kirk Browne. Some of you may know his work at
Crafty-b.net. Kirk has helped me along the way by answering an occasional question I may have about the parts business. He's known for his flip-top Halibrand style gas caps, and they are the most beautiful gas caps in the world...my world anyway. You can tell just by looking at his art, that he's passionate about his craft.
I bought one of his gas caps about a year ago. It's patiently sitting on a shelf in my garage waiting to be installed. Every time I walk by it, I smile, because I know where it came from, how it was made, and who made it. I can't wait to get it on my truck because I know people will be asking about it. And I will be telling the story of a guy who inspired me to get off my butt and start something meaningful.
Just wanted to throw out one more thing. I, in no way, am putting down billet parts nor the CNC machinist who creates them. I'm not one of those guys that only like customs or period correct builds or street rods or pro-touring, or … actually the whole categorizing that some feel they have to put your car or truck in kind of makes me crazy! But that is another topic for another day. Bottom line is I like it all. But when it came time for me to define what type of parts Relicate would stand for, it was important to chose a path that both you and I could feel good about. So to that end, as my tag line says, Relicate parts will always be "Crafted with
Soul."
I really want to know where you guys fall on this subject. Do you have specific tastes, or do you like it all?