Plastic shims to level appliances

KB_Texas · Post by **KB_Texas** » February 24, 2012, 1:34 pm

Does anyone know where to find these? I went to Tool Pro and asked for Shims Plastik and got the deer in a headlight look. Does anyone know what Thai's call shims or know where these can be found? The wooden ones I made are not working well as the ants/termites just eat them. In 4 months, they are almost half gone.

Thanks,
KB

Post by **tutone** » February 24, 2012, 2:16 pm

Maybe one of the shops that sells steel could cut you some pieces of sheet metal. Just a thought. Thai folks use whatever is lying around. Beer caps are quite popular.

Post by **Peterplay** » February 24, 2012, 2:40 pm

Out of curiosity, what is a shim ?? I looked at photo's and drawings of a shim in Googles, but it appears to be possibly anything. The idea I get it is something small that wedges between two things, be it a ring or a tringular thing. But what is it in your case ?

If you don't want to educate, mai ben rai, I'll inderstand if you ignore ignorant questions..

KB_Texas · Post by **KB_Texas** » February 24, 2012, 2:59 pm

Peterplay wrote:Out of curiosity, what is a shim ?? I looked at photo's and drawings of a shim in Googles, but it appears to be possibly anything. The idea I get it is something small that wedges between two things, be it a ring or a tringular thing. But what is it in your case ?

If you don't want to educate, mai ben rai, I'll inderstand if you ignore ignorant questions..

What I am speaking of are gently triangular pieces of wood/plastic/metal that you can slide under the feet of appliances (and other things...pool tables, kitchen tables, etc) that allows you to level the thing that is sitting on them.

Many folks use beer caps, packs of matches, etc., but I like a more permanent solution.

http://www.groveproductsinc.com/images/shims.jpg the three in the upper right corner are what I am thinking of.

KB

KB_Texas · Post by **KB_Texas** » February 24, 2012, 3:06 pm

tutone wrote:Maybe one of the shops that sells steel could cut you some pieces of sheet metal. Just a thought. Thai folks use whatever is lying around. Beer caps are quite popular.

Hmmm, that is a thought, but I would pretty much have to measure each foot to see what size was needed to level the appliance, and each would probably be a bit different. Maybe as a last resort if I cannot find shims.

Thanks for the idea.

KB

Post by **Peterplay** » February 24, 2012, 3:09 pm

Thanks, you're very kind.

In your case they are sloping and triangular, but I see/understand there are many forms and sizes. Am I right saying that in general a shim is something to fill space between two things ?

I tried to translate (via Google as well) it, but alas.

Sorry to hijack the thread

KB_Texas · Post by **KB_Texas** » February 24, 2012, 4:16 pm

Correct...a shim can be used to level (leveling shim) or to separate things (e.g. maintain a specific gap between two metal plates), or to hold something to tolerance (say a pin that has to be .025 inches from the base that it pins).

Disclaimer: I am not a mechanical engineer.

This is what I learned from my dad, who did home improvements as his business. The technical definition may vary. But this pretty much agrees with the dictionary definition: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shim

KB

Post by **fdimike** » February 24, 2012, 5:59 pm

KB

You can get metal shims like you describe milled at nearly any machine shop in town. You can buy stainless steel metal at many places around town which make metal gates & fences. You'll also have to come up with a sketch with some dimensions for the shop to work with. A friend of mine who flies paramotors has done this with SS as well as a dense plastic material he bought in Bangkok. You may also need a little patience in dealing with the shop but it can be done.

KB_Texas · Post by **KB_Texas** » February 24, 2012, 6:29 pm

fdimike wrote:KB

You can get metal shims like you describe milled at nearly any machine shop in town. You can buy stainless steel metal at many places around town which make metal gates & fences. You'll also have to come up with a sketch with some dimensions for the shop to work with. A friend of mine who flies paramotors has done this with SS as well as a dense plastic material he bought in Bangkok. You may also need a little patience in dealing with the shop but it can be done.

Thanks for the input. That sounds like it would be a bit expensive compared to buying a pack of 12 for like $5 at Home Depot in the States, but TiT.

KB

Post by **fdimike** » February 24, 2012, 8:50 pm

I don't think it will cost you any more than what you paid for the plastic ones in the US. If stainless is too expensive switch to aluminum which is also available at a number of shops here in town. The machine shop work is not very expensive at all. I've never seen the plastic wedges at any time during the 6 years i've been here.

If your handy you may be able to make some wedges yourself using aluminum stripping. You can buy flat aluminum alloy stripping approx 1" wide x 1.4mm thick and bend it in half around a pencil. This will create a wedge which you may find suitable for your needs. The alloy is pretty strong and will not easily deform under weight.

I hope this helps.

Post by **fdimike** » February 24, 2012, 9:01 pm

KB
If you don't need the wedges immediately you can order them from here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-FURNITURE-LE ... 5ae2b39892

$2.50 for a pack of 16 and then another $6.28 for shipping from the UK. It will probably take about 10 days to get here.

KB_Texas · Post by **KB_Texas** » February 24, 2012, 10:25 pm

fdimike wrote:KB
If you don't need the wedges immediately you can order them from here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-FURNITURE-LE ... 5ae2b39892

$2.50 for a pack of 16 and then another $6.28 for shipping from the UK. It will probably take about 10 days to get here.

Heh, tried to order two packs, but no matter what i do, it will not bring up shipping to anywhere but the US or Canada.

I do not have an eBay account, so it needs to work for a guest checkout, and doesn't.

But yes, these are EXACTLY what I am looking for! Thanks for the heads up. Now all I need to figure out is how to order them. When I try to contact the seller, once again, it requires a user id. Stupid eBay.

KB

Post by **fdimike** » February 24, 2012, 10:32 pm

KB

Get with me via PM. I'be be happy to order them for you via my ebay account. The UK company says they'll ship worldwide.