I need to find a company that makes interlocking (W-shaped) fasteners
for connecting heavy-gauge wire for constructing bird cages.  The
fasteners are used by the "Quality Cage Co." in Portland, OR.  The
fasteners are attatched with an air tool (not by hand).  I also need
to find the company that makes the air tool.  I have been told that
Hartco is the brand and Alloid Fastening is where Quality Cage Co.
acquires these supplies.  I cannot find either of these businesses on
the internet.

Hello designer,

Thank you for the question.

I immediately went off to the Thomas Register Online at
www.thomasregister.com . If you are not familiar with this resource,
they describe their service as follows:

Thomas Register is the most comprehensive online resource for finding
companies and products manufactured in North America where you can:

Submit RFQs 
Place orders online 
View and download millions of Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings 
View thousands of online company catalogs and websites 

Simply enter one or more words into the search box after selecting the
product, company, or brand name you're looking for to search from over
72,000 product headings and more than 170,000 company listings.

I first searched for Hartco. There were three company matches and I am
confident this is the Hartco you have heard about for your fastener
need:

Stanley Hartco, Div. Stanley Fastening Systems
 
7707-T N. Austin Ave.
Skokie, IL 60077 USA
Tel: 847-967-1122
Fax: 847-967-9808
 
Company Description
Clinching Tools & Clips - Anchor Clips & Machines.
 
You'll note that Stanley Hartco mentions that they also supply
fastening machines and may well have one to attach the clips you
mentioned. However, While here at Thomas I also searched for Alloid
Fastening and there were no matches. Could it actually be "Allied"
Fastening?

Thomas had 3 matches for Allied Fastening, but only one showed
promise:

Allied-Harper Aerospace Fasteners
  
951 Leslie St.
La Habra, CA 90631 USA
Tel: 714-388-2008
Fax: 714-388-2010
 
Company Description
Fasteners, Completely Fabricated, Tested & Certified To Specs.


Armed with this information, I searched for web sites for the two
companies I had found. My first hit was a site that sells Stanley
Hartco products and I believe these are the clips and machines you
desire:

http://www.thestaplingcompany.com/products/hartcoproducts.htm

" The Stapling Company offers a full range of Hartco fastening tools
including the HR-68, HR-65AT, HR-66 and the coil clip system.

In addition, we also supply the AK Anchor Clip and TRK Top of Rail
Clip machines."

These appear to be the W shaped fasteners you describe, and if you
follow the links at this page, you will find a variety of models and
machines for differing applications.

The Stapling Company is a UK company:

+44 (0) 1494 526999 
      
Email    info@thestaplingcompany.com  
      
Fax   +44 (0) 1494 523567 
      
Mail   Unit 2
Riverside Business Centre
Victoria Street
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire  HP11 2LT 

So I checked to find a more local distributor for you and found the
official Stanley site:

http://www.stanleyworks.com/bu_pneumatic.asp

Stanley Fastening Systems, L.P.,
Briggs Drive 
East Greenwich, Rhode Island 0281
Tel: 401-884-2500
Fax: 860-885-3122 

Customer Service:

Tel: 800-556-6696 
Fax: 800-842-9360 

"About this business unit:

 Stanley Fastening Systems manufactures top-quality, innovative
fastening tools and fasteners for industrial, construction and home
improvement applications. Products include pneumatic staplers and
nailers, compressors, manually operated staplers and tackers, coil-fed
screw systems, rivet tools, glue guns, a broad assortment of collated
nails, screws, staples and specialty fasteners in a variety of
materials and finishes, plus office products and carton-closing
staplers -- many of them "firsts" in the industry."

Although I could not find a distributor list at this site, I'm sure a
call to their toll free customer service number will find a
distributor convenient for you. Ask specifically for a distributor of
their Hartco product line.

I did not find any web sites that referenced Allied-Harper Aerospace,
but I feel confident Stanley Hartco will be able to provide you with
everything you require for these fasteners.

I trust this will locate the fasteners you desire, however do request
clarification if needed or should you find a link above
non-functional.

Best Regards,

-=clouseau=-

---

Request for Answer Clarification by designer-ga on 27 Nov 2002 19:49 PST

This answer to my question is far more than I ever expected.  All of
the information that clouseau-ga obtained for me was what I needed and
more.  The speed at which clouseau-ga gathered the info. far exceeded
my expectations.  With this help, I can proceed with my plans instead
of running in circles trying to find the answers on my own.  Thank you
very much for a job well done!

---

Clarification of Answer by clouseau-ga on 27 Nov 2002 19:56 PST

My pleasure, designer. Good luck with your project.

-=clouseau=-

---

Clarification of Answer by clouseau-ga on 27 Nov 2002 20:05 PST

Thank you so much for the kind rating and generous tip!

Kind regards,

-=clouseau=-

Great answer, great speed, thorough research!!!!!
I would gladly tip you more, clouseau-ga, but unfortunately your
exceptional research was done for someone who can appreciate a job
well done but is not wealthy.