Brain Drain

Imagine having to cut a piece of paper and folding it into an envelope every time you wanted to mail a letter.

Frank and Jim Gosen of Star Die Company.

Just think of how panicked you would be if you had to cut, fold and glue 10 presentation folders for tomorrow’s high-powered meeting with the board of directors (and don’t forget cut those two little slits for your business card on the inside pocket).

What would your mechanic charge you if he had to take the time to precisely cut that thin, delicate gasket that fits between the valve cover and the engine?

Have you every tried cutting your own jigsaw puzzle pieces?

Many items we use every day have been cut and/or folded in a press that uses steel rule cutting dies. Steel rule dies were first used to cut patterns from leather to mass produce shoes. Over time, steel rule dies have become the “cookie cutter” for the printing and light manufacturing industries.

Two of my brothers, Jim and Frank, are diemakers and recently I built a website for their company Star Die Company. They started their business in 1985 and continue to knock out high quality work everyday with relative ease and extreme precision.

They have made dies for just about everything imaginable over the years. Like any artists or craftsmen who have honed their skills over time, it’s really impressive to watch these guys work. Whereas some diemakers program a computer to cut the wood and bend the rule, Jim and Frank hand-craft each die and can bend and shape the razor-sharp metal into all kinds of patterns, and do so within fractions of a fraction of an inch.

So next time you are admiring the impressive label on that expensive bottle of wine or opening that box of frozen food, it was most likely cut from a steel rule die.

Convenience is cool.

Jim and Frank Gosen, co-owners of Star Die Company in 1985.