Hi AdeV,
I have a (very old but very good - well, I like it!) Black & Decker DN339 small bandsaw that also wants 59.5" x 1/4" blades. I´ve bought several (over the years) from Chronos,
http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Chronos_Catalogue_Bandsaw_Machines___Bandsaw_Blades_181.html(about halfway down the page)
They don´t say in the page what material it is, but they´ve worked just fine for me, for brass + ali, and for thin steel. For ten £, it maybe is worth a try
I often cut 2"x2" ali bars with them blades, it does take some time, but still far faster (and easier on the elbow) than a hacksaw. Through 3 - 10 mm ali plate, it goes about the same as through equivalent plywood. In my use, one blade lasts for about 20-25 months. I haven´t broken any, the blade just gets dull.
I´ve also made my own (years ago), from a roll of bimetal blade that I bought locally. Ends (duly thinned) silver soldered, with a homebrew cobbled jig. I´ve also tried spot welding the ends, but they snapped open rather easily. Must have been my fault really, of course they can be welded, but not like I did it
Silver soldering, the way I did it, was far stronger. They will cost less per blade in the long run, although the roll of material cost a zillion... It´s not really suitable for such a small saw, the material is wider (8 mm instead of 6.3 - I couldn´t find any narrower) and a bit thicker. It needs more tension in the blade than the saw was designed for, and is only good for straight cuts.
