Well, two days.
Things have been slow around here, mainly because of a balsa shortage. I order nearly on a monthly basis. I got a small shock on my last order: 57 sheets out of 100 were in excess of my 12# weight limit. That means I am actually paying DOUBLE for the balsa I am buying (since half of it will not be used).
So, I am stuck – do I continue to buy excess from National – or do I specify my density and pay a 40% surcharge at Specialized? I ordered another lot from National and it is not here yet and I cannot cut what I do not have. So, some orders are delayed.
The balsa situation will cause me to increase prices on my short kits (insert sad face here). I do not like that prospect. I need to figure out a way to keep prices low. I think the best way to do that is to base the price on the amount of wood in the kit. In the past, I’ve done a flat rate – $10 for short kits, and $20 for JetCats. well, some of my short kits contain as many as 6 sheets of balsa – and they were the same price as those with half a sheet. I will probably end up taking the time to analyze each kit and set prices according to the number of sheets.
I also might add an option to have your kit cut from light balsa on some kits. I have a good stash of 6# and under wood that could be used on certain kits. Also, JetCat wings are another place where I could have a “light” option. Thick AND light balsa is definitely expensive (National quotes nearly $7 for a 36″ sheet of light 1/8″ and about $8.5 for a light sheet of 3/16″!!!)
Anyway, I can’t afford to give away the wood in my kits, so prices will need to go up (another sad face).
VACATION – I’m going to see my dad Tuesday and Wednesday. I haven’t been down there due to COVID since my mother’s funeral in February. We will be doing a bit of Studebakering and also spending some time in the Prop Factory (actually working on a custom made torque meter for a customer).
A year ago, we had put together plans for 2020 where we would spend several weeks together over the spring and summer, planning on doing a double engine swap in our Studebakers. Well, that hasn’t happened yet. But yesterday, I pulled the McCulloch supercharger from my car to take it down to Myer’s Studebakers in Duncan Falls, Ohio for a rebuild. Eventually, we will get that swap done and my Lark will be back on the road. Here’s a shot of it from 10 years ago – before I got back into Free Flight.
As for the torque meter, with any luck we will have an 8 in-oz torque meter available for the K&P 10/4:1 winder. That’s a little light compared to the maximum capacity for the winder, but it is what the customer wants. We will also think about a larger capacity torque meter, closer matching the winder. This is basically the Rees Torque Meter adapted to the output shaft of the K&P winder (which is almost certainly built with metric dimensions).
Anyway, if you have an order placed, be patient, I’ll be away for a couple days and by that time, I am sure I will have balsa waiting for me and I will get back to cutting and shipping.
–george
Not happy with National Balsa at all! They shipped the wrong sizes and then refused to do anything about it and said it was what I ordered. Repeated emails go unanswered. Beware of what you order from them.