F3X

What would you pay for a video or book in English of how to make molds and parts exactly like the best model builders do?
It would show everything from making the master, mold and parts. Cover all material needed.
I am talking about the same quality of model parts that we drool over from top Europe sailplane manufactures. Lightweight, stiff, strong, accurate composite parts. No secrets held back. What type of paint, wax, epoxy, cloths, bag, how to do hinges etc...

$ 100.00?
$ 75.00?
$ 50.00?

If there is enough interest this could happen this summer.

turbines

My Feedback: (9)

I wonder if some sort of review professional or laymen could be made here on RCU? This would probably set the price precedence.

daven

My Feedback: (1)

I purchased a video from Northeast Sailplane that showed the process of preparing a plug, making the mold, and how to make the part. Its quite extensive, and has a lot of good info for a low buck production. I beleive their video was under $40. A couple of us split the cost, and all borrow the tape whenever.

http://www.nesail.com/channel1.html

F3X

Looking over this forum I see a lot of guys having the same trouble. Would that NSP video (I have'nt seen it) answer most of the questions on this forum?

I guess that most guys try to learn some things off the web. It is obvious that some of the questions asked here could be easily answered by a proper composite book or video.

There are some videos that show how to. But thats not really how the pros do it. There is a lot to learn from the guys that make the best models available.

Although not in English this link has a lot of good info.
http://www.swiss-composite.ch/scs3/d/hobbytip.html

Soar Head

My Feedback: (5)

I'd pay $35 right now. Maybe up to $50 if I were convinced of it's value to me.

Sure the web is enough to get you started. I've started buying books for more depth than the web offers.

ptxman

My Feedback: (2)

Your website models are very impressive. (Hey, why aren’t you making electric racers?) Personally, I would welcome any reference & educational material you would put together. Can I make some suggestions as a future customer? Composite techniques applied to models encompasses a broad range. Breaking it down to a series of individual topics for individual purchase makes a lot of sense.

Regarding format, certain subjects lend themselves to video, but I would venture to say many others could be very well described in a high quality text document – say an Adobe file containing nice step-by-step digital pictures with corresponding text. Videos have to be staged, filmed, lighted & edited with at least minimum standards to properly convey information. Based on what Ive seen, that’s not easy to do for most hobbyists. Some of the ones Ive seen are not bad, others are just plain painful to watch & not worth the money. I don’t want to watch someone mix epoxy in a cup for a full minute on a ‘bagging’ video & then neglect to mention what sort of epoxy is even being used.

A properly prepared electronic document along the lines of the link you provided would offer many advantages. It gives you, the author, much more flexibility in combining information from many different formats (digital pictures, text, scans, cad, an excel spreadsheet, heck even an imbedded videos). You can modify the document at any time with more info, adapt to customer feedback etc. It lends itself to downloading for instant purchase or it could be printed & sold as a book. It lends itself to progressive modules so the customer can pick & choose to keep the cost down. Someone who knows enough about plugs may only need help with advanced mold making; someone who knows that may only want to know about bagging & shell construction. Probably you would find some overlap that could be utilized from one subject to the next – epoxy types, releasing agents etc.

Heres some subject suggestions in no particular order: Plug Making, Mold Making, Solid Composite Construction (like CF tow propellers), Soft Shell Molding (urethanes, silicones, difficult shaped parts), Vacuum Bagging Coreless Techniques (like sandwich wings) Vacuum Bagging Layup Applications (like non sandwich fuses), Layup Techniques, Cad/Cam/CNC Milling, Composite Material Selection, Hardware Integration (spars, sockets, vtails)….

Hope this helps with your decision & plans.

F3X

Great Stuff!! Thanks for your input.

But how much would you pay for such valued info????

The issue is if your in this for a hobby then people expect your labor for free, if you are in this for a business you need to see if it's worth your time, If I want to do something for free I will just go out and fly. It pays the same as making videos and books for information that I have and some could use.

Thanks

ptxman

My Feedback: (2)

Id pay 30-50$/title for at least 1/2 of the subjects mentioned assuming they were top quality. Thats coming from someone who is pretty familair with most aspects already, but I always like to see how the pros do it.

RON40

My Feedback: (1)

I AGREE I WOULD PAY $30.00 TO$ 50.00 FOR A QUALITY VIDEO.

JetAwithPrist

I would also pay 30 to 50 IF and only if i was convinced that there was new or valuable information on the video. I wouldnt buy it if i though that it spent a lot of time on the basics of composites, i am interested in tips or tricks from pros.

Jimbonk

Tom , the tape is a good idea, but you have to keep the price down ( Modelers are notorius for being cheap ), and the quality high. ( from 5 feet away you cannot see the difference from an area that needs More Resin from one that has way too much )
You cannot teach experience , you can only teach techniques, and for this reason I like the Expert/ Beginner Format. In this format the Expert shows the Beginner how to do it , often has the Beginner do the work, and when the Expert forgets, the Beginner asks why they are using this method/product. Watch a few episodes of "Ask this Old House" and you will understand what I am saying.

Keep the "projects " small, why use a whole wing panel when a big horizontal stab shows you the same thing ?

Use a Scale ! If you glass a wood fuze or wing , weigh it twice, once when you start and again when you finish. A lot of Giant Scale Modelers will not glass a wing or fuze , because it "adds too much weight " , and end up using rolls of Monokote 'cause it's "lighter". It's too bad that they do not know the truth.

Try to get a company like ACP or CST to sponsor the tape, they get their name in the Title sequence, product placement, and if you keep their involment low key it won't look like an "Informercial" for their products.

Try to talk one of the College Film Schools to produce the thing as a project , they already have the Studio, Cameras, Lighting, and most importantly the Editing equipment, and expertise. The big plus is they work cheap.

Just a few ideas

Jim B

Goggles

My Feedback: (4)

Another vote, I'd pay $30-50 for such great material.

CafeenMan

My honest opinion - I would normally pay about $20 for something of decent quality, but usually I figure things out through asking people who are doing what I want to learn how to do. The answers are always free. Then a little trial and error and I'm in business. I don't like paying for how-to books because there's no repeat value in them. Once I know hte stuff, it's just another book or video taking up space.

Also, there are already books out there covering the subject of composite molds. How will yours be better enough than what is available now to induce me to purchase it?

soarer

My Feedback: (1)

The most I would pay is $50 and it would need to be in English and be in good detail and quality video.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

I have found a great deal of the info for making my molds on the net. If the quality is very good, I might buy it if it were in the $30 range. I have seen some good training vidios going for upwards of $100 but I wouldn't think you would sell nearly as many. Keep it cheap enough and I would bet you would sell 10 times more.

goony

I find it hard to believe that u would want to prostitute youre self this way? selling youre services to fellow modellers in such a manner is disgracefull and you should be ashamed of your'self
Reading books and watching vids doesn't do justice this artform
because that is what it is an ART you can read and watch as many vids as you want but it all comes down to experience and lots of practice, Of course there is much info that can be learnt from such sources but I doubt that you couldnt learn it from this site. Can you imagine turning up at the field as a newcomer and saying to someone that you cant get youre engine to run properly and they say thats NO problem give me £10 and I will set it up for you? you would tell them to shove it up thier arse wouldnt you? I know I would, I come on this and other sites to learn but if I can help I will NO ifs or buts and I certianly wouldnt charge anybody for any help that I could give.
And to my advantage I have been in composites for 23 years and built every thing from kiddies swings to space craft including boats,trains and automibiles


regards goony(NOT A HOOKER)

Flyingmike-inactive

Hi Goony

You seem keen to give information away, so please can you help. How do you prevent bubbles in your first layer of carbon. I am making a carbon fiber spinner with a clear epoxy surface coat and when I pull the spinner out of the mold I am greeted with bubbles trapped between the weave, how can I prevent these. If I was painting it, it would be ok, but as its clear it looks really bad.

At this stage I would pay loads for a video that solved my problem, because my moldings are perfect except for these bubbles.

Also the epoxy is free from bubbles before it goes into the mold

Thanks

Mike

kgough

Goony,

Would wou please send me several free videos in English of how to make molds and parts exactly like the best model builders do?
It would show everything from making the master, mold and parts. Cover all material needed.
I am talking about the same quality of model parts that we drool over from top Europe sailplane manufactures. Lightweight, stiff, strong, accurate composite parts. No secrets held back. What type of paint, wax, epoxy, cloths, bag, how to do hinges etc...

Thanks,
Ken

Flyingmike-inactive

Send me one too!!!!!!!!!!!!

sayno2glo

My Feedback: (2)

Guys you don't need a video to know how to do composites.
You need practise and use try and error method. There are no sectrets in building a composite plane. I can answer your questions with my bad english but basic skills you have to get by doing simple things like class fuses.
But I have question too: how to make heating system into wing mold? Electric? water?

/Antti

ptxman

My Feedback: (2)

I started a new post here. Maybe some others have some related thoughts & can join in.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...22&forumid=206]

F3X

Deleted.

Never mind, this post won't serve any purpose.

Tom.

Soar Head

My Feedback: (5)

The Phil Barnes DVD on vacuum bagging techniques seems to be selling very well. It's not cheap at $65 I think.

Real content, and word-of-mouth (as well as a lot of posts by Hayman) to RCU and RcGroups seems be all the marketing. Well, a review by rcgroups and mention in the AMA rag, too.

davidfee

I would think you could charge $75 to $100 for a well-made book, and certainly $50-$75 for a well-produced video. I would prefer the book form, although I realize it would be more costly to produce than the video. You would need really solid content, though... it would need to be at an advanced level and cover as much of the theory as possible. You really need two books... one on building the molds and parts and another on designing the composite structures. Or combine them in one large volume.

-David

soholingo

I would pay at $100. It has taken me about 3 months to 'figure out' the basics, the language, the differences between a laminating epoxy vs a tooling epoxy, etc... I have wasted money on buying the wrong epoxies, etc... If a video/dvd would show me those things, it's worth the savings in time alone. Phil Barne's video is priceless to me just because it explained how to use the feather cut. That's not the reason I bought the video, but that piece alone was worth the hours I would have lost trying to figure out my feather cut. (I didn't know you just turned on the power to get the core to cut...)

If you can teach me how to make an f5b of the quality of Marcus Koch on the ezone, then yep $100 would definitely be worth it to me...

jay