Excelsior Rocketry decals

[astronboy]

Hello Everyone,

Some of this post is a dup to my reply on another thread, but this one has a but more information.

I would like to thank everyone who has placed orders, and everyone here on the forum who has vouched for me. I am still around, and have not been lost on a cruise to the Bermuda Triangle!

Due to various family, business and ink supply issues, I have not shipped in several weeks. I do have everything in order to print and process the orders I have on hand. I do apologize for the delay, but rest assured, all orders will be filled.

If you have placed an order and would instead like a refund, I understand. Please shoot me an email to: [email protected] and I will refund your payment.

Due to the continuing and increasing restraints on my time from my 'real job' and family health issues, I am afraid that I will no longer be able to create new or custom designs for the time being. If this changes, this is the first place I will post.

ALPS INK: Well, ALPS ink is no longer being manufactured and sold in the US as of Dec 2006. I ordered a boatload of INK which should get us through he next few months. After that, things will get dicey. I have been advised that the ink is still available in Europe, but if it comes to that, the price will inevitably go up. I enjoy drawing and printing decals, and will do all that I can to keep things moving. Any sudden shortage in ink, or price increases will be communicated here on TRF.

I would again like to thank everyone who has supported me and Excelsior Rocketry so far. I have corresponded with and met many great folks, and look forward to continue doing so.

Ever upward!!

Fred

 

[astronboy]

Hello All,

I have just finished emailing all customers who have had questions about their orders. I appreciate everyone's patience, as well as your support.

Thanks again.

Fred

 

[DaveCombs]

And thank you, Fred, for your reply. While we all hope you can get back in business, I can fully appreciate that family comes first. I wish you and yours all the best to get through it.

 

[dr wogz]

And how was your vacation?!

 

[Gus]

Fred,

Really glad to hear you are OK.

 

[CAS2047]

First off Excelsior decals are Outstanding!!!

Now I have to ask - why is ALPS ink is no longer being manufactured and sold in the US? Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[astronboy]

Well, the answer is sales and returns. The printers have been out of production for 5-6 years now. They sold poorly as I understand, and broke too often.

ALPS ink sales get larger every year, but they still decided to pull the plug.......

Fred

 

[Fore Check]

Although I don't have anything on order, for some reason I suddenly feel like a junkie that has been arrested, thrown into rehab, and is convulsing due to major withdrawal symptoms. ACK!

Best wishes, Phred!

 

[CAS2047]

Originally posted by astronboy
Well, the answer is sales and returns. The printers have been out of production for 5-6 years now. They sold poorly as I understand, and broke too often.

ALPS ink sales get larger every year, but they still decided to pull the plug.......

Fred

Well I hope that before your stash runs dry you are able to either a. find a bunch more ink or b. find an alternate method of printing the decals because you do a great job. My Big Der Red Max and V2 clones can attest to that!

 

[kelltym88]

Glad to hear from you. And glad to hear you are OK. I can totally relate to the supplier issue. There's got to be an alternative somewhere. Anyway, I'll wait for you to fill my order. Just let me know when you ship them.

 

[rokitflite]

Oh Lord...
I hope Fred's sources are mistaken! At this rate my printer supply will outlast my ink supply . All of us Alps users have known this was coming but never wanted to believe it would ever happen. I WILL say from my experiences with the Alps printer that Fred is charging an incredibly reasonable price for his decals! So if the ink sources start to "dry up" and Fred's prices double, it's still a good deal!

 

[bsexton]

Phred - You've provided a great service to our community and for that I thank you!

And before you even ask, no I have not finished the TLP HARM AGM-88A. But it has been painted and the decals are the next step when I can find a few extra minutes. I will post pictures when I get to it.

 

[m.hutchinson]

Originally posted by rokitflite
Oh Lord...
I hope Fred's sources are mistaken! At this rate my printer supply will outlast my ink supply . All of us Alps users have known this was coming but never wanted to believe it would ever happen. I WILL say from my experiences with the Alps printer that Fred is charging an incredibly reasonable price for his decals! So if the ink sources start to "dry up" and Fred's prices double, it's still a good deal!

This was a major bummer for a number of people. Our Club was going to do a "how to design and make a decal" session, and with the alps ink supply shut off, we had to nix the idea. Too bad, it would have been an interesting session.

 

[rokitflite]

Looks like this is the end . My supplier is waiting for THE LAST shipment of cartridges from Alps to clear customs. A couple of months ago they asked me to make an order of what I thought I would need for the next 3 months... I wish they had said all the cartridges I would need ever again . They are looking for other sources, but some like Okidata, are 3 times the price!!!

 

[WShoreRockets]

Does anybody else make a similar printer?

I'm looking for one myself.

Bob

 

[powderburner]

One thing you have to admire about this wonderful capitalistic system of ours is that when some entrepreneur gets an idea, he can run with it.

You can bet that (at least) one of the frustrated ALPS users out there is thinking 'I can sell ink' and that it may be a matter of time, but you will probably soon find some new dealer options.

Kind of like when a certain giant company selling model rockets gave up on the 'craftsman' market and new vendors stepped in and took over that niche.

Don't throw out that hardware just yet....




Late edit: Phred!!! What was I thinking? (slaps self)
It is great to hear that you are OK and that your interruption was just 'life' hitting the fan. I can certainly understand this because our water well went bad on Christmas Eve and we have been having trouble with it ever since...and when the water system breaks down, EVERYTHING else stops!
Keep up the good work on those decals, we're happy that you can get a bit more mileage out of those printers!

 

[rokitflite]

Originally posted by powderburner
One thing you have to admire about this wonderful capitalistic system of ours is that when some entrepreneur gets an idea, he can run with it.

You can bet that (at least) one of the frustrated ALPS users out there is thinking 'I can sell ink' and that it may be a matter of time, but you will probably soon find some new dealer options.

Kind of like when a certain giant company selling model rockets gave up on the 'craftsman' market and new vendors stepped in and took over that niche.

Don't throw out that hardware just yet....

Somebody needs to start a repair service for these things!!!

 

[astronboy]

Well, here is the current situation: I have one MD5000 printer, and an MD1000 as a backup. These are well cared for and should last me a while.

When the 'last call; for ink came through, I ordered as much as I could afford, and will print until it is gone. Prices for this now defunct ink are unfortunately going up, so decal prices will as well.

What do we do once the ALPS ink is all gone?

ALPS printers were made by OKIdata, and equivalent OKI inks are still sold in Europe. They do however cost more. I have several leads on OKI ink, but have not received any yet. More to come.....

Meanwhile, we are still printing.....

Phred

 

[rokitflite]

I'll be OK for a while as long as they don't discontinue decal paper!