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Juaru

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Hello all,

Here at JonRocket.com we set out to serve the rocketry public by providing a "one stop shop" for access to small rocket companies that you may not have ordered from due to the fact that you may not want to pay shipping charges at 3 or 4 different sites.

We started with Semroc and Custom and have grown to offer rockets and supplies from:

SEMROC
CUSTOM
STARLIGHT
ROCKETHEAD PARACHUTES
PETER ALWAY
FLISKITS
WHITEWINGS GLIDERS
SLS
HOLVERSON DESIGNS
SUNWARD
EDMONDS AEROSPACE and
QUEST MOTORS

I would especially like to thank Semroc and Starlight for helping us to get started with basically no business references (and no money!) at all!

The question is: What do you want now?

We've been looking at a couple of small manufacturer's along with a couple of "medium size" mid power sellers, but I don't want to throw any names out until I find what you guys would really like to have.


So, let's hear it! What would you like to have access to? Yeah, I know, the Launch Pad kits, but what else?

Thanks,

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com











Over the course of the last few months, I have really enjoyed meeting and talking with all of you TRFers. I have found you to be terribly well informed and and all around great bunch of guys.
 
The 'Scale Kits' line would be cool. Umm...very complete list, but if you can offer LOC at a very competitive price...drool. Maybe some of the smaller PML kits too.

Maybe start offering recovery items such as chutes, lengths of tubular nylon (bulk amounts, say 100+ feet), hardware, fin stock, misc. goodies - that would be appealing.

Jason
 
The nylon chutes are pretty much a done deal. We've been talking to a new company about providing them for us. More info on that in a couple of weeks.

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com
 
Originally posted by jetra2
Maybe some of the smaller PML kits too.

Yeah! I still haven't ordered the PML Ariel that I've been eyeing since August...
 
Originally posted by Juaru
The question is: What do you want now?

Other engines. Unless Quest comes out with the higher impulse motors talked about, look for a supplier of same, even if only D and E Aerotechs

A.S.P.'s scale kits.

Check out the German kits from Das Modell.
 
Originally posted by Juaru
The nylon chutes are pretty much a done deal. We've been talking to a new company about providing them for us. More info on that in a couple of weeks.

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com

Would that be from Rockethead by chance?
 
Dome Ideas:

Another vote for LOC

I'd like to see more distribution of stuff from our Indie owners like Thrustlline.

Another neat supplier is Cyline3 - they make some real screamers.
 
I'd like to see more cottage type stuff , loc and pml are nice but seem more than abundant on the internet already

someone like, public enemy, fat cat,bsd ....mabey?
 
Originally posted by Hospital_Rocket


I'd like to see more distribution of stuff from our Indie owners like Thrustlline.

Another neat supplier is Cyline3

Yes, I have contacted both of these companies, but neither is ready to be distributed "at this time". Hopefully, we'll be able to offer them in the future.

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com
 
Originally posted by Hospital_Rocket
I'd like to see more distribution of stuff from our Indie owners like Thrustlline.
Another neat supplier is Cyline3 - they make some real screamers.

Yes, definately. Good call, Hospital.
 
If TLP gets going for real, I'd love to see their stuff out there.
 
Another vote for Squirrel Works and Thrustline. I will add Neubauer as a suggestion as well.
 
Looks like you have done a great job of offering a wide assortment of kits. Sure, there are more that could be added to the list, but there will always be someone who wants one more obscure kit ---

I like to see someone offer parts, especially the hard-to-get ones. We (the rocketry hobbiests) already have several good sites offering tubes, so we might not need much help there. We have some great vendors offering balsa nose cones (BMS, FlisKits, and our own Sandman!) and even custom balsa cones. Balsa sheet and block is probably cheaper to buy locally than to mail-order. We have gobs of 'chute makers (of all sizes).

What I notice missing from our hobby is someone offering 'Estes-style' plastic nose cones at lower-than-Estes prices. Let's face it, for what an Estes NC pack costs, I can buy an entire rocket kit at the next half-price sale (and thus would be cheaper to keep the NC from the kit and throw the rest away)
It would also be very nice to see someone offer an equivalent plastic (or balsa) line of adapters again.

I dunno, this may or may not be possible, but IMHO this is the next major hurdle to be overcome?
 
I agree with Powder. If I had the understanding, I really wouldn't mind producing plastic nosecones for a couple of reasons. One, if you look at the break down of any given kit, it's usually the most expensive piece. Second, although there seems to be a huge inventory out there, alot of the LPR cones are copies or spin-offs from older kits. Besides balsa is great, but you sure can't deny the appeal of plastic for finishing and weight.
And, It would be nice to be able to buy some thing "different".
 
Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like the consensus is: EVERYTHING!:)

As I said, we are looking at a couple of mid-power and a couple of low-power manufacturer's - all 4 were mentioned in your posts. We also have gotten a couple of other ideas from your posts on kits to carry.

As for plastic nose cones. We have looked into them. There doesn't seem to be anyone selling them other than a couple of kit companies that want an arm and a leg for them. We do sell Custom nose cones, but they have quite a limited selection. We have briefly looked into having them manufactured ourselves, but it may be cost prohibitive (at least for us). We're not done looking. If anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Again, thanks for your input,

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com
 
Originally posted by Juaru
Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like the consensus is: EVERYTHING!:)

We have briefly looked into having them manufactured ourselves, but it may be cost prohibitive (at least for us). We're not done looking. If anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Again, thanks for your input,

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com

John, you said the cost may be too high for production of cones. Is that in terms of setting up ones own mold operation or contracting them out? Would it perhaps be something that 3 or 4 people could "invest" in? Say 300 PNC80K cones split amongst 4 people thereby spreading out the set-up cost etc.
 
what kind of 'ballpark' number are we talking about for the cost of setting up the molds and tooling to produce one (1) NC design?

is this like $100, or $1000, or $10000?
does anyone have any idea?
 
The "ballpark figure's" are usually around 10,000 to get the molds.

I may have "a guy" who can get me a good deal. Still checking.

John (not Jon) Arthur

www.JonRocket.com
 
I sure ain't no expert, but that sounds like an awful lot of money for a little chunk of metal to squirt some melted plastic into.
Any idea why it would be so expensive?
I find it kind of hard to believe that a company like Revell, MPC, Airfix, etc, would have to spend multi tens of thousands on plastic model kits where they only produce a few thousand---of the $20 you spend as a purchaser, they would have to invest $5 or $10 just to pay for the molds. That just sounds nuts?
 
The 10,000 figure was the first quote I got for 6-10 different nose cones. I'm still checking, but it's not looking good.

John A
 
yes ,that is realistic .. model kit molds are often considerably more, like around 50,000 and up. thats why many model manufactures use the same molds for decades with only minor additions or changes. thats also why Tamiya level models are so expensive.

so most aftermarket kits/parts are resin cast.

injection molds are not very cost effective for the cottage industry. or you would see alot more cones availiable.

the cheapest route would be draw molding over a form but it would be hard to keep consistant quality.
 
Originally posted by stymye
yes ,that is realistic .. model kit molds are often considerably more, like around 50,000 and up. thats why many model manufactures use the same molds for decades with only minor additions or changes. thats also why Tamiya level models are so expensive.

so most aftermarket kits/parts are resin cast.

injection molds are not very cost effective for the cottage industry. or you would see alot more cones availiable.

the cheapest route would be draw molding over a form but it would be hard to keep consistant quality.

And it seems to follow then why it would be easier for guys like me that don't want to pay for the 20K for a single nose cone mold, to turn that money into a computer giuded lathe setup. I think I heard somewhere in here that having a lathe setup like that would be a lot more practical. That sound about right?
 
Originally posted by powderburner
I sure ain't no expert, but that sounds like an awful lot of money for a little chunk of metal to squirt some melted plastic into.

Any idea why it would be so expensive?

Consider this:

1. The mold is a precision machining,

2. I has to withstand continuous cycling under high temperature (for styrene around 450 degtees) and pressure (I'm guessing a 50ton press would be used for a single cavity NC mold.

3. The engineering charges to design the mold need to be included. Keep in mind, you have to allow for soft plastic flow and a mechanisim to eject the part.

4. Some molds are water cooled.

I was looking at a nosecone and I get the feeling these are not
injection molded. You cand injection mold a hollow object. How would you get the core out.

They are probably rotary molded or blow molderc.

In the first case, a closed cavity has a certain amount of plastic poured in and then it is heated until the plastic is liquid. Then it is slowly rotated until the plastic covers all surfaces.

Rotomolding

In the second, imagine blowing a bubble of soft plastic into a closed chamber.
 
almost all of the big cones are blow molded lpde,
the smaller 2 piece cones are injection molded
 
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