Just a quick update and some pics.
Things in the shop are progressing well.
The core of the car mold is done.
And in to the tank to mate the surfaces up.
Those hoses provide a flow of solution that displaces the metal that is getting pulverized with electricity. It also adds to the " Mad Scientist" feel of the shop to have a tank of liquid bubbling with arcs of electricity in it.
Here are the assembled parts. There is still a great deal of shimming and adjusting to do before it gets tested.
On the left is the top of the car, and on the right is the core and sides of the car. The steel wedges crush the sides in and hopefully create something resembling my old Mercury.
The ACT machine is still down for parts so no progress on any minis. I ordered a breakout board from Amazon and had to wait 3 weeks for it to arrive from China. It promptly fried all of the driver boards and so I ordered replacements from E-bay and had to wait 3 weeks for them to arrive from China. They did not work at all so i ordered an integrated board and had to wait for that to arrive from China...................
Another update as soon as the car mold gets tested. Good or bad it will get done. And even if it needs a bit of finishing the design and milling skills acquired by tackling it have been invaluable.
I can not stress this enough to people- just do it and see what happens. For some reason people fear failure, but in reality there is no failure. You make it or you learn. Both of these are wins.
Online sales are in a bit of a slump, perhaps due to increased shipping costs. The issue is complex and I wrote a very long explanation and then simply deleted it. No one wants to hear someone whining about unfair shipping practices. It is what it is and we must prevail in spite of the challenge. If you like you can read this-article about shipping problems
But this is not going to keep working forever. Being able to change and adapt is the only way to keep going.
Currently I am exploring a couple of options. Included is shifting in to a supplier position for small companies or looking in to entering the retail chain. I will keep you posted in a future update.
Have a great spring everyone and enjoy the weather.
I think for a few years we went through what felt like a renaissance in international trade.
ReplyDeleteIt opened up the world as a marketplace for miniature hobbyists to procure items and custom they had no access to before.
But the increasing shipping costs (with concurrently worse shipping service with more lost parcels) and more stringent customs fees has really put a dent in that.
I've found recently I've had to go back to just perusing the local market for purchases and having to rely on stores being able to get a steady supply of imported goods instead of dealing with international purchases first hand.
But thank you for that token bit of inspiration for the day "There is no failure, you make it or learn"
And wishing you much luck on the business front, that the slump is temporary and your explorations pay off for you.