A Shortage Of Balsa And Lipo's, Where Do We Go From Here?

[Maurice Dyer]

SLEC are doing a deal on Balsa supplies. Thank goodness. Been building RC since the 70s.

In my first club back then, if you turned up with something from a 'pile of balsa sticks kit', you were classed as a 'cheque book modeller '.

How times change. As the post from KC, I did metalwork, woodwork, car maintenance, Tech Drawing etc at school. Then spent 48 years as an Aerospace Engineer, two years college and 4 years practical. It makes me wonder what the children in the last year's at school will do when a bulb goes. Call white can man provably.......

Maurice

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Erfolg]

Many people count sheep to aid drifting into sleep. In my case I did a few sums in my head, only to find on waking up they were not complete.

My calc centered on how many sheets of balsa I would use in a typical year. I estimated approx. 20 sheets, for convenience all 1/4" thick. Which came out as a 5" thick pile, again for convenience this became 6". Having convenience uppermost in my mind I assumed that this 4" stock. Now I estimated how many similar users would equate to a yard square. This was then divided into the number of modelers in the UK.

I think the rest of the night was spent sound asleep, now having checked the RF signal from the upstairs thermostat. I had a signal strength of 9. So I turned up the setting as I am finding it cold. positioning seems to be critical, as in some locations there is no signal reception.

Back awake the calc continued to establish the sq. yardage required for the whole of my UK figure. At this point I raised myself from rest.

I looked up the dimensions of a ISO freight container. This was now used to estimate the number of pitches of 36" sheet lengths. It seems that on the face of this a 20 foot container would be required for the whole of the UK ignoring wastage. Assuming 50% wastage a 40 foot container will do us for a year.

So that container could be very significant contribution to us users.

Of course this very ball park or probably small town estimate ignores many other users. Yet shortages are likely to be more related to others, than us.

[Maurice Dyer]

Just go to the SLEC website; November update. States they have 'struck a deal's with the PNG mill, and they are in talks with another.

Maurice

[ken anderson.]

slec...info …..

ken anderson...ne..1..balsa dept.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[MattyB]

Posted by GONZO on 19/11/2020 19:32:47:

As to there being too many people on the planet then I suggest looking at where the population growth comes from. Western countries have a well publicised falling birth rate and any population growth is largely from mass migration. Am I detecting sympathy for eugenics amongst some of the posters? Are they going to be first to 'give up their lives'? Or, are they like Bill Gates, who like his father is a publicly declared eugenicist, and have others make the sacrifice. Bill is on video stating that he could reduce world population by 10% - 15% by the use of vaccines, a statement that troubles me given our current situation.

There is a world of difference between suggesting human population appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory and eugenics. Current models vary in predicting our likely peak between 9 and 15 billion - I don't know anyone with a scientific background who thinks that is sustainable given the competing demands it will put on our world for water, land for crops and houses, energy and transportation. I have no idea how it could be done fairly, but I do believe that in my lifetime there will be a global strategy on population control.

PS - The "Bill Gates suggests we should use vaccines to control population" claim has been debunked many times, though it won't stop the right in the US recycling it for effect on a regular basis. In summary he was suggesting that if you reduce infant mortality rates through using vaccines then parents have less children and more people are lifted out of poverty as a result because those children get more in terms of food, medication and education. It's not totally certain that theory is a correct, but whether it is or not it's a world away from the interpretation you are suggesting where vaccines are somehow used to sterilise populations by stealth.

Edited By MattyB on 20/11/2020 16:54:21

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Pretty much how I read what Gates said Matty.

Deep topic, do we have other than war or disease to reduce population ? Would we accept anything else, can't even agree on lockdown or wearing masks.

Is it even that simple ? 2 of my Sons, 1 never owned a car only pushbike/walk/public transport, interests, local golf course and music, other puts 100,000 on his car in no time, flown allover the World (Job requires it) got every gadget known to man, very different lifestyles.

Balsa I can manage without for a while, seems It's being put to good use elsewhere.

[Keith Sharples]

Posted by kevin b on 20/11/2020 15:32:13:

Posted by kevin b on 20/11/2020 14:52:55:

This makes interesting reading. Though not so much about balsa and lipos, more about supply chains and costs.

**LINK**

This is likely to take years to unscramble, so don't expect the next planned shipments to arrive quickly ! This is a worldwide problem and not just here in the U.K.

Whinge all you like. It will not change anything. We are all going to have to accept that life is going to be a bit more austere and expensive.

So Keep Calm and carry on (eating ginger biscuits, if they are available). It's what "Brits" are supposed to be good at.

We have all enjoyed cheap Chinese goods for many years. Now we are experiencing Chinese diseases. What next, Chinese politics / way of life ?

Just a little edit.

Your last sentence I find deeply offensive with regard to "Chinese Diseases". It is not china's fault it just happened to originate there!!! It could of started anywhere and no doubt other viruses will come and go but to label this covid 19 as there fault is dispicable.

[Erfolg]

I assume that that all of the work to convert baulks of Balsa is undertaken here. If this assumption is correct, the effect of an increase in the baulk cost, is not the same as the selling price.

I accept that there will be a price increase, at least for the short term. In the longer term, the true increase will be harder to determine, other than by inflation modelling.

The future is impossible to predict other than in a general way. It could be that saw and finishing mills in other parts of the world could see the UK as an export target. In reality I do not see this happening, to a any great extent. The UK market is just to small. Although I could envisage that EU exporters could at some time see the UK as a potential market (it has not happened to date as far as I am aware), although circumstances it would need to be favorable.

The good news has to be that the UK now can look forward to accessible supplies, albeit at some additional cost.

[John Stainforth]

Where are the moderators now, who are usually so quick to pounce on anything even mildly political? Racism and conspiracy theorists should be called out.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Pete B]

Relevant - and re-posts of the one that cause offence - deleted. The original post contained some indisputable facts but was marred by its later content.

Please exercise some restraint here, folks - plenty of other places for expressing political opinions, thanks

Pete

ps The post was reported by someone using the button - it's a better way than just complaining about the mods....

[Solly]

To return to the original problem. Is balsa really necessary? I have the Flair quarter scale Tiger Morh which is built almost entirely from Liteply. Which is perfectly adequate. So we have foam, Liteply, Birch ply, spruce and various veneers as well as fibreglass and carbon fibre to work with. I can manage with those.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

A novel idea, get better at flying, your need will diminish.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Pete B]

Correct - and some more posts will be removed..

Pete

[kevin b]

Posted by Solly on 20/11/2020 18:44:35:

To return to the original problem. Is balsa really necessary? I have the Flair quarter scale Tiger Morh which is built almost entirely from Liteply. Which is perfectly adequate. So we have foam, Liteply, Birch ply, spruce and various veneers as well as fibreglass and carbon fibre to work with. I can manage with those.

It's all about testing your ability and learning new skills. Going back to what some of the members consider as the "best days" of aeromodelling, the hobby was just as much about improvisation and ingenuity. This was long before my time, but being a Yorkshireman I have learnt these things from the wise old sages of Barnsley and Heckmondwike. Kits were for whimps and others who couldn't cut straight lines with a sharp terrior.

We used to dream of kits. Our kits were tree stumps we had to dig out with our bare hands. Tools were a brick and a piece of broken glass. We had to use fish glue and only got that on a Friday.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Just to confirm, this thread was locked to allow everyone to calm down. 

Folks, we know some of you are formidable keyboard warriors but this forum is moderated, and that’s not going to change, so when we lock a thread to allow for minds and hearts to cool, we don’t expect a continuation to pop up under the same title with everyone piling in again. 

As we’ve said before, if you’re unhappy then drop the moderators a message or use the reporting system. 

 

Edited By David Ashby - Moderator on 20/11/2020 21:33:26