Matt Carlton Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Annoyingly I misjudged my scrap box and I'm short of 1/16" balsa. Does anyone perhaps have a spare sheet of 36" x 3" soft or medium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart C Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 I've been there. Lock down, everywhere closed. "Balsa| Balsa! My kingdom for a sheet of 1/16.". I took to sanding down a sheet of 3/32. It doesn't take long, just rather dusty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 hello matt...Slec had some a couple of weeks ago..just checked they still have... ken anderson...ne..1..try Slec dept. Edited By ken anderson. on 31/01/2021 14:11:10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Posted by ken anderson. on 31/01/2021 14:09:00: hello matt...Slec had some a couple of weeks ago..just checked they still have... ken anderson...ne..1..try Slec dept. Edited By ken anderson. on 31/01/2021 14:11:10 kevinb let's block SLEC's telephones tomorrow dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 It just says Hard is available........still it's better than nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Carlton Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 I found some at Pegasus models but they want £8 to deliver. I managed to make some 1/16 x 1/4" strip by carefully cutting a bit of 1/2" sheet into 1/16" strips and cutting them in half. Found a bit of 1/8" sheet for the rest which I'll whittle down to 1/16" with a razor plane. Needs must at the moment!! Thankfully, modelling does improve our resourcefulness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i12fly Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Balsa Cabin say they've got some 'seconds' with splits or knots. Don't know if they've got 1/16th though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Jones 3 Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Some years ago someone gave me some 1940-1947 Aeromodeller magazines. They were making model planes out of UK hard and softwoods and the plans reflected this. The balsa shortage could go on for a long time. The UK model market may be too small for the balsa shippers to bother with. Let's hope not. Personally I have several kits as I'm in the habit of buying ones I like before they go out of production but maybe don't build them for several years. Edited By Roger Jones 3 on 31/01/2021 17:21:44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Carlton Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 To be honest, I'd rather have no wood than build with bad wood. We're hopefully expecting some balsa in Mid Feb depending on quality, so I imagine regular stocks from March/April once the bulk orders go out to manufacturers (assuming the quality checks out) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 I have a spare sheet. It'll be £299 plus £30 postage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Carlton Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 Sounds like a bargain. There'll be a black market in balsa and whispers about a shop hidden away in the depths of nowhere which had some 4" wide sheets of quarter grain. Memories of balsa racks of yore traded around zoom call virtual open fires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Stainforth Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 I've got a large box of balsa bits. I suppose I could start a new currency called Bitbalsa. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsay Todd Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 on a positive note Steve Webb have stocks that have come in bought a few sheets of 1/16 from them last week. Linds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Posted by John Stainforth on 31/01/2021 22:51:59: I've got a large box of balsa bits. I suppose I could start a new currency called Bitbalsa. Yes, but will you be able to split it to 8 decimal places ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Easy enough once we can get back to flying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lima Hotel Foxtrot Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Posted by Matt Carlton on 31/01/2021 15:34:00: I found some at Pegasus models but they want £8 to deliver. I'd say that only £8 to deliver something a yard long that is very frangible is a bargain when you consider the amount of protective packaging, time and effort the supplier will have to put in as well as the Royal Mail or courier costs for something that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Carlton Posted February 21, 2021 Author Share Posted February 21, 2021 What I meant was that if I'm going to pay £8 for delivery, it may as well be for more than one sheet of wood and I could fudge something together rather than effectively spend £10+ for the sake of a 12" x 3" strip which is all I needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Stainforth Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 On 31/01/2021 at 23:24, kevin b said: Posted by John Stainforth on 31/01/2021 22:51:59: I've got a large box of balsa bits. I suppose I could start a new currency called Bitbalsa. Yes, but will you be able to split it to 8 decimal places ? It's already in bite-sized pieces! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Judging by the current state of affairs, Bitsbalsa is probably holding its value better than digital currencies. I think I will hold onto my large denomination sheets for a while (3 x 36 x 1/16). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Feeling quite smug... I haven't bought any balsa for about 5 years...... all repairs being accomplished using 'left overs'. This includes some pretty comprehensive repairs on my SFM SE5 and Fokker DVII, and my baby Nigel Hawes Tucano (this included building and planking a Canopy to replace one I lost, and found 5 days after finishing covering the replacement). I shouldn't really be smug as most of my planes are foam and generally fixed with cocktail sticks/bamboo skewers/coffee stirrers or carbon rod/strip salvaged from dead planes. I think this is changing as most of my more recent planes are balsa (or that odd Chinese stuff). Oddly, I also seem to be drifting towards ic....... GG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 the one true way is gaining another follower ? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 41 minutes ago, GrumpyGnome said: .... Oddly, I also seem to be drifting towards ic....... GG Greater joy is there in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety and nine just persons...! ? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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