Hey Viv and Luc, how about that Chinese?

[Mike Everman]

So you guys put a lot of effort into the drawings, when are you making one?

[Viv]

Thanks to us customs we had a set back with my shipment but we are moving forward again now, "keep moving" is my new moto:-) thanks Paul.

Drawings are finished and on the web site, deployments are done for all sections and the laser cutting is all set up and ready.

We are just bickering now over sheet steel prices, we should have laser cut kit prices up pretty soon so they will be availible then from the web site too.

The turned components are an easy job, I wan to use some of them as generic parts on other engines.

I am happy with the way it all looks now and yes it was a hell of a lot of work, it was probably the worst engine to do first as you saw when you tried that intake cone:-)

I want to get some photos of the laser cut sections done and post them so you can see what it all looks like.

The big problem is we are busy:-) its a curse you know! we have so much to do we are to do busy to do it all when we want:-)

The pulse jet plans and kits all have to be done as an automatic operation as far as ordering is concerned and any thing that has to be shipped has to be an "off the shelf operation" that can be done by our secretary.

This is to cut down on the workload for me and Luc so we can get on with the comercial side of things and we don't get in to a situation were we cant fulfill orders promptly and on time! I fore sure don't want to go there.

Our other question to you and others is what other engines do you want to see drawn first and kits done for? any thing else people want? it has to be something we can set up on auto form the web site or some thing we can stock on the shelf for quick shipping.

Viv

[larry cottrill]

The pulse jet plans and kits all have to be done as an automatic operation as far as ordering is concerned and any thing that has to be shipped has to be an "off the shelf operation" that can be done by our secretary.

This is to cut down on the workload for me and Luc so we can get on with the comercial side of things and we don't get in to a situation were we cant fulfill orders promptly and on time! I fore sure don't want to go there.

Our other question to you and others is what other engines do you want to see drawn first and kits done for? any thing else people want? it has to be something we can set up on auto form the web site or some thing we can stock on the shelf for quick shipping.

Viv

Viv -

Well, of course, as I've been pontificating elsewhere, once we get the intake size worked out [and assuming we can get some usable thrust] I'd like to see a few FWEs worked up, both in kit form [steel] and as finished units [some steel, some stainless]. However, I'd like to market these under the jetZILLA brand [known the world over by about 100 people], but I'd be glad to prominently display the name of your outfit as the actual fabricator. If you don't want to operate that way, would you consider just supplying the cone parts? Can you do the rolling as well as the laser cutting? When you talk about drawing and fabricating, do you mean full-fledged construction drawings, or are you just talking about the exact-size drawings to accomplish fabrication? [Sorry I'm not clear on this point!]

Even if I'd just buy parts and finish up the kits [or assembled units] myself, I just don't think I want to burden young Steve with producing job lots of cones. I think his time would definitely be better spent on something more creative than repetitive-stress blacksmithing, if/when we get up to some quantity of production. [It is cool to think of jet engines that are entirely hand-wrought, though - something that could have been done before the American Civil War, and powered with 'coal oil'.]

Keep in mind that you would have to price the work to me in small lots - say twenty units at a time. Not highly efficient for an automated operation, but I think it would be unlrealistic to produce hundred lots or something, and I wouldn't have any way to warehouse that many units all put together and packaged up for shipping, anyway. I'm just not 'industrial strength' on the fabrication and fulfillment side.

L Cottrill

[Viv]

The pulse jet plans and kits all have to be done as an automatic operation as far as ordering is concerned and any thing that has to be shipped has to be an "off the shelf operation" that can be done by our secretary.

This is to cut down on the workload for me and Luc so we can get on with the comercial side of things and we don't get in to a situation were we cant fulfill orders promptly and on time! I fore sure don't want to go there.

Our other question to you and others is what other engines do you want to see drawn first and kits done for? any thing else people want? it has to be something we can set up on auto form the web site or some thing we can stock on the shelf for quick shipping.

Viv

Viv -

Well, of course, as I've been pontificating elsewhere, once we get the intake size worked out [and assuming we can get some usable thrust] I'd like to see a few FWEs worked up, both in kit form [steel] and as finished units [some steel, some stainless]. However, I'd like to market these under the jetZILLA brand [known the world over by about 100 people], but I'd be glad to prominently display the name of your outfit as the actual fabricator. If you don't want to operate that way, would you consider just supplying the cone parts? Can you do the rolling as well as the laser cutting? When you talk about drawing and fabricating, do you mean full-fledged construction drawings, or are you just talking about the exact-size drawings to accomplish fabrication? [Sorry I'm not clear on this point!]

Even if I'd just buy parts and finish up the kits [or assembled units] myself, I just don't think I want to burden young Steve with producing job lots of cones. I think his time would definitely be better spent on something more creative than repetitive-stress blacksmithing, if/when we get up to some quantity of production. [It is cool to think of jet engines that are entirely hand-wrought, though - something that could have been done before the American Civil War, and powered with 'coal oil'.]

Keep in mind that you would have to price the work to me in small lots - say twenty units at a time. Not highly efficient for an automated operation, but I think it would be unlrealistic to produce hundred lots or something, and I wouldn't have any way to warehouse that many units all put together and packaged up for shipping, anyway. I'm just not 'industrial strength' on the fabrication and fulfillment side.

L Cottrill

Just a note to say I answered Larry by email off forum.

Viv

Its secret see! if i told you i would then have to kill you to keep it a secret:-)

[Viv]

Oh and while I am being scretive! we got the pricing for the chinese laser cut kits sorted today, yahoooo:-)

Damn but they came in right on our best target price too, but we don't have the machined parts price yet and we wanted to anounce them both together:-)

Oh well soon very soon:-) and in top spec 321 grade stainless so they will stand up to the heat realy well.

Viv

[Mike Kirney]

I want a Chinese.

[Mike Everman]

Great! Glad to hear things are progressing. When do you make one from your part set and run it?

[larry cottrill]

Just a note to say I answered Larry by email off forum.

Viv

Its secret see! if i told you i would then have to kill you to keep it a secret:-)

Viv -

You may want to kill me instead - I'm about to hit you with a "few" little questions.

Thanks very much for your interest. This is the way I think the 'net should work; bringing people together with complementary skills and facilities to quickly get started doing things that we couldn't accomplish alone. In marketing, we sometimes call it forming "Mastermind Groups". It's a very cool way to get things done.

Viv, would you have any interest in trying a little "heavier duty" project - the Cottrill Land Mine Destroyer I posted in the old forum? We'd need to come up with a heck of a chassis someplace. Anyway, now that I've got an engine that starts and makes some decent noise and pressure waves, it might be worth pursuing. Think that over and let me know if it appeals to you ...

L Cottrill

[Viv]

I want a Chinese.

Then you shall have one Mike:-)

Viv

[larry cottrill]

Its secret see! if i told you i would then have to kill you to keep it a secret:-)

Viv, I'm trying really hard not to reveal anything - I don't want to be in your fine-tuned decoy-seeking crosshairs.

But what I will say is that what Viv and Luc have in mind, if they can set it up and get it running the way they project, will be of great benefit to almost everyone that has ever wanted to build or own a pulsejet engine. It will be wonderful for all the rest of us if they can bring it off.

They might even manage to make some money while they're at it!

Stay tuned ...

L Cottrill

[Viv]

Regarding the mine destroyer; if you posted it in jest, ignore this.

"Detection loops" implies a metal detector, which won't get you far in a modern minefield. Modern mines are primarily plastic, and use as little metal as possible. It makes them cheaper ($3 each for Chinese-made) and harder to find with metal detectors.

Also, anti-vehicle mines often use magnetic triggers. Low frequency sound won't do squat, but the metal body of your bot will set it off nicely. Anti-tank mines would also be resistant to sound; you can stomp on some of them without setting them off.


Good luck to Viv and Luc et al on the pulsejet venture. Nothing would make me happier than someone demonstrating that it is actually possible to make reasonable amounts of money on this hobby. I'm sure still trying to figure out how, though the little income I have made means that I can say I'm a "Professional Pulsejet Researcher". :-)

Making Money Ben means covering the costs of the recreational jets side of things with some profit to pay for Lucs time doing the grunt work of converting drawings.

It takes a hell of a lot of time as we found out with the chinese as even good looking plans are riddled with inaccuracys we found.

That then takes my time as i have to sit down and try and work out if its a mistake or its right and some thing else is wrong:-(

As you know you cant just change things with out it affecting something, so we need to be carefull.

We realised with the Lockwood that there are no plans for any working fuel system or fuel nozzle placement! so now we need to build one and find out, thats a drag and takes more time.

Viv

[Viv]

We realised with the Lockwood that there are no plans for any working fuel system or fuel nozzle placement! so now we need to build one and find out, thats a drag and takes more time.

See, there's the best reason to not go into pulsejet business. As soon as playing with a lockwood becomes "a drag", you're in too deep.

Let me know if you need a lab assistant. Larry taught me how to weld, so I'd have a hard time with a welder that used electricity or pipes larger than 1"... but I'm brutish and good at moving heavy things around, and I occasionally have a flash of genius.

Thsnks for the offer Ben but do you think Iowa is a bit far to commute:-)

Yes I know it sounds odd me moaning about testing but theres a whole heap of other stuff waiting to be tested too:-) thats the problem we all have an ideas book full of stuff and never enough time.

Viv

[Bruno Ogorelec]

Ah, I'm sure I could smuggle myself into Canadia. I'll build myself a shack next to the PJ test cell, with a pulsejet-based polar bear defense system.

Just don't try the trick some other illegal immigrants have used -- sit in a big box and have yourself delivered by FedEx. Judging by the experience of some other guys in the forum, it would be a fatal error.