Like walking into an empty store...Angry Asians, Recoil Springs, and Steam Punk stuff....

Ok, this is just one of those topics where I'm just going to be angry, so excuse me for all the French words.

Today, I shit on work and went on a search for something I need for a project. To be exact ~ a retractable ID tag/key card/keychain.

One of these...



I went to 3 dollar stores, 2 hobby shops, visited every pharmacy/gas station/appliance store in the vicinity...and guess what...NOTHING.

Hobby shops were my biggest disappointment!

When you come in asking about those mini RC cars, the asian guy behind the counter loses his shit like we're talking about Spongebob.



But ask him if they have a coil spring retraction mech and you get a dirty look, like "RC caa no use that, y u no go away?"...ok, what about a small *tape measure* I can crack that open...



That guy really pissed me off, kept giving me a dirty look and then after I would raise a brow like "what's up man" he'd hide his eyes and shit...

Ok, do you have any *spring steel stock*? I'll just make the mech myself......................................No, Nothing *that* big (the guy was starting to look angry)........................Ok ( "...that big..."? WTF?).
Do you even sell springs?...like an *assorted set of extension/compression/torsion springs*? >>>The guy picks up the intercom "Attention all Hobby shop shoppers, Hobby shop will be closing soon. Please proceed to check out at the cash register up front."

Are...you...serious?

I've never felt so lost in my life...I didn't know whether to be sad or angry...just LOST!

...by the end of the conversation the guy probably hated me, but take my spot... I came to the type of store that I remember having hardware up to wazoo, back in the day (that would be 5 years ago) I could walk out of that store with enough crap to build an animatronic mask, hand, whatever!



... now it's just a bunch of baseball cards, talking stuffed toys, and train sets...oh yeh, and RC Crap... I AM PISSED! ...by the end of this trip I already had forgoten what I was looking for...I wish I had just gone to work as I usually do, order it online, pay three times the actual price, wait a few days and get it in the mail and not lose a day taking shit from some RC Dick!

If some of you out there are like me or are just angry at something...maybe even at me for whatever...feel free to flood this topic with what you got beef with.

Ivo

I'm with you 100% Ivo. Just a couple of weeks ago I had a similar situation. Went to a local "Hobby Shop" looking for some hemp for binding.
Asked the young man working if he had any. Gave me a very stupid ass look.
So I repeated myself. Same freaking look. "Hemp" I said again. Then this stupid ass said, isn't that something you smoke. I just turned and walked away. Hobby Shop my ASS!!!!


jds6

Haaaa! Well, you kinda stumped the guy there....*whispers behind the counter ~ he's asking about "weed" * If I saw this scene when I walked in, I would have had a good laugh. I wonder what I looked like from an angle when talking to my guy...I mean, probably two angry guys having a stare down - talking about springs. The shitty part is I missed a day of work for a $1 item...taht I didn't even find...that's the real laugh.

Did you find that hemp by the way? ...I'm off tomorrow to keep searching for those damn key chains...I'm still VERY enthusiastic about this whole thing - need a retraction spring mod for the spanning lever for my bow.

Ivo

I have a few.. I used to use them as hidden blade springs.



You can have them if you want.

You can find them in lawnmower starter pull thingies, or I guess anything with a pull start. and you can get lighter ones in retractable dog leashes.

Hope that helps man.

I swear, everything we need to build these bad ass things with isn't made anymore for that use. You either have to build it your fuckin self, or rip apart and destroy something completley innocent... sorry, just getting in the spirit of the topic.

It's like they've found something to improve on the crossbow and other bladed weaponry...

I couldn't agree more about the sorry state of hobby stores today. The internet is a wonderful thing, but it sure put an end to the great hobby shops. When I was a kid, most decent department stores and hardware stores had hobby departments where I spent a great deal of time, going to an honest to goodness hobby store was a highly anticipated event, not an errand.

Anyway, for the ID/card key type spring clip you picture you probably want an office supply store, the retracting dog leash is a great source for a larger version.

Ivo i,am sory to here about your bad rc hobbyhop experience. We all have been there. I assure you we rc hobbyist are not all like that. You can use a pull start spring or make a custom spring from spring steel. Aneal the spring steel by by heating to red hot then, cooling it slowly in ashes. Then wrap the steel around a appropriately sized mandrel cut the spring to lenght. Normalize the spring by heating to red hot then letting it air cool. Next harden the spring in oil and then then temper it in a oven. Thats the basics.

Yeah the death of the local, quality Hobby store is definitely sad. I have never understood stores that seem to hate their customers. The funny part is I just saw a similar topic on a different forum (not related to RC) so it seems to be a far too common problem.
So I'll jump on the bandwagon of being upset with bad customer service.
An interesting case study of the effects of BAD customer services: The downfall of Best Buy. The short version. Best Buy is dying and they keep blaming the "Internet" and claiming they can't compete with stores that don't charge sale tax (Amazon) but every article, every comment, every experience with Best Buy is that they have Terrible customer service and worse the sales rep with deliberately and repeatedly lie to customers. Best Buy seems to refuse to address that problem. I Will not shop at Best Buy even if there prices are better.

So to sum up. Its kind of sad but many stores are loosing to internet shopping because of their customer service. That's right, computers are doing better at interpersonal repoire then "trained" salespeople.


Enough ranting for one night.
And Ivo, I have a Pull Starter, with a recoil spring, for starting my RC truck. If you want it (and I can find it) I can send it too you.

Or http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJL98&P=X The coiled spring from a Traxxas pull starter. Whats this not used on RC car crap.

If you live near a fishing shop with a good range of fly fishing equipment they should sell the little retractable key ring. You can even get some with two cords. We use them to keep our clippers attached too.

neerit

I dont know guys, my local hobby store is wonderful, great staff, honest to a T, helpful, and so on. I was buying some strip wood for a scale model of the Globe Theater a few years back, and they had miscounted the number of pieces, I told them 20, not 17, and he gave me a huge discount on the spot.

As for Best Buy, I have had nothing but good experiences with both Best Buys in my region. Sorry to hear others have had bad experiences.

Ok, so here's the story

I went literally to every store I could reach...I kinda took this search personally I guess.

Then, said screw it and started walking home...already accepted the would be fact that no one sells them anymore and taht I'll be making my own (which I'll get to later) I go to the next thing on the list - a tiny store that makes custom uniforms to ask them how much they charge for custom patches (oh, yeh! )...word to word with the clerk, talk about how shitty the business is, this and that...and I realize I'm looking at those damn key chains.

So we made up a little deal with the patches and I bough a few of those yo-yo's just so I could fling them around the office, because what I have in mind is way way cooler than these little crappy plastic things.

But first of all, thanks to all you guys for the ideas. I'll be making the recoil spring myself from a hacksaw blade.
Also the thought of there being two cords was just genius...maybe I'm easily amazed...or maybe too preoccupied with personal issues to think straight, in any case the idea is great and exactly the kind of thing that I'll be doing.

Started drawing it out in Sketchup and got carried away with as some may call it - "prettying things up".

I know you all love that steam punk stuff...and I would too if the guys who build that stuff were a little more engineering oriented rather than just bolting random stuff together for looks.

"Click to open":

Ok, damn it...my heart is such a soft thing, no matter how much I wish for a chunk of teflon coated obsidian in it's place, it's never enough when an artist touches it ...think something can be done here though.

Anyway...here's where I arrive.



Wicked bit, yeh?

Ok the deal with the planetary gears is purely for looks, while not doing any actual work...these little bits would be mesmerizing to watch through a skeletized side plate as the lever is pulled and released. A sort of functional steam punk, haha!

Sorry couldn't get the scroll appliques worked out into 3D, just ran out of time...but you get the idea anyway.

My lever will be very simple compared to the sexy thing above, I might do the pierced/skeletized side plate though...watch that little thing spining back and forth as the lever is cranked is too cool of an idea to pass by.

Ivo

I like the gold and black combo. The implications of those planetary gears are crazy. Gyroscopic stabilization anyone ? Make the outer v groove of the planetary gears a one-way bearing so they would spin once you cocked your crossbow. In there current position the planetary gears would act as gyros stabilizing your crossbow on the x axis from left or right roll. I can just imagine them with there low hum ,spinning away like a well made timepiece ready to stabilise all those long shots!

Ivo, just a heads up, Ace Hardware sells those key chains. My local one does, in any case.

Dane

I have a few really nice (heavy duty) clock timing springs, same style as those key chain or tape measures. Got it just sitting in a bucket actually, was going to take to the metal recycling yard. Glad I procrastinate.

If you want/need some let me know.

Ivo wrote:Ok, so here's the story

I went literally to every store I could reach...I kinda took this search personally I guess.

Then, said screw it and started walking home...already accepted the would be fact that no one sells them anymore and taht I'll be making my own (which I'll get to later) I go to the next thing on the list - a tiny store that makes custom uniforms to ask them how much they charge for custom patches (oh, yeh! )...word to word with the clerk, talk about how shitty the business is, this and that...and I realize I'm looking at those damn key chains.

So we made up a little deal with the patches and I bough a few of those yo-yo's just so I could fling them around the office, because what I have in mind is way way cooler than these little crappy plastic things.

But first of all, thanks to all you guys for the ideas. I'll be making the recoil spring myself from a hacksaw blade.
Also the thought of there being two cords was just genius...maybe I'm easily amazed...or maybe too preoccupied with personal issues to think straight, in any case the idea is great and exactly the kind of thing that I'll be doing.

Started drawing it out in Sketchup and got carried away with as some may call it - "prettying things up".

I know you all love that steam punk stuff...and I would too if the guys who build that stuff were a little more engineering oriented rather than just bolting random stuff together for looks.

"Click to open":

Ok, damn it...my heart is such a soft thing, no matter how much I wish for a chunk of teflon coated obsidian in it's place, it's never enough when an artist touches it ...think something can be done here though.

Anyway...here's where I arrive.



Wicked bit, yeh?

Ok the deal with the planetary gears is purely for looks, while not doing any actual work...these little bits would be mesmerizing to watch through a skeletized side plate as the lever is pulled and released. A sort of functional steam punk, haha!

Sorry couldn't get the scroll appliques worked out into 3D, just ran out of time...but you get the idea anyway.

My lever will be very simple compared to the sexy thing above, I might do the pierced/skeletized side plate though...watch that little thing spining back and forth as the lever is cranked is too cool of an idea to pass by.

Ivo

You and I are on the same page here. I AM a steampunk enthusiast, but in the sense that there should be beauty WITH function. I don't subscribe to the "Glue a gear on and call it steampunk." mentality.
In fact that is why I joined here when I decided to build a steampunk trident crossbow. I want it to be an actual crossbow! And it just so happens to be rather mechanized and artistically enhanced.

Deep in my gut I had a feeling you guys existed ( ~ steampunk engineers ~ )

I sometimes hang out on the Russian crossbow forum where they work on pure efficiency...and they tackle it with some serious calculations multiplied by limited resources...but it gets so serious, so fast...that I just go back to my notebooks. Gotta say, I like a little fooling around here and there. Somehow it aids the progress, even though not as efficient...or sometimes even functional...it does make things more fun in the end. And fun is such a great thing to have, not to mention - it's very inspirational.

Just like that girl's crossbow from the spoiler...I sat down and started drawing crazy scroll covered crossbows...sketching ornamental trigger guards and levers...So I can't really hate on even the non functional stuff, art is art and no one is to say it's not.

Good luck on your project...I'll meet you half way.


Ivo

Ah, steampunk. I recall back in the early 90s talking about steampunk literature and getting blank looks from my audience. And those guys were about as iconoclastic as you can find, members of the Church of Euthinasia (google them. I served in the role of the "Being" and was almost killed by the crowd at a zero population growth rally in Boston Common. We almost got arrested during a first night parade, too. An, youth .

A book I highly recommend is The Steampunk Bible, by Jeff Vendermeer. Fun essays, all about the movement and where it may be heading. I agree with you, Whiteraven, a lot of steampunk is really gearpunk, mostly form and not function, pagentry, but no substance. What is generally missing is the steam, and they seem to often gloss over the really ugly aspects of the 19th century. Kind of like William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. They idealized the medieval period and tended to forget that social and economic world that such amazing things as gothic cathederals came from.

I wish I had a way to replicate a working version of the steam-powered automatic crossbow that was used in Van Helsing, but I don't have the technical knowledge for that... yet.

But perhaps a steam-powered assist could help on the bow I'm currently working on?

That was a very cool prop, but that is only what it was. Kate Beckinsale was another very nice prop

Where did the steam power come from? A little onboard boiler and heat source?

whiteraven wrote:I wish I had a way to replicate a working version of the steam-powered automatic crossbow that was used in Van Helsing, but I don't have the technical knowledge for that... yet.

But perhaps a steam-powered assist could help on the bow I'm currently working on?

Man Ivo, that would be a great bow!
But also fockin dangerous
Steam is to damn hot to handle and u would have to carry a boiler on ur back the size of a small car to get off more then one shot.
What will work however is a compressed air powered one wich u make to look like steampowered(steampunked) and use parts of a smoke machine or liquid nitrogen to create the impresssion of steam being used!
Some different colour brass and rivets here and there and u rock the world of all steampunk chicks!
And in the time it takes to build it u can grow a pony tail like van helsing!!!!!

Looking just like Hugh Jackman wouldn't hurt, either.

It is true about steampunk chicks....did a Roman presentation at one of those fantasy conventions in Cambridge a couple of years ago. Lots of eye candy. And no calories. Damn security was all worried about our weapons, and my arrows couldn't be "peace tied"