Table + Survey Progress

After building the table we discovered we were slightly short which created a problem for the panel that i incorrectly cut. Panel F is sadly one of the biggest panels and we came up only 100mm short which was frustrating. Because of this we extended the table by 300mm so now everything is sorted. Along with this change dad attached a roller at the end which will make it a lot easier to cut lengths. Sadly we are so close to finishing cutting the table wont get a full work out.

Survey: The survey wrapped up about a month ago and making up all the graphs has taken me a while however tonight i finally finished up and posted it on my website which is kind of unofficially launched with a few gaps in the website. Hopefully launching the half finished website will push me to put some more time into it. Overall with Angus going to Europe i will find a lot more time at nights to tick away with projects. It's nice to play games all night however not productive towards the list of goals i have.

Hopefully the survey will give at least one person the kick they needed to get out there and make a meet happen or a progress with plans they have made. I know some of the answers will be very beneficial moving forward for me however we will see if it will make a difference.

With the survey pretty much wrapped up its onto the next set of projects. I couple of weeks ago i booked in for Saga, Japan so i am saving my coins until then. Along with this a friend of mine purchase a stack of stickers from China for cheap so i am in the middle of inquiring about getting some BAANZ die cut stickers for cars/trailers which i would like to sell onto members however i am still to run is past the committee or get an EOI from people. Time will tell but realistically i should finish the projects at hand rather than picking up new ones!

Sewing Machine Progress

Well it seems i'm actually getting various little projects done. Haven't worked on the balloon yet however small steps are being made towards actually cutting some more fabric then finally progressing onto sewing. I thought id try a different style of breaking down whats going on.

Sewing Machine: My Thread order arrived which is awesome and i finally don't have any excuses to not sit down at the machine. The 1152 is finally finished and has already been put into action which ill cover a little later. The table tops of each machine have been swapped over. So i basically the 1152 was the easy one to finish. Seeing as the frame that came with the 1152 was sad in places it meant i had to full strip the frame and repaint it.

The now 515 unit is not 100%. The sewing machine is not right and hopefully with pre-wound bobbins it will improve the performance of the machine and eliminate another potential problem. Along with machine head issues i still have to attach the frame to the tabletop which wont be a problem once i find the time to do it.

Tank straps: I finally got off the start mark on one of my other projects. I have made the prototype tank strap which i am fairly happy with considering its my first time at the Juki-1152. I have had a few issues with the thickness of the tape however after a few shots some of the issues have been ironed out. The plan for these straps is to make 20 of them and sell them to various people. If i manage to sell all of them i will make some more however i don't sell any i wont be to phased.

The Hindsight of building a balloon

The last post was getting long and boring so i split it in half.

I had a call from a friend the other day. We talked about how my build was going, It really got me thinking about the process of building your own balloon. Initially you need a fair bit of gear if you don't have a support network such as Australia, for example 4 balloons have been cut in Barbs shed in Leeton and Mitch's spend a week there ticking along with his.

Getting your hands on equipment such as tables, sewing machines, materials for the balloon is a very lengthy and testing time for a first time builder that is geographically isolated. I can only now really grasp why homebuilt balloons take so long to be finished. Its all the little things and setbacks that dishearten or tie you up for months on end. I got asked recently when it will be finished. Sadly i give up on putting down dates because its a painfully slow process and overall i have learnt a lot.

Now i have a machine that seems to be running right i have a few little projects to get done like sewing up tank straps and possibly building some tank covers (when the thread arrives). I figured it would be a great time to get to know the machine and get myself up to speed before jumping into sewing.... When i get to that part because at this point i still have to fix one of the panel templates, cut a load of remaining panels, label and sort all the panels.

Besides the balloon i have a survey that recently finished up that i am slowly crawling through the results and graphing everything for the BallooningNZ website that has yet to be finished. It seems a lot of little projects are progressing however larger projects such as the balloon are being thrown to the sideline.

Further progress with everything else

Alright so the machine that i mentioned in my last post fell through which was annoying however i ended up purchasing that machine and i am currently in the process of fixing up the frame. I purchase this new machine which happens to be the twin of my current machine. It takes the same bobbin, belt, needles etc so i got lucky and placed my order for thread a few days ago. If you have gone through and looked at all my posts you might be wondering why i am buying more thread. Well basically i have nylon thread which is fine however tensioning and winding bobbins isn't really ideal. It just seems simpler to eliminate as many possible issues as possible so i decided to purchase new thread spools and pre-wound bobbins which will eliminate time at the machine and hopefully make the sewing process a bit smoother.

I really need to do more blog posts because i have about a dozen more items to cover but don't want to write a bloody novel! I guess ill just type till i get bored. So now i have two machines i done some swapping around. I found the oil tray was different depths for the 1152 and the 515. So i have had to swap over the table tops including bits like the spool tree, winder etc. The reason for this was myself and my dad worked together on the 515 frame. So basically the 1152 top sits on the 515 frame with all the new bits i purchased.

In regards to the original 1152 frame that is sitting in pieces and partially stripped. Once i have finished stripping the paint it will be repainted and everything but the machine head will go into storage to save space in the garage.

As mentioned in my last post i was kind of lost for a place to cut the remaining panels. I still haven't got my A into G in regards to cutting but i have solved where i am going to cut the last panels, at home! So basically we picked up a whole load of free science tables from my old high school where my mum works now. We threw away the tops and cleaned them up (strip and paint). Now they are joined together in my garage forming a cutting table that is 1650mm wide by 2400mm long with a spare table for an extension sitting out back. So once i stop using the table to layout all my various projects and extras i will finish cutting the balloon. Its actually turned out really awesome. I have stacks of space which makes it easy to lay everything out rather than just piling it up. My panels and various other bits are neatly stacked along with the fabric which lives on a shelf underneath.

Back into it!

Alright! It has been a long time since my last post. I even had to look at the last post to see where i was at prior to grinding through a massive paper at Wintec. That is now over so i have been getting back on my feet which oddly started with cleaning my room! Seems very odd however all i have had time for is the project and work so to do something for myself was nice.

Anywho onto the balloon. Still having issues with my machine and the machine i was going to borrow fell through so in the next week or so i might have some new ballooning gear such as a new machine. Hopefully i can get a head that fits my table. Hopefully after that happens i will be able to start practicing.

As mentioned in my last post i purchased a tank which is really dirty so this weekend i am going to polish it up and make it look a little nicer. I also received my buckles and tape so once i have a machine that runs right i will start sewing some tank straps.

In other news i might be in the hunt for a new cutting table to finish off the last panels. Hopefully this wont be the case as i only have about two days of cutting left until the next phase. Lastly i have a purchased a hot knife to cut tape and rope. It seals the ends and stops fraying. I have decided to save money by borrowing a folder and swapped from nylon to polyester thread (with pre-wound bobbins). Once i am at a machine that works i will be away laughing until the first mechanical or mental dysfunction.

Post BOW summary

Well Balloons Over Waikato turned out to be a very flyable event which is bad news for cutting however a home-built required some patching which worked out to my advantage. My sewing machine which hasn't worked since i got it serviced is now back in working condition. I have learnt a lot and found some gaps in my equipment which sucks but having the time to think about everything helps.

We managed to get the fan finished on Monday which was great however we discovered the prop wasn't balanced and the motor was having some trouble. Later in the week the prop hit the cage much to our surprise and took a chip out of the prop. Its a really upsetting event however it happening now allows me to sit on the disaster and work through it slowly. Not a good day for the bank account but at least there isn't a fire under me pushing to get something complete now.

The outlook for the fan is wait to hear back on the installation of wingtips then travel down repair path with or without wingtips. I want to modify the cage and put on a flat back to cut down the size of the cage along with giving it more space in the back as this is where the cage and prop made contact.

As for the balloon front i purchased a 2008 Kav 55l tank which was originally going to be two however that did not work out. The folder i have does not meet the grade so i will be going down the path of getting one custom built and not modified like the one i have. Also going down the route of polyester thread with pre-wound bobbins. I have been put onto a great company which offers an array of different colour polyester in both spools and pre-wound bobbins which the home-builders swear by. I also have purchased a brighter bulb for my sewing light which will make things easier.

I have a new project ready for when i finish up with Wintec. I tracked down Kavanagh style tank strap buckles and got a friend to buy me some black webbing. I am planning on sewing up 20 tank straps which hopefully i can on sell to balloonists however if i cant sell any i wont be fussed.

BOW 2014 + Projects on the side

Well its been an eventful month. Work have decided to train me up as a Duty manager which means another new challenge. Along with this i have started my project at Child Matters which is a child protection education provider which do great work for New Zealand. It seems odd territory for an IT geek but i am currently building them an Intranet which will hopefully benefit and progress the great work the team do.

On the Ballooning front the balloon itself has not progressed at all. I have received my load tape and Nomex which gives me a path to finish all of the sewing before i have to go buy more supplies. I am hoping to tackle some of the balloon cutting during Balloons Over Waikato as some of the experienced homebuilders will be over. If that doesn't happen i would like to at least get a deeper understanding of my Juki LH-515 and test the french seam folder i purchased in 2013.

With BOW looming i have been pushing to get my fan completed which is currently being held up by they key way that i am hoping will be cleared by Friday (Very close to BOW). Once the key way is cut i will be able to attach the blade/hub to the motor and proceed with balance testing. Hopefully all goes well as i have loaned the fan to Mark Mitchell.

Besides that it is shaping up to be a very busy week leading into BOW with a liquor license course prior to master briefing, updating the ozi map, catching up with friends and preparing for the Wednesday morning.