SIC Sold

[Celeste]

Hey Headmount, the extra strength and hardness is not a function of the pressure involved, but of the super slow setting resins that really require heat to set.  As a general rule, the slower the resin, the stronger it is.  The pressure is about making sure that any trapped air does not expand much with the heat, and most important, prevents outgassing of the resin at such elevated temperatures

[PonoBill]

High pressure autoclave parts also LOOK a lot more precise. Prehaps the contour of the mold is followed more tightly. But there's a clear difference. We're looking at having some paddle parts made in an autoclave that goes to 120#. The parts look very slick, I'm just not sure we'll be able to get the price where it needs to be.

[headmount]

Celeste... Thanks.  When I pick up an OC-1 and feel how light but bullet proof  they are for their size, I'm blown away.  Are there autoclave machines in the US?

Area10...Thanks for the update.  I was never aware that it was the N equivalent because I've heard much worse.  Tho probably not wise to make my feelings public (tho our Presidents and Secretary of States have used that word), I can't plead innocence.  That pic of the jet and what I've seen, was just too much to resist. 

 

[headmount]

Celeste... would kevlar do well in a combo with carbon with this autoclave process?  It seems like with the right combo you could approach the strength of steel.

[PonoBill]

There's lots of autoclaves in the US, there's a few here in Hood River.

Autoclave means different things in different businesses though. In medicine it's a cabinet for sterilizing instruments and other stuff than can stand heat. The name really applied to vessels that are filled with saturated steam at high pressure (saturated being the term for steam that is at it's vapor pressure and temperature as opposed to superheated steam which is at a higher temperature than it's corresponding pressure. A pressure cooker is a simple autoclave.

For some reason the composite industry adopted the same term for a pressurized chamber filled with heated air. Confusing, but then when have engineers cared about that.

[Celeste]

Headmount, I think you mean big autoclaves, most Dr, offices and nail salons have small autoclaves.  The only fatal accident to ever happen in a FDA lab was from improper use of an autoclave.

The really big autoclaves are a US innovation, when McLearan first started using all carbon tubs with the MP4, the only place with an autoclave big enough to do it was Lockheed in Ga..  These days they are everywhere.  Just look at a list of subcontractors for the 787 Dreamliner.  China, Italy, just all over

[1paddle2paddle]

HM, to be really blown away by how something can be so light, pick up LPB's V10.  Mine weighed 24 pounds with footpedals, rudder, everything.  At over 21' long that was pretty light, and yet unbelievably strong.  Whichever factory is building the Epic boats has the process down.

Celeste, I built a clone Marshall 50W with Metroamp parts (and a huge dose of assistance from the forum).  What a blast to build that stuff.  I wish I had more time, I wanted to build a Fender Bassman amp, but never could justify the time to do so.

[Celeste]

Sorry, I forgot about the carbon/Kevlar question.

You usually add Kevlar to the mix when you need more flex without loss of strength, a less catastrophic failure mode (carbon has a tendency to shatter into shrapnel when badly overloaded) or you need abrasion resistance.  If you need those properties Kevlar is great,

1p2p (looks like a Russian tube designation).  I don't really do clones, to many great ones out there by to many great builders, I don't feel I have anything to add to the genera.  I was 10 when dad gave me my first lesson in tube electronics, and audio electronics is what got me to buckle down and take school seriously, rather then slacking by on my learning disability.  These days, I look for young artists that are searching for the sound in their head rather then chasing someone else's.  Giving someone the voice to express themselves the way they want to is one of the great joys of my life.

[Celeste]

Headmount, I'm sure that the term you meant to use was "Pakistanis". The term you used has the same status in many countries as the "N word". Place the N word in the sentence instead of the term you used, and imagine how offensive it might seem to some people. Of course, you didn't make the kindest comment in the world even if you had used an approved term, but at least it wouldn't be completely incendiary. However, I know that awareness of these matters is perhaps not as widespread in the USA as elsewhere so I'm sure that you meant no offence.

I'm happy to bring you this public information broadcast. Normal service will now be resumed...

Thank you for bringing this up, Americans seem to have a thing for making up nick names.  I am from Gascanistan, and it really burns me up to be called a Gassy.  After all I went through to get here and emigration.  I was a mail order bride, and the cheap so and so would only pay for 3rd class postage, I mean, do I look like junk mail?  Still it was all worth it, I just get a little home sick during the head lice rutting season, something about the roar of a bull head lice that really warms the heart

[headmount]

THAT was hilarious.  My kind of sense of humor.  May I call you the 'canny'?

[headmount]

Since 'Gassy' is clearly offensive.

[Area 10]

Ah, Celeste..I thought that sounded familiar:

http://www.ax84.com/bbs/dm.php?thread=287856

The comment to your post in that thread about Borat is insightful.

[Celeste]

Ah, Celeste..I thought that sounded familiar:

http://www.ax84.com/bbs/dm.php?thread=287856

The comment to your post in that thread about Borat is insightful.

Sorry it was not new material, but it was mostly a new audience.

[Area 10]

Celeste, I thought what was particularly interesting was your original motivation for creating this "character", and the similarities with the aim of Borat. Borat of course, is not poking fun at Kazakhstan at all, but is actually making fun of the ignorant and mean-minded people who fall for his stereotypes. You were doing a similar thing.

Pakistan is a very interesting country. It is the 6th most populous country in the world (out of something like 240 independent countries and territories), with about 180 million people, accounting for about 2.6% of the total world population. For comparison, the USA is the third most populous, with about 4.5%. Both of these of course are way behind China and India, which account for 19% and 17% of the total world population respectively. Nevertheless, one can see that Pakistan is a large country, and geographically it covers an area about the same as the UK and France added together. It is also a strikingly young population - over 100 million of its inhabitants are under the age of 30, and in the 20 years from 1990 to 2009 it increased its population by well over 50%. In many ways one can argue that these countries represent the future in world politics - the indigenous growth of USA and Europe has largely stopped. It would be nice to see the older countries (quite literally "older" since our populations are getting older) reach out to the younger ones rather than fall back on lazy stereotyping and so foster misunderstanding and hatred.

Borat of course caused a lot of controversy and the purpose of the film was widely misunderstood. It was a great risk that Baron-Cohen took.

Unfortunately, some of the USA politicians are not particularly inclined to serve their country folk well in respect of fostering understanding about foreign countries. At the moment in Europe we have some chap over here called Mitt Romney, who has graced us with his presence for some reason best known to himself. He came to London, site of the current Olympic Games and promptly announced that London was unfit to hold the Olympics. How charming of him. This gave the Mayor of London the opportunity to tell him in a very British way to sling his hook, and off Romney went with his tail between his legs, spouting apologies and retractions. The Major of London is widely regarded as a buffoon (indeed, it seems to be largely the secret of his success), so to make yourself look like an even bigger buffoon is quite a trick. Then Romney popped off to Israel to apparently tell them that the USA will be quite happy for them to nuke anyone they feels threatens them. I have no idea whether his position is actually that of the American people, but expressing it in the way he has done runs a huge risk of exacerbating what is of course a hugely delicate position in the Middle East - about which he seems to know very little. So, overall, unfortunately, his behaviour will reinforce the equally lazy stereotypes that some people have about people from the USA, and allow trouble-makers in these foreign countries to legitimise the use of the politics of fear - to the detriment of us all, including the USA who, just as we in Europe do, needs to keep trading routes open with these rapidly developing nations.

Right, that's got that out of my system. Back to SUP: I got my new Coreban Dart recently (full carbon), and its FAB, and well suited to conditions in the UK. I hope SIC also decide to try to develop DW boards more attuned to conditions outside those just found in Hawaii. Naish seem to be going down the flat water or elite-ocean paddlers only route with their latest super-narrow boards. The new SIC shapes (if that is what they are) spotted recently under the feet of Connor and DK might just be the thing... maybe...

[PonoBill]

Mark Raaphorst actually built the first displacement SUP I ever saw--it was a canoe-bow F18 custom designed for California conditions. Mark has a good understanding or what works in flatwater. Up until now Mark has pretty much built the boards that people want from him, which is open ocean, big swell, downwinding boards. None better. Easy thing to see. Go to any really serious downwind race and at least half the field of the elite racers will be on a SIC.

What we'll see from now on is anyone's guess. I'd love to see Mark's take on a serious pure flatwater unlimited board. Hopefully he'd take a big step away from downwind boards and rethink what is necessary.