Balsa Safari

[Bob Hunt]

Even though I have probably enough good, light balsa to get me to the "finish line," I'm always on the lookout for more. Can you relate...? (Actually my son, Robby refers to the balsa supply here as "his inheritance.")

I just returned from a "honey-do" trip to the local mall, and after getting what Marianne wanted (dish clothes and shower curtains...) I went into the Hobby Lobby store. I very often go there in search of the odd light piece of balsa. Imaging my surprise when I found several really great sheets of wood. More surprising was the fact that a couple of the sheets had some very minor damage to one edge and the manager (I guess) was more than happy to mark the prices on those pieces down significantly (try from $7.00 to $1.47). The damage was very minimal and the vast majority of the sheets in question can be used. Nice find!

So, the moral is, if you are out shopping and there is a Hobby Lobby store near where you go, stop in and check out the balsa bin; you might find a gold mine of light wood, and you just might get a discount on some of it.

Note: I also check the local Michaels from time to time for light balsa, but in recent years the pickings there have been slim.

Happy Safari-ing - Bob Hunt

[Dan McEntee]

   You're kind of late to the party Bubba!! That's been SOP for me as long as Hobby Lobby has been around these parts. I know where they all are around town and work in a visit if my routine takes me near one. I have found other good deals there also on occasion and well worth a quiet walk around the toy, art and crafts departments. Revell is known for plastic models, but they also ventured into the dime store glider and rubber powered airplane market for a while. Hobby Lobby carried those for a while and one summer they put them on clearance for a $1 a piece for the larger rubber airplane. They are ugly as sin, but were made from excellent grade balsa and flew way better than most Guillow's dime store airplanes do right out of the bag. I loaded up on them at that price. They don't spoil sitting on the shelf you know!! Hobby Lobby used to put a 40% off coupon in the local paper every Sunday in their full page ad, but in this day and age that went by the way side a long time ago !!

  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Dave_Trible]

There is only one within reasonable distance from me these days but I also have gotten lucky there with a few good balsa finds.   I also get basswood strips there for flap and elevator trailing edges (keeps the knicks and dents down).   I get knife blades,  copper tubing,  some epoxy,  stencils, ink line pens and all sorts of goodies there when they can't be found elsewhere.  It's where you go to pick up one thing and drop $$ before you leave.

Dave

[john e. holliday]

Yes it pays to look around any store that has arts and crafts.   I too picked up on sheets that had a little damage and got a discount.  I have piked up glue bottles and other stuff you don't find in the local hobby shop.

[Ken Culbertson]

I just had the same experience as Bob.  I hit the local Hobby Lobby about once a month. (Wish I knew their restocking schedule!) Their prices only *border* on outrageous and the manager has been more than willing to discount damaged sheets.  I got a sheet of 5lb 1/4x 4" with a corner damaged for $.95 and on another occasion two sheets of nice 6lb 1/16 for $.50 each.  Cap strips and wingtips for Endgame IV for $1.95.

It is rare that they get wood in that light.  Normally it is 7-8lb.  They had more undamaged sheets of 1/4" at around $11.00 but I didn't need.  We have three known Hobby Lobby scroungers that I know of so I passed it on.

Ken

Oh, one thing that amazes me about them is that they routinely have several hangers full of Bob Smith CA Accelerator and de-bonder which is great except that they do not carry CA Cement.   I have brought that to their attention and they told me that they, as store managers, have no input as to what they carry are not allowed to pass on things like that to the buyers.  And I thought Stunt fliers were crazy....

[Dave_Trible]

I just had the same experience as Bob.  I hit the local Hobby Lobby about once a month. (Wish I knew their restocking schedule!) Their prices only *border* on outrageous and the manager has been more than willing to discount damaged sheets.  I got a sheet of 5lb 1/4x 4" with a corner damaged for $.95 and on another occasion two sheets of nice 6lb 1/16 for $.50 each.  Cap strips and wingtips for Endgame IV for $1.95.

It is rare that they get wood in that light.  Normally it is 7-8lb.  They had more undamaged sheets of 1/4" at around $11.00 but I didn't need.  We have three known Hobby Lobby scroungers that I know of so I passed it on.

Ken

Oh, one thing that amazes me about them is that they routinely have several hangers full of Bob Smith CA Accelerator and de-bonder which is great except that they do not carry CA Cement.   I have brought that to their attention and they told me that they, as store managers, have no input as to what they carry are not allowed to pass on things like that to the buyers.  And I thought Stunt fliers were crazy....

Stunt fliers ARE crazy.....We can be pretty loopy at times.

[Motorman]

They have some nice building/cutting mats there too.

[Air Ministry .]

A man bursts into a bar and says "Bartender, quick! I need 12 shots of your finest single malt scotch whiskey!!". The bartender immediately springs into action, pouring out shots. The man takes them each as quickly as the bartender can pour, one after the other. The bartender exclaims "I've never seen anyone drink like that before..." The man says "You'd drink like that too if you had what I have". The bartender says "Good God man, what do you have?". The man says "two dollars".