SpudFiles

I just got off the phone with some guy at N.B. Cochrane. These guys are who Clippard recommended for local service (They cover Maryland and some of Pennsylvania and Virginia). And judging by the brief conversation we had, I can say that these guys are great! If you're looking for Clippard parts, call up the distributor Clippard recommends.

Their quoted prices are lower than what was in my 1.5 year old Clippard catalog. The parts are about 20% cheaper than directly from Clippard. The sales guy said they get a discount from Clippard. For comparison, McMaster-Carr's markup (not markdown) is about 10%.

Clippard's website also has a $10 handling charge. This seems kinda silly when you only want to buy a few parts like I usually do.

My experiences with calling any distributor or manufacturer up directly have so far been great. So I wouldn't hesitate to call someone up to talk to them. The pneumatics industry seems to be full of really nice people.

Of course, if you're patient you can find anything you want for cheaper used. But I have no patience at the moment.

Also, if anyone's wondering what I got, it was JEV-F2M2 and SDR-12-2. You can guess what they're for.

Edit: The parts came in about 3 weeks after I ordered. Expect similar delays if you get something out of stock.

That's great! I'm about due for another Clippard order soon, I'll definitely buy through a local distributor this time. Working on the FANG 2 some more?

As I said earlier, I wish clippard's valves were available here... some of them are so compact and there are plenty of different types of the same thing, for example - I've just realized that there are 7 different versions of QEVs (I am not talking about sizes)

so how large is it going to be ?

FANG (prototype) 2 is done and will be dismantled. I think I might reassemble prototype 1 to futz with but I'll need to buy a few parts that I resold (doh...). The completely new prototype 3 and it is distinct from both 1 and 2 but closer to 1.

I don't know when I'll get to the point where I can call the finished thing FANG without any numbers but 3 should be close.

Down the road I'm looking to try POLAND_SPUD's new full auto idea, but I don't have the time to plan it out fully at the moment.

POLAND_SPUD, I suggest asking a distributor in the US if they would be willing to ship to you. If you get a large enough order the discount on price will offset shipping costs and you might even end up paying less than new from Clippard.

So you're going to take another shot at the "projectile-pusher" configuration? I'll be looking forward to see how you address the pinching issue. On a similar note, I just started work on an improved version of the TFS Semi. Similar function, but stripped down and reduced to the bare essentials.

I won't say how the third one will work, but you're free to speculate. Of course, I'm so indecisive that there's no saying how something will be until I make it, so maybe my current idea won't survive to manufacture.

TFS Semi was already pretty bare so I'm wondering what could be eliminated! I'm definitely interested in seeing that as it might make me reevaluate what I'm doing here.

Would you mind posting more detailed dimensions of your little Clippard QEV PVC Arsenal? I don't have one yet and I want to start making a quick scale 2D drawing.

Yeah, the $10 handling charge from Clippard is dumb. I bought two $11 valves, and the shipping + the $10 handling were more than the two valves! To top it off, when my box arrived there was only one valve in the box.

I'm definitely going through a distributor next time.

edit: removed

If you get a large enough order the discount on price will offset shipping costs and you might even end up paying less than new from Clippard.

I think I might do it one day.. there are lots of different manufacturers in europe and I usually get a lot of stuff off a local site to ebay.. but I am really impressed with some of clippards valves...
and yeah I agree that contacting the companies directly is a good idea

new full auto idea, but I don't have the time to plan it out fully at the moment

it isn't difficult at all..
all you need to build it is a pneumatically actuated NO valve and a needle valve plus a couple of push-to-connect fittings to connect everything

@PVC Arsenal: Don't worry about getting dimensions then. An estimate based on the picture they have online should be accurate enough. I add some wiggle room in my designs anyway if something isn't the reported dimensions.

@POLAND_SPUD: It's more about the the details of the gun than how it works. That and putting it together... I just don't have time at the moment as there's too much to think about already. Money's another issue that I didn't mention. I could cut into some savings, but I'm not going to.

I'm not actually sure what projectiles I'm going to use yet but what I want to do is make a full auto pneumatic that is as powerful as reasonably possible, has as high a ROF as possible, and is completely self contained. The plan is to use my HPA tank. I might have to get the conversion kit for my regulator (a Palmer Stabilizer) so it can go higher than 300 psi, but we'll see.

Go ahead and beat me to it. I'd appreciate the competition.

For those ordering from N. B. Cochrane, expect a wait when ordering something they don't have in stock. I ordered shortly before the first post and the parts aren't coming in until next week. I figure the wait's okay given that the prices are good.

It's also worth noting that I did change my mind about the basic method FANG prototype 3 will use. It uses the same components and configuration however.