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Post by RambleTree on Oct 8, 2021 14:17:52 GMT
Hi Sword fiends. Thanks for your patience (or lack thereof - some people ordered before I even had pictures on the product listings!) Limited quantities of the following now in stock: rambletree.net/collections/printed-armoury- Swiss Twisted Guard (aka The Warden), polished. - Viscount Guard and Pommel, unpolished. - Zurich Guards, straight and curved, unpolished. - Zurich Pommel, type U, unpolished. - Dunvegan Guard and Pommel, unpolished. There have been many questions about availability, so here's a recap: What is listed on the store is everything that Mike Jia, creator/owner of Printed Armoury, has sent me. This recent update is from a small stock discovered at the foundry. I do not interact with the foundry directly, but rather carry the inventory, and host Printed Armoury's products on my online store. The parts are in my possession, and ship from RambleTree Studio in Vermont, USA. Depending on demand, there are plans for a new batch (they must be ordered from the foundry in quantities of several hundred, per design). Shorter runs, from a smaller foundry, would increase the cost and retail price manyfold. Ballpark lead time: 6 months, maybe sooner, maybe later. I'll keep everyone updated via posts on this board. Thanks!
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Post by RambleTree on Oct 8, 2021 23:13:42 GMT
Heads up for International Customers: I just shipped my first order from US to UK. Shipping for 4 Printed Armoury parts was about $45 via UPS International Expedited (estimated delivery 3-5 working days) - if people need a ballpark figure to think about. I'm required to enter the actual retail value in USD when purchasing shipping labels and related customs forms. I'm still learning the nuances for International Shipping from the US, so feel free to ask any questions, or provide relevant information, when inquiring about a purchase. I will work with you to make it work. Thanks! Here's the policy re: International Shipping from the store: rambletree.net/pages/shipping-rates"International Orders: *Not eligible for free shipping. If your delivery address is outside of the United States, you will not be able to complete checkout. Here’s how to order: Contact Us with the items you’d like to purchase. rambletree.net/pages/contact-usPlease include the Products you'd like to order. Please include your Name and Delivery Address. We will calculate the best possible shipping cost. We will send you an Invoice you can use to Checkout and Pay."
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ghost
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Post by ghost on Oct 9, 2021 0:21:58 GMT
just bought a bunch, cant wait!
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Post by eastman on Oct 9, 2021 1:28:10 GMT
just ordered a bunch of stuff
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Post by RambleTree on Oct 12, 2021 18:22:19 GMT
Thanks everyone for your orders! At this rate, we're going to burn through this inventory pretty quickly. The parts with lowest stock: -Dunvegan guards and pommels - unpolished. -Zurich Guard-Curved-polished (1 or 2 left), Zurich Pommel-Writhen Scentstopper-polished (a few left).
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Kane Shen
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Post by Kane Shen on Oct 13, 2021 17:02:04 GMT
This is awesome news! How long will it take for the sold-out items to restock?
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Post by RambleTree on Oct 13, 2021 18:19:02 GMT
This is awesome news! How long will it take for the sold-out items to restock? Thanks Kane - in my most recent communication with Mike, we're looking at 6 months for a restock. Which - given all the challenges of the current marketplace - is a total ballpark estimate. He's been actively searching/negotiating with foundries that can product good quality, and 'economy of scale' factors - such as accessible minimum quantities vs. cost per piece. Also, very important; availability in the production queue.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2021 20:53:10 GMT
Received my parts today, safe and sound. Very pleased with my purchase. I also received a lovely sticker with your logo on it, which is now on my refrigerator. I will document what I do with the parts very soon. I'm transforming the blah into beauty.
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Kane Shen
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Post by Kane Shen on Oct 14, 2021 5:01:06 GMT
This is awesome news! How long will it take for the sold-out items to restock? Thanks Kane - in my most recent communication with Mike, we're looking at 6 months for a restock. Which - given all the challenges of the current marketplace - is a total ballpark estimate. He's been actively searching/negotiating with foundries that can product good quality, and 'economy of scale' factors - such as accessible minimum quantities vs. cost per piece. Also, very important; availability in the production queue. Thank you for the answer. Hoping to score a few fittings before the stock runs out!
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Post by eastman on Oct 15, 2021 2:04:50 GMT
just ordered a bunch of stuff
Box arrived today. Now I just need a blade or 3.
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Post by RambleTree on Oct 15, 2021 13:44:57 GMT
Received my parts today, safe and sound. Very pleased with my purchase. I also received a lovely sticker with your logo on it, which is now on my refrigerator. I will document what I do with the parts very soon. I'm transforming the blah into beauty. Ha ha! Another fridge claimed for RambleTree! Soon my stickers will mark the boundaries of a vast empire! But seriously, glad you got the parts. Can't wait to see the results!
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Post by RambleTree on Oct 15, 2021 13:46:19 GMT
just ordered a bunch of stuff
Box arrived today. Now I just need a blade or 3.
Awesome!
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tera
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Posts: 1,650
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Post by tera on Oct 15, 2021 16:59:54 GMT
Have you all given any thought to designing 3d Printed Tsuba? There may be a market for customizable pieces (i.e. select the Kanji you would like embossed or cut-out, etc.).
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Post by RambleTree on Oct 16, 2021 17:59:26 GMT
Have you all given any thought to designing 3d Printed Tsuba? There may be a market for customizable pieces (i.e. select the Kanji you would like embossed or cut-out, etc.). That's a great idea - and would entail an entirely different business model. But certainly worth brainstorming about. I am not producing the Printed Armoury hilt components - merely serving as the retailer. Mike Jia is the owner/designer/producer. To my knowledge, each one of his designs involved intensive research and engineering considerations. The guards and pommels are not 3d printed directly. The original models are designed digitally, then printed. I'm not sure whether: - Wax molds are made from the 3d original. - Molds are printed directly (in PLA, for example). Then I believe it's a lost-wax/lost-PLA casting in mild steel from there. They need to be produced in quantities of hundreds, per design, in order to be profitable/viable - hence the long restock time. The ability to 'Print-on-Demand' would bypass that issue, although each piece would cost significantly more (I'm ballpark guessing a print-to-order Tsuba, from an offering of Kanji options, would cost $100-200 USD per piece). Other than 3-D printing: If you had Tsuba 'blanks', that could then be cut (waterjet, plasma) or engraved to order - then that might work. Accumulate a threshold number of orders, set up the vector files, then send to a metal shop for production. Perhaps once or twice monthly, depending on order volume. Then there's the ecommerce/UX piece - at least as much effort to setup as the production itself . . . Now you have my gears turning! The print-on-demand model is actually what I use for my Celtic Art and Apparel business. I have a stock of quality apparel blanks in various styles/sizes/colors, that I print on using a Laser Toner Transfer printer and heat press. We're not talking heat-pressed vinyl here; Comparable in quality to screen printing or direct-to-garment printing. I get orders, set up my print queue, and can turn around print-on-demand items in 1-3 days, in-house. I sell these alongside framed and unframed art prints, and can ship it all together in one package, to keep shipping cost-effective with lower embodied energy (hippie ecology stuff). Not knowing enough about 3d printing, I wonder what the structural integrity of printed Tsuba would be. I imagine it would be fine for decorative pieces. Can 3d printed metal parts withstand the shock/vibrations from test cutting, etc.? Would they be stronger than cast/forged/carved parts? Thanks for the idea
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tera
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Post by tera on Oct 16, 2021 18:21:37 GMT
I actually have a couple of 3D printers myself, and my wife and my wedding rings were "3d printed" silver via lost casting so I am familiar with the process. If you don't have the ability to do lost casting or sintering yourself, setting up a relationship with ShapeWays is the simple route. HeroForge did this, and some of their printed minis are dropshipped straight from ShapeWays.
I am working on a design for my own tsuba to be printed by Shapeways in my free time. If that goes well I may reach out to you at some point to discuss branching out to the JSA crowd.
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Post by RambleTree on Oct 18, 2021 15:56:01 GMT
I actually have a couple of 3D printers myself, and my wife and my wedding rings were "3d printed" silver via lost casting so I am familiar with the process. If you don't have the ability to do lost casting or sintering yourself, setting up a relationship with ShapeWays is the simple route. HeroForge did this, and some of their printed minis are dropshipped straight from ShapeWays. I am working on a design for my own tsuba to be printed by Shapeways in my free time. If that goes well I may reach out to you at some point to discuss branching out to the JSA crowd. Awesome - keep me posted! I won't be doing any further product development until after Q4 2021, but could be a cool thing down the road.
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