Post by: smittysteve on Tue, 05 June 2018, 17:56:40
Long time listener, first time caller.
After being pleasantly surprised by the way my Blackbird felt with the nice weight Merlin64 (MechMerlin) ran bolted in, I've been one of the many eagerly awaiting more cowbell. And more Duck weights. I spoke with Merlin about this a bunch- he is so active in the community tackling many other awesome projects that, with his blessing, I decided to take on the weight buy. So.... here we go.
In an act of unbridled pathological optimism, I'm going to run weights for ALL the recent Duck boards at once. I may regret this decision, but it will help bring our cost down and I don't foresee that much more trouble running all of them vs. just running one or two. Duck kindly provided all of the weight dimension files, so we are good to go. With that in mind, I'm trying to keep it simple:
-Everything will be brass
-You can choose engraved or plain brass
-That's it
My good friend and freaking talented guy, Gaiden has put together the graphics for us. They are awesome and I appreciate him helping with these SO very much.
Viper/ Eagle v2:
(https://i.imgur.com/czQCUl1.jpg)
Lightsaver v3:
(https://i.imgur.com/BZg37du.jpg)
Jetfire:
(https://i.imgur.com/3uBsLR9.jpg)
TC-V3:
(https://i.imgur.com/Mjx8HYA.jpg)
PRICE:
~$65 engraved
~$35 plain brass
Price is the same for all weights. I was a little surprised by this, but the material difference isn't enough to change pricing much at all. The manufacturer I'm going with quoted the quantity across all the weights for one price, so I'll do the same here. Hoping the pricing may come down a little as we go- wanted to give worst-case scenario. The plain brass will be a tumbled finish- uncoated and unpolished. The engraved weights will be polished.
Timeline: I'm going to hold this IC up for a couple of weeks then open group buy for two weeks. I hope to place the order the week of July 9 and assuming all goes well (of course I've been in enough buys to know that's a 5% of the time statement, but recall, the pathological optimism...) I expect to be shipping these by the first week of August. Fwiw, I'm doing everything here in the US. I did investigate overseas manufacturing, but I really like the folks I'm working with for the weights and the engraving, so I feel more confident doing everything here and think it's worth a little extra $.
Shipping: will either invoice shipping later or do it all all at one time- not sure yet. If I feel good about estimating shipping and doing it all with one invoice, I'd prefer that instead of sending shipping invoices separately later on. TBD... Will ship internationally, but will definitely have to quote that case-by-case. That could get expensive- sorry international peeps.
Should mention that I am not sure whether these weights will fit earlier versions (Viper/ Eagle v1, LSv2) of these boards. My hunch is that they will, but if anyone would like to measure and evaluate with me, I'm happy to share sizes of the weights we will be making here.
Kindly let me know what you plan on purchasing so I can finalize quotes by filling out this handy form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFQuE3Fs2TJZpE0mg-sfB8j5B3sg7oTm73S1h0f1r2nZHJKw/viewform?usp=sf_link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFQuE3Fs2TJZpE0mg-sfB8j5B3sg7oTm73S1h0f1r2nZHJKw/viewform?usp=sf_link)
That's it. Whew, not too bad. Comment or message me (smittysteve on GH, Reddit or Discord) with any questions. Please let any friends you know out there with Duck boards that this is happening. Thanks for looking and hope to see you in the buy!
Post by: Evilocity on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:03:46
Post by: megaforce on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:04:38
Post by: Sshimosawa on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:04:50
Post by: Atredl on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:05:10
Post by: flyingpike on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:12:49
Post by: JubJubCity on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:18:20
Post by: long_qt_pie on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:19:20
Post by: merlin64 on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:24:31
Post by: Atredl on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:25:32
Woohoo, I'm in. The last guy who did weights, did a terrible job. This better be much better!
Post by: phorx on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:34:25
Post by: eyedrop on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:37:06
Post by: eyedrop on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:38:15
Post by: smittysteve on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:51:19
The engraved design looks great. I just filled out the form. :thumb:
Thanks. And all credit to Gaiden- he nailed these!
Ok, dumb question. Are you including screws with the weight?
Not stupid at all... yes, I'll include the four screws, forgot to mention that!
Post by: smittysteve on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:53:08
Woohoo, I'm in. The last guy who did weights, did a terrible job. This better be much better!
Hahaha- not at all, man... they came out great! Blackbird is solidly still in my rotation (best layout ever!) and every time I struggle to pick it up, I think of that guy fondly!
Post by: smittysteve on Tue, 05 June 2018, 18:54:31
Amazing idea. If you could give us approximate measurements for each, may be able to use these to weigh down other boards as well.
I can do that. I'll measure and add dimensions to the post. The trick will be the mounting holes and such, but you can get creative with a drill and mount these babies wherever you'd like. :thumb: :thumb:
Post by: captainish on Tue, 05 June 2018, 19:13:40
Post by: Sshimosawa on Tue, 05 June 2018, 19:21:32
Amazing idea. If you could give us approximate measurements for each, may be able to use these to weigh down other boards as well.
I can do that. I'll measure and add dimensions to the post. The trick will be the mounting holes and such, but you can get creative with a drill and mount these babies wherever you'd like. :thumb: :thumb:
Huge thank you.
Post by: Jedi on Tue, 05 June 2018, 19:43:03
Post by: Eggplant on Tue, 05 June 2018, 19:49:16
I hate that the weight on the jetfire is internal, but almost can't resist the fantastic engraving.
Post by: dantambok on Tue, 05 June 2018, 19:53:53
Post by: Unforgivable on Tue, 05 June 2018, 20:24:55
Dare I ask...any chance you could also set up a slot for Orion V1/V2 weights? The weight fits both. Not sure if you’d have the file for it however. :(
Post by: Puddsy on Tue, 05 June 2018, 20:26:38
Post by: razor_blade on Tue, 05 June 2018, 20:57:49
Post by: phorx on Tue, 05 June 2018, 21:35:45
Post by: mmontess on Tue, 05 June 2018, 22:11:56
Post by: Dreamre on Tue, 05 June 2018, 23:20:25
Post by: Peppermint216 on Tue, 05 June 2018, 23:29:39
Post by: mdlt97 on Tue, 05 June 2018, 23:39:39
Post by: smittysteve on Tue, 05 June 2018, 23:52:40
Can you give us a sense for how deep the engraving is?
It will be pretty thin. Think something like this:
http://lps.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/brass-nameplate-laser.jpg (http://lps.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/brass-nameplate-laser.jpg)
The Jetfire weight won't fit in a BB will it?
Just measured as the Blackbird dimensions are in the file I have from Duck.... Jetfire is exactly the same size in x and y, but it's much thicker. Blackbird is a 2T and Jetfire is 3T. Bugger!
So for the raw brass ones, will they be finished too? Finished meaning smooth and etc.? Thanks!
They will be tumbled, so no burrs or anything, but not treated or polished.
Oh man, great job Steve!
Dare I ask...any chance you could also set up a slot for Orion V1/V2 weights? The weight fits both. Not sure if you’d have the file for it however. :(
Thanks very much! While I'm doing them all, it's very possible. I could get the file for those so making the weight seems doable. Trick may be on engraving- there is some setup fee for the shop to do the laser engraving built into the cost. For only a couple Orions, that may get spendy. But can probably get plain weights done for any Orion folk that want one. :thumb:
Post by: smittysteve on Tue, 05 June 2018, 23:55:12
Nice job! The engravings look very nice, glad to see another locally made buy too. Just as a backup, do you have at least two places to source the work from in case the first place goes south?
Sorry missed your question in previous multi quote! Yes, I have a couple of back-ups in place. I want these to come out really great. I have three of the four boards in question here, so I'm a consumer on this buy right there with everyone!
Post by: glack23 on Wed, 06 June 2018, 03:10:39
Post by: LeoShi on Wed, 06 June 2018, 04:02:26
Post by: wodan on Wed, 06 June 2018, 06:37:34
Post by: finalarcadia on Wed, 06 June 2018, 07:33:05
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Post by: jacky on Wed, 06 June 2018, 08:07:02
Post by: __foo_ on Wed, 06 June 2018, 08:15:36
Post by: Unforgivable on Wed, 06 June 2018, 10:31:10
Can you give us a sense for how deep the engraving is?
It will be pretty thin. Think something like this:
http://lps.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/brass-nameplate-laser.jpg (http://lps.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/brass-nameplate-laser.jpg)The Jetfire weight won't fit in a BB will it?
Just measured as the Blackbird dimensions are in the file I have from Duck.... Jetfire is exactly the same size in x and y, but it's much thicker. Blackbird is a 2T and Jetfire is 3T. Bugger!So for the raw brass ones, will they be finished too? Finished meaning smooth and etc.? Thanks!
They will be tumbled, so no burrs or anything, but not treated or polished.Oh man, great job Steve!
Dare I ask...any chance you could also set up a slot for Orion V1/V2 weights? The weight fits both. Not sure if you’d have the file for it however. :(
Thanks very much! While I'm doing them all, it's very possible. I could get the file for those so making the weight seems doable. Trick may be on engraving- there is some setup fee for the shop to do the laser engraving built into the cost. For only a couple Orions, that may get spendy. But can probably get plain weights done for any Orion folk that want one. :thumb:
Oh! Yes please! I’d totally be in for a plain Orion weight!
Post by: jackedhardwarejunkie on Wed, 06 June 2018, 10:31:39
Post by: lecorsair on Thu, 07 June 2018, 17:18:39
Is it possible to add some sort of thematic flourish to the TC-V3? As it stands compared to the other three, it feels a bit bland. Hope not coming across as too harsh - just a quick feedback.
Post by: smittysteve on Thu, 07 June 2018, 17:49:19
Will shipping be same as 1 for 2 weights in US?
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Thanks for the question and no,I don't think they will be the same for multiples. As we move to the GB, I'll get shipping estimates worked out more precisely since there are a few likely getting more than one. Merlin's sage advice for me is also to work on finding shipping boxes sooner rather than later. I appreciate that and will start on that as soon as possible.
I noted as such on the google form but was hoping others can chime in here also:
Is it possible to add some sort of thematic flourish to the TC-V3? As it stands compared to the other three, it feels a bit bland. Hope not coming across as too harsh - just a quick feedback.
Thanks for the comment- not harsh at all... nothing is in stone yet and this is very much an IC where I want to get this as right as possible for an many as possible. I'm reading all the comments here and in the form and if there are more who want to snazzy up the TC-V3, we'll do it. All I'm really set on is that we will only run one engraved design for each board- it's just too expensive for the engraving setup fees. So far, the engraved TC-V3 is polling very popular, but again, totally open to revisions if people feel strongly one way or t'other.
I'm also quite curious about the early responses on the Viper/ Eagle. We have about 65 responses total and the Viper/ Eagle is the only weight where raw brass is leading over engraved.
Viper/ Eagle: 38% Engraved
Lightsaver: 70% Engraved
Jetfire: 62% Engraved
TC-V3: 74% Engraved
Viper/ Eagle folk- any thoughts here? Not feeling the design or just the most pragmatic of the group, since after all, the weight isn't visible in any of these babies? Feel free to post or message me.
Post by: Krona on Thu, 07 June 2018, 17:55:39
Post by: merlin64 on Thu, 07 June 2018, 20:34:57
Post by: Shados on Thu, 07 June 2018, 21:22:59
Viper/ Eagle folk- any thoughts here? Not feeling the design or just the most pragmatic of the group, since after all, the weight isn't visible in any of these babies? Feel free to post or message me.
I'll echo merlin's sentiment on this, and also what I noted on the form: it'd probably be better to have separate designs for the viper and the eagle.
Post by: gaiden on Thu, 07 June 2018, 22:26:13
I thought the eagle viper logo looked very much like a sports logo and didn't quite match the refined look of my keyboard.Smitty and I discussed about the eagle & viper plate a while back and the idea was to have a single design to accommodate both boards. I will revisit it and tc-v3 again and see what I can do to spice them up a bit
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Post by: damagepoint on Fri, 08 June 2018, 04:36:37
Post by: phorx on Fri, 15 June 2018, 10:10:30
Post by: smittysteve on Sat, 16 June 2018, 11:54:04
Post by: driftingbunnies on Sat, 16 June 2018, 21:31:13
Post by: Atredl on Sat, 16 June 2018, 22:16:14
Does anyone have a KBD19x? I'm wondering if these will fit that weight opening...(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180617/44e4fa831008617e3c23ce3817a9bfef.png)
If the weight opening looks anything like that piece on the bottom then probably not.
Post by: Puddsy on Sat, 16 June 2018, 23:01:35
Does anyone have a KBD19x? I'm wondering if these will fit that weight opening...
definitely won't
Post by: Hamel on Sat, 16 June 2018, 23:05:08
Post by: packman86 on Sat, 16 June 2018, 23:10:21
Post by: smittysteve on Sat, 23 June 2018, 14:49:12
Also, there is a decent chance I'll be able to do Orion weights too- probably just un-engraved. If you know someone looking for that, let them know to check out the GB thread. :)
Have a great weekend!
Post by: phorx on Wed, 27 June 2018, 08:38:43
Post by: gaiden on Wed, 27 June 2018, 14:42:52
I'm looking forward to this GB getting started. Any new renders of the updated designs?Hi, there were new updates for Eagle/Viper and TC-V3 plates. For some reason pictures links are broken, may have to wait for Smitty to fix them when he has time.
For the Eagle/Viper & TC-V3 I went with simpler designs that is more inline with the overall aesthetic. Eagle/Viper still has the same approach of making accommodation for 2 boards with 1 plate.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180627/cbd2fcb5e22cae55e15874e87913a906.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180627/51052a207f39aacd1297a105265b6e49.jpg)
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Post by: phorx on Wed, 27 June 2018, 14:46:40
Post by: gaiden on Wed, 27 June 2018, 14:48:35
Oh I really like the updated look of the TC-v3 weight.
Glad to hear, that one was tricky to work with..
Post by: AndyTC on Wed, 27 June 2018, 14:49:42
Think i prefer the old design though tbh
Post by: smittysteve on Thu, 28 June 2018, 04:53:14
Post by: packman86 on Thu, 28 June 2018, 08:33:19
GB Thread submitted for approval!! Woot woot! :thumb:
Thank you for organizing this!
Post by: clasicks on Thu, 28 June 2018, 08:38:43
Post by: phorx on Fri, 29 June 2018, 08:11:53
GB Thread submitted for approval!! Woot woot! :thumb:Is it normal to take over a day to approve a GB thread?
Post by: smittysteve on Fri, 29 June 2018, 08:21:57
GB Thread submitted for approval!! Woot woot! :thumb:Is it normal to take over a day to approve a GB thread?
It’s not too unusual- know buys that have taken a couple of days to transition to GB. I just messaged the mods so they know there is a GB waiting for approval.
Post by: Peppermint216 on Fri, 29 June 2018, 08:31:07
Post by: smittysteve on Fri, 29 June 2018, 08:36:21
Cant remember what it was now but recently the buying period for a GB expired before the post was approved.
Right. I remember this. Maybe one of the Matix boards?
Post by: clasicks on Fri, 29 June 2018, 08:40:46
Post by: smittysteve on Fri, 29 June 2018, 09:51:20
Post by: mdlt97 on Thu, 26 July 2018, 21:27:11
Post by: jrfhoutx on Fri, 27 July 2018, 07:07:10
any updates?
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=96368.0