On Oct 9, 2013, at 2:33 PM, Ben Brockert wrote:
UCSD SEDS started a $6800 project earlier this year to build a 3D
printed rocket engine and run it on their own stand, and succeeded in
funding it and testing it. http://seds.ucsd.edu/projects.html You
might contact them to find out how.
Hey, cool! I designed that version of the SEDS logo on a rainy afternoon over
twenty years ago. It made me smile to see it in the video.
At SEDS-UNM, we actually got comparatively little cash but hundreds of
thousands of dollars in material donations. We'd contact companies that made
the things we wanted and ask nicely. For off-the-shelf items, we'd ask about
used or demo items or functional prototypes. In some cases we were able to
pick up top-secret items that were declassified because they were part of a
losing bid, even though the winning bids stayed classified. Interesting
revelation, that.
For machining, I'd go around to defense contractors or local shops, depending
on what we wanted. They were often willing to donate hours, sometimes on
company time, sometimes off the clock.
Because UNM is a state school, I was able to go to federal government auction previews,
choose equipment before the public saw it and have the property transferred to us
directly. Strictly speaking, I'm not sure a college club should have had that kind of
status, but I quietly filled out the forms and it all worked the way I wanted it to work.
I began to consider myself something of a "stainless steel rat", a la Harry
Harrison. For large transfers, I went and took the university's defensive driving course
and gained the ability to check out big flatbeds. We brought our 16' dish that way, and
a few weeks later we were able to freeload a few hours of crane rental to have the dish
put on our building's roof.
Even if you're not affiliated with a university or some other type of
non-profit, you can still do everything but federal and state property
transfers. The real message here is that you can have amazing results if
you're resourceful. Just be VERY careful to work hard with whatever you get so
that nobody's ever sorry they invested in you.
Dave Klingler
