The Thrifty Rocketeer

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues.. There's an old tale of how a struggling to middle level razor company came up with a strategy to improve their sales and thereby saved the company. This goes back many decades to the time period when men used straight razors to shave or be shaved in a barber's chair. Someone recognized that perhaps the customer would prefer to do their own shaving in the privacy of their room or in front of a mirror.  However, the customer was not likely to have a strap of leather on which to sharpen their razor, as was common in the barber shop chair. The invention of the personal razor was a revolution to the industry, but also in the approach to the  blade. That is, Wilkenson developed a razor blade holder that would clamp down on the razor blade and allow the customer to weld their own tool.  When one side got clogged or failed to shave, the man could simply rotate the device and use the second blade to continue.  When necessary, they ...

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... This entry won't really have a lot to do with model rocketry directly... but it started with it. An area rocketry club decided that they would hold a launch this weekend.  They planned well, assigned who would set up, who would strike, what times they would be at the launch field, and they checked the weather forecast. Although a bit cold for my tastes, the skies would clear and bright sunshine might offset the March chill in the air. They would go for it. However the night before, something odd happened in the weather. There were a lot of reports of "dirty rain".  The public was commenting to media outlets that their cars were dirty after sprinkles or showers, even after they had just run them through a car wash.  They wanted to know what this tan, brown, white or dirty residue was. And, they posted on social media about what they found and some snapped pictures of their hoods and roofs to share. Almost immediately, the misinformat...

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues... Several months ago, I posted a column on the end of one of the largest old-style Hardware stores in the region.  It had a huge hobby department that had been maintained for years by a senior advisor for our rocketry club.  Upon his passing, the department dwindled. It was a sad posting, and it garnered the largest audience I ever had in the history of this blog. Today, I am sad to say it is my duty to inform you of the demise of their competition ...  A modern hobby shop that caters to the RC truck enthusiast in the area.  Among the myriad RC kits, batteries, contraptions, etc. ... is a very small display of model rocket kits and parts. And hidden among the rest of the store are similar products that one might need in constructing these kits... glues, epoxy, CA, paints, paint brushes, sand paper, knives, etc. However, the owners of this more modern hobby & RC shop have decided to retire.   That means, they a...