Setting up a shop?!

[michael90t]

Hrmmm... thanks for that bit of info gives me something to think about there....

[speedturtle]

Just a suggestion: "Test the waters if you can handle it." What I meant is that try to tune your own airgun first. Learn from your experiences. Document everything that you can find out about springers. Since you have a hands-on on airsoft/paintball type of airguns why don't you start with that first. Buy some very cheap (I mean affordable to you) PCP's or Co2 type of airguns and build your knowledge from there. Post you pre and post tune results with good pics and people will definitely take notice of it. If you want to get some attention let other good airgun shooter have a first hand look and feel of your "tuned" airguns so they can compare the differences. It's not only the smoothness of the firing cycle that is important, it has to be dead accurate as well when fired. You need to set up your own "accuracy standard". What that means is that for springers what should be your group size at 10 yards? 30 yards? For PCP's what is your effective range and group size? These are very important parameters that you need to address.

You can only build your knowledge and courage tuning other people's guns if you can tune your own airguns without a doubt. This I can tell you on a personal basis: A spring-piston air rifle is a very enigmatic piece of machinery. Change one part or one variable and all the others are affected as well. If you can say to yourself that "I need to change this so I can minimize this and maximize this" then you can find out if you are ready to take the challenge of tuning an airgun for others. It takes years and a lot of failures and mistakes to be a good tuner. Best of it all it has to be really something that you want to do and is willing to do for quite a while.

I am not a tuner per se but I have my own small company before so I can say something about starting on your own. It took me 12 years to hone myself as a Home Theater and 2-Channel Audio Systems designer/consultant before I was able to tell myself "I can do this on my own". All it took me was one very nice customer (my first one) and from then on it was all word of mouth that I get my clients. I don't advertise nor do I promote myself, my clients are my salesmen! LOL! One last thing that you need to remember: "You don't have to accept every customer that comes your way." Some of them would be more of a headache for a measly profit and sometimes would be your downfall if they badmouth you.

I wish you the best on your endeavor. As others have said "It has to start somewhere". Good luck bro'.

[CharlieDaTuna]

Just some food for thought...

Regarding your response...CDT, Yes I would love to be able to start out with both a mill and a lathe unfortunately that's not in the budget :) then again there is not much you cant accomplish with a little thought a drill press and a cross slide vise either :)

Yes, I agree....you can sure accomplish a lot with a drill press and a cross slide vise.... everything but precision. Believe me, I know. When you work with metal or other materials and with tolerances of a couple thousands of an inch or so (and quite often less) , unless they are very high end equipment, the precision just isn't going to be there.

And as Gene said, few people send a gun off for a SuperTune. I think I can count on one hand the number of SuperTunes that I had done over the last several years of tuning. Most people with a little mechanical ability can do that themselves and enjoy the experience. Most of those that send their guns out for pro tunes do not have the machining skills and equipment or knowledge to do a "pro" tune. They send their guns to get a maximum efficiency tune usually and expect that when it is returned to them.

I think that one of the most important things that Ed learned while down here working with Gena and I the last few weeks is just how important precision machining and tooling is and how important it is to the end results and customer satisfaction.

[kiwi]

CharlieDaTuna - 4/14/2010  4:17 AM

Just some food for thought...

Regarding your response...CDT, Yes I would love to be able to start out with both a mill and a lathe unfortunately that's not in the budget :) then again there is not much you cant accomplish with a little thought a drill press and a cross slide vise either :)

Yes, I agree....you can sure accomplish a lot with a drill press and a cross slide vise.... everything but precision. Believe me, I know. When you work with metal or other materials and with tolerances of a couple thousands of an inch or so (and quite often less) , unless they are very high end equipment, the precision just isn't going to be there.

And as Gene said, few people send a gun off for a SuperTune. I think I can count on one hand the number of SuperTunes that I had done over the last several years of tuning. Most people with a little mechanical ability can do that themselves and enjoy the experience. Most of those that send their guns out for pro tunes do not have the machining skills and equipment or knowledge to do a "pro" tune. They send their guns to get a maximum efficiency tune usually and expect that when it is returned to them.

I think that one of the most important things that Ed learned while down here working with Gena and I the last few weeks is just how important precision machining and tooling is and how important it is to the end results and customer satisfaction.

I have to agree with Charlie...
If in 30 years as a machinest/engineer one thing
I have come to realise is....
close enough is not close enough...
forget the verniers..learn to use mics..

Pete