Does anyone know any ways to save money when getting equipment? I plan on using a welder's glove and making most of my own leather-based stuff, but are there any other ways to safely cut costs? I don't want to risk using anything that could be faulty, but I don't want to spend more than I have to. I'm just too much of a Yankee. If anyone has tried anything to save cost and it hasn't worked well, post that, too.
Last Edit: Dec 30, 2004 20:10:26 GMT -5 by Sparkly
Give a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for a lifetime.
I've recieved a bunch of hand me down stuff like bells, lures, hoods etc. from a master falconer, and he's currently teaching me how to make my own hoods (which is hard, but will be very beneficial in the future).
My advice is to join your state club and meet some falconers. If they feel that you're sincerely interested, I'm sure one of them would let you in on some equipment tips, and maybe even toss you a few freebies.
I bought twenty bucks worth of raffle tickets at our last club meet and won a $60 Northwoods gauntlet and $50 half roo hide. My sponsor donates little things like quality hide scraps from his hood making and a very nice hole punch. Since i started with a kestrel i was able to bypass building a mews, that is something that may be hard to skimp on. The local Boaters World type stores have Sampo swivels for half the cost of the falconry suppliers. I got astroturf for free from work, it was used for a retail display then was gonna get thrown away. There are some things i tried to make fancier than necessary and ended up going the simpler cheaper way. For instance, i tried lining the floor of my giant hood with a nice vinyl with the idea that it would be easy to wipe out the mutes. Instead the mutes just run all over the vinyl and make a big mess, so i ended up just using paper towels that can soak it up and be replaced everytime.
Rz13 : Have you found the postings under - Equipment : Cost # 13 ; all of them are very sure ways to save, also keep an eye open for cover sheets of wood and sheet metal used in shipping, most are not damaged at all. These cover sheets are just thrown away. Some people call it Dumpester Diving. wes
I bought one of OldWillnot or whatever his name is scales on ebay. Advertised as a candy or candle making scale, it is the ticket for weighing birds as far as I'm concerned. I couldn't afford a triple beam or a $200. + scale. I bought a strip of 1/4" by 1/16" aluminum bar stock for a few dollars at farm store. Bent it in shop vise and pliers into a perch shape that fit the top of the scale pan. Drilled and fastened with little tiny screws and nuts. I screwed a fitted piece of wooden dowel onto the aluminum upright and stitched a scrap of leather on the dowel to make it fancy. Left the pan in place to weigh hawk food. Great combination. The thing I like about this scale is I can zero it out quickly and switch from grams to ounces with the touch of a button. Batteries seem to last forever and it came with an adapter. Light weight and easy to wipe off. The guy is a character. Enjoys his job ! Nice to find something that works well and didn't cost a body part.
What is a good thickness for kangaroo leather to be? I have looked in a few differentplaces to buy leather, and they all have different thicknesses. What is the best?
Give a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for a lifetime.
Rz13, First I'm no sales man, I've had a triple beam, Didn't care for it much, it was very accurite, but not very durable, I also purchased one from Oldwill, a KD600, used one of my wifes old brooms, and made a T-perch for it, works great, alot faster and more duable than the Triple-Beam ever will be. For as the Roo skins, Some of the people in my area are using 2-3oz skins for R/T's is what I was told. BUT these are things that would be something for you to talk with your sponsor about, as He/She may have a different opinion. JMHO Wes
modify: This scale is a digitial, acc. to 1 gram, if you plan on flying a K-bird look for a 1/10 gram scale JMO
Hey guys just a little hint of info for you>>> If some of you know police officers or other law enforcement related people personally they usually have in the evidence locker a lot of scales that weigh in grams and ounces. Most of the officers have no idea of what the scales really cost. Most of the scales will be ditigal. Also if your county or state has public auctions and are anounced in the news papers there's another way to purchase them. You will also find some scales in the junks shops in larger cities/ another way to save money is visit the local scrape yards in some of the smaller towns, great place to pick up a variety of things that can be used in falconry, espically the conduit piping which you can use in designing your mews. Steel rods which can be made into perches, you name it, if you want to save a buck there are ways to do it, How well I know!!
When I was looking for scales, I started by contacting my town police department. They referred me to the Connecticut State Police Narcotics Task Force (for scales that may have been seized in drug busts, etc.) and I contacted them. The person I spoke to said they couldn't sell me a scale, but if they got one in they could donate it to me. I merely had to write a letter of request and explaining why I neded a scale.
About six months went by and I didn't hear anything, so I bought a used triple beam scale on eBay. Well, wouldn't you know it, no sooner had I bought one, when I get a call from the state police and they had not one, but two triple beam scales that they said I could have, plus an old digital scale.
Unfortunately, a friend of mine told me that he checked with the State Narcotics Task Force recently and was told they don't donate scales any more. I don't know if they have an auction or not.
I ended up giving both of the scales to friends, but I think I might still have that old digital one. If I can find it, it's yours if you want it. I'll check tonight after work and let you know.
I also bought a digital scale from OldWillKnott and I too found it to be well worth the price.
Leashes and jesses can be both made inexpensively as can bow perches if you have some welding skills.
However, before you get too far down the road on making equipment, you may want to round up a sponsor. He or she may have some valuable advice on how to make equipment and/or may have some particular ways they like their apprentices to make jesses, leashes, etc.
There is a state club, but since we don't have falconry yet it's not really active. So, unfortunately, unlike other states, we don't have that pool of experience on which to draw. However, you can still get in touch with out of state falconers (especially since you will need to obtain an out of state sponsor). In the beginning it can be very confusing as everyone tends to have some different advice on certain aspects of falconry. Your best bet is to try to find a sponsor a soon as you can and then start working with them in preparation for the fall.
Just my two cents worth.
- Jon D.
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
Yeah, jondarp, I was planning on looking for a sponsor as soon as the regs are passed. I'm slightly about going sponsor-hunting before, because, as much as I hate to think it, they may not get passed. Until then, I will have to be content finding equipment that does not require too much help, such as grommets, ex-acto knives, etc. Mostly I've just been making up an estimated price list, which will, of course, change when I do get a sponsor. You know, just finding a way to pass the time without feeling useless. This probably means even more waiting for me...
Thanks for all the great tips everyone, this should help me cut down my prices considerably.
Give a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for a lifetime.
I know how hard it is to wait and wait and wait. Hope you do find a sponsor and every thing comes through so you can get started. You might try getting hooked up to some falconry people and visiting their mews and spending some time hunting with them. It is important once you start making epuiptment that it is made correctly. When I got started I had a lot of great plans on how to make some things, I was gl;ad that there was some real exsperienced master falconers there to stop me. Good luck.
Post by buteoflyer on Feb 17, 2005 10:38:00 GMT -5
Reizoko, you will find a welders glove to be a bit thin. Especially if you get a large female. If it's all you can get for now then I would suggest getting a very soft gardening glove as well and wear that inside of the welders glove. As far as equipment goes, make as much as you can. Get a good book on braiding and make your leases. See the section on leases for ideas here. You can design and have made the perches from a welding shop. I have a design for a bow perch that only costs $20 to have made. The bath pan can be a large planter saucer from a garden shop. The bigger the better. The only expensive item will be the scales. Look at e-bay for that. If you do some hunting around you can find a triple beam for $30 or $40. Don't skimp on the mews, but you don't have to build a palace. It doesn't have to pass building codes if it's only a "temporary" structue. That is it doesn't have a concrete floor. 8x8x8 is perfect. A leanto style roof with some fiberglass panels for light. See the mews section for more ideas. Have some fun making your equipment.
Don't skimp on the mews, but you don't have to build a palace. It doesn't have to pass building codes if it's only a "temporary" structue. That is it doesn't have a concrete floor. 8x8x8 is perfect.
Good advice. Although, in Connecticut your mews will have to comply with local zoning codes (see the text from the Connecticut regs below). Depending on your town and how strict they are about building codes, you may want to pull a building permit. I live in a very populated area and I decided to get a building permit, which helped me get the final okay to keep a raptor on my property.
Also, an 8'x8'x7' (LxWxH) is fine for a mews as long as you are going to build a separate weathering area with the same dimensions.
In any case, make sure you read the Connecticut regs carefully before you start to build.
- Jon D.
Sec. 3. (NEW) Section 26-67e-3. Application for a Permit. (a) Any resident of Connecticut who would like to apply for or renew a falconry permit shall: . . . (4) submit to the commissioner written documentation from the zoning enforcement officer of the municipality in which the raptor housing facility is located which verifies that the possession of a raptor and construction of a raptor housing facility, or use of an existing structure to house a raptor complies with all applicable local zoning requirements . . .
"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
Ebay is great for scales. In the past 2 years I bought an ohaus dial o gram for $40 and a digital for about $30.
If you need coroplast for a coulson box, political campaign signs are great (*after* election day, they might be p.o.'ed otherwise) if you don't mind what's printed on them.
Bath pan= $7 cement mixing tub from Orchard or Home Depot.