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Any idea the lifespan of precut balsa and bass sticks from merchants like Specialized and National? I have some (expensive) sticks from towers last year that we still haven’t used, so I am trying to decide whether to store them for another year or toss them.

FrogLegs wrote:Any idea the lifespan of precut balsa and bass sticks from merchants like Specialized and National? I have some (expensive) sticks from towers last year that we still haven’t used, so I am trying to decide whether to store them for another year or toss them.

Balsa itself should not go "bad" at all if stored properly. Otherwise, I see no reason not to reuse. If the wood quality is questionable then it's better to just use that wood for a prototype/test boom than toss it out.

Thanks! We store in mailing tubes in a dry location. Any other special ways to store it that you would suggest?

FrogLegs wrote:Thanks! We store in mailing tubes in a dry location. Any other special ways to store it that you would suggest?

Moisture Sealed boxes in a dry location. What your doing also works as well.

FrogLegs wrote:Any idea the lifespan of precut balsa and bass sticks from merchants like Specialized and National? I have some (expensive) sticks from towers last year that we still haven’t used, so I am trying to decide whether to store them for another year or toss them.

Balsa... is like a fine wine... it just gets better and better... or at least it doesn't go bad as long as it isn't left outside in the rain or something...
GLUE on the other hand is another story! Get fresh glue at the start of every season!

This is totally unscientific. I had a bunch of 1/8x1/8 sticks left over from last year. Every one was marked with weight and buckling load. They just sat in the kitchen counter behind the microwave for the whole year (don't ask me why). My house is always air conditioned and has no humidity issue. I checked again this year, about 8-10 sticks. Every one of them is very close to the original weight and load. I was surprised. My students built booms with the sticks, and so far no failure with the old sticks. Again, this is anecdotal. I suggest you test the sticks again. If they do not change that much, I would use them.