Shutterbugs!

Hi Folks,

Well, that magic day has finally arrived...these little tools have been on the drawing board for 3-4 years and this winter I finally got around to actually starting the project. There have been so many delays that it's been beyond ridiculous but at long last I have them ready to go and I must say it is a big relief. I sure hope the next batch goes a little easier.

Anyhow, many have been asking the question, what exactly is a Shutterbug? The Shutterbugs are the third in the Superbug series, basically a mutation of the Original Superbug and the Weevil. I wanted to make a tool that was specifically geared towards photographers, and as many of you know, I am a very serious photography enthusiast and camera collector.

So what features might a photographer's tool have on it and how could I also make it such that it would also appeal to a broad group of non photographers?

We'll start with the "nose"....

Old school FILM cameras, which is what I mostly collect and use, often have button batteries or, in the case of the great point and shoot cameras of the 1990's, a lithium battery. These cameras usually have a little screw on battery cover with a coin slot on it. The Shutterbugs have a rounded nose bevel that will fit coin slot grooves and also double as a tool for tripod bushings which often feature a similar groove. It can also be used for all sorts of general prying and scraping tasks as well.

Next is the "eye" of the tool. Here I have reamed the opening to fit PC flash cord ends. This tool can help the pros who use flash cables to repair an end that has become out of round which appears to be a common issue with these cables.

I include a phillips bit and 1/4" hex opening for the captive bit portion of the tool. For those pros and totally gonzo gearheads such as myself who use RRS ballheads and brackets, I do have a few hex bits on hand that fit the screws...while supplies last. You will have to email me and ask for them though as I only have a couple dozen and they are quite pricey...don't know what RRS is? Don't go there, your wallet and your wife both send their thanks! :)

(Note: Darn it! I just double checked the hex bits which only just arrived yesterday and I have the wrong size. Will have to reorder and send the bit separately later this week to those who have requested for RRS. Sorry about that...thanks.) 

To complete the tool and round out the universal appeal, the "butt" end features a flathead screwdriver/prytool and the lanyard opening doubles as an O2 wrench. And of course every photographer and non photographer alike needs a handy cap lifter. ;)

The Shutterbugs weigh 30 grams with the bit. They are 3 inches long and .70" wide, .160" thick and are made of CPM 3v Steel at 58 Rockwell. Concerned about your 3v Steel tools developing patina, ie. rust? Give them a periodic wipe with WD-40 or any kind of oil. This is a pure tool steel that is highly wear resistant and incredibly tough but to achieve that kind of performance it must sacrifice stainless qualities. Also, the O-rings will leave a bit of residue when you roll them on so a little wipe down beforehand will optimize appearance. I did not apply any oil yet as I did not want to stain the insert cards.

There are no variations in this batch. No stamps or special grinds.

The Shutterbugs will be $70 each plus shipping and it is a one per customer sale please as the batch is not very large. I have a second batch that I will be making in titanium later this summer but they will be flat, so an ultralight thin version is in the works.

Thanks for stopping by today and happy clicking this summer!

Shutterbugs are sold out for now, thank you so much!

 
      

Bronze Terminators with Satellites

Howdy All,

Well, the fun and games continue today...

I have some new Terminators to offer...these are made of silicon bronze and feature my cool Satellite design with 5 dots connected by a pinstripe instead of the usual knurling band. I've done this design in the past on some older beads and on a few shotglasses. I always loved the look and I thought it would be great on a Terminator bead. Some of these are already developing a strong patina and have areas of color starting on them which you can continue to develop and nurture by daily handling and use or simply wipe off with a polishing cloth, I'll leave it up to the individual. Personally I like a patina though. The gorgeous Alien/Zombie/Toxic/Chernobyl (whatever you want to call it!) green and black cord is a nifty touch as well. :)

Anyway, these are ever so slightly longer and about a gram or so heavier than the previous Terminators. The runtime is a little longer to machine them as well so these will be $30 plus shipping. I'll make it two per customer as in the previous Terminator sales.  As always, the link to purchase is right above the pictures below. Thanks for stopping in and have a great week everyone!

Thank you so much! These are all gone for now but more will be coming later this summer in copper.

Titanium Atwrenches

Hi Everyone,

It really has been a glorious summer so far here in New England. Aside from a few sticky days, which are always expected of course, the temps have been pleasant and with the abundant rainfall the landscape is lush and green everywhere. Quite enjoyable for the most part. I'd offer to send CA some of our recent rain but you guys are always sending us your "used" weather and it only seems to go one way. :)  

Well, the projects are still humming along although progress has been slow. I am STILL waiting for those darned Shutterbugs to come back from heat treat. They are getting new furnaces installed and are only running at half capacity so high speed steels have been delayed for weeks. However, they are supposed to finally get to them within this next week.

Other upcoming projects include another round of bronze Terminators, this time with a slightly different design. I am working on a variety of other items as well and will be making decisions this coming week on the future projects. Many new drawings are in contention and it's just a matter of figuring out which direction to go in next.

Today I have some titanium Atwrenches completed. These are the usual hefty 5/32 thickness and they have the new style edge grip on them. SAE wrench sizes 1/4-9/16". I have anodized this first wave in a variety of colors ranging from solids to color fades to multi color finishes. I have more of these coming in the next week or two as I am able to finish them and maybe the next round will be plain with no ano. All of these have the regular grinds and no stamps or anything different on this group other than colors.

The Ti Atwrenches will be $70 plus shipping. The batch isn't huge so it will be one per customer on them please. The link to order is below.

Thanks for stopping in and for your patience with my sporadic production patterns. Hope everyone is having a terrific summer as well.

Colored ti Atwrenches are Sold Out for now, thank you!

Flat Titanium Keytons

Hi again Folks!

As promised yesterday, I've been busy finishing up some of the flat ti Keyton batch. Some of you may remember the original flat Keytons I made years ago. They proved to be very popular as a super light and slim backup tool for your wallet or keys. Well I decided to revive the concept with the updated and current 2014 Mini Keyton design.

The new flat Mini Keytons are made of .070 thick titanium. They are perhaps slightly thick for use as a screwdriver but you can still easily pop open a paint can lid with them or dig a piece of gravel out of your tire tread, so as a simple pry tool they still have plenty of utility. They are extremely strong, yet ridiculously light in weight. The wrenches are 1/4-3/8 and the cap lifter works like a champ.

I've been playing around with a new anodizing process recently. This is the first batch of titanium tools to feature my new K2 process (Kandy Kolors). I'm happy to report that I'm getting some very bright and interesting colors with this new method and will be using it going forward. I really had fun with these tools, experimenting with as many color combos as I could think of....before anyone asks, these are all colored so far. I do have some plain ones on deck in case I need to make up more colored ones to fulfill these orders but not sure if I will have enough plain unanodized ones for a separate sale. There are a few lefties too if you email me and ask.

So the first wave of flat ti Keytons will run $45 each plus shipping. I will make it a two per customer limit... no choice of colors as they are all as different as I can make them. There are plenty of solids but MANY color fade effects and subtle variations of color tones as well.  The purchase link is below. Thanks for stopping in as always and I hope you're staying cool and hydrated this week!

Wow, sold out in a flash! Thanks everyone!



Here's a small sampling of the K2 finishes:

Rest of the Ti Terminators

Hi Folks,

I hope everyone is having a great start to their summer. It's a dandy one so far here in New England and if we are lucky the lovely weather will continue.

For once, things are going along smoothly here this week. I hope to start working on those ti Atwrenches in a few days. Still waiting on the Shutterbugs which are at heat treat and will probably be there for another week or so. In the meantime I have a little batch of flat ti Keytons coming up...remember those from years ago? A new batch based on the recent Mini Keyton design and with bright anodized colors is coming up shortly. Also, I have gone through and started to make plans for further projects this summer and we'll see what happens, but there should be some really interesting ones depending on what I can get done.

So today I have the remaining titanium Terminators finished. These are plain unanodized like the first batch and they run $30 each plus shipping with a limit of two per customer, just as before. This is a pretty small batch and once they are gone that's it for them as I have no more ti bar stock at the moment. The link to purchase is below and as always, thank you so much for stopping by!


Ti Terminators are sold out, thank you again!

Bronze Terminators with Diamond Knurl

Hi Folks,

Hope everyone is having a fine June! It has been quite mild here so far which is OK by me. I'm looking forward to a little beach time this summer though so it would be nice if the water would start warming up.

Projects are steadily moving along although perhaps a little slowly. I started grinding Shutterbugs this week and will be picking away at them for the next few days. They need quite a bit of fussing over but I think they are going to be great when I'm done. In other news, the ti Atwrenches should be cut this week so I'll have those to work on once the Shutterbugs are off to heat treat.

Today I have some new bronze Terminators finished, this time with diamond knurl! I did not make any diamond knurl Terminators in any other material, only bronze, so this batch will be it for them. Up the road I might buy some more titanium bar stock and make some in ti but for now we just have the bronze. These are made from silicon bronze so are quite durable and some are even getting a little patina on them already. They look awesome on my camera bags.

Bronze Terminators will run $25 each plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Thanks for stopping by everyone, it's always hugely appreciated!

These are sold out, thank you so much! 

3V Ghosts!

Hi Folks,

It's been quite rainy and cool here in New England lately which is fine by me. I'm not in a big hurry to see the heat and humidity which is surely on the way any day now. Still, after this long winter and cold spring I can't help but wonder if this will be an unusually cool summer ahead.

Things have been a bit slow lately but I am steadily getting through various projects. I still have not really gotten started on the Shutterbug tools but I'll be working on them shortly. Titanium Atwrenches are getting closer and will probably be coming along before the Shutterbugs. I have a few new drawings that I am mulling over too so if I ever get my lazy butt in gear lots of interesting items are on the way this summer!    

Today I have some of the CPM 3v Ghosts finished. These are identical to the G2 Ghosts that I released last year except for the uber tough material. How can you tell them apart? Well, these are stamped "3V" right on the back. They are the usual hefty 5/32" in thickness and have a great working stonewashed finish.

The Ghosts will run $60 plus shipping and the batch is not huge. As I often do, I'll make this sale one per customer so that more people will get a chance at them. The purchase link is below....have a great week everyone and as always, thank you for stopping by!


Ghosts are sold out for now, thank you!