Stainless Magnums

Howdy Everyone and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

We've been having some glorious weather here finally and I've been flat out with all kinds of yard work, gardening and seasonal equipment maintenance projects. She does keep me busy...hehe.

I don't have much to report on upcoming tools as I have not spent too much time in the shop this past week. I will probably be down there a bit this weekend though to escape the hottest days of the year which appear to be coming starting tomorrow. So I'll be getting going on the RingBabies and other tools shortly. I did just get the steel Hangman hooks back from heat treat though so will be packaging them up this weekend.

In the meantime, the first wave of the brand new Magnum 5 Flute beads are done. I've had many requests over the years for a larger fluted bead so I thought I would make some. These 303 stainless steel monsters are the same diameter as the regular Mega 5 Flutes, but are longer, measuring in at 3/4 inch in length. The added length takes the grip aspect to the next level as your fingers can really engage with the deeply milled flutes. They are super nice tied onto a larger knife or tool.

Of course, the additional length means they also weigh more, and these stainless ones come in at a whopping 18 grams! The upcoming titanium, Zr and red aluminum ones will be considerably lighter though.

An added bonus is that with the extra length I can finally do a name stamp! The older designs just didn't have enough room but these bad boys are more than big enough to take a stamp.

My costs of production this year are once again rising. Machining is costing more, and even with domestic steels not being subject to tariffs the suppliers immediately took the opportunity to raise prices. So these larger beads will have to be a little more than my usual ones. The stainless steel Magnums will run $35 plus shipping and it's a big batch so I'll make it a limit of 4 on them please.

Thanks so much for dropping by today everyone and I really hope you have an awesome long weekend ahead!

Stainless ones are all gone, thank you so much folks!  

Six Flute Ti Megas

Hi Folks,

Surprise, I'm back again, haha. I already spent a few hours working outdoors this morning while it was still cool. Actually it won't be very hot today but I figure it was time to come in and do another little sale this morning.

Thank you so much for the big sale yesterday for the Hypno Game Coins! I appreciate the many kind words and enthusiastic response very much. The Hypnos all shipped yesterday afternoon so should be reaching most of you by this weekend.

Today I have some new Titanium Mega Lanslides for you, these with 6 flutes instead of the usual 5. These are the larger 5/8 diameter beads. I'm pretty sure the previous batch of 5 flute ti Megas were all anodized, if I remember correctly, so I elected to leave this batch with a simple stonewash finish for all the plain vanilla fans out there.

Also, over the years I've had many people asking for a slightly larger size bead, so I will be making some small batches of brand new Magnum 5 Flutes in various materials. Please stay tuned for those as they will be coming shortly.

The ti 6 Flute Megas will run $30 plus shipping and it will be a limit of 4 per customer on them. Thanks as always for dropping by today and here's hoping for a lovely Mother's Day weekend ahead!

All gone, thank you everyone!

Hypno Game Coins!

Hi Everyone and Happy Thursday!

Spring is FINALLY in full force here this week. Last week we went from freezing cold to nearly 90F in just two short days, but now things are settling down to more comfortable and seasonally normal temperatures. Looks like maybe we are done with frosts so I am cautiously putting some young pepper plants out, covering them at night just in case, and trying to get some yard work done in between all these shop projects. We're loving the warm weather and sunshine I can tell you.

As far as projects go, I sent the steel Hangman hooks to heat treat last week so they will be done soon. Steel Ringbabies are now on the bench and steel metric Crawdaddies will follow those. It's good to finally start getting caught up with these steel projects some of which, like the Ringbabies, were cut almost three years ago and have been patiently waiting their turn.

I'm also finishing up some new bead projects this week. I've had some tendonitis and other minor nagging finger issues that have been slowing me down at the grinder and also in tying cord. Stamping tools has been quite difficult lately too because the antique hand stamps all have to be held tightly and at odd angles with my uncooperative fingers. I guess I must be getting old, lol...the good news however is that the 6 Flute Titanium Mega Lanslides are nearly done as well as some Copper Mini 5 Flutes. And, a couple of brand new fluted Mega designs are turning as we speak so there are some interesting items coming up in the bead department.

Today I have some very special Spin Coins for you. These are Titanium Game Coins with a deeply milled Hypno pattern in the center. There is a wide variety of stamps as well as complex color anodizing effects on these. And to make it even more complicated there are some with the spirals in reverse direction too. Fun stuff and they are absolutely stunning! 

Hypno Game Coins will run $95 plus shipping and the link to purchase is below. It is a limited size batch so one per customer on them please. Thanks as always for stopping by today and I hope your weather is as sweet as ours this week!

Sold Out, thank you everyone!

 

Zirconium Mini 5 Flute Beads!

Hi Everyone,

Well, spring is getting a late start here as I mentioned before, but it's better late than never. It's finally starting to warm up a little and this morning when I look out the window at the light April rain I can see lots of buds getting ready to pop on the bushes and trees in the yard. We'll have delicate pale green "squirrel ear" leaves on the trees by next week I'm sure. It's always my favorite time of year, bar none...at least until the black flies arrive that is. Unfortunately I think they are scheduled to hatch next week, haha.

I've been grinding tools for a few days and the upcoming steel Hangman hooks are nearly ready to send to heat treat. Ringbabies are coming along well too and those will be ready to go to heat treat next week, followed closely by the metric Crawdaddies. I predict much dust and noise in my future. Also coming up will be copper mini 5 Flute beads, and a special small batch of titanium 6 Flute MEGA Lanslides.

Today I have the Zirconium Mini 5 Flute Lanslides done. I took my time on them and made sure they have a particularly nice buttery finish on them. They're on premium black 550 cord which gives them that great stealth look. So nice that I already snagged a few for myself!

The Zr Mini 5 Flutes will run $55 plus shipping and it's a sizable batch so I will make it a 4 per customer limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today and hope you're enjoying the lovely weather this week.


All gone, thank you everyone!

    

  

Fancy Titanium BedBugs

Hi Folks,

Well, it's another below freezing morning up here in "paradise"! Will Spring ever arrive? Apparently next week we'll see some warmer days (and maybe even some days without snow flurries!) but we are all a bit skeptical until we see it for ourselves.

Things are starting to move along a little bit at last. I'll be getting some tools ready for heat treat next week but will also mix in some sale days hopefully. I'm not sure yet how it will go, but things are finally starting to fall into place and I should be getting quite busy this spring.

Today I have the other half of the Titanium BedBug batch ready to go. I spent a few days on these tools giving them plenty of extra grinds and also stamps, so they are much more ornate than the previous release. The grinds and stamps vary tremendously so there is everything from pure A51 style to some crazier asymmetrical looks. Fun stuff and many cool combinations!

The fancy ti BedBugs will run $70 plus shipping and the link to purchase is just above the pictures  below. There are some lefties available too. As always thanks for stopping by and here's hoping you have a great weekend everyone!

Sold out, thank you so much folks!

Basic Titanium BedBugs!

Hi Everyone,

Wow, Old Man Winter just won't give up here in New England! We woke up yesterday morning to a couple of inches of heavy wet snow. It's pretty much gone from the roads and driveway this morning but is still clinging stubbornly to the yard. This is the latest I have ever seen more than a flurry or two, so yesterday's icy blast was a little surprising. Needless to say, we are all quite disgusted up here and more than ready for some warmer spring weather. 

Well I'm finally starting to get some stuff finished. It's been maddeningly slow on every front lately, with delay after delay on each project that I attempt to start. Honestly it was beginning to get kind of funny because no matter what I did this last month I knew it wouldn't get too far before some monkey wrench or another would get thrown into the works. Anyway, the worst delays appear to be behind me now so I think I can FINALLY get back to a more steady schedule going forward. I certainly hope so anyway. Now, if the nagging tendonitis in my index finger that has plagued me all winter would just calm down all would be right in the world again.

Today I actually have the first wave of new Titanium BedBugs finished! This is an updated design that I have been thinking about for several years but couldn't quite figure out how I wanted to do it. At 2.5 inches long including the bit, they are only 1/2 inch longer than the original BedBug design, but with the advantage that the bit is always instantly available for use. The hefty 3/16 thick titanium is the thickest stock that I can use in this type of captive bit design tool in order to hold onto the tool bit securely. Much thicker and the bit just flops around loosely in the slot.

It was a challenge to get it all working the way I wanted it to but after considerable trial and error I finally dialed it in. These little guys work exactly as I had envisioned. The bit has some flex to it so is able to reach into places that a conventional screwdriver could not reach while still delivering plenty of torque. If more torque is desired then it is easy to remove the bit and place it perpendicularly in the rear of the bit slot which now has a hex shaped end for the bit to nestle into. All bit slots in any future captive bit tools will probably have this nifty new feature which allows for the elimination of a separate dedicated 1/4 hex opening. 

Obviously one of the big advantages to my o-ring based captive bit design is the interchangeable bit aspect. With this new configuration though only a narrow neck shaped bit will fit. Most #1 phillips bits will fit but I found that manufacturers can vary quite a lot. So some bits are too thick to fit through the neck slot area, especially if they are #2 or larger. I was able to find some slim neck Irwin #2 phillips bits that fit though and that's what I will supply with these. If you were to lose the bit however, most hardware stores will have a #1 replacement readily available that will fit.

Other features to these new BedBugs include a rear screwdriver/pry tip. So I kind of combined the old BugBite concept with the original BedBug to come up with this hybrid multi function tool. I needed a lanyard opening as well of course, and a plain round hole wasn't quite exciting enough, nor was an O2 wrench. A hex opening seemed like a good choice that would be in harmony with the overall design. Then I realized that by increasing the hex to a larger 7/16 size and flaring the sides to create a subtle "wings" shape it would give you a little more leverage for turning the bit. The difference seems rather small on paper but it was actually huge in effect. An aggressive edge grip texture finishes the design nicely.

So anyway, there you have it. These Basic BedBugs will run $60 plus shipping and it will be a two per customer limit on them. There are a couple of lefties among them too. I have a second batch with extra grinds and stamps that are in the finish tumbler now so they will be coming later this week...also coming very shortly are Zr and copper mini 5 flute beads. Thanks for your endless patience everyone and hope your spring has been warmer and sunnier than ours so far! 


Sold out for today, more coming soon, thank you!

Spring Updates

Hi Everybody,

Happy Spring! We're still due for a few more weeks of cold weather up here in New England, but the overall trend is starting to warm up. We keep hearing rumors that there is a large yellow ball up in the sky which gives us light and warmth...maybe we will even get to see it someday, haha.

Well, it's been mighty slow going around here lately. Many delays and little setbacks but things are slowly starting to come around. One of the great things about a slow production period is that it gives me time to work on new drawings. I'm happy to report that I have some awesome new stuff in the works, some of which is already underway.

So, coming Spring 2018:

3v steel Metric Crawdaddies (finally!)

CPM 154 RingBabies

17-4ph SS HangMan

Also, a brand new Count Sporkula design is finalized and about to be cut, steel R37 Rulers are on deck for milling, ti Small Fry tools without opener also now ready for milling. New beads including copper, white delrin and Zr mini 5 flute beads are actually running this week so are coming very soon.

And finally, a double batch of new ti BedBugs are also about to be milled and will be on the way in a week or two:

 

Have a great Easter weekend everyone and stay tuned!