Captain Hook 2

Hi Everyone,

Well we finally got some rain here. It has been bone dry for about a month with a few brief rain showers passing above and below us but somehow always managing to just miss our little area. Anyhow, we finally get an inch or two last week and could use some more. And now we are heading into a little heat wave as official summertime is about to begin.

I don't have too much to report on various projects because there have been a ton of distractions lately keeping me busy, but I will be heading back into the shop over the next few days and will get myself more organized for the upcoming summer. I have several tool projects coming along in both steel and titanium, as well as some beads that have been languishing for months. Too many unfinished projects that I need to get done!

Today I have the next wave of Captain Hooks finished. They are made of the same thick armor plate titanium and are about the same length but feel a little bigger overall. This version differs from the earlier Captain Hooks in that I have made them more ergonomic and also changed the wrench opening to 3/4. I also added some finger grooves and thumb scalloping  on top. These features add a lot of control and allow for more varied grip options. I'm really liking this particular setup and think it is the right direction for the design.

These hooks are plain finished like the earlier batch, and there is a wide variety of stamps. They will run $65 plus shipping and the link is below. One per customer please as the batch is very modest in size. Stay safe and healthy everyone. That virus is still out there and we need to be smart and vigilant. 

 

Sold out, thank you so much everyone!

Arrrr...It's Captain Hook Mateys!

Hi Folks,

Wow, it almost feels like fall outside this week. We've had another little cool spell but summer has definitely arrived at long last, and I'm so glad to finally see it. We're also in a severe drought right now in my area and could really use some rainy days, but the mostly blue skies and sunshine are quite cheerful nonetheless.

This past week I spent a lot of time on household stuff and my gardens, so projects have been slow to get moving. But, hotter and more humid days lie ahead and they will soon have me heading back into the cooler climate of the tool shop where I am set up for literally months of finishing work. So hopefully the world will not fall completely apart (!) and we will have some very fun stuff to look forward to this summer.

Today I have a super cool new tool for you. I have had many requests for such an item this year and have given it a lot of thought. At just under four inches long, Captain Hook is quite compact but still amazingly versatile. Sure, it can be used for touchless pulling or pushing of public doors, but it's handy for so much more. The hook part has a slight forward rake that provides plenty of positive hooking capacity but also allows for immediate disengagement, so you don't find yourself hung up. The fine but slightly dulled point won't scratch surfaces unless you really bear down, and can be used for accurately pressing small buttons. The leading edge is flat and perpendicular to the tool so is ideal for precise pushing. The entire unit is crazy strong and also makes for an excellent pry tool. If controlled destruction is your thing, this tool absolutely will bring it...a large 13/16 wrench opening provides for multiple grip and attachment options. These have a very high fiddle factor as well.

Where I have found Captain Hook to be particularly useful is as a pocket digging tool, and it is just fantastic for any sort of emergency digging or fine garden weeding tasks. It eats small rocks and gravel for breakfast and it saved my finger tips more than once this past week...and bonus: if you should ever find yourself dating a horse lady, she will be so impressed that you brought your own fancy hoof pick, haha... :)

So this is the first small wave of Captain Hooks. They are plain finished for ease of cleaning. They are all stamped and there are a few lefties available too...A second batch with alternate design is also underway and will be finished in a few days.

Captain Hooks will run $65 plus shipping and I will make it a limit of two per customer please. Please stay safe everyone! We're all in this together, and so let's remember to be kind and generous to one another, and especially to the many who are in need during these tough times.

Sold out, thank you!

Steel PopWroach

Hi Folks,

Well it's a cloudy Monday here in the northeast. At least it's a bit warmer now and it looks like we are finally out of the woods as far as frost is concerned. I will be planting a bunch of vegetables this week, but I'm still going to be cautious about my tomatoes and peppers and give it another week or two for those. I did spy a little flower forming on some protected zucchini (courgettes for the Brits, hehe) that I have going.

In other news, I never thought I would be stoked to go to the dentist, but that is where I am going this afternoon...my appointment in March was cancelled just two days beforehand because of the shutdown. So I have been waiting for two months to get a broken filling fixed. Really not fun, and a daily reminder of the utter craziness of this time. More on that shortly, because "The Captain" is coming...

So today I finally have the new PopWroaches ready to go. This is the latest tool in the captive bit Superbug series and it continues that evolution. In this CPM 154 steel compact tool I have included the new style captive bit dock, which allows for bit retention using just two o-rings. These are similar to the recent Mini LockNut Monsters, but theyare smaller and have a surface ground finish. Instead of the open wrench jaws on the front end, here we have a 5/16 wrench/cap lifter. I gave them a pointy but slightly rounded pocket friendly nose which can be used as a gentle pry tip, or in a pinch it can pop tape on a package. The back end has the usual pry tip/screwdriver with an oversized and generously chamfered lanyard hole to make these easy to throw on your key ring. There are my usual wide ranging variety of decorative stamps, and I have a few lefties available.

The PopWroaches will run $65 plus shipping and it's a modest batch so I will make it a one per customer limit on them please, so more folks get a chance at them.

Thanks as always for stopping by today. I deeply appreciate the continued support and interest in my crazy little projects, and especially in this difficult time when so many less fortunate folks have lost their jobs, or even their lives. Stay safe, stay sane and stay handy my friends!

Sold Out, thanks again everyone!

Twisted Tim 90s

Hi Folks,

Got a super quick little batch for you today...titanium Twisted Tims with 90 degree twist...these are the TT version with pry tip end.

TT90s will run $75 plus shipping and it is VERY small batch, so one per customer please. Stay safe, stay sane, and above all stay handy my friends! :)

Gone in a flash! Thanks guys!

 

Titanium QuickDraws!

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's pretty darned chilly out there again this morning. It was a rather frosty 34f when I looked at the thermometer earlier, and we'll be lucky if we make it to 60f today. Much to my horror and disgust, they are even calling for a chance of snow on Saturday and the high will only be 45f...this is totally nuts! I'm really looking forward to some warmer days but it looks like we are in for at least another week of this. Good time to do some sales...

For many years I have thought about making some sort of little drawing tool. In this age of digital design, there is still something very cool, dare I say refreshing, about taking a pencil to paper and making an actual mark rather than simply pushing pixels around on a screen. Modern technology is certainly wonderful in many ways, but I think there is still tremendous value in maintaining that connection with our ancient and simpler selves. The current Covid Crisis is making that even more apparent. No matter where it all takes us, or how fancy it all gets, using physical tools and making things by hand will always have their place. And it's an important human place that I believe is worth visiting every day.

Today I have a simple little drawing tool for you. I wanted something durable that I could have in my wallet and use as a quick reference for the angles 30, 60 and 90 degrees. I wanted a pencil slot so I could make a 45 degree angle mark. I also wanted two small measuring scales, and for an attachment hole a 1/4 hex was the obvious choice. The result is the QuickDraw!

Made of thin .076 titanium, these tiny tools are very light of course, but there is still enough there to have some substance. I have multi anodized most of them with bright contrasting colors, although there are a dozen plain ones available too. They are all stamped and have my usual wide variety of images...this first batch is titanium but I may make some with other materials in the future, we'll see how it goes.

Titanium QuickDraws will run $55 plus shipping. Thanks for stopping by today, hope you all are staying healthy, sane and handy in these crazy times!

All gone for now, thank you so much folks! :)

Mini LockNut Monsters

Hi Folks,

Well it's another freezing cold week here in Massachusetts, but at least the sun is shining. Spring is certainly taking it's sweet time getting here though with temperatures in April well below average, so it wasn't just my imagination. And so far May is looking like it will be quite chilly as well. But that hasn't stopped the hungry little black flies, which swarm around my head as soon as I step foot in the garden. I have a secret weapon against them however, a camo trucker hat with built in bug net. So I can wear that and then go about my business relatively undisturbed.


I don't have too much to report on new projects, but they are slowly coming along. Hopefully I'll have the little QuickDraw tools done by the end of the week...

Today I have a brand new version of an older tool for you. The Mini LockNut Monster is a bit lighter in weight and about 25% smaller than the original version which I made many years ago, measuring just 3.3" long. These are made of CPM 154 steel, with a light raw bar finish. Features include five American wrench sizes 1/4-1/2", rear pry tip/screwdriver, and my new compact captive bit system. I omitted the cap lifter from the original design to give these a smaller footprint.

These cute little guys are stamped with a wide variety of images. It is not a very big batch, so it will be a limit of two per customer please. I may make more later this year depending on how things go, but at least this batch will get them started.

Mini LockNut Monsters will run $75 each plus shipping. Thanks for coming by today and hope you all are staying healthy!      

All gone, thank you so much!

More Metric Mini Prybabies!

Hi Everyone,

Well, the sun has decided at long last to stop playing peekaboo and start sending us some warming rays. We will finally be getting some warmer days in the 60's this week which will be much appreciated by all, and especially by my struggling seedlings in the garden.

Projects continue on their way to the finish line. I managed to get a bunch more steel stuff finished this weekend...on deck will be Mini LockNut Monsters and PopWroach captive bit tools. Also more titanium stuff is very close to done including the new Tiny Tim design and the little QuickDraw tools. Stamped Zr Hangmen are also nearing the finish line.

Today I have the rest of the Mini Metric Prybabies finished. These are just like the plainer ones last week but have the usual extra grinds added on the front end. Stamps are on the back side and there is a wide variety of them. Also several lefties are available.

Metric Mini Prybabies with grinds will run $65 plus shipping, and it's a large batch, so there is no limit on them. As always, I hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Thank you so much for stopping in today!

All gone, thank you again folks!