Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Update: New Projects

Hi Folks,

Well, the lotteries have been very successful and I just want to thank everyone for signing up. I deeply appreciate the interest in my little tools and knives and I want to wish everyone the very best this holiday season! :)

I have a lot of stuff coming up even though it seems like it is taking forever. The long awaited extended G3 Prybabies are getting a pretumble right now. They should be back to me any day now...as soon as I get them I will be doing my name stamp and then sending them back to heat treat and then on to a final bright polish tumble. My aim here is to raise the bar on my finish and I think these may very well be the best that I have been able to achieve so far. I think the small delays in working out the new schedule will be well worth it. I'm not sure they will be completed before the heat treater breaks for the Christmas holiday though. If that is the case then these will not be done until the second week in January. I'll be pestering them though to get them to me before Christmas so keep your fingers crossed.

At the same time as the G3s there is a large batch of Mini Keytons that will be getting the same treatment.

In other news, I have long had an interest in antique tools as many of you know. My collection has grown over the years and I have a very wide range of hand tools. Everything from old pliers to wrenches to screwdrivers to pocket tools of all sorts. I'm always researching and evaluating that which came before my own little creations. One of my favorites has always been little rulers and I have about 40 of various sizes including the cool old boxwood and brass folding rulers as well as metal machinist rulers of all sorts.

So I got to thinking...how about a small pocket Atwood ruler? Even more interesting, how about an Atwood ruler tool? The first hurdle was to find a reliable laser engraver. My previous attempts to hook up with local companies was a disaster. They wouldn't return my calls, had unreasonable charges, etc. One place actually had a sample with promises to return it and never got to the project despite a dozen phone call reminders. I finally gave up in disgust. I recently attended a small trade show however and found a terrific place in eastern MA that will do the job for a reasonable price and turnaround time.

Anyway, this was just a first pass sample. The final tool will have the American scale across the top and metric scale on the bottom:



Cool huh? :) I thought it was pretty neat...but it gets even better:



Hehe, I've seen a lot of rulers but never one in ti. Lots of fun! If this works out as I hope it will open up a whole new palette of possibilities and I already have several drawings for future tool ideas.

Many of you might have seen pictures on the forums of a small Ringtool with captive bit. I had a couple of prototypes cut in steel to test the design. Recently I did some tweaks to the drawings and came up with something slightly more robust. Made of much thicker 3/16" stock, these are not only look much better but have a bit more weight to them as well. Well, the steel ones did anyway...but everything is better in titanium isn't it? :D



There's more too but that's it for now. I'm not sure if any of the above projects will be completed in time for Christmas but if not then January is going to be rather busy. In the meantime stay warm!

50 comments:

wildrider said...

Can't wait...looks like good stuff comming up!

RGM said...

Peter Happy Holiday wishes to you and yours. Thanks for all of your creative, brilliant and high standard work bringing us cool tools. I love the ruler idea and as a canvas for some of your finishes it seems ideal. It also strikes me as a product that in plain finish could be stocked in enormous numbers and largely be available. kind of like the t-shirt but you don't have to worry about sizes.

jks said...

Cool. Maybe a slide rule? :0)

Peter Atwood said...

Well, I don't how many would be a good idea to make but I'm starting out with a pretty good number of them. They will be very reasonably priced I think for the plainer ones, more for patterning obviously.

Matthew Harris said...

Peter can you put an opener on one end and a wire stripper on the other, it would be the ultimate ruler!

Exit14a said...

One tool to rule them all.
The ruler is just the right size for my duty log.
Plus a Ti version? To cool.

Peter Atwood said...

Matthew, on future pieces yes. I might do some sort of ruler tool with measuring scales across the top on front and back which would free up the lower edge for all sorts of other tool functions. I wanted this one to be a pure simple rectangle shape though and that takes out the opener function.

jodj said...

Peter, these look awesome, but a couple of thoughts: (1) I'm from the good ole US of A, but it would be nice to have a metric scale on the ruler, too (2) a black DLC ruler with the scales in natural or white would be doubly awesome; and (3)would a church key type bottle opener cut in the middle of the ruler work?

DB said...

Very cool, Peter. Very cool.

Heath said...

Great ideas as always Peter! I'm looking forward to these Ti rulers and the ring tools will be awesome as well.

Keep up the good work and have a Merry Christmas!

Heath

Rick said...

I never thought I'd be excited about a ruler, but I use them often. Seriously cool!

Exit14a, no excuses now. That log book should be flawless. lol!

Anonymous said...

Super cool Peter! I love the ring with the captive bit. Usefulness unknown, but the look is way cool! Rulers are nice too, with some function built right in!

Peter Atwood said...

Joel, this is just a sample piece. They will have the metric scale across the bottom.

Church keys do not work well in titanium, I already have explored that idea. Too much spring in the material. Steel is a much better choice.

Anonymous said...

a wider opening in the ruler might make for a functional opener. i think a slot long/wide enough to grab the bottom of a bottlecap would do it. you could torque the ruler up to pop the cap.

i'm really excited about that ruler, opener or not. fantastic!

Anonymous said...

You should see if you can make a DLC ruler with the inches on the other side marked in alternating DLC/natural for use as a scale in photodocumentation.

Sort of like this...
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/security2020_2027_298952963

Exit14a said...

Peter maybe a 45 degree angle stencil in between the the cutouts? And a few smaller holes to use it as a compass?
I predict a ruler collection in to rival the Atwrench collection. Pace yourself Joel.
Attention "Smokie" my logbook is always how it should be!
At the end of the day it is. > :0}

Ryan said...

I can't wait to get my hands on a couple of those ring tools. I love the ruler idea as well. Peter you inspire the $%^# out of me to make tools of my own.. I have made a handful so far, one day (far away) they will hold a candle to what you produce. Thanks for the greatness.

RyanMalpiede

YL said...

I'm glad to see you're not running out of ideas, I like the various things you think of. Even if they have no practical use for me, it's still nice to see.

Anonymous said...

When I saw the WildCard for the first time, the idea of ruler placement at the opposite side of the edge, instead of decorative notches (grinds), came to my mind. When I hold the WildCard in my hand, I understood the notches are not only decorative, they considerably improve a grip to the wrench functionality. It means, no space for the ruler in my wishlist for the G2 WildCard.
And now, here comes the real ruler! My only doubt are the corners, especially those on the distant side from the paracord hole. Are they sharp to tear the pockets?

Unknown said...

Both of them look great! The ruler would be very
useful for me because I am always losing mine.

Thanks...jesse

Anonymous said...

I agree that everything is better in Titanium, but maybe not for a ring. I heard they can't cut a Ti ring off th e finger if your finger gets swollen for any reason, and the only option is to amputate O_O

Anonymous said...

These 2 new items look great, another winner coming out of the Atwood shop! Seems hard to pack more functionality into the ruler without diverging too much from what a standard ruler can provide. Can't wait to see the final results. And I MUST have a ring!

spiff said...

Mini Keytons :P~~~~~~~

Anonymous said...

Nice ideas, Peter!

When I first saw the ruler, I thought it would make a great bookmark, as it looked a bit long for my pocket.

At 3 inches, it might work well in a wallet as well.

I have a six-inch metal ruler made of springy-steel in one tool-box. I find myself (out of laziness) using it for prying, cutting, and scraping various things.

The cutting made me wonder if an edged ruler might be a possibility. I'd probably be the first to lose a finger, but it would still be a really cool piece. How to cover the edge and hold it might have to be worked out...

Sorry....your pictures and ideas make me think while typing comments (dangerous) -- an edged ruler is probably very stupid.

I'm not backing down on the COOL part, though. Stupid and dangerous, but very cool!

Adrian said...

Awesome stuff!
Any chance of an Atwood try square?

Matt said...

Awesome ideas peter! I have an extensive ruler collection like yours and am glad to see you are going to be making some, I do hope that you let your imagination fly with what type of features you put on your rulers. Do you have any ideas? Would love to hear them since I love rulers too!?

Are there going to be more releases or lotteries before January?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Awesome stuff in the pipeline Peter! Say, I was wondering if your ringtool will be made in different ring sizes. I think it would be really cool to put the emphasis on the ring (as in jewelry) with the added functionality of the bit driver.

Then again it might be tough for you to get the right range of sizes, and it would probably necessitate custom orders and manufacture, which I know you're keen to avoid....still, I'd love an Atwood wedding ring/tool!

Unknown said...

Wow. You're putting out a tool by which you can measure all others. :)

Peter Atwood said...

Mirek, Like any good machinist ruler these will be lightly deburred so no sharp corners. The stock is quite stout, about .080 or so.

Sam, LOL! :D

Beardy, these are just one size right now. One size fits most...big guys with fingers the size of my thumb will have a hard time fitting these but if the first bunch go well then I'll do a second slightly larger size.

As for practicality, the self defense oriented guys will find uses. ;)

Carl said...

Peter, quick question, Mini Keytons... steel, titanium, or both?

Peter Atwood said...

mini keytons, steel only.

Anonymous said...

truly awesome! three inches long is perfect for me. I can't wait for the plain one.

I would like to suggest a slight bevel on one of the edges though, so that people can draw a straight line and move the ruler away without smudging the ink. It's a fairly standard feature on most rulers.

Unknown said...

I would be really definitely buy a small titanium ruler with a metric scale, especially with a fun finish and the corners slightly rounded. Assuming I can gt in the lottery quick enough, of course.

Anonymous said...

Awesome idea Peter! I have a collection of antique steel rulers & machinist tools that I keep in my desk at work. Mostly old Starrett tools - all made in Massachusetts I believe. These old tools are so beautifully made I just enjoy finding excuses to use them around the shop. Old machinist's tools tend to get passed down for generations since they just never wear out.

Peter Atwood said...

These will be general release and there are lots of them.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic Peter. It is obvious you don't have any shortage of ideas.

Unknown said...

Peter:
OMG, I collect rulers and machinists scales also, including several boxwood folders. The Ti pocket ruler is a perfect tool for me. Have a great Christmas Holiday and I hope to see the Ti measurers soon.
~ZeissMan

Anonymous said...

oasisob1 says:

Slide Rule! Slide Rule! Slide Rule!!!!!

You just keep rolling out neat stuff. I can't wait to get my hands on a few more items!

Jem said...

Happy Holidays to you as well Peter - and thanks for bringing us all those lovely little creations!

Whilst I've not been entering the lotteries (combination of being pretty content with what I have and no spare cash to spend) I really like ruler ideas. Thats one thing on my shopping list for 09.

Jem said...

Happy Holidays to you as well Peter - and thanks for bringing us all those lovely little creations!

Whilst I've not been entering the lotteries (combination of being pretty content with what I have and no spare cash to spend) I really like ruler ideas. Thats one thing on my shopping list for 09.

Anonymous said...

How about a general release of DLC rulers?

modified4ever said...

@ peter: "the final tool will have the american scale across the top and metric scale on the bottom"

if it possible to get one of a kind for a aries like us ?


with kind regards

sven

Unknown said...

peter: "the final tool will have the american scale across the top and metric scale on the bottom"

why not stamp your mark on it twice; once so that inches appear at the top, and then upside-down and opposite so the metric scale is at the top. Then we can carry it either way up!

I'd also put the square hole in the center to preserve symmetry, but that's a minor thing :-)

Peter Atwood said...

The "square" hole is a wrench for oxygen bottles that also doubles as a nice lanyard hole. That's why it's on the end. Yes, I was planning to make the metric side so that it would be on the top when the tool is turned around. Not planning to stamp my name twice though.

I'm just going to make this one tool design for now and then we'll see what happens down the road.

Anonymous said...

2009 is looking great. Fixers, ring tools in ti, rulers in ti, extended g3's in SAE and Metric and who knows what else you have up your sleeve.

Anonymous said...

General release of DLC rulers??? Yes? No?

If not, you people can have them. I'm sick of the stupid lotteries.

Peter Atwood said...

You might be sick of the lotteries but would you rather have the same 10 guys get every single blade I release five minutes after posting and you never have a chance? No offense to my loyal fans but it's not quite fair the old way with such limited numbers of knives. There will be plenty of big releases of tools coming up trust me but I cannot work on everything at the same time.

As for DLC rulers, that is a fun idea and I will probably try some at some point but it's doubtful they will be this time around.

Rick said...

I personally would be content to see a simple and affordable Atwood ruler. ;)

Jerry said...

A ruler is something I carry as an edc item. Ti or stainless an Atwood would be the heat. Make of bunch of them :)

Peter Atwood said...

Don't worry, there are a LOT of them coming. ;)