Monday, November 14, 2011

Steel Bookies

Howdy Folks,

Well, things are getting more interesting by the minute around here. Sooooo many projects going on that it will be a miracle if I can even get half of it all done before the end of the year.

So, you wanted more sharps? Sharp Week continues... :D

Today I have the first wave of Bookie desk tools done. These are the 420 stainless steel version of the Bookie tools and they have been hardened to 56-58 Rockwell and then CNC ground on one side. They are razor sharp and will open an envelope or perform other small chores with ease.

I chose 420 for these over something more exotic like S30v because it is a well known and reliable cutlery steel and it is readily available in the very thin thickness that I needed for the bookmark/letter opener project. At .040 in thickness you really don't need anything fancy as the geometry will allow nearly any material to cut like crazy.

The Bookies have been tumbled and then retumbled and then retumbled some more to a gorgeous stonewashed finish. The cutting edge was buffed to a high polish for a nice drag free cutting action and the Atwood logo is etched to distinquish this mid tech tool from my custom projects. They come with a simple plastic slip sheath like the EDK knives and also a lanyard. You can keep the tool in the slip or do what I like to do which is tuck it into an address book or checkbook so that it's handy on your desk.

Since the Bookie is shaving sharp be VERY CAREFUL if you want to use the bottle opener!! I would leave it in the plastic slip sleeve or in the spine of the book if you want to open a beer. Or consider it a design feature and use it as a knife only. ;)

As I said, this is just the first of several waves of these steel Bookies. They are $60 each plus shipping. Thanks as always for stopping by and I hope everyone is having a terrific week.

First Wave is Sold Out but I have more coming mid week. Thank you!



17 comments:

Unknown said...

They look wicked sharp! Awesome job!

Steve said...

Wowser can not believe I got in on this. Any chance of you making anymore long Slides?

Jerry said...

Glad to see you making use of CNC for these. Letter openers do NOT need to be hand ground. IMHO

GBOT said...

more sharps is a good thing. Glad I was able to get in on this one.

Murpharoo said...

Lucky I checked the site...... nice !

Zag96 said...

Bam! gone just like that (I had a feeling something might be coming today and still managed to miss this). Very nice looking and able to convert any paperback into a bottle opener... Sweet.

Unknown said...

dang dang dang, off for lunch and.... missed it again.
looking very nice, but an figuring that bottle opener is purly for looks,

Travis said...

Love the look of these. Glad I made it in time.

. said...

Missed it, no more naps for me!
Anyway, any news on those Steel Pests and G5 Roid Renches?

Peter Atwood said...

Hehe, no worries, I have only just started with the Bookies. ;) Pests and Roids are coming in a few days! :)

Unknown said...

Yay another Sharp! :)

vegassprky said...

What about the G2 Roid Keytons?
Gary :-)

Peter Atwood said...

Haven't even ground them yet, several weeks away...

ATS said...

Long-time viewer, but this is the first time I've seen you produce something just *wrong*. Apologies, but wouldn't it make a lot more sense to reverse the handle? This would a) allow you to pull up when opening a bottle by wrapping your fingers around the spine of the knife (not the sharpened edge) and b) might make letter opening more comfortable by providing a notch (the arc just below the end of the blade at its widest point) for your index finger to pull on. Admittedly, I've never handled one of these things, but on paper that seems much the better way to go....

Peter Atwood said...

Hehe, actually the knife works great. I recommend extreme caution if you were to use the cap lifter though and obviously one finger to lift up. And since I have made about 100 different cap lifter designs I don't think anyone is lacking an opening solution. ;) As for why did I make these sharpened then? Because I made non sharpened ones first and did not want to make a different design. In the hand I think most people will find the handling and action to be perfectly adequate. I just used one to open several boxes and some mail.

Brian said...

Just got mine in the mail, and am very pleased with how it grips as a blade. The grove is just right for the index finger, thumb feels right across the top and there's a surprising amount of "tang" aft for leverage.
I'd REALLY have to want that beer to use it as an opener, but it's only a matter of time.
As far as why you sharpened it, there's only one answer: "Because I can."

egrep said...

Sadly, someone just closed a sale for one of these at $220 today.