Black Delrin 5 Flutes

Hi Folks,

It's another lovely Friday here in western MA. We're having a string of terrific weather lately and it looks like the pleasant temps will continue for the next week at least.

I've been quite busy in the shop this past week and am almost done with my cleanup and reorganization. One of the biggest messes was the older sandblast cabinet system and that's much better now that I have the leaks fixed and put it on a mobile cart so I can move it around and clean under it. I also installed an industrial air hose reel so I can get stray hoses off the floor and stop tripping over them. These changes were long overdue! Little by little these kind of small improvements will make it a lot more pleasant and healthier work environment.

I've also been busy on developing designs and have oodles of new ideas drawn up. I think you will really like some of the stuff coming up this summer and fall...for instance: the P15 Prybaby, a new 3v steel Wedgie design and a reprise of one of the older captive bit designs.

People keep asking about rulers. I have not gone any further on the 3 inch ruler project. I am not sure it will happen this year or not due to the tremendous amount of work and expense that the R25 project ended up taking, far more than I had originally thought and frankly a ridiculous amount of energy spent for such a tiny tool. If I can get a handle on those factors maybe a 3 inch version will be forthcoming but for now it is on the back burner.

I still haven't started grinding the T-Wrex tools beyond a first pass on the edges and an initial tumble but they are on deck for bevel grinding and finishing before they get sent out for heat treat. Mini FunnyBones are very close to a final finish and coming up next, and hopefully to be followed shortly thereafter by the ti Wheelman.

Today I have the Black Delrin 5 Flute Lanslide batch completed. These make a nice companion to the White Delrin Lanslides and once again, are featherlight and quite tough. They will run $25 each plus shipping and no limit on quantity. After these are gone I think I will be moving on from beads for a while and concentrating on tools so this is probably it for at least a couple of months...as usual, order link is below and thanks so much everyone for stopping by!

Black Delrin are gone, thanks again folks and have a terrific weekend!

  

ChillyBeans!

Hello Again Everyone,

Well I seem to be on a roll this week with the sales and today I have yet another little project to bring you. At the suggestion of the great knife dealer Gary Moore of Moore Cutlery (check him out!) I decided to make a small run of stainless steel "whiskey stones". This idea has been around for a few years and I have seen them in several different materials but never tried them out. I figured what better way to try them than to simply make a little batch?

The idea behind these is a simple one: You can use them to chill your drink but do so without diluting it. In my limited testing I found that the frozen ChillyBeans can chill a standard shot of spirits from room temperature down about 15 degrees. An ice cube was far more effective and took the temp down about twice that much...but, it dilutes the drink. So for those who prefer their slightly chilled spirits neat this might be just the thing and for those who like it colder then you might want to stick with good old ice. Or, you can also try a hybrid approach and encase the ChillyBean in ice so you get only a small amount of dilution but more temperature lowering power. Yet another method, combine with a chilled BigShot or Tippler. Lots to play with and I sense some amusing and possibly drunken experiments are in store. :)

The ChillyBeans are made of marine grade 316 stainless steel, the same stuff they make dive watch cases from. They are large, measuring 1 inch in diameter and a hair over 1 inch in length, and they weigh in at an impressive 3 ounces. Shown below next to my standard 5 flute Mega bead. Little monsters they are...

You can stick them in the dishwasher if you wish. The centers are drilled through with a 1/4" hole so you can place them on the upright sticks inside the dishwasher. Or, if you are not inclined to use them as bar ware and you have huge paws, you can use them as very large very heavy beads, or as dandy little paperweights. 

ChillyBeans run $55 plus shipping and the link is below. It's a fairly small batch but I will make it a limit of two per customer on them. I could always do another run if the demand is there...as always, thank you for checking in and remember to Please Chill Responsibly!


ChillyBeans are gone for now, thank you so much folks!

P13 Prybabies!

Hi Everyone,

Happy Sunday! It's a beauty here, perfect temps today and low humidity. If only the whole summer was going to be this nice...I wanted to go for a nice country drive today but the wife didn't so I figured why not do a little sale. Anything to get out of more household chores. :)

Today I have the long promised P13 Prybabies finished. These are the usual 5/32 thick (.160) and the steel is one of the Bad Boys of tool steels, the super tough CPM 3V, with a stonewashed finish. Like the P10 Prybaby, the wrench set features 1/4-9/16, plus the dedicated 1/4 hex and round lanyard openings. These are the exact same footprint as the P10 but the edge grips are my Sine Wave style rather than the Hexi Edge.

The batch is once again very modest in size so these will be one per customer please. They run $70 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks again for stopping in and have a marvelous and relaxing rest of the weekend!


P13 Prybabies are gone, thank you so much everyone!
 

Carbon Fiber RubRats!

Howdy Folks,

And a very Happy Friday to you all! We're heading into an absolutely gorgeous weekend here in Massachusetts. Perfect temps in the mid 70's.

Things are rolling right along this week. I've been running around like a madman doing all sorts of things in the shop and continuing my spring cleanup efforts. Hauled two loads of junk to the dump and have been reorganizing and doing general cleanup type stuff. Finally the shop is starting to look less like a swamp and more like a place that I feel like spending some time in this summer.

I just got the Mini FunnyBones off to heat treat a couple of days ago and I'm getting the P13 Prybabies cleaned up and ready for finishing in the next couple of days. In addition, the new titanium Wheelman bike tools are well underway and those will be completed in a week or two as well. So we have all kind of new tools on the way this month in addition to the rest of the Delrin beads and possibly even another thing or two...

Today I have the carbon fiber RubRats finished. These are a slick little item that I have been testing for the past two months and I absolutely love them. I first had this idea quite a long time ago but just finally got around to making them happen. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long.

RubRats are a little partition or spacer item for your keychain. Use them to organize your keys. Your house keys, your car keys, your misc locks etc can all be separated into groups if you wish for easy and fast access. RubRats also help keep your valuable and delicate pocket tools from rubbing against your keys or other tools so you can have a way to carry and actually enjoy them rather than worrying that they are going to get trashed.

The RubRats are made of solid .060 carbon fiber so they are very durable while remaining thin and unobtrusive. The classy low luster finish is stunning, especially when the light hits it at an angle. They weigh almost nothing and blend in easily among your keys. These are the small size at 2.5 inches OAL and I'm already looking into a possible second run with a slightly larger footprint.

RubRats will run $25 plus shipping and the order link is below. It's a nice size batch so no limit on the quantity. Thanks for checking in this week and I hope your early summer is shaping up to be a great one!

RubRats are gone for today but I will have a few more coming. Thanks everyone, and have a terrific weekend. :)