Thanks everyone, I always appreciate all the participation and kind words! You guys are the best. :)
So without further ado, drumroll please...
33 PUZI
37 Glen
86 Mark B
100 Randy
125 JohnnieBlade
139 wellthisiskj
164 double-edge
175 Rayray
188 Ladusway
189 Billylin93
207 markdjr
259 Merry Christmas
273 Thorn
282 DismalScientist
291 snowewhite00214
293 Cerhio
310 blueumbrella
322 Strured5
325 Jimmmyz
338 Andydoc
353 STLWill
355 Nibs and Coffee
391 whopperjr
406 bebrown1075
I will send out emails in a few minutes. Thanks so much everyone and Merry Christmas to all!
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Fancy Stamped Nibbles: SUSale
Hi Folks,
Hope you all are having a nice relaxing weekend! The holidays are often a bit stressful but it's also a great time of year and one that I look forward to. Spooky warm this year though.
So, how about something a little different? I was having fun when I stamped this batch of Nibbles and I went a little crazy on some of them. As I was doing the stamps it occurred to me that some of them seemed to tell a little story. Or maybe they suggested a phrase or perhaps a title to me.
Anyway, I finished the batch and sent them off to heat treat but I kept thinking about the multi stamped ones and those words kept running through my mind. So when they came back from HT and I finished them up I decided to put these aside and write a little something on each card. Some are pure whimsy and some are very descriptive, others are simple stream of consciousness and association; whatever came to mind in the moment. Kind of a performance art kind of thing I suppose...I hope you enjoy them!
There are a total of 24 of these and I will send you whatever I send you, they are all cool though.
The Fancy Nibble SUSale will run until 11AM Eastern Time so one hour. After that I will shut it down and pick the winners via random number.
These special multi stamped Nibbles will run $85 plus shipping and the Sign Up Sale link is below. If you have not participated in one of these before please do read the rules! There is a strict one entry per person and please make sure your email address is valid or I won't be able to contact you in the event that you are one of the winners.
Sign up is over and I will post the winner list shortly. Thanks so much everyone and have a great holiday week ahead!
List of Entrants
Sign Up Sale Rules: Please Read!
Hope you all are having a nice relaxing weekend! The holidays are often a bit stressful but it's also a great time of year and one that I look forward to. Spooky warm this year though.
So, how about something a little different? I was having fun when I stamped this batch of Nibbles and I went a little crazy on some of them. As I was doing the stamps it occurred to me that some of them seemed to tell a little story. Or maybe they suggested a phrase or perhaps a title to me.
Anyway, I finished the batch and sent them off to heat treat but I kept thinking about the multi stamped ones and those words kept running through my mind. So when they came back from HT and I finished them up I decided to put these aside and write a little something on each card. Some are pure whimsy and some are very descriptive, others are simple stream of consciousness and association; whatever came to mind in the moment. Kind of a performance art kind of thing I suppose...I hope you enjoy them!
There are a total of 24 of these and I will send you whatever I send you, they are all cool though.
The Fancy Nibble SUSale will run until 11AM Eastern Time so one hour. After that I will shut it down and pick the winners via random number.
These special multi stamped Nibbles will run $85 plus shipping and the Sign Up Sale link is below. If you have not participated in one of these before please do read the rules! There is a strict one entry per person and please make sure your email address is valid or I won't be able to contact you in the event that you are one of the winners.
Sign up is over and I will post the winner list shortly. Thanks so much everyone and have a great holiday week ahead!
List of Entrants
Sign Up Sale Rules: Please Read!
Friday, December 18, 2015
Ti Multi Grip Beads!
Hi Folks,
Happy Friday! I'm looking forward to the weekend myself and taking a day or two off. We're supposed to have a little bit of sun too which is always nice during these darkest days of the year.
Today I have a sweet treat for you. These Multi Grip Beads in titanium came out so nice, absolutely gorgeous colors. I was able to figure out some new anodizing tricks this week and so the majority of these are rainbows, color fades and multiple colors of all descriptions and combinations. There are a few solid colors mixed in as well but by far most of these are multi colored. So much fun.
The Ti Multi Grips will run $33 each and the link to purchase is below. The batch is modest in size so I will make it a two per customer limit on them. Hopefully this winter I can do another run and get some more of them out there, maybe even a batch of plain ones, but for now these are all anodized.
All gone for now, thank you so much everyone!
Happy Friday! I'm looking forward to the weekend myself and taking a day or two off. We're supposed to have a little bit of sun too which is always nice during these darkest days of the year.
Today I have a sweet treat for you. These Multi Grip Beads in titanium came out so nice, absolutely gorgeous colors. I was able to figure out some new anodizing tricks this week and so the majority of these are rainbows, color fades and multiple colors of all descriptions and combinations. There are a few solid colors mixed in as well but by far most of these are multi colored. So much fun.
The Ti Multi Grips will run $33 each and the link to purchase is below. The batch is modest in size so I will make it a two per customer limit on them. Hopefully this winter I can do another run and get some more of them out there, maybe even a batch of plain ones, but for now these are all anodized.
All gone for now, thank you so much everyone!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Stamped Stainless Steel GripCoins
Hi Folks,
And a happy Wednesday to everyone! We're finally getting a break in the gloom and a little sunshine is brightening up the day here. I can't believe we've escaped that fluffy white stuff so far but I will certainly take the mild temps this winter. And they are predicting almost 60F on Christmas, crazy! Thank you El Nino.
I'm slowly but surely making my way through all these projects. I'm not yet sure what else I will be able to finish this year but almost certainly the titanium Multi Grip beads will be happening in a day or two. If we are lucky I might get one more tool sale of some kind in before Christmas and there is a strong possibility I might have something else done in the week between Christmas and New Year's. We'll see how it all shakes out and how ambitious I am. Whatever the case, so much is going on that January is certainly going to be a busier than usual start to the New Year so please stay tuned.
Today I have a small batch of 303 Stainless Steel GripCoins done. These have a variety of my familiar antique stamps as well as a few carefully chosen modern newcomers. I dug up several seldom used examples of the antiques too so there is an interesting variety of images here. Fun stuff and I think you will really enjoy them.
The stainless GCs will run $45 plus shipping and the link is below. One per customer on them please. Thank you so much as always for coming by today and hope you all aren't too stressed out from the holidays yet!
Stainless are gone, thank you everybody!
And a happy Wednesday to everyone! We're finally getting a break in the gloom and a little sunshine is brightening up the day here. I can't believe we've escaped that fluffy white stuff so far but I will certainly take the mild temps this winter. And they are predicting almost 60F on Christmas, crazy! Thank you El Nino.
I'm slowly but surely making my way through all these projects. I'm not yet sure what else I will be able to finish this year but almost certainly the titanium Multi Grip beads will be happening in a day or two. If we are lucky I might get one more tool sale of some kind in before Christmas and there is a strong possibility I might have something else done in the week between Christmas and New Year's. We'll see how it all shakes out and how ambitious I am. Whatever the case, so much is going on that January is certainly going to be a busier than usual start to the New Year so please stay tuned.
Today I have a small batch of 303 Stainless Steel GripCoins done. These have a variety of my familiar antique stamps as well as a few carefully chosen modern newcomers. I dug up several seldom used examples of the antiques too so there is an interesting variety of images here. Fun stuff and I think you will really enjoy them.
The stainless GCs will run $45 plus shipping and the link is below. One per customer on them please. Thank you so much as always for coming by today and hope you all aren't too stressed out from the holidays yet!
Stainless are gone, thank you everybody!
Friday, December 11, 2015
Multi Grip Bronze Lanslides
Howdy Folks,
Yup, me again! Did I mention that I have been a very busy boy lately? Oh so busy...this is what happens when I start too many projects, they inevitably have to all be finished. I'm just taking advantage of the gray and gloom again today to get one more sale in because we are supposed to have glorious temperatures in the 50's and partly sunny skies for the next week and I intend to take at least one day off and enjoy it while it lasts.
I've been mulling the possibility of creating a brand new bead design for quite a while. I wanted something a bit smaller than the very popular 5 Flute Mega design which we have enjoyed so much this past year. But what would this new design look like and what sort of features should it have? What materials to use and what exactly am I trying to accomplish? I gave this new challenge much thought and this is the kind of design problem that I really enjoy. I think about it at various times such as when I'm driving, standing at the grinder, sitting around or in the shower. Incidentally, I get some of my best design ideas in the shower it seems.
Anyway, for this new design I went back to the basics. Years ago I coined the term "Lanslide" to mean "Lanyard Sliding Bead". To my way of thinking, this type of bead should serve various functions...primarily I want the bead to act as an additional grip, so if it is used as a zipper pull on a gear bag or jacket it should be easy to grasp with thumb and forefinger and afford a positive grip. If it is to be used on a knife or tool as a lanyard aid it should be easy to nestle into the small fingers as an additional safety to prevent drops and add control for the user. Or it can act as an easy to grasp pull for retrieving a knife from a sheath or pocket. That's the functional part, but of course it also needs to look cool.
This new item could almost be called a Multi Grip Bead. It offers two distinctive looks and modes of function. The elegant hourglass shape provides multiple grip points and though small, ample room for your fingers to conform to the shape. If you wish, you can alter the look and the feel by adding a small rubber O-ring. The O-ring also can provide additional grip for wet conditions. Lastly, a double row of rifle knurling adds a classic beauty and even more non slip goodness. Go ahead, I absolutely DARE you to try to drop this thing! :)
The first wave of Multi Grip Lanslides are in 655 silicon bronze. Bronze is one of the most durable of the red metals and the lovely warm patina that it develops as it ages is very attractive indeed. These new beads measure 1/2" in diameter and are a little over 1/2" in length. The optional tiny black rubber O-ring is included.
Bronze Multi Grips will run $30 each plus shipping. I will make it a limit of 3 on them and for now this is going to be the only batch. Up the road I will be making titanium and aluminum Multi Grips as well, coming soon, but today all I have finished are the bronze ones. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend ahead.
Bronze beads are gone, thank you everyone!
Yup, me again! Did I mention that I have been a very busy boy lately? Oh so busy...this is what happens when I start too many projects, they inevitably have to all be finished. I'm just taking advantage of the gray and gloom again today to get one more sale in because we are supposed to have glorious temperatures in the 50's and partly sunny skies for the next week and I intend to take at least one day off and enjoy it while it lasts.
I've been mulling the possibility of creating a brand new bead design for quite a while. I wanted something a bit smaller than the very popular 5 Flute Mega design which we have enjoyed so much this past year. But what would this new design look like and what sort of features should it have? What materials to use and what exactly am I trying to accomplish? I gave this new challenge much thought and this is the kind of design problem that I really enjoy. I think about it at various times such as when I'm driving, standing at the grinder, sitting around or in the shower. Incidentally, I get some of my best design ideas in the shower it seems.
Anyway, for this new design I went back to the basics. Years ago I coined the term "Lanslide" to mean "Lanyard Sliding Bead". To my way of thinking, this type of bead should serve various functions...primarily I want the bead to act as an additional grip, so if it is used as a zipper pull on a gear bag or jacket it should be easy to grasp with thumb and forefinger and afford a positive grip. If it is to be used on a knife or tool as a lanyard aid it should be easy to nestle into the small fingers as an additional safety to prevent drops and add control for the user. Or it can act as an easy to grasp pull for retrieving a knife from a sheath or pocket. That's the functional part, but of course it also needs to look cool.
This new item could almost be called a Multi Grip Bead. It offers two distinctive looks and modes of function. The elegant hourglass shape provides multiple grip points and though small, ample room for your fingers to conform to the shape. If you wish, you can alter the look and the feel by adding a small rubber O-ring. The O-ring also can provide additional grip for wet conditions. Lastly, a double row of rifle knurling adds a classic beauty and even more non slip goodness. Go ahead, I absolutely DARE you to try to drop this thing! :)
The first wave of Multi Grip Lanslides are in 655 silicon bronze. Bronze is one of the most durable of the red metals and the lovely warm patina that it develops as it ages is very attractive indeed. These new beads measure 1/2" in diameter and are a little over 1/2" in length. The optional tiny black rubber O-ring is included.
Bronze Multi Grips will run $30 each plus shipping. I will make it a limit of 3 on them and for now this is going to be the only batch. Up the road I will be making titanium and aluminum Multi Grips as well, coming soon, but today all I have finished are the bronze ones. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend ahead.
Bronze beads are gone, thank you everyone!
Wednesday, December 09, 2015
Steel Mini P15 Prybabies
Hi Everyone,
It's a gray and gloomy day here in New England. The air has that raw feeling this morning, the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up with a good book and a hot drink, although no amount of coffee will completely wake you up. But alas, looks like I'll be working instead...
I'm making steady headway on projects. Brand new bronze beads are on deck followed shortly thereafter by stainless GripCoins and then new titanium beads. The new HangMan tool is underway too and hopefully I can get the milling and finish grinding done before too long.
Today I have CPM 154 Steel Mini P15 Prybabies done. These are the SAE version and are identical in size to the earlier titanium ones released this year, but they are the "normal" .160 (5/32) in thickness. Still, they have a satisfying heft in the hand and maintain a slim and unobtrusive profile on your key ring.
The finish on these minis is a little different than usual. For these tools, the back side of the sheet had many scratches but the front side had a pleasing light raw bar texture. So rather than surface grind both sides I decided to give this batch a sort of Jekyll and Hyde two tone effect. Front side is light raw bar and back side is surface ground and stonewashed. Kind of fun!
This whole batch is fairly uniform. No stamps, no extra grinds, nothing unusual with these. A couple have raw bar on both sides, a couple are surface ground on both sides.
The steel Mini P15 Prybabies will be $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Once again, smallish batch so it will be one per customer on them. Thanks for stopping by folks, and may your week shape up to be a great one!
These are gone for today, thanks so much everyone!
It's a gray and gloomy day here in New England. The air has that raw feeling this morning, the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up with a good book and a hot drink, although no amount of coffee will completely wake you up. But alas, looks like I'll be working instead...
I'm making steady headway on projects. Brand new bronze beads are on deck followed shortly thereafter by stainless GripCoins and then new titanium beads. The new HangMan tool is underway too and hopefully I can get the milling and finish grinding done before too long.
Today I have CPM 154 Steel Mini P15 Prybabies done. These are the SAE version and are identical in size to the earlier titanium ones released this year, but they are the "normal" .160 (5/32) in thickness. Still, they have a satisfying heft in the hand and maintain a slim and unobtrusive profile on your key ring.
The finish on these minis is a little different than usual. For these tools, the back side of the sheet had many scratches but the front side had a pleasing light raw bar texture. So rather than surface grind both sides I decided to give this batch a sort of Jekyll and Hyde two tone effect. Front side is light raw bar and back side is surface ground and stonewashed. Kind of fun!
This whole batch is fairly uniform. No stamps, no extra grinds, nothing unusual with these. A couple have raw bar on both sides, a couple are surface ground on both sides.
The steel Mini P15 Prybabies will be $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Once again, smallish batch so it will be one per customer on them. Thanks for stopping by folks, and may your week shape up to be a great one!
These are gone for today, thanks so much everyone!
Friday, December 04, 2015
Return of the Steel Nibbles
Happy Friday Folks!
We're enjoying relatively mild temps here in Massachusetts this week and looks as if this trend will continue through next week. Let's hope El Nino gives us an easy winter this year.
Well, I've been slowly plugging away on current projects and finishing some tools up this week. Coming up will be steel Mini P15 Prybabies, a cool new titanium bead design for next week and maybe a SUSale or two. Just starting the milling on the new Krinkle ti Hangman tool as well. And I am working on a new round of drawings with some interesting directions for 2016.
Today I have a blast from the past! Old timers will no doubt remember the original Nibble and the closely related Sharkbite tools. I always liked that design as it is kind of a Keyton on steroids with a captive bit function added in. Anyway, the first Nibbles were made quite a few years ago, the batch was small and I thought it might be time for a reprise.
For this updated Nibble I decided for once to leave the original design relatively unchanged. I made a few small tweaks to soften the O-ring grooves and chamfer some of the corners but basically the design is true to the original.
The Nibbles are made of .160 thick CPM 154 steel and measure just under 3 inches long by 1.125 inches wide. In addition to the large main pry tip there is a smaller secondary pry/screwdriver tip on the bottom corner, a 5/16 wrench opening that doubles as a cap lifter and an oxygen wrench/lanyard opening.
Other features include the captive bit slot that will retain any standard 1 inch long by 1/4 shank hex bit. The bit is held in place by two large #204 O-rings and I am including a #1 or #2 phillips bit, whichever size I have on hand. A separate 1/4 hex opening will accept the bit and hold it in place with smaller #203 O-ring grooves. The bits fit tightly on most of these so the optional #203 O-ring is not necessary on most of them but I will include one anyway. Incidentally, I am including two full sets of O-rings so that you have a spare set as well.
Speaking of O-rings, to make the Nibbles flatter for shipping purposes I will give people the pleasure of assembling their own. This image shows the simple way to get the O-rings on. I really like this little trick and it can be used on any of my tools where there is an interruption that makes the O-rings hard to put on. Just slip a piece of string or paracord through the O-ring and pop it over the opening:
So not only do we have the Nibble reprise today but I played around a little bit with them too. There are a couple different combinations of grinds on them as well as a limited selection of my cool antique stamps. I have a few unstamped Nibbles in reserve as well for later but today I am offering the stamped ones.
The Stamped Nibbles will run $75 plus shipping and the link is below. There is a very limited number of these so it's one per person as usual. Thank you everyone and I hope you have a great weekend ahead!
Stamped Nibbles are gone, thank you everyone!
We're enjoying relatively mild temps here in Massachusetts this week and looks as if this trend will continue through next week. Let's hope El Nino gives us an easy winter this year.
Well, I've been slowly plugging away on current projects and finishing some tools up this week. Coming up will be steel Mini P15 Prybabies, a cool new titanium bead design for next week and maybe a SUSale or two. Just starting the milling on the new Krinkle ti Hangman tool as well. And I am working on a new round of drawings with some interesting directions for 2016.
Today I have a blast from the past! Old timers will no doubt remember the original Nibble and the closely related Sharkbite tools. I always liked that design as it is kind of a Keyton on steroids with a captive bit function added in. Anyway, the first Nibbles were made quite a few years ago, the batch was small and I thought it might be time for a reprise.
For this updated Nibble I decided for once to leave the original design relatively unchanged. I made a few small tweaks to soften the O-ring grooves and chamfer some of the corners but basically the design is true to the original.
The Nibbles are made of .160 thick CPM 154 steel and measure just under 3 inches long by 1.125 inches wide. In addition to the large main pry tip there is a smaller secondary pry/screwdriver tip on the bottom corner, a 5/16 wrench opening that doubles as a cap lifter and an oxygen wrench/lanyard opening.
Other features include the captive bit slot that will retain any standard 1 inch long by 1/4 shank hex bit. The bit is held in place by two large #204 O-rings and I am including a #1 or #2 phillips bit, whichever size I have on hand. A separate 1/4 hex opening will accept the bit and hold it in place with smaller #203 O-ring grooves. The bits fit tightly on most of these so the optional #203 O-ring is not necessary on most of them but I will include one anyway. Incidentally, I am including two full sets of O-rings so that you have a spare set as well.
Speaking of O-rings, to make the Nibbles flatter for shipping purposes I will give people the pleasure of assembling their own. This image shows the simple way to get the O-rings on. I really like this little trick and it can be used on any of my tools where there is an interruption that makes the O-rings hard to put on. Just slip a piece of string or paracord through the O-ring and pop it over the opening:
So not only do we have the Nibble reprise today but I played around a little bit with them too. There are a couple different combinations of grinds on them as well as a limited selection of my cool antique stamps. I have a few unstamped Nibbles in reserve as well for later but today I am offering the stamped ones.
The Stamped Nibbles will run $75 plus shipping and the link is below. There is a very limited number of these so it's one per person as usual. Thank you everyone and I hope you have a great weekend ahead!
Stamped Nibbles are gone, thank you everyone!
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Smooth P15 Roid Prybabies!
Happy Thanksgiving Weekend Everyone!
If I had to list all the things I was thankful for this year it would take hours and I would soon run out of space on the blog. Man, it's been such a terrific year and I know I say thank you to everyone quite often, but the truth is, I cannot say it enough. You guys and gals are truly the best, and I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful support you give me all year long, as well as your patience and many kind words. And it's not just this year but every year for the past decade, it's just been an amazing time in my life.
This time of year I always give a generous donation to my local food bank. I feel strongly that people should not go hungry and they certainly can't get a firm footing in life with an empty stomach. So I want you to know that a portion of the proceeds from today is going towards that very worthy cause.
Project Update: More steel tools are on deck with Mini P15s and Nibbles on the way over the next week. I will be working on finishing and packaging them over the weekend...and I have a beautiful new bead design coming up in a couple of weeks so stay tuned for that as well. A few SUSales are also in the cards for early December. I have a brand new Hangman tool coming in mid December too, hopefully will have them done before Christmas. Lots of cool new stuff is on the horizon!
Today I finally have the other half of the CPM 154 steel P15 Roid Prybaby batch ready to go. These are surface ground so are not quite as thick as the earlier ones, measuring in around .200 inches thick. A little shy of 1/4 but still quite massive, these are some heavy duty steel tools that are built for use and abuse. Wrench sizes 1-4-9/16. They are lightly stonewashed which has proven to be my most durable steel finish as far as hiding scratches goes.
Smooth Roids will run $75 plus shipping and they are one per customer limit on them as usual. Thanks once again folks, and I wish you all a fantastic and safe Thanksgiving with friends and family!
These are gone for now, thank so much! :)
If I had to list all the things I was thankful for this year it would take hours and I would soon run out of space on the blog. Man, it's been such a terrific year and I know I say thank you to everyone quite often, but the truth is, I cannot say it enough. You guys and gals are truly the best, and I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful support you give me all year long, as well as your patience and many kind words. And it's not just this year but every year for the past decade, it's just been an amazing time in my life.
This time of year I always give a generous donation to my local food bank. I feel strongly that people should not go hungry and they certainly can't get a firm footing in life with an empty stomach. So I want you to know that a portion of the proceeds from today is going towards that very worthy cause.
Project Update: More steel tools are on deck with Mini P15s and Nibbles on the way over the next week. I will be working on finishing and packaging them over the weekend...and I have a beautiful new bead design coming up in a couple of weeks so stay tuned for that as well. A few SUSales are also in the cards for early December. I have a brand new Hangman tool coming in mid December too, hopefully will have them done before Christmas. Lots of cool new stuff is on the horizon!
Today I finally have the other half of the CPM 154 steel P15 Roid Prybaby batch ready to go. These are surface ground so are not quite as thick as the earlier ones, measuring in around .200 inches thick. A little shy of 1/4 but still quite massive, these are some heavy duty steel tools that are built for use and abuse. Wrench sizes 1-4-9/16. They are lightly stonewashed which has proven to be my most durable steel finish as far as hiding scratches goes.
Smooth Roids will run $75 plus shipping and they are one per customer limit on them as usual. Thanks once again folks, and I wish you all a fantastic and safe Thanksgiving with friends and family!
These are gone for now, thank so much! :)
Monday, November 23, 2015
Dial M for Metric
Howdy Everyone,
Lovely sunny week here in the northeast, albeit a little chilly today. We've been spoiled lately with some very mild temperatures but I'm sure that will end very soon. Looks like Thanksgiving will be quite pleasant though this year, unlike last year's huge blizzard where we lost power for a couple of days and ended up having our turkey on the following Saturday.
Well, things are moving right along finally and I'm starting on the finishing phase on several projects. The steel tools that I mentioned earlier this week will start coming on in a couple of days, hopefully I will be able to sneak one more sale in before the holidays start. Probably the big Roid P15s first.
Today I have the Metric Mini P15 Prybabies in Krinkle texture titanium done. The material is nice and hefty measuring in at .195 give or take a few thousandths. Great thickness for a tool this size. The Metric Minis are slightly longer than the SAE P15 Minis in order to fit the new metric wrench set inside, measuring in at just 2.75 inches OAL. The raw bar texture on these is mostly very light, kind of resembles concrete or a slightly porous stone. Just enough there to give them some character and a little extra grip.
As I mentioned, the Metric Minis have an all new 6 wrench set with sizes 7,8,9,10,11 and 12mm! Originally I planned to make the set 7-14mm but that would be for a future full sized Prybaby that has not yet been made. This Mini is a great compact size however and covers much of the range, so I think people will be quite pleased, especially my long suffering and very patient international customers. :)
These are mostly solid colors, rainbows, color fades, etc. Nothing overly fancy, no extra grinds or crazy variations, other than a little creative anodizing, as I know people want them to use. I will maybe make another run in the same material or possibly in steel for 2016, we'll see, haven't quite gotten that far yet. But I do think more of this design or some variation of it is definitely in the cards for next year.
The Metric Mini P15 Prybabies will run $70 plus shipping and the link is below, one per customer on them for now. Thank you for stopping by folks, wishing everyone a terrific and relaxing week ahead!
Metrics are gone for now but a few more are still coming, thank you so much everyone!
Lovely sunny week here in the northeast, albeit a little chilly today. We've been spoiled lately with some very mild temperatures but I'm sure that will end very soon. Looks like Thanksgiving will be quite pleasant though this year, unlike last year's huge blizzard where we lost power for a couple of days and ended up having our turkey on the following Saturday.
Well, things are moving right along finally and I'm starting on the finishing phase on several projects. The steel tools that I mentioned earlier this week will start coming on in a couple of days, hopefully I will be able to sneak one more sale in before the holidays start. Probably the big Roid P15s first.
Today I have the Metric Mini P15 Prybabies in Krinkle texture titanium done. The material is nice and hefty measuring in at .195 give or take a few thousandths. Great thickness for a tool this size. The Metric Minis are slightly longer than the SAE P15 Minis in order to fit the new metric wrench set inside, measuring in at just 2.75 inches OAL. The raw bar texture on these is mostly very light, kind of resembles concrete or a slightly porous stone. Just enough there to give them some character and a little extra grip.
As I mentioned, the Metric Minis have an all new 6 wrench set with sizes 7,8,9,10,11 and 12mm! Originally I planned to make the set 7-14mm but that would be for a future full sized Prybaby that has not yet been made. This Mini is a great compact size however and covers much of the range, so I think people will be quite pleased, especially my long suffering and very patient international customers. :)
These are mostly solid colors, rainbows, color fades, etc. Nothing overly fancy, no extra grinds or crazy variations, other than a little creative anodizing, as I know people want them to use. I will maybe make another run in the same material or possibly in steel for 2016, we'll see, haven't quite gotten that far yet. But I do think more of this design or some variation of it is definitely in the cards for next year.
The Metric Mini P15 Prybabies will run $70 plus shipping and the link is below, one per customer on them for now. Thank you for stopping by folks, wishing everyone a terrific and relaxing week ahead!
Metrics are gone for now but a few more are still coming, thank you so much everyone!
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Don't Worry, Be Bronzey!
Hi Everyone,
Fall is rapidly slipping away here in New England. The leaves are almost completely gone now, even the oaks, and we're getting a heavy frost each morning. Won't be long until the dreaded white stuff starts flying. Maybe this year I will embrace it, but it would be nice if we didn't get the horrible cold snap that went on for over a month last winter where temps never got out of the single digits and teens.
Well, I'm still waiting on the steel tools to come back from heat treat. I am resigning myself to the fact that I may not be able to get too much more out to heat treat this year except for possibly one more batch of the metric P13 Prybabies...Wedgies might have to wait until after New Year's, we shall see if there is still time for me to grind and finish them....
Anyhow, today I have something a little different for you. Quite literally, buried treasure! These big bronze GripCoins feature my antique stamp images. They measure 1 inch in diameter and although the original intent for these larger sized GripCoins was to create customized finger holds for electronics or other objects, the 1 inch diameter ones are really better suited to be pocket "worry stones" and the smaller stainless steel ones that I released earlier this year are better for creating actual grip points. Nevertheless, I am including a 3m adhesive dot with these just in case someone wishes to try it on a camera or tablet.
These little beauties have been aging patiently for the past year and I just dug them up this past weekend. Mother Nature has been having her wicked way with them all year! Expect to see minor dings, machine marks and plenty of heavy patina still clinging to the grooves. Some of the stamps are a little off center as well which contributes to the somewhat primitive feel.
I have not cleaned the bronze GripCoins very much so you can simply leave them as they are and let them shine up naturally in your pocket over time. Or you can hasten the process but hitting them with a little Brasso or Flitz on a paper towel or use a piece of worn out green scotchbrite cloth if you wish to bring up the highlights. I think most metal detector folks will tell you that over cleaning old coins is a no-no but here we are free to do as we wish and make our own personal interpretations as to the appearance and value of a modern created "artifact".
The stamped bronze GripCoins will run $45 plus shipping and the batch is very modest in size so once again, one per customer please. The link is below...thank you as always my friends and a safe and happy week ahead to you all!
Bronze ones are gone, thanks everyone! :)
Fall is rapidly slipping away here in New England. The leaves are almost completely gone now, even the oaks, and we're getting a heavy frost each morning. Won't be long until the dreaded white stuff starts flying. Maybe this year I will embrace it, but it would be nice if we didn't get the horrible cold snap that went on for over a month last winter where temps never got out of the single digits and teens.
Well, I'm still waiting on the steel tools to come back from heat treat. I am resigning myself to the fact that I may not be able to get too much more out to heat treat this year except for possibly one more batch of the metric P13 Prybabies...Wedgies might have to wait until after New Year's, we shall see if there is still time for me to grind and finish them....
Anyhow, today I have something a little different for you. Quite literally, buried treasure! These big bronze GripCoins feature my antique stamp images. They measure 1 inch in diameter and although the original intent for these larger sized GripCoins was to create customized finger holds for electronics or other objects, the 1 inch diameter ones are really better suited to be pocket "worry stones" and the smaller stainless steel ones that I released earlier this year are better for creating actual grip points. Nevertheless, I am including a 3m adhesive dot with these just in case someone wishes to try it on a camera or tablet.
These little beauties have been aging patiently for the past year and I just dug them up this past weekend. Mother Nature has been having her wicked way with them all year! Expect to see minor dings, machine marks and plenty of heavy patina still clinging to the grooves. Some of the stamps are a little off center as well which contributes to the somewhat primitive feel.
I have not cleaned the bronze GripCoins very much so you can simply leave them as they are and let them shine up naturally in your pocket over time. Or you can hasten the process but hitting them with a little Brasso or Flitz on a paper towel or use a piece of worn out green scotchbrite cloth if you wish to bring up the highlights. I think most metal detector folks will tell you that over cleaning old coins is a no-no but here we are free to do as we wish and make our own personal interpretations as to the appearance and value of a modern created "artifact".
The stamped bronze GripCoins will run $45 plus shipping and the batch is very modest in size so once again, one per customer please. The link is below...thank you as always my friends and a safe and happy week ahead to you all!
Bronze ones are gone, thanks everyone! :)
Monday, November 16, 2015
Fancy P15 Minis!
Hi Folks and a Happy Monday to you all!
It's been a busy couple of weeks here even if I haven't had very much to show for it. The projects are steadily moving along but there's been a lot of sports to watch between the many football and baseball games, and lots of fall domestic duties to attend to including long deferred shop maintenance. In short, the usual distractions.
However, I've been very hard at work cranking through batches of steel tools for the past couple of weeks. I'm happy to report that the rest of the P15 Roid Prybabies are at heat treat now. Also at heat treat right now are steel Mini P15 Prybabies and, in a reprise of an older tool design, CPM 154 steel Nibbles! I have more steel tools on deck here for grinding as well and we'll see if I can squeeze one more batch out before too long.
Today I have a small batch of lovely little SAE P15 Mini Prybabies with Krinkle texture titanium and A51 style extra grinds! These vary a bit in style and finish. They are quite colorful due to a series of high contrast multiple anodizing treatments. Fun stuff and something a little different.
The Fancy P15 Mini Prybabies will run $85 plus $5 shipping, one per customer on these as usual with small batches, and the link is below. Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific week ahead!
Fancy P15 Minis are all gone, thank you so much!
It's been a busy couple of weeks here even if I haven't had very much to show for it. The projects are steadily moving along but there's been a lot of sports to watch between the many football and baseball games, and lots of fall domestic duties to attend to including long deferred shop maintenance. In short, the usual distractions.
However, I've been very hard at work cranking through batches of steel tools for the past couple of weeks. I'm happy to report that the rest of the P15 Roid Prybabies are at heat treat now. Also at heat treat right now are steel Mini P15 Prybabies and, in a reprise of an older tool design, CPM 154 steel Nibbles! I have more steel tools on deck here for grinding as well and we'll see if I can squeeze one more batch out before too long.
Today I have a small batch of lovely little SAE P15 Mini Prybabies with Krinkle texture titanium and A51 style extra grinds! These vary a bit in style and finish. They are quite colorful due to a series of high contrast multiple anodizing treatments. Fun stuff and something a little different.
The Fancy P15 Mini Prybabies will run $85 plus $5 shipping, one per customer on these as usual with small batches, and the link is below. Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific week ahead!
Fancy P15 Minis are all gone, thank you so much!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Plainsies!
Hi Folks,
It's a bit cool and wet this week here in New England. Fall is in full swing though finally and I do believe that this weekend will probably be peak foliage. No doubt many leaf peepers will be driving through our state over the weekend. Sometimes the leaves are more dramatic against a gray sky and other times the sunshine lights up individual trees or branches. It's always a lovely time of year here regardless.
Project updates: Actually not too much to report because I've been busy working on finishing these ti Minis. But I am happy to announce that a Krinkle Textured Metric P15 Mini Prybaby is in the works and will be cut soon. So you can expect to see those in a month or so. I still have not ground the steel Mini Wedgies, the SAE and Metric Tombstones and the rest of the P15 surface ground Roids but those are all also on deck.
Thanks so much for the enthusiastic response for the anodized P15 Mini Prybabies! As the many beautiful Toolbook photos show, they are quite extraordinary both in texture and in color. I have to tell you that it has not been easy for me to part with them because I sort of wish I could keep them all. :)
Today I have the other half of the Krinkle Textured Mini P15 Prybaby batch done. I'm leaving these plain with no anodizing because I know that many folks want user tools or maybe they just prefer vanilla over maple fudge swirl.... Others might want a plain one so they can do their own anodizing. In any case, this next group has fantastic and varied texture on them so you Raw Bar lovers are really in for a treat.
The plain Krinkle Ti Minis are $70 plus shipping and the link is below. One per customer please on them. Thanks everyone and happy autumn!
Plain ones are gone for now, thanks again everyone!
It's a bit cool and wet this week here in New England. Fall is in full swing though finally and I do believe that this weekend will probably be peak foliage. No doubt many leaf peepers will be driving through our state over the weekend. Sometimes the leaves are more dramatic against a gray sky and other times the sunshine lights up individual trees or branches. It's always a lovely time of year here regardless.
Project updates: Actually not too much to report because I've been busy working on finishing these ti Minis. But I am happy to announce that a Krinkle Textured Metric P15 Mini Prybaby is in the works and will be cut soon. So you can expect to see those in a month or so. I still have not ground the steel Mini Wedgies, the SAE and Metric Tombstones and the rest of the P15 surface ground Roids but those are all also on deck.
Thanks so much for the enthusiastic response for the anodized P15 Mini Prybabies! As the many beautiful Toolbook photos show, they are quite extraordinary both in texture and in color. I have to tell you that it has not been easy for me to part with them because I sort of wish I could keep them all. :)
Today I have the other half of the Krinkle Textured Mini P15 Prybaby batch done. I'm leaving these plain with no anodizing because I know that many folks want user tools or maybe they just prefer vanilla over maple fudge swirl.... Others might want a plain one so they can do their own anodizing. In any case, this next group has fantastic and varied texture on them so you Raw Bar lovers are really in for a treat.
The plain Krinkle Ti Minis are $70 plus shipping and the link is below. One per customer please on them. Thanks everyone and happy autumn!
Plain ones are gone for now, thanks again everyone!
Thursday, October 08, 2015
Titanium Mini P15 Prybabies!
Hi Folks,
Things are cooling down here in New England and the foliage is finally starting to get underway. Everything is late this year but that's OK by me because the temperatures have been mild and the days are quite enjoyable right now. I'm going to try to get some photography time in this weekend and early next week.
Projects are slowly progressing. I will be doing some grinding next week and hope to get at least one steel batch into the pipeline for later this month. As the weather gets colder I will be inside more and more and will try to really get things cranking.
Today I have a real treat for you Raw Bar lovers out there. As you know, for many years I have tried to select steels with heavy textured finishes whenever possible because I just love that Raw Bar look and feel. Unfortunately it is always hit or miss obtaining that type of material though and in recent years it has become very difficult to procure it. But it's always steel, I have never found any titanium with nice texture because it generally comes very smooth from the mills and usually with a bead blasted or brushed finish. Until now that is...recently I came across a small cache of a very interesting Krinkle Texture 6AL4V titanium and not only is this some of the best Raw Bar I have ever seen on ANY material, but the sheets are thick too, averaging around 3/16" or greater in thickness.
This is the first of several waves of Krinkle Textured Titanium Mini P15 Prybabies and they are really something. The wildly varying texture gives the color anodizing many angles and surfaces on which to reflect light and the result is simply stunning. The 3/16" thickness gives these tools a little more heft than usual and a fantastic feel in the hand. They are tiny, being a perfectly scaled down version of the recent P15, measuring just 2 5/8" long, and they feature five SAE wrench sizes 1/4-1/2 with the deep style V notch and a 5/16 cap lifter. It's as if I stuck a P15 in the clothes dryer and set it on high heat for an hour...just an ideal balance of size, weight, function and aesthetics in my opinion, especially if you're a mini tool fan like me. :)
This first wave of Mini Ti P15 Prybabies are all anodized and I will be making a second batch that will be plain with no anodizing, possibly a third wave as well, we'll see how it goes. October will be Mini Prybaby Month so no worries, lots are on the way.
The Ti Minis will run $70 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. The colors are all different so I will send you what I send you but rest assured they are all gorgeous. As always a big thank you to everyone for stopping by and I hope your fall is a great one so far!
Anodized ones are all gone for now, thank you folks!
Things are cooling down here in New England and the foliage is finally starting to get underway. Everything is late this year but that's OK by me because the temperatures have been mild and the days are quite enjoyable right now. I'm going to try to get some photography time in this weekend and early next week.
Projects are slowly progressing. I will be doing some grinding next week and hope to get at least one steel batch into the pipeline for later this month. As the weather gets colder I will be inside more and more and will try to really get things cranking.
Today I have a real treat for you Raw Bar lovers out there. As you know, for many years I have tried to select steels with heavy textured finishes whenever possible because I just love that Raw Bar look and feel. Unfortunately it is always hit or miss obtaining that type of material though and in recent years it has become very difficult to procure it. But it's always steel, I have never found any titanium with nice texture because it generally comes very smooth from the mills and usually with a bead blasted or brushed finish. Until now that is...recently I came across a small cache of a very interesting Krinkle Texture 6AL4V titanium and not only is this some of the best Raw Bar I have ever seen on ANY material, but the sheets are thick too, averaging around 3/16" or greater in thickness.
This is the first of several waves of Krinkle Textured Titanium Mini P15 Prybabies and they are really something. The wildly varying texture gives the color anodizing many angles and surfaces on which to reflect light and the result is simply stunning. The 3/16" thickness gives these tools a little more heft than usual and a fantastic feel in the hand. They are tiny, being a perfectly scaled down version of the recent P15, measuring just 2 5/8" long, and they feature five SAE wrench sizes 1/4-1/2 with the deep style V notch and a 5/16 cap lifter. It's as if I stuck a P15 in the clothes dryer and set it on high heat for an hour...just an ideal balance of size, weight, function and aesthetics in my opinion, especially if you're a mini tool fan like me. :)
This first wave of Mini Ti P15 Prybabies are all anodized and I will be making a second batch that will be plain with no anodizing, possibly a third wave as well, we'll see how it goes. October will be Mini Prybaby Month so no worries, lots are on the way.
The Ti Minis will run $70 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. The colors are all different so I will send you what I send you but rest assured they are all gorgeous. As always a big thank you to everyone for stopping by and I hope your fall is a great one so far!
Anodized ones are all gone for now, thank you folks!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Can Lightning Really Strike Twice? :D
Mwuaaahhahhhhaaa, you bet it can! How about a Round Two for the second half of the batch? Here are the rest of the lucky winners:
Thanks again everyone! And fear not, there will be one more project using Zr in the near future. ;)
17 Joe
50 hax
66 MW
133 aricaric
140 Bryan Cooper
158 Jason S
162 Imnotascoolasu
180 Toan Nguyen
187 MrCrypto
210 Mruhland31
220 Hamish
267 ag_nyc
273 Scott
330 brian
339 Richieyoo
378 poundtown
398 Brian
405 Glad I don\'t have a VW diesel.
423 DKirby
434 Silverfox
473 JB in SC
486 Glenn Batterley
502 KII
563 Bi bop boop beep boop
Thanks again everyone! And fear not, there will be one more project using Zr in the near future. ;)
And the Drum Roll Please...
Wow, remarkable turnout, thank you so much for all the interest everyone!
OK, here is the list of winning entries. Please check your email shortly for the purchase link and be sure to check your spam filter if you see your name here and do not get an email:
OK, here is the list of winning entries. Please check your email shortly for the purchase link and be sure to check your spam filter if you see your name here and do not get an email:
41 kylekthompson
44 MGlista21
52 TyFlyer21
84 hrbrt
101 AndrewWarm
110 Fuzillade
148 Joe Chang
178 Zirc bandit
191 Feel the Bern
209 bburns09
256 Eskerbillion
264 Brock
324 JohnnieBlade
342 Fnjimmy
346 Ted Reyes
364 roberthrose
368 Sandy
387 rhart00
407 aggie
413 GiveMeZircOrGiveMeDeath
509 jonnyfishstix
519 Dave Sloman
564 Trick carey
479 Murpharoo
Thanks again folks! :)
Zirconium P15 Sign Up Sale!
Hi Everyone,
It's downright chilly this morning here in Massachusetts! It's getting to be time to put away the shorts and break out the light jackets. I always hate to see the summer go but I do enjoy the fall, at least the early part, before that dreadful white stuff arrives. And I wouldn't even mind a short visit of the white stuff except it always wants to overstay it's welcome.
Today I have some truly exotic P15 Prybabies to offer you. These are made of 702 Zirconium! I was recently offered a small piece of this material so I could not resist trying a few tools with it. We go from 1/4 inch Roid thickness back to 1/8 inch Summer Weight on these but they are still way cool... The strength appears to be just fine for a light duty tool but I would use some common sense before taking a hammer to it or a "cheater" bar.
Zirconium is described in the literature as having a high affinity for oxygen and man oh man, is that ever the truth! Titanium is hardly easy to work with either but this Zr stuff is just plain nasty to grind. It requires very slow speeds and that is why I am so grateful to have a good speed controller on my KMG grinder as I can get it down to a crawl. Pre-milling the large bevel before finish grinding is a must to avoid conflagration. The sparks from titanium are very flammable too but this Zr is downright hazardous. You have to keep an eagle eye on the dust and keep the dust collection bucket flooded with water. But, once you are past that delicate stage it's not so bad with the rest of the finishing steps.
Speaking of finishes, I had a little fun with these...Anyone could have made them dull black by simply heating with a torch and rubbing them with oil. I decided to try a variety of techniques though to see what else I could come up with. Don't ask me to repeat it because I'm not exactly sure at this point what all I did but there were multiple steps involved including heat, electricity, tumbling, blasting and hand rubbing to arrive at what I think are some very unusual and subtle looks ranging from rusty warm browns to light color tones.
The Zirconium P15 Prybabies will run $125 each plus shipping and this is a Sign Up Sale, so one entry per customer please! I have 24 of these.
The SUSale will begin at 2PM eastern time and end one hour later at 3PM at which point I will sort through the entries and then randomly draw the winners. Good luck and as always, thank you so much for stopping by!
Woohoo! Sign up phase is over and I will go through the entries and announce the winners of the drawing shortly. Thanks everyone! :)
Entrant List
Sign Up Sale Rules, Please Read!
It's downright chilly this morning here in Massachusetts! It's getting to be time to put away the shorts and break out the light jackets. I always hate to see the summer go but I do enjoy the fall, at least the early part, before that dreadful white stuff arrives. And I wouldn't even mind a short visit of the white stuff except it always wants to overstay it's welcome.
Today I have some truly exotic P15 Prybabies to offer you. These are made of 702 Zirconium! I was recently offered a small piece of this material so I could not resist trying a few tools with it. We go from 1/4 inch Roid thickness back to 1/8 inch Summer Weight on these but they are still way cool... The strength appears to be just fine for a light duty tool but I would use some common sense before taking a hammer to it or a "cheater" bar.
Zirconium is described in the literature as having a high affinity for oxygen and man oh man, is that ever the truth! Titanium is hardly easy to work with either but this Zr stuff is just plain nasty to grind. It requires very slow speeds and that is why I am so grateful to have a good speed controller on my KMG grinder as I can get it down to a crawl. Pre-milling the large bevel before finish grinding is a must to avoid conflagration. The sparks from titanium are very flammable too but this Zr is downright hazardous. You have to keep an eagle eye on the dust and keep the dust collection bucket flooded with water. But, once you are past that delicate stage it's not so bad with the rest of the finishing steps.
Speaking of finishes, I had a little fun with these...Anyone could have made them dull black by simply heating with a torch and rubbing them with oil. I decided to try a variety of techniques though to see what else I could come up with. Don't ask me to repeat it because I'm not exactly sure at this point what all I did but there were multiple steps involved including heat, electricity, tumbling, blasting and hand rubbing to arrive at what I think are some very unusual and subtle looks ranging from rusty warm browns to light color tones.
The Zirconium P15 Prybabies will run $125 each plus shipping and this is a Sign Up Sale, so one entry per customer please! I have 24 of these.
The SUSale will begin at 2PM eastern time and end one hour later at 3PM at which point I will sort through the entries and then randomly draw the winners. Good luck and as always, thank you so much for stopping by!
Woohoo! Sign up phase is over and I will go through the entries and announce the winners of the drawing shortly. Thanks everyone! :)
Entrant List
Sign Up Sale Rules, Please Read!
Friday, September 18, 2015
P15 Raw Bar Roids!
Hi Everyone,
Well, it's been another chaotic and hectic week here. I really need for things to settle down for a few days so I can relax for a change. Maybe I'll take a few days off in the next week or two and try to do something that is neither house renovation or business related. With any luck we should be getting some fall foliage pretty soon and that will provide a few good excuses for a mini vacation I'm sure.
There has been a lot going on here with projects. I'm almost done with the first wave of textured titanium Mini P15 Prybabies. These are going to be little gems and I'm trying to decide how I want to finish them. I may make some plain ones and then do some with anodizing, we shall see how they go... And I need to spend a couple of days grinding new steel tools so I can get more into the heat treat pipeline. I have more CPM 154 P15 Roid Prybabies (surface ground), Mini 3V Wedgies and Tombstones already prepped out and ready to grind, just gotta make the time to get them going.
Today I have a batch of P15 Roid Prybabies done. For this design I wanted to revisit one of my old favorites, the G5 Prybaby, and make some improvements. I gave these deeper hexi grips, added the deep sine wave style lower grip and increased the overall width of the tool slightly to give the whole package a beefier profile. I love the resulting shape and it feel terrific in the hand.
Did I mention these are beefy? They vary a little bit but most are close to 1/4" in thickness so are very heavy duty indeed! The steel is CPM 154 and features include my standard SAE 1/4- 9/16 wrench set, a heavy duty pry tip with deep V, cap lifter and secondary 3/8 wrench opening. (I do plan a brand new metric version of this tool and the also related Mini version but I am not quite there yet. Once some of the current projects are moved out I can think about cutting new designs but my cutting quota is already exceeded for the year and my bean counter is already giving me a hard time... :D)
In my recent home improvement activities I did some extensive testing of all the tool versions in this series and the deeper V is very effective in staple and small nail pulling. The tool excels in paint can opening, trim and molding prying and all sorts of other tasks. And yes, a few beers did get opened as well.
The P15 Roids have a light Raw Bar finish and there hints of color left in the crevices and corners that look a little like rust but are actually tempering colors that I left on the tools. Expect to see nicks, scrapes, gouges, pinholes, heat shadows, surface marks, dings, scratches, waves, bumps and numerous other minor irregularities resulting from the rollers at the mill as the hot sheet was rolled out. This is a double batch and for this first wave I wanted to give you the maximum Roid thickness possible so I cut two sheets of this material and sorted out the best looking ones for the Raw Bar Batch. The second half of the batch is already underway but those pieces had really rough surfaces so they were all surface ground, thus losing a little bit in thickness but gaining in smoother cosmetic appearance.
Incidentally I asked the mill a few years back about heavy Raw Bar textures. They were cagey and a little defensive when I was asking for rougher textured sheets. The reply I got was that they have been trying hard to produce smoother sheets for some time by changing out old rollers more frequently because no other makers want rough surfaces. Most makers have to sand it all off to get to the "good" steel you see and they get complaints sometimes since steel is sold by weight... So it figures that I'm the only "weirdo" who actually finds heavy texture a plus. :)
Anyhow, these Raw Bar Roid P15 Prybabies will run $85 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Thanks so much for stopping by everyone and hope you all have a great weekend ahead!
P15 Roids are gone for now, thank you!
Well, it's been another chaotic and hectic week here. I really need for things to settle down for a few days so I can relax for a change. Maybe I'll take a few days off in the next week or two and try to do something that is neither house renovation or business related. With any luck we should be getting some fall foliage pretty soon and that will provide a few good excuses for a mini vacation I'm sure.
There has been a lot going on here with projects. I'm almost done with the first wave of textured titanium Mini P15 Prybabies. These are going to be little gems and I'm trying to decide how I want to finish them. I may make some plain ones and then do some with anodizing, we shall see how they go... And I need to spend a couple of days grinding new steel tools so I can get more into the heat treat pipeline. I have more CPM 154 P15 Roid Prybabies (surface ground), Mini 3V Wedgies and Tombstones already prepped out and ready to grind, just gotta make the time to get them going.
Today I have a batch of P15 Roid Prybabies done. For this design I wanted to revisit one of my old favorites, the G5 Prybaby, and make some improvements. I gave these deeper hexi grips, added the deep sine wave style lower grip and increased the overall width of the tool slightly to give the whole package a beefier profile. I love the resulting shape and it feel terrific in the hand.
Did I mention these are beefy? They vary a little bit but most are close to 1/4" in thickness so are very heavy duty indeed! The steel is CPM 154 and features include my standard SAE 1/4- 9/16 wrench set, a heavy duty pry tip with deep V, cap lifter and secondary 3/8 wrench opening. (I do plan a brand new metric version of this tool and the also related Mini version but I am not quite there yet. Once some of the current projects are moved out I can think about cutting new designs but my cutting quota is already exceeded for the year and my bean counter is already giving me a hard time... :D)
In my recent home improvement activities I did some extensive testing of all the tool versions in this series and the deeper V is very effective in staple and small nail pulling. The tool excels in paint can opening, trim and molding prying and all sorts of other tasks. And yes, a few beers did get opened as well.
The P15 Roids have a light Raw Bar finish and there hints of color left in the crevices and corners that look a little like rust but are actually tempering colors that I left on the tools. Expect to see nicks, scrapes, gouges, pinholes, heat shadows, surface marks, dings, scratches, waves, bumps and numerous other minor irregularities resulting from the rollers at the mill as the hot sheet was rolled out. This is a double batch and for this first wave I wanted to give you the maximum Roid thickness possible so I cut two sheets of this material and sorted out the best looking ones for the Raw Bar Batch. The second half of the batch is already underway but those pieces had really rough surfaces so they were all surface ground, thus losing a little bit in thickness but gaining in smoother cosmetic appearance.
Incidentally I asked the mill a few years back about heavy Raw Bar textures. They were cagey and a little defensive when I was asking for rougher textured sheets. The reply I got was that they have been trying hard to produce smoother sheets for some time by changing out old rollers more frequently because no other makers want rough surfaces. Most makers have to sand it all off to get to the "good" steel you see and they get complaints sometimes since steel is sold by weight... So it figures that I'm the only "weirdo" who actually finds heavy texture a plus. :)
Anyhow, these Raw Bar Roid P15 Prybabies will run $85 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Thanks so much for stopping by everyone and hope you all have a great weekend ahead!
P15 Roids are gone for now, thank you!
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Titanium Chilly Beans!
Hi Folks,
Even though we've had some very warm days recently you can feel a little bit of fall in the air today. Birds are starting to gather in small flocks and the trees are covered in tired looking green leaves that are still only just thinking about changing. Hard to believe we are only three weeks away from what is usually peak leaf season.
Thanks for the enthusiastic response for the T-Wrex pry bars! I don't know when I might make more of them but hopefully another batch will be in the cards somewhere down the road. That is, if the mill makes more of the thick 3V sheets....I bought up the last two sheets available for the T-Wrex and the forthcoming Mini Wedgies. And speaking of the Wedgies, I haven't started grinding them yet but I will try to get them started in a week or two.
Today I have a micro batch of special Chilly Bean beads done. These are the same large 1 inch diameter as the stainless ones but these are made of anodized titanium. They range from solid colors to multi colored finishes, no plain ones in this batch at all. They are pretty darned cool looking. :)
The ti Chilly Beans will run $85 each plus shipping. This is a one time run and the batch is quite small so one per customer on them please. The order link is below. Thanks for stopping by and hope everyone has a great weekend planned ahead!
Ti Chilly Beans are gone! Thanks so much and have a great weekend folks!
Even though we've had some very warm days recently you can feel a little bit of fall in the air today. Birds are starting to gather in small flocks and the trees are covered in tired looking green leaves that are still only just thinking about changing. Hard to believe we are only three weeks away from what is usually peak leaf season.
Thanks for the enthusiastic response for the T-Wrex pry bars! I don't know when I might make more of them but hopefully another batch will be in the cards somewhere down the road. That is, if the mill makes more of the thick 3V sheets....I bought up the last two sheets available for the T-Wrex and the forthcoming Mini Wedgies. And speaking of the Wedgies, I haven't started grinding them yet but I will try to get them started in a week or two.
Today I have a micro batch of special Chilly Bean beads done. These are the same large 1 inch diameter as the stainless ones but these are made of anodized titanium. They range from solid colors to multi colored finishes, no plain ones in this batch at all. They are pretty darned cool looking. :)
The ti Chilly Beans will run $85 each plus shipping. This is a one time run and the batch is quite small so one per customer on them please. The order link is below. Thanks for stopping by and hope everyone has a great weekend planned ahead!
Ti Chilly Beans are gone! Thanks so much and have a great weekend folks!
Sunday, September 06, 2015
T-Wrex!
Hi Folks,
Perfect summer days right now here in the Northeast. I have been working my brains out, but not as much on tools as I would like...we just had some home renovations done this past week and so I have been prepping like mad for them. Practically the entire house was painted, furniture moved, etc. I'm exhausted now but at least the house is clean and has brand new carpet throughout. And I'm finally going to get some new home office furniture this coming Friday which will be great.
Yup, the long awaited T-Wrex has finally arrived! These little beasties are tiny yet absolutely massive. The thickness is well over 1/4" and the steel is CPM 3V with a slightly lower Rockwell hardness and tempering optimized for toughness.
The features include a large pry tip with nail notch, a 90 degree smaller secondary pry/screwdriver and a mini hammer or striking surface. A 1/4" hex/lanyard opening is also included as well as an alternate lanyard opening if you wanted to hang this tool on your over sized key ring or gear bag to form a T handle.
I have given this T-Wrex batch a really cool dark vintage finish and each one of them is hand rubbed and oiled. 3V is a tool steel so if you want to avoid surface rust keep them oiled or, be like me: abuse this tool relentlessly and embrace the patina. :)
I wish this batch was much larger but perhaps I will make another run at some point. At any rate, these will be one per customer and they will run $85 plus shipping. The link to order is right below, if sold out then the link will be gone.
Thanks for stopping by everyone and hope your Labor Day Weekend has been a great one!
T-Wrex is sold out, thank you so much everyone!
Perfect summer days right now here in the Northeast. I have been working my brains out, but not as much on tools as I would like...we just had some home renovations done this past week and so I have been prepping like mad for them. Practically the entire house was painted, furniture moved, etc. I'm exhausted now but at least the house is clean and has brand new carpet throughout. And I'm finally going to get some new home office furniture this coming Friday which will be great.
Yup, the long awaited T-Wrex has finally arrived! These little beasties are tiny yet absolutely massive. The thickness is well over 1/4" and the steel is CPM 3V with a slightly lower Rockwell hardness and tempering optimized for toughness.
The features include a large pry tip with nail notch, a 90 degree smaller secondary pry/screwdriver and a mini hammer or striking surface. A 1/4" hex/lanyard opening is also included as well as an alternate lanyard opening if you wanted to hang this tool on your over sized key ring or gear bag to form a T handle.
I have given this T-Wrex batch a really cool dark vintage finish and each one of them is hand rubbed and oiled. 3V is a tool steel so if you want to avoid surface rust keep them oiled or, be like me: abuse this tool relentlessly and embrace the patina. :)
I wish this batch was much larger but perhaps I will make another run at some point. At any rate, these will be one per customer and they will run $85 plus shipping. The link to order is right below, if sold out then the link will be gone.
Thanks for stopping by everyone and hope your Labor Day Weekend has been a great one!
T-Wrex is sold out, thank you so much everyone!
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
End of the Stainless Steel Roll Bars
Hi Folks,
Hope everyone is having a great summer! It's the hot and humid part of the summer here so a good time to get stuff done. And stuff has indeed been getting done.
The heavy duty T-Wrex pry tools I talked about months ago on the Toolbook have finally been sent to heat treat as have a batch of newly designed P15 Roid Prybabies. Those will be back in a week or two. Closely following those I have a big batch of special titanium Mini P15 Prybabies underway and I'm hoping to get the first ones finished soon. A few other special surprises are also in store so it's going to be one heck of a September and October ahead.
Today I have a small batch of stainless steel Roll Bars. These are leftover from the winter batch and there are just a few left. These are 303 stainless steel and it's doubtful I will be making any more of them at least in the foreseeable future so if you've been wanting one this is your big chance...
The stainless Roll Bars run $48 plus shipping and the order link is below. Thanks as always for stopping by and have a great week folks!
Stainless Roll Bars are gone, thank you so much folks!
Hope everyone is having a great summer! It's the hot and humid part of the summer here so a good time to get stuff done. And stuff has indeed been getting done.
The heavy duty T-Wrex pry tools I talked about months ago on the Toolbook have finally been sent to heat treat as have a batch of newly designed P15 Roid Prybabies. Those will be back in a week or two. Closely following those I have a big batch of special titanium Mini P15 Prybabies underway and I'm hoping to get the first ones finished soon. A few other special surprises are also in store so it's going to be one heck of a September and October ahead.
Today I have a small batch of stainless steel Roll Bars. These are leftover from the winter batch and there are just a few left. These are 303 stainless steel and it's doubtful I will be making any more of them at least in the foreseeable future so if you've been wanting one this is your big chance...
The stainless Roll Bars run $48 plus shipping and the order link is below. Thanks as always for stopping by and have a great week folks!
Stainless Roll Bars are gone, thank you so much folks!
