Antique Brass GameKoins

Hi Folks,

Hope you're all having a great spring so far. We're having some warmer days here lately, lots of showers this week and the leaves are just about to pop on the trees and bushes. I'll probably be mowing the lawn for the first time this season by the end of next week.

I've been busy the past few days with steel Mini Prybabies. Another day of grinding should have them ready to go into the tumblers and then off to heat treat. I also started prepping thick steel Wrunts and those will be on deck for grinding next, followed by the steel SuperBug17 tools. So it looks like the steel train will start rolling again very soon, bringing us a nice load of tools for the middle of May and into June.

In other news, I am about to make another short run of 5 flute beads so you can expect a few more stainless, more red bronze and possibly some more Zr ones too. And while we are on the subject of lathe turning, I am experimenting with a few other brand new ideas so we'll see where they lead. Sometimes experiments pan out and sometimes not, but it sure is fun to play around with new ideas and see where they go.

Today I have more GameKoins for you. These are made of brass with an antique finish, so they are very similar in appearance to the bronze ones, just a little yellower in color. The two metals are actually easy to tell apart because the brass makes a higher pitched "ping" sound when the edge hits the table, rather than the duller "thunk" sound of the bronze. Otherwise, they feature the same wide ranging variety of stamps and leathers. I haven't timed any spin tests with the brass but I imagine they are about the same as the bronze. 

The Brass GameKoins will run $85 plus shipping and, as before, it's not a huge batch so it will be one per customer on them. Thanks for dropping by today and have a great week!


Brass ones are gone for now. Thank you everyone!

Game Time!

Hi Everyone,

Spring is in full swing here finally. What a treat to be able to go outside in a T shirt, and the flowers are starting to come up around the yard. Always my favorite time of year.

Well today I have something very special to bring you. This whole spin coin project began earlier this winter, with something totally unrelated. I was not thinking about any sort of spinning tops. I had gone out on Ebay looking for small advertising trays from the early 1900's and discovered that there is a category called Tip Trays. Because everyone backed in those days smoked, I believe they originated as giveaway trays so that people had a place to "tip their ashes" and at the same time they would see a reminder of the company and it's products. Typically the subject matter is beer brewing, shipping lines, home appliances, farm implements and the like. Some of these trays are very colorful and feature fabulous graphics or pretty ladies.

Well, I was buying a few of these for a display in my office and I noticed one that had a car race game printed around the rim. The ad was for Jenney Gasoline, the colors and graphics were awesome and most importantly, it was a spinning game! As soon as I saw it I started thinking about the GripCoin project and I began thinking, wouldn't it be cool if? A lot of my projects start that way: wouldn't it be cool if? LOL...

So, I found some more over the winter months and promptly acquired them. Most of them have horse race themes:

Now, the exact rules of Tip Tray spinner games can only be guessed at, but I imagine it went something like this: Each player picked their horse or car and then they would spin the tray. Whatever rim ends up touching the table when it stops turning is the "winner" and would then have to pay the bar tab. Or perhaps you could settle a bet with it, or maybe that person is the one who has pulled the short straw. Whatever the rules, those are a good place to start and perhaps you can make up your own as circumstance dictate.

There are two type of these Game Koins. Type 1 is a simple three stamp version where each stamp is different and each player picks their stamp. Type 2 is a 1,2,3 game where I have used either one, two or three stamps in each section. There are more of the 1,2,3s than the other version for this first wave. At any rate, the rules would be the same for either type of coin, so it would either be pick your stamp or pick a number 1,2,3.


This first wave of GameKoins are made of silicon bronze, alloy 655. I have given these a rich patina so they have a wonderful aged look. I also have brass GameKoins underway as well as some other bronze versions, so more red metals will be coming.

As you can see from the pics, I have also brought something else new to the table, leather inlays! For years I have been collecting scrap leather and intending to use it someday for an inlay project, but I kept envisioning it for a tool body such as a Prybaby. My tools always tend to be too small however so it just never happened. The GameKoin project suddenly offered the perfect opportunity to use it though and I'm so happy to finally be able to do it. The leather inlays used here are almost all embossed cow leather and the variety is nothing short of spectacular. They are so cool that I'm having trouble parting with them, haha...    

The Bronze GameKoins will run $85 plus shipping. The higher value and limited number of them makes me a little worried about international shipping which means Priority Mail International so that there is tracking...I will send these at random (sorry, no stamp choices) but as you can see the variety is crazy and every single one of them is unique.   

The batch is good sized but I want to make sure as many people as possible get a chance at them so it will be one per customer. I will have a lot more brass ones coming up so there will be plenty of chances to score these and other versions as we go forward this spring. Thanks for stopping by today and hope your week is a warm and sunny one.

Bronze ones are gone for today but more will be coming soon. Thank you so much!

The last time we'll ever see them all together!

     

Titanium K4 Keytons

Hi Everyone,

Happy Weekend! It's shaping up to be a good one already, especially once the April showers have passed. We still have a tiny snowbank or two in the driveway left behind from the plow but otherwise we seem to finally be having some spring.

I've been working like mad all week, mostly on Spin Coins, and I will have some really cool and different bronze ones in a couple of days. In other projects, a new fidget spinner is underway which will accept the 3/8 spinner cores and I expect to have them done in a couple of weeks. I haven't done a thing this week to advance steel projects but I will be getting back to them very soon.

In the meantime, I did finish some of the new titanium K4 Keytons this week. This variation on the previous K3 design features a similar footprint, but I have replaced the thumb grip area with a different style and the lanyard opening is now a 12 point 7/16" wrench. The material is my favorite textured titanium with a hefty .200" thickness. A great looking and substantial tool that carries well on a keychain.

The grinds on this batch vary quite a bit but nothing too crazy. Still they add some fun visual interest. The colors vary widely as well and all in all I have tried to make these as different as I can. As usual, I will send you whatever I send you at random, but rest assured they are all very nice. Some plain non anodized ones are in reserve and I will try to do a second sale with plain ones if the stock holds up.

Titanium K4 Keytons will $70 plus shipping. It's a rather modest sized batch so I'll make it one per customer on them please. As always, I thank you so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful weekend ahead.

Anodized ones are all gone for today, thank you so much everyone!

Stainless Steel Signal Coins

Happy Weekend Everyone!

We're still battling winter up here in the northeast. My driveway is a disgusting mess of ice and sleet but it won't be hanging around for long as 50F temps move in this week. Spring will not be denied for long.

Projects continue to barrel along at a terrific pace. I am developing a new spinner/fiddle item and that project is well underway for the middle or latter part of April. The upcoming K4 Keytons are actually close to ready, just need to do some more anodizing on them, but they will be next up. And there is a wide assortment of other things all happening at once. I need to get back to working on the next steel tools but unfortunately there is still just one of me, so progress at the grinder has been slow this past week.

In the meantime, my favorite new toys are rapidly evolving and some very cool stuff is on the way... starting today! And Spin Coins are no April Fool's joke I can assure you. Dang these things are so much fun, I literally cannot put them away. :)

The first Spin Coin offering is the Disko Signal Coin. These are the first of my SpinTool series which will include spinning coins, spin coin game pieces called RaceCoins, also ArtKoins and some new and different fiddle tools and fidget toys. Lots of busy fingers ahead for everyone I think!

These first batch of Disko Signal Coins are made of 303 stainless steel. Measuring in at 1.5 inches in diameter, same as a silver dollar, they are a full 1/4 inch thick, plus a little more added on for the foot. The deep rifle knurling makes for a positive grip and the coins spin smoothly, riding on a beautiful black 1/8 inch ball bearing made of silicon nitride.

The low center of gravity combined with the heavy 36grams/1.25oz weight provides a satisfying spin and the hollowed out bottom pushes the weight to the outside, further contributing to the stable gyroscopic effect. Any initial wobble will usually right itself quickly as it settles in, turning for a very long time. I have so far measured an amazing 8+ minutes on tempered glass in the best of my many spin tests. Not too shabby at all.

I have given these coins multiple steps of tumbling, etc and have arrived at what I feel is the optimal finish for resisting scratches. In addition, each Spin Coin comes with a small velvet pouch to help keep it safe from scratches in your pocket. I recommend these as perfect candidates for coin pocket carry.  

The mirrored center is mesmerizing as the reflected light causes it to wink and throb with every tiny wobble and bump. You will not be able to put these down for long, absolutely addictive... Of course, although tiny, they can also be used for closeup inspections of your face and as a signal mirror as part of a survival kit.

The Disko Signal Coins will run $70 plus shipping and I will offer first class mail for international orders again to help keep costs down for our friends around the world. The batch is limited in number and these are probably the only mirror coins that I will make for a while as I move to other variations, so I will make it a one per customer limit on them please. Thanks again for stopping in and hope your weekend is going great.

Sold out, thank you so much everyone!