Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and best holiday wishes to you all. It's been a very fun year and I just want to thank you all for the wonderful support and so many kind words. I have a ton of crazy new designs coming up for 2020 and I can't wait to share them with you. In the meantime, I hope you all have a warm, safe and joyful holiday week ahead, and thank you once again! :)
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Christmas Six Flutes!
Hi Everyone,
It looks like a winter wonderland out there today. We had a pretty substantial storm that hit us all day yesterday and dumped about 6 inches or more. I just came in from shoveling the driveway and cleaning up after the plow. It wasn't too bad though, light and fluffy. Now it's supposed to be quite cold for a few days.
Thank you so much for all of the kind words on the Twisted Tim projects. I appreciate all the great feedback and I'm always so happy to get cool items like these out into the world. I'm currently mulling over some new but similar designs and so you can be sure there will be more intriguing tools like those in the near future.
I'm still working away diligently on several things and hope to keep rolling with the sales this week. Today, in the spirit of the season, I have some really nifty Aluminum 6 Flute Mega Beads with brilliant green anodizing. They are actually a little darker shade of green than the photo shows but lighting is tricky this time of year and it makes colors tough to capture accurately. Anyhow, I chose some red camo cord for them and the result is a sort of Tactical Santa look. Very fun stuff.
The Christmas 6 Flute Megas will run $30 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. A portion of this sale goes to the Food Bank of Western MA. Thank you so much for stopping by today!
It looks like a winter wonderland out there today. We had a pretty substantial storm that hit us all day yesterday and dumped about 6 inches or more. I just came in from shoveling the driveway and cleaning up after the plow. It wasn't too bad though, light and fluffy. Now it's supposed to be quite cold for a few days.
Thank you so much for all of the kind words on the Twisted Tim projects. I appreciate all the great feedback and I'm always so happy to get cool items like these out into the world. I'm currently mulling over some new but similar designs and so you can be sure there will be more intriguing tools like those in the near future.
I'm still working away diligently on several things and hope to keep rolling with the sales this week. Today, in the spirit of the season, I have some really nifty Aluminum 6 Flute Mega Beads with brilliant green anodizing. They are actually a little darker shade of green than the photo shows but lighting is tricky this time of year and it makes colors tough to capture accurately. Anyhow, I chose some red camo cord for them and the result is a sort of Tactical Santa look. Very fun stuff.
The Christmas 6 Flute Megas will run $30 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. A portion of this sale goes to the Food Bank of Western MA. Thank you so much for stopping by today!
Friday, December 13, 2019
Twisted Tim v90
Howdy everyone!
Well it's rather gray and gloomy today but at least they're calling for rain rather than snow. So it shouldn't be too messy this weekend.
Twisted Tims were a big success, and thanks so much for all of the kind words and interest. I can't wait until folks have them in their hands and can see the many variations.
Today I have another small batch of these but with an added twist...the tail end is at 90 degrees to the body. These might be my favorites so far. Up the road on future runs I have to try to figure out the best way to do the stamps to take full advantage of the twists, but really, all of these came out super cool. Also, I was curious how they would ride on a key ring, and although they take up a little bit more space, it's barely more than the straight twisted ones.
Twisted Tim v90 will run $85 plus shipping and again, it's a tiny batch, so one per customer on them please. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead!
Well it's rather gray and gloomy today but at least they're calling for rain rather than snow. So it shouldn't be too messy this weekend.
Twisted Tims were a big success, and thanks so much for all of the kind words and interest. I can't wait until folks have them in their hands and can see the many variations.
Today I have another small batch of these but with an added twist...the tail end is at 90 degrees to the body. These might be my favorites so far. Up the road on future runs I have to try to figure out the best way to do the stamps to take full advantage of the twists, but really, all of these came out super cool. Also, I was curious how they would ride on a key ring, and although they take up a little bit more space, it's barely more than the straight twisted ones.
Twisted Tim v90 will run $85 plus shipping and again, it's a tiny batch, so one per customer on them please. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead!
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Twisted Tims!
Hi Folks,
Yup, I'm back again...
Today I have something ultra cool for you. Something totally unique that you simply could never find anywhere else. I have been wanting to make a little tool like this for many years, and finally decided this fall to make some designs that would work well with the metal working techniques involved. This is the first of several versions. ;)
The Twisted Tims are made of upcycled Armor Plate Titanium, and are nearly 1/4" thick. The features include a 5/16" wrench, bottle opener, screwdriver, extra leverage pry tip and 7/16" 12 point wrench. They are small, with the OAL around 3 inches.
After prepping and stamping, these were heated with a torch and then carefully twisted by hand and straightened, all simply by eye. What I love is how this work demonstrates the plasticity of the material, the ductility of hot metal. It's not something you usually would see outside of traditional blacksmithing because it's too small and fussy to be made with modern production methods...you'd have to be a lunatic like me to take the time I guess, haha. So worth it though.
The twisting makes for cool distortions of the stamps and I had some interesting moments trying to figure out how they would end up since twisting makes the images upside down when brought to the other side. Many of them have name stamps on both sides so are ambidexterous too....Most are anodized, but the colors are generally muted due to this specific grade of ti and also because of the heat affected twisting zone. I also have a small number without anodizing available upon request.
Anyhow, these were just a ton of fun to make and I know you guys are going to love them. :) A second version is on deck already, and then a third design is halfway done and on the bench for finishing after the holidays. So more will be coming shortly and then again this winter.
The batches are small, so naturally it will be one per customer on these please. They will run $85 plus shipping and the button is below. Thanks so much for dropping by today!
Yup, I'm back again...
Today I have something ultra cool for you. Something totally unique that you simply could never find anywhere else. I have been wanting to make a little tool like this for many years, and finally decided this fall to make some designs that would work well with the metal working techniques involved. This is the first of several versions. ;)
The Twisted Tims are made of upcycled Armor Plate Titanium, and are nearly 1/4" thick. The features include a 5/16" wrench, bottle opener, screwdriver, extra leverage pry tip and 7/16" 12 point wrench. They are small, with the OAL around 3 inches.
After prepping and stamping, these were heated with a torch and then carefully twisted by hand and straightened, all simply by eye. What I love is how this work demonstrates the plasticity of the material, the ductility of hot metal. It's not something you usually would see outside of traditional blacksmithing because it's too small and fussy to be made with modern production methods...you'd have to be a lunatic like me to take the time I guess, haha. So worth it though.
The twisting makes for cool distortions of the stamps and I had some interesting moments trying to figure out how they would end up since twisting makes the images upside down when brought to the other side. Many of them have name stamps on both sides so are ambidexterous too....Most are anodized, but the colors are generally muted due to this specific grade of ti and also because of the heat affected twisting zone. I also have a small number without anodizing available upon request.
Anyhow, these were just a ton of fun to make and I know you guys are going to love them. :) A second version is on deck already, and then a third design is halfway done and on the bench for finishing after the holidays. So more will be coming shortly and then again this winter.
The batches are small, so naturally it will be one per customer on these please. They will run $85 plus shipping and the button is below. Thanks so much for dropping by today!
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
A51 Mini Prybaby19
Happy Wednesday my friends!
It's another cold overcast day here in the Northeast, just now turning sunny, so typical for this time of year. At least we got rid of some of the snow yesterday, enough to clear away and make room for the next storms. There is enough on the ground that we might be socked into a solid white landscape until spring though.
I've been nibbling away at a few projects here and there over the past week, in between the sales. There is much that I won't get to before the end of the year, but that's just fine because it means January and February will be very busy. This winter I will have newly redesigned TightWads, steel Mini Metric Prybaby19s, ti Tommyknockers, new bead designs, new captive bit tools, new finishes, and much more...
Today I have a small batch of stamped steel Mini Prybaby19s with A51 grinds. This is a very small batch, just a couple dozen, and so it's one per customer on them please. They will run $75 plus shipping and the button is below.
Gone in a flash, thank you so much!
It's another cold overcast day here in the Northeast, just now turning sunny, so typical for this time of year. At least we got rid of some of the snow yesterday, enough to clear away and make room for the next storms. There is enough on the ground that we might be socked into a solid white landscape until spring though.
I've been nibbling away at a few projects here and there over the past week, in between the sales. There is much that I won't get to before the end of the year, but that's just fine because it means January and February will be very busy. This winter I will have newly redesigned TightWads, steel Mini Metric Prybaby19s, ti Tommyknockers, new bead designs, new captive bit tools, new finishes, and much more...
Today I have a small batch of stamped steel Mini Prybaby19s with A51 grinds. This is a very small batch, just a couple dozen, and so it's one per customer on them please. They will run $75 plus shipping and the button is below.
Gone in a flash, thank you so much!
Monday, December 09, 2019
3/4" Titanium Wring Tools
Hi Everyone,
Well it's a rather dreary and drippy day out there today. We have quite a lot of snow on the ground right now, but it's raining lightly this morning and so the white stuff will become compacted and make a thick icy crust by the time it all ends tomorrow night. Then it will get back to being sub freezing temperatures again for the foreseeable future. Nice to see the tree trimming guys out on the street this morning getting rid of some of those pesky branches before they can become a threat to the power lines.
Today I have the 3/4" Wring Tools done. These are made of the same cool recycled Armor Plate Titanium, but in a slightly smaller size (Medium as opposed to Large) for those with slimmer fingers or smaller hands. They are stamped with the same wide variety of stamp combinations. There are a half dozen with no stamps as well. For this group I took them further in the finishing process and gave them a gorgeous high luster finish which I really like. I left them plain but have a couple with bright anodizing available if someone wants to request it. These make for a nifty little fiddle tool...there are still a handful of the previous Wring Tool releases available as well if anyone wants to email me and I am more than happy to hook you up.
The 3/4" Ti Wring Tools will run $60 plus shipping. The batch is not very big, but there is no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today folks, and I hope your holiday season is going well so far.
These are gone for today, thank you so much!
Well it's a rather dreary and drippy day out there today. We have quite a lot of snow on the ground right now, but it's raining lightly this morning and so the white stuff will become compacted and make a thick icy crust by the time it all ends tomorrow night. Then it will get back to being sub freezing temperatures again for the foreseeable future. Nice to see the tree trimming guys out on the street this morning getting rid of some of those pesky branches before they can become a threat to the power lines.
Today I have the 3/4" Wring Tools done. These are made of the same cool recycled Armor Plate Titanium, but in a slightly smaller size (Medium as opposed to Large) for those with slimmer fingers or smaller hands. They are stamped with the same wide variety of stamp combinations. There are a half dozen with no stamps as well. For this group I took them further in the finishing process and gave them a gorgeous high luster finish which I really like. I left them plain but have a couple with bright anodizing available if someone wants to request it. These make for a nifty little fiddle tool...there are still a handful of the previous Wring Tool releases available as well if anyone wants to email me and I am more than happy to hook you up.
The 3/4" Ti Wring Tools will run $60 plus shipping. The batch is not very big, but there is no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today folks, and I hope your holiday season is going well so far.
These are gone for today, thank you so much!
Friday, December 06, 2019
Raw Bar A51 Atwrenches
Hi Everyone,
Well we got a pretty good snow storm here over the weekend, around 15 inches or so I reckon. It will be interesting to see if this is a very snowy winter or not.
I've been finishing some stuff up this week and will have several batches of items coming up over the next week. Twisted Tims are very unusual and not to be missed. BagBoy clips are done as well. I have 3/4" Wring Tools with stamps finished, and there are some cool beads ahead too.
Today I have the remaining CPM 154 Steel Atwrenches done. These have a light raw bar finish and Area 51 grinds. No stamps on these, but there are a pair of lefties in the group. The batch is very small, less than 4 dozen total, so one per customer please.
Raw Bar A51 Atwrenches will run $70 plus shipping and the button is below. Thanks for swinging by today and stay warm this weekend!
Gone in a flash, thank you! If anyone wants to email me however, there are a small handful left from the two previous batches...
Well we got a pretty good snow storm here over the weekend, around 15 inches or so I reckon. It will be interesting to see if this is a very snowy winter or not.
I've been finishing some stuff up this week and will have several batches of items coming up over the next week. Twisted Tims are very unusual and not to be missed. BagBoy clips are done as well. I have 3/4" Wring Tools with stamps finished, and there are some cool beads ahead too.
Today I have the remaining CPM 154 Steel Atwrenches done. These have a light raw bar finish and Area 51 grinds. No stamps on these, but there are a pair of lefties in the group. The batch is very small, less than 4 dozen total, so one per customer please.
Raw Bar A51 Atwrenches will run $70 plus shipping and the button is below. Thanks for swinging by today and stay warm this weekend!
Gone in a flash, thank you! If anyone wants to email me however, there are a small handful left from the two previous batches...
Saturday, November 30, 2019
A51 Steel Atwrenches
Hi Folks,
I'm back again! We have a big storm bearing down on us this weekend and into Monday, which is expected to dump something like 15 inches of snow. So, I figured I better slip another sale in today, just in case we lose power for Monday. That's probably unlikely since they do a good job trimming the trees around here, but the way things have been lately, ya just never know. Plus Paypal has been completely overwhelmed and everything seems slow and delayed. I suspect Monday will be challenging for online merchants just because of the volume of transactions, but we'll see.
Anyhow, today I have a fairly small batch of fancy CPM 154 steel Atwrenches finished. These are stamped with my usual wide variety of decorative stamps, and then also have extra "Area 51" style tail grinds. Area 51 grinds has always referred to any extra grinds on the butt end of the tool, or any other funky embellishments that break up the lines and especially if they are angular. This group is fairly low key though, nothing real crazy, but more like paying homage to the original Atwrenches when I had just started doing this kind of thing...There are a few lefties in the batch.
A51 Atwrenches will run $75 plus shipping and the button is below, one per customer please for these guys. Thanks for dropping by, hope your turkey is mostly eaten up, and have a great weekend!
Sold out, thank you so much folks!
I'm back again! We have a big storm bearing down on us this weekend and into Monday, which is expected to dump something like 15 inches of snow. So, I figured I better slip another sale in today, just in case we lose power for Monday. That's probably unlikely since they do a good job trimming the trees around here, but the way things have been lately, ya just never know. Plus Paypal has been completely overwhelmed and everything seems slow and delayed. I suspect Monday will be challenging for online merchants just because of the volume of transactions, but we'll see.
Anyhow, today I have a fairly small batch of fancy CPM 154 steel Atwrenches finished. These are stamped with my usual wide variety of decorative stamps, and then also have extra "Area 51" style tail grinds. Area 51 grinds has always referred to any extra grinds on the butt end of the tool, or any other funky embellishments that break up the lines and especially if they are angular. This group is fairly low key though, nothing real crazy, but more like paying homage to the original Atwrenches when I had just started doing this kind of thing...There are a few lefties in the batch.
A51 Atwrenches will run $75 plus shipping and the button is below, one per customer please for these guys. Thanks for dropping by, hope your turkey is mostly eaten up, and have a great weekend!
Sold out, thank you so much folks!
Friday, November 29, 2019
Anodized Wring Tools
Hi Folks,
Well I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. It was a lovely day here and we managed to polish off an astonishing amount of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cheesecake. Luckily there's still some left for breakfast and lunch...
So today I have a few anodized Titanium Wring Tools done. These are the Version 2 with cap lifter. I gave these some nice stamps and followed up with contrast anodizing so they really pop. It's not a huge batch but I'll make it two per customer on them...there are some plain ones left as well if anyone wants to email me. A second batch with smaller 3/4" 12 point opening but the same shape is already stamped up and awaiting anodizing so I will have those coming in a week or so.
The Ti Wring Tools will run $60 plus shipping, and the pp button is below. Thanks for dropping by on this very busy day. Safe travels and best wishes to everyone this holiday season.
All gone for today, thank you so much!
Well I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. It was a lovely day here and we managed to polish off an astonishing amount of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cheesecake. Luckily there's still some left for breakfast and lunch...
So today I have a few anodized Titanium Wring Tools done. These are the Version 2 with cap lifter. I gave these some nice stamps and followed up with contrast anodizing so they really pop. It's not a huge batch but I'll make it two per customer on them...there are some plain ones left as well if anyone wants to email me. A second batch with smaller 3/4" 12 point opening but the same shape is already stamped up and awaiting anodizing so I will have those coming in a week or so.
The Ti Wring Tools will run $60 plus shipping, and the pp button is below. Thanks for dropping by on this very busy day. Safe travels and best wishes to everyone this holiday season.
All gone for today, thank you so much!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Steel Wrants
Hi Everyone,
It's another bright and sunny morning out there today. Temps will be going down slowly this week but it looks like Thanksgiving will be a reasonable day here weather wise. They are calling for about six inches of white stuff on Sunday night though, so winter is definitely on the way.
The tool train is still rolling today. This is a batch of Mini Wrunts (The Wrant) that I had cut years ago at the same time as the rough cut Mini Shiners that I released a few months ago. This batch of tools had the same rough cut and so I set them aside for a couple of years. Recently I went through and salvaged a small group of the better ones and that is what is on the menu today. The steel is CPM 154 and they have a pry tip and SAE wrench set. No extra grinds but they are all stamped, and unfortunately no lefties in this batch.
Steel Wrants will run $60 plus shipping, one per customer please. Thanks for dropping by and hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving holiday!
Wrants are sold out, thanks again everyone!
It's another bright and sunny morning out there today. Temps will be going down slowly this week but it looks like Thanksgiving will be a reasonable day here weather wise. They are calling for about six inches of white stuff on Sunday night though, so winter is definitely on the way.
The tool train is still rolling today. This is a batch of Mini Wrunts (The Wrant) that I had cut years ago at the same time as the rough cut Mini Shiners that I released a few months ago. This batch of tools had the same rough cut and so I set them aside for a couple of years. Recently I went through and salvaged a small group of the better ones and that is what is on the menu today. The steel is CPM 154 and they have a pry tip and SAE wrench set. No extra grinds but they are all stamped, and unfortunately no lefties in this batch.
Steel Wrants will run $60 plus shipping, one per customer please. Thanks for dropping by and hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving holiday!
Wrants are sold out, thanks again everyone!
Monday, November 25, 2019
Steel Atwrenches
Hi Everyone,
Well the holidays are almost here.We had a little snow yesterday morning which is already gone, but it was a chilly reminder of what is on the way. Hopefully the next storms hold off for the Thanksgiving week though as so many people will be traveling.
I've been finishing up a variety of projects over the past few weeks so will be cranking up the sales for this next period of time. Coming up are steel Wrants, ti Wring Tools, black delrin beads, ti beads, custom kitchen clips, and several more tool projects including Twisted Tims, which you will not want to miss. I also have a few odds and ends from this past year including more ti MultiMag magnets. New TightWads have just been cut but I am not yet sure if they will be done for this year. More MikroStiks are also in the works.
So today I have the first wave of CPM 154 steel Atwrenches done. I first made these tools several years ago and have always wanted to revisit the design. This is the best version so far I think. I refined the grip, added the Tiki Grind style grip to the thumb area and made them in my classic 5/32 thickness so they have plenty of heft and strength without being too heavy. This batch was divided up into a couple of groups and this first bunch is surface ground with a wide variety of stamps...
The Steel Atwrenches will run $70 plus shipping, they are one per customer in this medium sized batch, and the paypal button is below. No worries if you miss out today as there are still more Atwrenches to come this week. Hope everyone has a great week ahead!
Well the holidays are almost here.We had a little snow yesterday morning which is already gone, but it was a chilly reminder of what is on the way. Hopefully the next storms hold off for the Thanksgiving week though as so many people will be traveling.
I've been finishing up a variety of projects over the past few weeks so will be cranking up the sales for this next period of time. Coming up are steel Wrants, ti Wring Tools, black delrin beads, ti beads, custom kitchen clips, and several more tool projects including Twisted Tims, which you will not want to miss. I also have a few odds and ends from this past year including more ti MultiMag magnets. New TightWads have just been cut but I am not yet sure if they will be done for this year. More MikroStiks are also in the works.
So today I have the first wave of CPM 154 steel Atwrenches done. I first made these tools several years ago and have always wanted to revisit the design. This is the best version so far I think. I refined the grip, added the Tiki Grind style grip to the thumb area and made them in my classic 5/32 thickness so they have plenty of heft and strength without being too heavy. This batch was divided up into a couple of groups and this first bunch is surface ground with a wide variety of stamps...
The Steel Atwrenches will run $70 plus shipping, they are one per customer in this medium sized batch, and the paypal button is below. No worries if you miss out today as there are still more Atwrenches to come this week. Hope everyone has a great week ahead!
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Steel MikroStiks
Hi Everyone,
Hope you all had a great Veteran's Day! A big warm thank you to all who have served and to their families. We sure do appreciate it.
Well, I didn't quite expect the high demand for the TightWads, and so thank you very much for that and for the many emails that I got for them after the sale. I'm glad they were a big hit and people are enjoying them....ano ones are gone too now.
I have a new TightWad drawing that I just created and so will be cutting another small batch of a similar design, but they will not be getting the milled texture...I checked back in my records and was shocked to discover that the originals were cut almost 10 years ago! That's how long they were sitting on the shelf waiting for finishing. Anyhow, a lot has changed in 10 years and the new design will have a few interesting tweaks.
In other news, the projects keep rolling along. My anodizing power supply died and I am in the process of trying to get it repaired. I do have a back up unit but I'm not crazy about the way it works, so that is throwing a little crimp in my progress, but luckily there is plenty of other stuff to do...steel Atwrenches will be back from heat treat probably this week. I will be packaging up some other tools this week as well so the sales are going to start rolling shortly. I spent most of last week working on Twisted Tims which are now almost done, and you're going to find these to be extremely cool I think, and something that is new and different.
Today I have the CPM 154 steel MikroStiks done. These came out really nice. The design is identical to the titanium version but slightly thinner. They are mostly stamped, with a wide variety of images, and they have a bright tumbled finish.
Steel MikroStiks will run $50 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. The buy now button is below...thanks again for stopping by, and I hope your week is going great!
Hope you all had a great Veteran's Day! A big warm thank you to all who have served and to their families. We sure do appreciate it.
Well, I didn't quite expect the high demand for the TightWads, and so thank you very much for that and for the many emails that I got for them after the sale. I'm glad they were a big hit and people are enjoying them....ano ones are gone too now.
I have a new TightWad drawing that I just created and so will be cutting another small batch of a similar design, but they will not be getting the milled texture...I checked back in my records and was shocked to discover that the originals were cut almost 10 years ago! That's how long they were sitting on the shelf waiting for finishing. Anyhow, a lot has changed in 10 years and the new design will have a few interesting tweaks.
In other news, the projects keep rolling along. My anodizing power supply died and I am in the process of trying to get it repaired. I do have a back up unit but I'm not crazy about the way it works, so that is throwing a little crimp in my progress, but luckily there is plenty of other stuff to do...steel Atwrenches will be back from heat treat probably this week. I will be packaging up some other tools this week as well so the sales are going to start rolling shortly. I spent most of last week working on Twisted Tims which are now almost done, and you're going to find these to be extremely cool I think, and something that is new and different.
Today I have the CPM 154 steel MikroStiks done. These came out really nice. The design is identical to the titanium version but slightly thinner. They are mostly stamped, with a wide variety of images, and they have a bright tumbled finish.
Steel MikroStiks will run $50 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. The buy now button is below...thanks again for stopping by, and I hope your week is going great!
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Titanium TightWads!
Hi Folks,
A heavy storm last week knocked out our power and brought down a lot of the leaves, so that's mostly the end of the brightest colors for the year. I just raked up a big old pile into the compost this morning. The fall season always seems to be a lot shorter than I think it will be and the warm days will be behind us soon.
Steel MikroStiks are off to heat treat as are a small batch of rough cut steel Wrunts that were cut at the same time as the rough cut Mini Shiners from a few months ago. And steel Atwrenches have all ground as of yesterday and all I have left on those is stamping and final tumble before they too can go out for heat treat.
Today I have some of the new TightWads done. These were cut several years ago and I had stuck them on the shelf until I decided how I wanted to finish them. They are made of titanium, but the plain finish of the flat titanium stock wasn't thrilling me, and I dithered around for a couple of years on what I wanted to do to make them more interesting. Finally, this summer, I decided to mill the surface and create a pattern. I originally thought that a standard engine turned effect would be cool but after playing around with it settled on a much deeper cut with a different type of overlap. The result is quite spectacular...a deeply milled texture that catches the light in different ways and feels very nice in the hand. It looks gorgeous with a plain finish and even more dramatic with anodizing effects.
The TightWads have been tumbled extensively, followed by a bunch of hand buffing to create a final satin finish. Sized to hold a stack of credit cards and some cash, they will appeal to those who prefer a minimalist front pocket style wallet. The wide silicone bands are deeply embossed with "TightWad" on one side and "Planet Pocket Tool" on the other. There is a wide and varied range of cool colors in the bands and I will include two different ones with each tool so you can mix and match....this batch of TightWads is all plain without color, but a smaller batch with wild anodizing will also be coming soon.
Plain Finish Titanium TightWads will run $65 plus shipping and the Buy Now button is below, no quantity limit on them. Thank you for dropping by today, as always, and I hope your week is going great!
These are gone for today. More coming soon! Thanks so much. :)
A heavy storm last week knocked out our power and brought down a lot of the leaves, so that's mostly the end of the brightest colors for the year. I just raked up a big old pile into the compost this morning. The fall season always seems to be a lot shorter than I think it will be and the warm days will be behind us soon.
Steel MikroStiks are off to heat treat as are a small batch of rough cut steel Wrunts that were cut at the same time as the rough cut Mini Shiners from a few months ago. And steel Atwrenches have all ground as of yesterday and all I have left on those is stamping and final tumble before they too can go out for heat treat.
Today I have some of the new TightWads done. These were cut several years ago and I had stuck them on the shelf until I decided how I wanted to finish them. They are made of titanium, but the plain finish of the flat titanium stock wasn't thrilling me, and I dithered around for a couple of years on what I wanted to do to make them more interesting. Finally, this summer, I decided to mill the surface and create a pattern. I originally thought that a standard engine turned effect would be cool but after playing around with it settled on a much deeper cut with a different type of overlap. The result is quite spectacular...a deeply milled texture that catches the light in different ways and feels very nice in the hand. It looks gorgeous with a plain finish and even more dramatic with anodizing effects.
The TightWads have been tumbled extensively, followed by a bunch of hand buffing to create a final satin finish. Sized to hold a stack of credit cards and some cash, they will appeal to those who prefer a minimalist front pocket style wallet. The wide silicone bands are deeply embossed with "TightWad" on one side and "Planet Pocket Tool" on the other. There is a wide and varied range of cool colors in the bands and I will include two different ones with each tool so you can mix and match....this batch of TightWads is all plain without color, but a smaller batch with wild anodizing will also be coming soon.
Plain Finish Titanium TightWads will run $65 plus shipping and the Buy Now button is below, no quantity limit on them. Thank you for dropping by today, as always, and I hope your week is going great!
These are gone for today. More coming soon! Thanks so much. :)
Monday, October 14, 2019
Titanium Wring Tool Version 2
Hi Everyone,
Well we're finally in full on leaf season up here and the color is spectacular. Pretty soon it will be time to start raking, drain the hoses, clean up the garden and to give the lawn a final mowing for the season. I'm enjoying the last few precious days of warm weather...it's hard to believe how fast time is flying by lately.
Project Updates:
I just finished prepping and stamping the steel MikroStiks and they will be heading out for heat treat soon. They're so tiny that I want to add another small batch of tools to them so that there is a good sized batch of stuff to send at once...in other news, I'm about halfway done with grinding and stamping a huge batch of steel Atwrenches. The nifty new titanium TightWads are super close to finished and will be coming up very shortly. Metric Mini Prybaby 19s in steel are still on the bench awaiting grinding so they are still a ways off. Some thick ti Tommyknockers in armor plate are on the bench and just need finish grinding before final finishing steps. A new Superbug design in steel called the PopWroach is on the drawing board and they were just cut yesterday, so those will be coming sometime in the winter. A small sheet of Zr just arrived to make into Zr MikroStiks sometime in the next few months. The Zr Hangman v1.5 hooks are ready for stamping and are sitting on the bench so are not too far away from completion. A small batch of older rough cut Wrunt tools are milled and just need final grinding and stamps before heading to heat treat along with the MikroStiks. More beads are on the way and actually are done now and just waiting for me to get to the sale. There are at least a half dozen other projects also underway, so the next 6 months will certainly not be dull, and all I really need is 3 hands and 10 more hours in every day, lol...we'll get there eventually though and I keep telling myself that it is not a race.
Today I have Version 2 of the new Wring Tools done. These are made of the same tough upcycled titanium armor plate material from the Dept of Defense. This design, aka The Tick, combines the best functions of the Chigger and the original Ring tools into one tiny tool. The features include a 5/16 wrench, cap lifter, flat screwdriver/pry tip. The finger opening is once again 13/16 on these, but a small batch of 3/4" sized ones will be ready very soon.
This Wring Tool batch has a plain finish once again, but I have added stamps. A second wave of these stamped ones is waiting in the wings and those will have color anodizing as well. Today I just have plain ones done however...
The Stamped Version 2 Wring Tools will run $60 plus shipping and the pp button is below. Limit of one per customer please! Thanks for dropping by as always and I hope you guys are enjoying the cooler weather and are getting out for some fall activities.
Well we're finally in full on leaf season up here and the color is spectacular. Pretty soon it will be time to start raking, drain the hoses, clean up the garden and to give the lawn a final mowing for the season. I'm enjoying the last few precious days of warm weather...it's hard to believe how fast time is flying by lately.
Project Updates:
I just finished prepping and stamping the steel MikroStiks and they will be heading out for heat treat soon. They're so tiny that I want to add another small batch of tools to them so that there is a good sized batch of stuff to send at once...in other news, I'm about halfway done with grinding and stamping a huge batch of steel Atwrenches. The nifty new titanium TightWads are super close to finished and will be coming up very shortly. Metric Mini Prybaby 19s in steel are still on the bench awaiting grinding so they are still a ways off. Some thick ti Tommyknockers in armor plate are on the bench and just need finish grinding before final finishing steps. A new Superbug design in steel called the PopWroach is on the drawing board and they were just cut yesterday, so those will be coming sometime in the winter. A small sheet of Zr just arrived to make into Zr MikroStiks sometime in the next few months. The Zr Hangman v1.5 hooks are ready for stamping and are sitting on the bench so are not too far away from completion. A small batch of older rough cut Wrunt tools are milled and just need final grinding and stamps before heading to heat treat along with the MikroStiks. More beads are on the way and actually are done now and just waiting for me to get to the sale. There are at least a half dozen other projects also underway, so the next 6 months will certainly not be dull, and all I really need is 3 hands and 10 more hours in every day, lol...we'll get there eventually though and I keep telling myself that it is not a race.
Today I have Version 2 of the new Wring Tools done. These are made of the same tough upcycled titanium armor plate material from the Dept of Defense. This design, aka The Tick, combines the best functions of the Chigger and the original Ring tools into one tiny tool. The features include a 5/16 wrench, cap lifter, flat screwdriver/pry tip. The finger opening is once again 13/16 on these, but a small batch of 3/4" sized ones will be ready very soon.
This Wring Tool batch has a plain finish once again, but I have added stamps. A second wave of these stamped ones is waiting in the wings and those will have color anodizing as well. Today I just have plain ones done however...
The Stamped Version 2 Wring Tools will run $60 plus shipping and the pp button is below. Limit of one per customer please! Thanks for dropping by as always and I hope you guys are enjoying the cooler weather and are getting out for some fall activities.
Wednesday, October 02, 2019
Titanium Hangman v2.5
Hi Everyone,
Well, the day has finally come where my web host has made changes to php that will no longer let me run my old code. So I am no longer able to upload photos and generate new sale pages on my atwoodknives.com site and Jenny can't figure out what changes they have done. I don't feel like setting up a whole new site and shopping cart, etc since none of the off the shelf sites will let me do things the way that I am used to and it would be very costly to pay for a full custom site that I can easily update myself.
So my solution is to keep things very simple and just stick a Paypal button on the blog posts as a way to run the sales. We'll give it a try and see how it goes, but this should be a far simpler way for everyone and eliminate the convoluted steps that I have been doing in the past...
Today I have a batch of Hangman v2.5 hooks finished. This is the same updated rigid design as the Hangman v1.5 but with the addition of a pry tip on the bottom. I have stamped these heavily and anodized the batch, and there are a few non anodized plain ones available as well. The colors and stamps vary widely and no two are alike. Just email me if you don't want anodizing and I'm happy to hook you up. I believe there are even a few without stamps just in case someone wants totally plain.
The Hangman hooks will run $60 plus shipping. There is no quantity limit, but this is my first test sale with the Paypal button and I am not certain just how this will work, but you should be able to add more than one in the cart if desired. Hopefully my settings are right, but if not I will change them next time. I believe the shipping will be added in automatically according to your location and the rate is the same, $14 for international, $10 for Canada, $7 flat rate for US sales. Thanks for stopping by today and fingers crossed that this all works correctly!
Well, the day has finally come where my web host has made changes to php that will no longer let me run my old code. So I am no longer able to upload photos and generate new sale pages on my atwoodknives.com site and Jenny can't figure out what changes they have done. I don't feel like setting up a whole new site and shopping cart, etc since none of the off the shelf sites will let me do things the way that I am used to and it would be very costly to pay for a full custom site that I can easily update myself.
So my solution is to keep things very simple and just stick a Paypal button on the blog posts as a way to run the sales. We'll give it a try and see how it goes, but this should be a far simpler way for everyone and eliminate the convoluted steps that I have been doing in the past...
Today I have a batch of Hangman v2.5 hooks finished. This is the same updated rigid design as the Hangman v1.5 but with the addition of a pry tip on the bottom. I have stamped these heavily and anodized the batch, and there are a few non anodized plain ones available as well. The colors and stamps vary widely and no two are alike. Just email me if you don't want anodizing and I'm happy to hook you up. I believe there are even a few without stamps just in case someone wants totally plain.
The Hangman hooks will run $60 plus shipping. There is no quantity limit, but this is my first test sale with the Paypal button and I am not certain just how this will work, but you should be able to add more than one in the cart if desired. Hopefully my settings are right, but if not I will change them next time. I believe the shipping will be added in automatically according to your location and the rate is the same, $14 for international, $10 for Canada, $7 flat rate for US sales. Thanks for stopping by today and fingers crossed that this all works correctly!
Monday, September 30, 2019
Titanium Wring Tools
Well Happy Autumn Everyone!
Fall is suddenly in full swing up here in New England. The leaves are changing everywhere, but the temps haven't been cold enough to give us much color yet. So the leaves are mostly brown and tired looking, but here and there you can spy a bright orange and red maple as you drive down the country roads.
I've been working steadily on numerous projects and have also come up with several new drawings recently. So all kinds of stuff will be coming, basically for the next several months and well into the new year.
Today I sat down to create a new sale page and discovered some mysterious website problems. After spending a couple of hours trying to get it straightened out we decided to try a work around for now. So hopefully the sale can work for today...the problem was in uploading image files and so my sale page today and my shopping cart won't have any images, but they should still work properly. At least I hope so, hehe!
Today I have something really cool for you. This is brand new version of a very old tool. Some of you might remember the original Ring Tools that I made many years ago. I decided to revive the concept but added some new twists.
These Wring Tools are made of a special new material. They are titanium, but the titanium I am using is upcycled Armor Plate. It's surplus material from the Department of Defense. I have no idea what the original purpose was, but I'm guessing it was probably from those V bottom shaped armored vehicles that you sometimes see in combat images. Or maybe it was for tanks or something...Anyway, this stuff is crazy TOUGH, and also nearly 1/4" thick. So these tools are a lot more robust than the original ring tool design which were maybe 1/8 or 5/32 thick at the most.
The reason I went with the 12 point wrench interior shape is that not only does it look super cool, but it does allow for a much more forgiving fit range than a plain circular ring shape would. There is leeway for several ring sizes in these. In order to make the Wring size so that it will fit the broadest range of fingers possible, I settled on 13/16". If you have a full wrench set you can test that size right now and see how these will fit. The next closest size would be 3/4" (which you can also easily test with a wrench at home) but that is a little bit small for a lot of people. So I will skip 3/4" on this design for now. On the next Version Two of the Wring tools I have made a small number of 3/4" Wrings, and those will be available in a few weeks. But today I only have the 13/16 size which I am calling size M/L. The future 3/4" ones will be size Small.
The Wring tools feature a screwdriver/pry tip. The batch is fairly uniform and there are none with stamps. I elected to leave them with a plain finish as this grade of titanium does not anodize quite as brightly as the normal stuff usually does. The Wrings have gotten many hours of tumbling and then hand rubbed finishing to give them a soft buttery feel. There is a slight raw bar texture on them.
These first Wring Tools will run $50 each plus shipping and the link is below. I'll make it a limit of two per customer on them please. Thanks for stopping by today and hope you're all enjoying the last warm days of the year.
All gone for today, thank you so much!
Fall is suddenly in full swing up here in New England. The leaves are changing everywhere, but the temps haven't been cold enough to give us much color yet. So the leaves are mostly brown and tired looking, but here and there you can spy a bright orange and red maple as you drive down the country roads.
I've been working steadily on numerous projects and have also come up with several new drawings recently. So all kinds of stuff will be coming, basically for the next several months and well into the new year.
Today I sat down to create a new sale page and discovered some mysterious website problems. After spending a couple of hours trying to get it straightened out we decided to try a work around for now. So hopefully the sale can work for today...the problem was in uploading image files and so my sale page today and my shopping cart won't have any images, but they should still work properly. At least I hope so, hehe!
Today I have something really cool for you. This is brand new version of a very old tool. Some of you might remember the original Ring Tools that I made many years ago. I decided to revive the concept but added some new twists.
These Wring Tools are made of a special new material. They are titanium, but the titanium I am using is upcycled Armor Plate. It's surplus material from the Department of Defense. I have no idea what the original purpose was, but I'm guessing it was probably from those V bottom shaped armored vehicles that you sometimes see in combat images. Or maybe it was for tanks or something...Anyway, this stuff is crazy TOUGH, and also nearly 1/4" thick. So these tools are a lot more robust than the original ring tool design which were maybe 1/8 or 5/32 thick at the most.
The reason I went with the 12 point wrench interior shape is that not only does it look super cool, but it does allow for a much more forgiving fit range than a plain circular ring shape would. There is leeway for several ring sizes in these. In order to make the Wring size so that it will fit the broadest range of fingers possible, I settled on 13/16". If you have a full wrench set you can test that size right now and see how these will fit. The next closest size would be 3/4" (which you can also easily test with a wrench at home) but that is a little bit small for a lot of people. So I will skip 3/4" on this design for now. On the next Version Two of the Wring tools I have made a small number of 3/4" Wrings, and those will be available in a few weeks. But today I only have the 13/16 size which I am calling size M/L. The future 3/4" ones will be size Small.
The Wring tools feature a screwdriver/pry tip. The batch is fairly uniform and there are none with stamps. I elected to leave them with a plain finish as this grade of titanium does not anodize quite as brightly as the normal stuff usually does. The Wrings have gotten many hours of tumbling and then hand rubbed finishing to give them a soft buttery feel. There is a slight raw bar texture on them.
These first Wring Tools will run $50 each plus shipping and the link is below. I'll make it a limit of two per customer on them please. Thanks for stopping by today and hope you're all enjoying the last warm days of the year.
All gone for today, thank you so much!
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Six Flute Titanium Megas
Hi Everyone,
Well it's a lovely week here in Massachusetts. The mornings are a bit crisp now and it takes a few hours to burn off the dew on the lawn. We're trying to get out every day for a brisk walk while it's still shorts and t-shirt weather, but something tells me it won't be long until long sleeves become necessary.
I've been busy this week moving existing projects forward and also fiddling with some new drawings. Taking some time off this summer has really paid off as some very interesting new ideas have been coming to mind. Hopefully at least some will pan out.
Today I have some titanium 6 Flute Mega beads done. These have a plain finish and are roughly half of the total batch. I will anodize the rest soon, but today it's just the plain ones. These have deeply milled flutes and narrow fins which make for a very grippy shape. The finish is buttery smooth. Great for zipper pulls and for making into lanyards for tools.
The 6 Flute Megas will run $30 plus shipping and the link is below. Thank you for dropping by today, and I hope your upcoming weekend is excellent!
All gone for now, thank you so much!
Well it's a lovely week here in Massachusetts. The mornings are a bit crisp now and it takes a few hours to burn off the dew on the lawn. We're trying to get out every day for a brisk walk while it's still shorts and t-shirt weather, but something tells me it won't be long until long sleeves become necessary.
I've been busy this week moving existing projects forward and also fiddling with some new drawings. Taking some time off this summer has really paid off as some very interesting new ideas have been coming to mind. Hopefully at least some will pan out.
Today I have some titanium 6 Flute Mega beads done. These have a plain finish and are roughly half of the total batch. I will anodize the rest soon, but today it's just the plain ones. These have deeply milled flutes and narrow fins which make for a very grippy shape. The finish is buttery smooth. Great for zipper pulls and for making into lanyards for tools.
The 6 Flute Megas will run $30 plus shipping and the link is below. Thank you for dropping by today, and I hope your upcoming weekend is excellent!
All gone for now, thank you so much!
Thursday, September 05, 2019
Titanium MikroStiks
Hi Everyone,
I'm back!
Wow, what an amazing summer this has been. I still can't believe it's almost over though since time has flown by so fast....but here in the Northeast the air is starting to get a familiar early morning chill, the days are suddenly not as hot and we're losing precious daylight minutes at a rapid clip. We don't have any leaves showing color yet, but it's only a matter of time. Four short weeks from now we should be in peak foliage season.
Even though I've been quiet as a mouse for the past few weeks, work on projects has steadily continued. I've been quite busy the whole time grinding tools, creating new drawings, tumbling, sanding, anodizing tools and tying strings. The difference this summer compared to past ones is I've also been playing guitar, working out (Google the awesome little Pocket Monkii), gardening and cooking every single day, and going to several music events every week. I've even messed around with some acrylic paint and canvases. So my days have been somewhat mixed up, jam packed with both work and play, and we've super charged our social life this summer. Good times!
As I mentioned, the projects have been rolling along and I have a ton of stuff coming up this fall:
Steel Metric Mini Prybabies and new steel Atwrenches are both on the bench, still awaiting finish grinds and final decorations. But they are close to being sent out to heat treat.
A couple of older projects have been resurrected and are nearing completion, such as titanium TightWads, and a second small batch of rough cut steel tools has been rescued, although they are not Mini Shiners this time but rather a little tool called the Wrant that I never released.
I decided to revisit a very old design, the Ring Tool, and two completely new versions of that will be coming up in a rather novel new material. I'm finding these new Wring Tools to be highly addictive fiddle toys btw... A new small key fob design is coming, several long overdue batches of fluted beads, more kitchen magnets, a high quality kitchen clip design, zirconium Hangmen, an updated older tool in titanium, new Tiny Tims but with a twist and several other goodies.
Today I have a fancy little item, Titanium MikroStiks. These tiny 2.5 inch long tools are perfect for small and delicate poking, cleaning and prying tasks where a sharper pin tool would be too pointy and sharp. A versatile tool, it is excellent for fine renovations, small delicate repairs, cord and knot work or for pipe smokers looking to clean their pipe...these are heavily stamped with a wide variety and many combinations of images as usual, and most are contrast anodized with bright colors. There are also a few without anodizing for the vanilla lovers, just email me and I'm happy to hook you up.
I find that the MikroStiks pair well with any of my beads, and it's easy to tie a cord to them and use the bead as a sheath if you want to pocket carry these without poking yourself. They carry just fine on a key ring mixed in with your keys too though, especially Hangman style carry...also, you will note the center hole which provides for a tie in finger loop point for those who like to play with minimalist defensive tool ideas.
The Titanium MikroStiks will run $50 plus shipping and the link to purchase is just above the picture below. Thanks for dropping by today and I hope your summer has been super fun as well.
Sold out, thank you! There will be plain steel ones coming later this fall too...
Tie on a cord and any bead (you all have tons of beads I bet, haha!) and you have this nifty little carry option:
I'm back!
Wow, what an amazing summer this has been. I still can't believe it's almost over though since time has flown by so fast....but here in the Northeast the air is starting to get a familiar early morning chill, the days are suddenly not as hot and we're losing precious daylight minutes at a rapid clip. We don't have any leaves showing color yet, but it's only a matter of time. Four short weeks from now we should be in peak foliage season.
Even though I've been quiet as a mouse for the past few weeks, work on projects has steadily continued. I've been quite busy the whole time grinding tools, creating new drawings, tumbling, sanding, anodizing tools and tying strings. The difference this summer compared to past ones is I've also been playing guitar, working out (Google the awesome little Pocket Monkii), gardening and cooking every single day, and going to several music events every week. I've even messed around with some acrylic paint and canvases. So my days have been somewhat mixed up, jam packed with both work and play, and we've super charged our social life this summer. Good times!
As I mentioned, the projects have been rolling along and I have a ton of stuff coming up this fall:
Steel Metric Mini Prybabies and new steel Atwrenches are both on the bench, still awaiting finish grinds and final decorations. But they are close to being sent out to heat treat.
A couple of older projects have been resurrected and are nearing completion, such as titanium TightWads, and a second small batch of rough cut steel tools has been rescued, although they are not Mini Shiners this time but rather a little tool called the Wrant that I never released.
I decided to revisit a very old design, the Ring Tool, and two completely new versions of that will be coming up in a rather novel new material. I'm finding these new Wring Tools to be highly addictive fiddle toys btw... A new small key fob design is coming, several long overdue batches of fluted beads, more kitchen magnets, a high quality kitchen clip design, zirconium Hangmen, an updated older tool in titanium, new Tiny Tims but with a twist and several other goodies.
Today I have a fancy little item, Titanium MikroStiks. These tiny 2.5 inch long tools are perfect for small and delicate poking, cleaning and prying tasks where a sharper pin tool would be too pointy and sharp. A versatile tool, it is excellent for fine renovations, small delicate repairs, cord and knot work or for pipe smokers looking to clean their pipe...these are heavily stamped with a wide variety and many combinations of images as usual, and most are contrast anodized with bright colors. There are also a few without anodizing for the vanilla lovers, just email me and I'm happy to hook you up.
I find that the MikroStiks pair well with any of my beads, and it's easy to tie a cord to them and use the bead as a sheath if you want to pocket carry these without poking yourself. They carry just fine on a key ring mixed in with your keys too though, especially Hangman style carry...also, you will note the center hole which provides for a tie in finger loop point for those who like to play with minimalist defensive tool ideas.
The Titanium MikroStiks will run $50 plus shipping and the link to purchase is just above the picture below. Thanks for dropping by today and I hope your summer has been super fun as well.
Sold out, thank you! There will be plain steel ones coming later this fall too...
Tie on a cord and any bead (you all have tons of beads I bet, haha!) and you have this nifty little carry option:
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Stamped Zirconium Magnums
Happy Wednesday Everyone!
We're due for some strong thunderstorms here today so I thought I would try to slip in a quick and early sale this morning. Some very hot weather is coming our way for the weekend and it looks like much of the country is going to be sweltering. Probably not so great for outdoor events unless it involves swimming...
Now, earlier this year I sold a batch of Vintage Magnum beads, and I thought at the time that those were stainless steel. However, it turns out I had mixed up some trays and those were actually zirconium after all. I should have known this at the time because stainless simply will not take a heat coloring like that. Doh! Oh well, mistakes happen, LOL...
Anyhow, today I have the rest of the Zirconium Magnum beads finished. These are name stamped and then also I have added some of my tiny decorative stamps to them. They are heat colored, lightly tumbled and then oiled to bring out the color.
The Zr Magnum beads will run $70 each plus shipping and it is a tiny batch so one per customer on them please. Thanks as always for swinging by. I hope everyone has a great week ahead, and stay cool my friends!
Gone in a jiffy, thank you so much!
We're due for some strong thunderstorms here today so I thought I would try to slip in a quick and early sale this morning. Some very hot weather is coming our way for the weekend and it looks like much of the country is going to be sweltering. Probably not so great for outdoor events unless it involves swimming...
Now, earlier this year I sold a batch of Vintage Magnum beads, and I thought at the time that those were stainless steel. However, it turns out I had mixed up some trays and those were actually zirconium after all. I should have known this at the time because stainless simply will not take a heat coloring like that. Doh! Oh well, mistakes happen, LOL...
Anyhow, today I have the rest of the Zirconium Magnum beads finished. These are name stamped and then also I have added some of my tiny decorative stamps to them. They are heat colored, lightly tumbled and then oiled to bring out the color.
The Zr Magnum beads will run $70 each plus shipping and it is a tiny batch so one per customer on them please. Thanks as always for swinging by. I hope everyone has a great week ahead, and stay cool my friends!
Gone in a jiffy, thank you so much!
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Rough Cut Mini Shiners
Hi Everyone,
Summer is in full swing up this way. Yesterday I spotted a couple of cherry tomatoes starting to develop a noticeable pink blush so it won't be long now until we're enjoying the best salads of the summer.
Today I have a small batch of New Old Stock tools. These were cut about 5 years ago but I never got around to finishing the batch because they weren't cut as cleanly as I would have liked. This has happened once in a while before, and in the past I have simply trashed the bad batches. Usually it's because something didn't fit correctly because I didn't check my design thoroughly enough before cutting. But in this case, they were just cut kind of fast or something and so the edges were quite rough, but the fit was fine on the 1/4 hex opening and the cap lifter. Recently I came across the box and decided that the tool was kinda cute and that I would try to save some of these, at least enough to pay for the materials and expenses.
The Mini Shiner is one of the smallest tools I have made. Not as diminutive as the Tiny Tim, but pretty small indeed. They are made of CPM 154 steel and measure just 2.5" long by 1/2" wide and are 5/32 thick (.160). They feature a small rounded pry tip, cap lifter and 1/4 hex opening. Small enough to almost disappear on your keys...as I mentioned, these were somewhat rough cut so expect to see some sanding and cut marks around the edges, but they still make for a great little user tool. There are no stamps on these and no lefties or any other variations.
The Mini Shiners will run $50 plus shipping and the link is below, limit of one per customer please as there are just a few dozen. Thanks for dropping by this week and hope you all are staying cool!
Sold out, thank you so much!
Summer is in full swing up this way. Yesterday I spotted a couple of cherry tomatoes starting to develop a noticeable pink blush so it won't be long now until we're enjoying the best salads of the summer.
Today I have a small batch of New Old Stock tools. These were cut about 5 years ago but I never got around to finishing the batch because they weren't cut as cleanly as I would have liked. This has happened once in a while before, and in the past I have simply trashed the bad batches. Usually it's because something didn't fit correctly because I didn't check my design thoroughly enough before cutting. But in this case, they were just cut kind of fast or something and so the edges were quite rough, but the fit was fine on the 1/4 hex opening and the cap lifter. Recently I came across the box and decided that the tool was kinda cute and that I would try to save some of these, at least enough to pay for the materials and expenses.
The Mini Shiner is one of the smallest tools I have made. Not as diminutive as the Tiny Tim, but pretty small indeed. They are made of CPM 154 steel and measure just 2.5" long by 1/2" wide and are 5/32 thick (.160). They feature a small rounded pry tip, cap lifter and 1/4 hex opening. Small enough to almost disappear on your keys...as I mentioned, these were somewhat rough cut so expect to see some sanding and cut marks around the edges, but they still make for a great little user tool. There are no stamps on these and no lefties or any other variations.
The Mini Shiners will run $50 plus shipping and the link is below, limit of one per customer please as there are just a few dozen. Thanks for dropping by this week and hope you all are staying cool!
Sold out, thank you so much!
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Titanium Hangmen v1.5
Hi Everyone,
We're finally getting some heat here this week with temps in the high 80's and 90's. Good to see that summer didn't forget us after all, and this is very appropriate weather for the middle of July.
Well I thought I would keep things going after this great holiday weekend...
I have had more requests for these than almost any other tools I have made. The original Hangman hook was a great little item and the form factor was terrific. But, there were a few things that bothered me with that first design. I wanted them to be slightly flexible to fit over various pocket edges since pant pockets can vary so much. In practice though, the flexible arm just weakened the design unnecessarily, and made it more prone to bending. In my Hangman releases since then I have worked to refine and strengthen the design considerably, but I ended up changing the original form factor and I kinda missed it.
So in this new release, I have revisited the original compact and elegant shape, with some small changes, but also incorporated all of the little improvements I have learned thus far. These Version 1.5 Hangman Hooks are made of 5/32 thick titanium and are non flexible. I have streamlined and updated the side grip scalloping, and changed the key ring opening to a hex shape. Then, I went nuts on the stamps and really did these guys up with many variations, as you can see in the sample photo below... Finally, I gave them several long tumbles and left them with a semi polished stonewashed finish. I elected to keep these plain without anodizing but will make another run if enough people want colors. There are a few lefties too, just email me.
Version 2.5 with pry tip is also underway, and I should have them finished very soon. Later this year I will also make a third batch of V1.5, but in zirconium.
The V1.5 Hangmen will run $50 plus shipping and the link is below. No limit on them. Thank you so much for dropping by again, and I hope everyone has a fantastic summer week!
Sold out for today, thank you very much everyone!
We're finally getting some heat here this week with temps in the high 80's and 90's. Good to see that summer didn't forget us after all, and this is very appropriate weather for the middle of July.
Well I thought I would keep things going after this great holiday weekend...
I have had more requests for these than almost any other tools I have made. The original Hangman hook was a great little item and the form factor was terrific. But, there were a few things that bothered me with that first design. I wanted them to be slightly flexible to fit over various pocket edges since pant pockets can vary so much. In practice though, the flexible arm just weakened the design unnecessarily, and made it more prone to bending. In my Hangman releases since then I have worked to refine and strengthen the design considerably, but I ended up changing the original form factor and I kinda missed it.
So in this new release, I have revisited the original compact and elegant shape, with some small changes, but also incorporated all of the little improvements I have learned thus far. These Version 1.5 Hangman Hooks are made of 5/32 thick titanium and are non flexible. I have streamlined and updated the side grip scalloping, and changed the key ring opening to a hex shape. Then, I went nuts on the stamps and really did these guys up with many variations, as you can see in the sample photo below... Finally, I gave them several long tumbles and left them with a semi polished stonewashed finish. I elected to keep these plain without anodizing but will make another run if enough people want colors. There are a few lefties too, just email me.
Version 2.5 with pry tip is also underway, and I should have them finished very soon. Later this year I will also make a third batch of V1.5, but in zirconium.
The V1.5 Hangmen will run $50 plus shipping and the link is below. No limit on them. Thank you so much for dropping by again, and I hope everyone has a fantastic summer week!
Sold out for today, thank you very much everyone!
Monday, July 01, 2019
Titanium MultiMags
Hi Everyone,
Happy Summer!
Wow, we finally have gotten some spectacular weather here over the past two weeks. And it was relatively dry for much of the time too...I had a zillion projects to deal with at home such as replacing some rotten trim and door sills, refreshing the deck, sanding and painting trim, tending to the garden, planting blueberry bushes, changing the oil in the lawnmower, sharpening the blade, taking the cat to the vet, installing air conditioners, and the endless list just goes on and on. I still have a pile of things I need to get to, like going to the dentist, argggh. But it's time for a break from all that and getting back to the workshop.
I finally got the milling done on metric Mini Prybabies, so they are next up on the bench for a few days of grinding and further finish work to get them ready for heat treat. Maybe in a week or so I can get them ready to go out, so figure late July for completion. Hopefully.
I have just cut a batch of steel Atwrenches so those will be coming later this summer with a nicely updated design.
A nifty new micro pry tool is on the drawing board and will be coming in a month or so, maybe sooner.
New beads have just been turned so I have a lot of string tying ahead of me...handy projects for watching Red Sox games and getting work done at the same time....and there are several other projects that need to be finished too.
Today I have titanium MultiMags finished. For this group I made the magnets slightly thicker so they are a little bit stronger than the previous ones. These have decorative stamps in my usual wide variety of images and the batch is mostly contrast anodized. There is a small handful of pieces available that are plain, just email me if you don't want colors and I'm happy to hook you up while supplies last.
Ti Stamped MultiMags run $50 each plus shipping and the link is below. No quantity limit. Thanks so much for dropping by today and I hope you're enjoying the warm summer days!
Sold out, thank you so much!
Happy Summer!
Wow, we finally have gotten some spectacular weather here over the past two weeks. And it was relatively dry for much of the time too...I had a zillion projects to deal with at home such as replacing some rotten trim and door sills, refreshing the deck, sanding and painting trim, tending to the garden, planting blueberry bushes, changing the oil in the lawnmower, sharpening the blade, taking the cat to the vet, installing air conditioners, and the endless list just goes on and on. I still have a pile of things I need to get to, like going to the dentist, argggh. But it's time for a break from all that and getting back to the workshop.
I finally got the milling done on metric Mini Prybabies, so they are next up on the bench for a few days of grinding and further finish work to get them ready for heat treat. Maybe in a week or so I can get them ready to go out, so figure late July for completion. Hopefully.
I have just cut a batch of steel Atwrenches so those will be coming later this summer with a nicely updated design.
A nifty new micro pry tool is on the drawing board and will be coming in a month or so, maybe sooner.
New beads have just been turned so I have a lot of string tying ahead of me...handy projects for watching Red Sox games and getting work done at the same time....and there are several other projects that need to be finished too.
Today I have titanium MultiMags finished. For this group I made the magnets slightly thicker so they are a little bit stronger than the previous ones. These have decorative stamps in my usual wide variety of images and the batch is mostly contrast anodized. There is a small handful of pieces available that are plain, just email me if you don't want colors and I'm happy to hook you up while supplies last.
Ti Stamped MultiMags run $50 each plus shipping and the link is below. No quantity limit. Thanks so much for dropping by today and I hope you're enjoying the warm summer days!
Sold out, thank you so much!
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Steel Mini Prybaby 19
Hi Everyone,
Yup, it's true, I'm still here! Sorry for the long delay but this cold rainy spring has been an incredibly busy period for me, with tons of non work related things competing for my increasingly limited time. Most of those activities have been terrific and positive, but my recent schedule has been a disaster for getting tool projects to the finish line. Anyway, I'm striving to develop a new sort of work/life balance this year so hopefully this summer will shape up to have more of a steady flow and still allow me to get all these other important things done.
..........................................................
Long Overdue Updates:
The steel metric Mini Prybabies are about halfway completed and should be ready to send out to heat treat in two or three weeks.
Stamped Ti MultiMags are actually finished and I'll be putting them up for sale very soon.
New and improved ti Original V1.5 and V2.5 Hangman hooks are cooking right along. I've had some minor shoulder issues interfering with stamping but I'm slowly picking away at these guys and they will be spectacular once I finally get through the two batches.
A cool little magnetic clip project is going along swimmingly, and I should be able to get something finished with those in a few weeks.
A brand new mini tool design in steel and also ti has been cut and the steel ones are already surface ground, so these will be nice projects to tackle for mid summer. And a revamped older classic tool design is also on the drawing board which I'm pretty sure I will be cutting in a few weeks.
Several other older projects that have been languishing for far too long are also coming, such as TightWads. More Mega sized 6 flute ti beads are on the way and turning as we speak. And a few small limited number type sales are long overdue as well that I need to get to.
.........................................................
Today I finally have the new CPM 154 steel Mini Prybabies done. An all new Mini Prybaby design for 2019, these little gems are like several previous models rolled into one. They are about the same size as the older Mini P15 Prybabies, just over 2.5 inches long and the classic 5/32 thick. The mini tool set features SAE wrench sizes 1/4-3/8, cap lifter, pry tip with open V notch, and my classic rear pry tip/screwdriver shape. The rear lanyard opening is slightly larger than the older designs so the tool hangs nicely, even on fatter key rings. The Prybabies have a smooth stonewashed working finish so should stay looking new for a long time.
The whole batch is stamped, although I was limited to my smaller stamps mostly because there just isn't much real estate left on such a tiny tool. The upcoming metric version will probably not be stamped as there will be even less unused space available.
The stamped Mini Prybabies will run $70 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Limit of two please. Thanks for dropping by today, and of course for your endless patience!
All gone for now, thanks so much!
Yup, it's true, I'm still here! Sorry for the long delay but this cold rainy spring has been an incredibly busy period for me, with tons of non work related things competing for my increasingly limited time. Most of those activities have been terrific and positive, but my recent schedule has been a disaster for getting tool projects to the finish line. Anyway, I'm striving to develop a new sort of work/life balance this year so hopefully this summer will shape up to have more of a steady flow and still allow me to get all these other important things done.
..........................................................
Long Overdue Updates:
The steel metric Mini Prybabies are about halfway completed and should be ready to send out to heat treat in two or three weeks.
Stamped Ti MultiMags are actually finished and I'll be putting them up for sale very soon.
New and improved ti Original V1.5 and V2.5 Hangman hooks are cooking right along. I've had some minor shoulder issues interfering with stamping but I'm slowly picking away at these guys and they will be spectacular once I finally get through the two batches.
A cool little magnetic clip project is going along swimmingly, and I should be able to get something finished with those in a few weeks.
A brand new mini tool design in steel and also ti has been cut and the steel ones are already surface ground, so these will be nice projects to tackle for mid summer. And a revamped older classic tool design is also on the drawing board which I'm pretty sure I will be cutting in a few weeks.
Several other older projects that have been languishing for far too long are also coming, such as TightWads. More Mega sized 6 flute ti beads are on the way and turning as we speak. And a few small limited number type sales are long overdue as well that I need to get to.
.........................................................
Today I finally have the new CPM 154 steel Mini Prybabies done. An all new Mini Prybaby design for 2019, these little gems are like several previous models rolled into one. They are about the same size as the older Mini P15 Prybabies, just over 2.5 inches long and the classic 5/32 thick. The mini tool set features SAE wrench sizes 1/4-3/8, cap lifter, pry tip with open V notch, and my classic rear pry tip/screwdriver shape. The rear lanyard opening is slightly larger than the older designs so the tool hangs nicely, even on fatter key rings. The Prybabies have a smooth stonewashed working finish so should stay looking new for a long time.
The whole batch is stamped, although I was limited to my smaller stamps mostly because there just isn't much real estate left on such a tiny tool. The upcoming metric version will probably not be stamped as there will be even less unused space available.
The stamped Mini Prybabies will run $70 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Limit of two please. Thanks for dropping by today, and of course for your endless patience!
All gone for now, thanks so much!
