Thursday, December 24, 2020

Happy Safe Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you all stay safe this holiday season and make the best of it all. 

Once again, sorry for the endless delays from the post office this year, but so far everything seems to be making it, just days or weeks late, and the tracking is very sporadic. Oh well, big thanks to the postal workers and other shippers this year who are busting their tails for everyone despite covid and the enormous shipping volumes...

I'll probably do another sale or two before end of the year, but taking a couple of days off. All kinds of cool stuff is coming in 2021 so stay tuned. ;)  


Monday, December 21, 2020

Bead Blasted Steel MiniBar+ Tools

Well, hello again my friends! Happy First Official Day of Winter. I don't know about you, but I'll be very glad to see the days start to lengthen again as these short ones can get rather gloomy. Especially on top of all the depressing crap that made up much of 2020. It's a crying shame that humans can't hibernate because I would definitely sign up for that this year. On the other hand, winter has always been a very productive time for me, and I have an excellent start on this one already.

We're headed into the 2020 home stretch. Obviously the post office remains swamped and many people are still waiting on packages from a week or even two weeks ago. The PO system hasn't been giving very accurate tracking information at times, so I have gotten emails from a few people asking if their stuff has shipped. I have sent nearly all packages out this month on the very same day that the sales were done, so rest assured everything is on the way regardless of what the struggling postal scanning system reports. So far almost nothing has gotten lost this year, so your patience will be rewarded.

Today I have the last wave of MiniBar+ tools done. These have a low luster bead blasted finish and they both look and feel great. They have my usual wide variety of stamps. Looks like all the plain non stamped ones are gone with the first release, but I do have a few lefties here. I also have a handful of the anodized titanium MiniBar+ remaining which are available upon request, just email me please and I'll be happy to hook you up.

Bead Blasted Steel MiniBar+ tools will run $65 plus shipping, no limit, and the link is below...also, a portion of the sale today will go to my local Franklin County Community Meals program who have been doing a great job providing hot meals for needy folks this year. Thanks for dropping by and I hope you all are staying safe and warm this holiday season!

Sold out, thank you so much!
 


 
 
 

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Titianium MultiMags with Stamps

Hello Folks,

Well we certainly got some snow. I think there's about a foot or more so far, but it's still coming down. We'll see what the final tally is when it ends this afternoon, but suffice it to say, we are well covered with a thick white blanket this morning. I think it will stick around for the duration too.

I haven't had much time in the shop lately, so those new Prybabies will no doubt be put off until after the New Year. But I still have plenty of other items that are either done or close to it, so I'll try to keep some sales rolling along. The way that the mail has been going it is hard to say if anything mailed right now will make it before Christmas, but probably it just depends on where the package is headed. Big hat's off to the great folks at the Post Office and the other carriers because they are working their butts off for us this year! And other than delays, there have been very few problems.

Today I have the remaining Titanium MultiMags finished. This batch is stamped and they are contrast anodized so they really pop. It's a small batch so I will make it one per person please...they will run $55 plus shipping. Thanks for stopping by yet again, and stay safe out there folks!

    Sold out, thank you so much!

 


 
 
 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Titanium MultiMags

Hi Everyone,

It's quite gray outside today, and now the forecast is saying we are due for up to 17 inches of snow tonight and into tomorrow morning. So quite a storm is heading our way it appears. I have my snow blower all ready to go and will sand the driveway later on so that the plow guy can get some traction...good to time to sneak another sale in before the flakes start flying.

Today I have some Titanium MultiMags for you. These are left over from last year....Nifty little fidget spinner toy with the included ball bearings, or you can use them on your fridge or toolbox. They are all anodized, in a wide range of colors, and I also have a couple of stainless and bronze ones kicking around if anyone wants to email me for them. 

The Titanium MultiMags will run $50 plus shipping and there is no limit on them. Thanks for dropping in today my friends, and I hope you are staying safe and healthy in these tough times! And speaking of tough times, the need is greater this year than it has ever been before, and so a big chunk of today's sale will go to my local food pantry to give some help to those who are struggling.

Sold out, thank you so much folks!
 


 
 
 

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Metric Mini Prybabies

Hi Folks,

It's a bright and crisp morning out there today. I've already been out to the grocery store for a major stocking up before the snow storm hits this week. We're due for about a foot starting tomorrow afternoon. So, I figured I better try top up everything in our cupboards and do it first thing in the morning before most people are out and about.

I've been busy with new drawings lately and have a couple that I am pondering for the New Year. It looks like I have at least six new or updated tools that are likely candidates and I may come up with some more before the winter is over. Winter is always a fertile time for new ideas for some reason. Probably because I'm mostly stuck inside looking out at the blank paper landscape of white snow. :) 

Today I have some Metric Mini Prybabies for you. These are CPM154 steel, metric wrenches sized 8,9 and10mm, front pry tip and rear screwdriver/pry tip, with an antique satin finish. These are leftover from the batch earlier this past spring and there are a few dozen here, with a wide variety of stamps on the back side.

Metric Mini Prybabies will run $60 plus shipping and there is no limit on them. Thanks for stopping by once again, and have a terrific week ahead!

 All gone, thank you everyone!



 

Monday, December 14, 2020

Antique Bronze QuickDraws!

Hi Everyone,

Well, the full weight of winter is about to come upon us, and we are due for about 6-10 inches of snow later this week. I expect we will be having a white Christmas here in the northeast... 

The mail continues to run slow due to the crazy number of packages being mailed this year. I read over the weekend that they are expecting some 800 million more than usual, and the total number is something like 3 billion. So, you should absolutely expect things to be very slow indeed. I myself am waiting on a package that arrived in my local in state sorting center last weekend, and it looks like it finally might show up this week. The tracking system is all messed up too, so rest assured everything I have mailed out so far this month has gone out whether the system says so or not. In fact, nearly all packages I sent this month went out on the very same day as the sales.

Well today I have something really cool for you....Bronze QuickDraws! These are 1/8 thick, a bit thicker than the first titanium run, so that they would be stiff enough not to bend. These little tools feature a hand applied distressed antique finish, so expect to see all sorts of character marks, micro dings, hammer marks, tiny scratches and varied colorations. They have a Starter Patina which is nice, but you can make them yours in any way that you want. Carry them, let them get more scratches, let them age and get darker then hit them with Brasso or worn out green scotchbrite cloth to bring back a shine. Rinse and repeat and then start the aging process all over again. Bronze is very forgiving and will reward you with interesting personal patinas for years to come.

One other reason I wanted to go with thick bronze on these is because bronze is a softer material and so I could finally have a chance to showcase some of my larger stamps. People may not really understand what these stamps are all about btw...I have an enormous and valuable collection of hand forged, hand filed and hand engraved steel stamps made in England in the middle to late 1800's. Many have either rarely or never been seen until now, and others are your familiar old favorites that I have been using for years. I also have a couple hundred modern stamps, some of which are quite large and don't get used very much, and others are wonderful for the detail and subject matter that they offer such as the incredible bass and trout stamps.

Steel and titanium are relatively hard materials and it is often difficult to create a good stamped impression on them, so I simply have not been able to use some of these amazing images before, particularly if they are the larger ones...anyhow, it tickles me to use a mix of modern and 150 year old images in the making of brand new tools. Each stamp becomes a story telling time machine that ties my contemporary products into the centuries' old tradition of tool making in a unique and permanent way.

Bronze QuickDraws will run $60 each plus shipping and the link is below. I'll make it a two per customer limit on them please, so lots of folks can get a chance at them. And, I know stamps don't thrill everyone, so I do have a handful of plain ones available upon request... Please be super careful out there my friends! Working together we will get through these tough months ahead.

Sold out, thank you so much everyone!

 




 


 
 
 

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Metal Flake Zirconium Hangman Hooks

Hi Everyone,

I'm at it again...actually a lovely day out there, cool and clear with some bright sunshine peeking through the clouds. That dusting of snow yesterday was just that, a dusting, and it is completely gone already.

Well, today I have something really cool for you. Zirconium, titanium and niobium all sit near each other on the periodic table. These are known as reactive metals, and all of them will respond to anodizing to produce colors. Years ago I had tried to anodize zirconium and noticed that the colors were not as bright as titanium. So I kind of forgot all about it and instead always went for heat coloring which produces the dark gray/black hue that you normally see for Zr objects. Well this summer I tried anodizing Zr again and this time, after much experimentation, started to find some very interesting and subtle effects.

I call this new treatment "Metal Flake" because it has a sparkly quality to it that reminds me of years ago when I used to hang out at my buddy's auto body shop and watch him spray hot rods with metal flake and pearlescent finishes. It's a very cool effect that picks up the light when viewed at different angles for a variety of looks. If you're looking for something unique this is it!

Metal Flake Zirconium Hangman Hooks will run $60 plus shipping. It's a small batch so I will make it a limit of one please. Thanks for dropping by and enjoy your week my friends!

All gone, thanks everyone!
 



 
 

Wednesday, December 09, 2020

Anodized Stamped 6 Flutes

Hi Everyone,

A cloud of fat white flurries are lazily falling to the ground this morning. It probably won't amount to much today, but it feels raw out there and I know we're headed into the colder days now. I had a few cold tolerant leafy veggies still chugging away in my garden cold frame but when I looked in this morning they were all frozen solid, so I guess that's all until spring. 

Today I have the other half of the Triple Stamped Ti 6 Flute Mega bead batch. These have all been double anodized in a wide variety of colors and are just gorgeous. I'll have to keep a couple for my own stuff, hehe...

Anodized Stamped 6 Flutes will run $45 plus shipping and the link is below, no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by as usual, and I hope your week is going great!

Sold out, thank you so much folks, and stay safe out there!

 
 

 

Monday, December 07, 2020

Steel MiniBar+

Hi Everyone!

It's a bright and sunny day here in Massachusetts, but quite chilly. Somehow we managed to dodge the big snow storm this past weekend and the ground is bare with not a flake in sight, for now anyway. I'm sure that will change very soon though.

I've been busily cranking out the projects lately, and still have a ways to go before the end of the year. I will have another wave of ti stamped beads coming up, but this time with anodizing. And bronze QuickDraws are shaping up nicely so those will be coming in a few days. There are some tiny batches of misc items here too, as well as a couple of remnant tool batches that I will try to get to. I'm definitely going to make an effort to do some sales this week because the mail is starting to slow down due to the unprecedented package volumes this year. Between the usual holiday season, the pandemic and the other bureaucratic slow downs the post office is a bit nuts right now. So the sooner things can move out the greater the chance they will arrive in a relatively timely manner given the situation.

Today I have steel MiniBar+ tools done. These are identical to the titanium version released last month, but they are in 5/32 thick CPM 154 steel and feature a stonewashed finish. I did a wide variety of stamps on these, and left a handful without stamps as well if someone wants to email me. There are a few lefties here too. 

Steel MiniBar+ tools will run $65 plus shipping and there is no limit on this huge batch. Thanks for taking time to drop by today, and please stay safe and sensible out there my friends!  

 All gone for now, thank you so much! I will have a few more with bead blasted finish in a week or two.


 



 

Wednesday, December 02, 2020

Triple Stamped Titanium Six Flutes

Hi Everyone,

Happy Wednesday! It's quite cool here this week and it looks like we're in for a little rain this weekend. We're only three weeks away from the shortest day of the year though, so the dark and gloomy skies will be past before we know it. 

I'm hoping to have the bronze QuickDraws done next week. Steel MiniBar+ tools are almost finished and will be coming up later this week...there are a couple of other bead projects on the way, and we will see what else I can come up with. I just completed some new tool drawings so I will be cutting some goodies for the winter very soon.

Today I have some satin finished titanium 6 Flute beads for you, but this time they have stamps! I made a couple of these earlier this year just for myself and liked them so much that I set aside a big pile of plain beads to stamp...I finally got around to it last weekend. These are quite fiddly and there isn't much real estate to work with, so I was only able to use my smallest stamps on them. But it was a good opportunity to showcase some of the tiniest ones that I don't use as often, and most of them are the antique images that were hand forged in the mid to late 1800's. The Knight's Helm, Tiny Hand, Mini Whirlpool and Little Bone are some of my favorites from this batch...each bead has three stamps on it.

The Stamped Ti 6 Flute beads will run $40 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. A second wave with color anodizing will be coming up after these, so more are on the way as well. And I still have a few plain ti 6 flutes without stamps if anyone wants to email me. Thanks for stopping by today, hope you're staying safe and healthy, and I hope your week is going great!

These are all gone, thank you so much folks!


 

 
 
 

Friday, November 27, 2020

SpaceNails

Hi Folks!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Despite all the turmoil of 2020 I do have so much to be grateful for. Many others are not as lucky, and I was thinking about them as I enjoyed my turkey yesterday. So a hefty portion of today's sale has already been sent to the local food bank here in western MA.

A little story for you today...

My great Uncle Howard was a pioneer in the aviation industry. During the 1930's and through WW2 he worked as a master machinist for the Chance Vought Company which produced some of the most famous fighter planes of the era. After the war, he went to work for Pratt and Whitney in their experimental engine department and stayed until he retired in the 1970s. He passed away some years ago, sadly. But he strongly influenced me as a kid. I enjoyed many hours playing in his fascinating and well appointed home workshop, listening to his colorful stories and watching him build everything from a completely hand made car (from scrap metal and a lawnmower engine!) to musical instruments to elaborate doll houses. He was truly an amazing and very talented man, a self sufficient product of the Great Depression.

That's a cool story in itself, but here it gets even more interesting... It seems that sometime in the 1950's, while at Pratt and Whitney, he became close friends with a gentleman who had recently been transferred from a government post in Nevada. His name was Bill, although we never learned his last name. 

One hot summer evening, while enjoying cigars and a few too many drinks, Bill shared an interesting tale with my uncle. He claimed to have in his possession some mysterious artifacts from the crash of an unidentified flying object in 1947. 

The debris field from the crash had been enormous and material was strewn over a half mile of rough terrain. Bill had been part of the recovery crew so he had seen it all firsthand. Every single bit of the wreckage down to the tiniest scorched scrap was carefully collected by the men over several weeks. The entire collection was then brought by a convoy of military trucks to the new secret aviation facility in NV for long term storage and study. There were literally hundreds of boxes, barrels and pallets stacked high with these items, all stored in dusty metal sheds. Bill simply couldn't resist and at one point had "liberated" a few small pieces for himself. 

Bill knew of my uncle's engineering skills and keen interest in exotic metals so he loaned him several things to examine at his leisure. Soon after that fateful evening Bill was tragically killed in a car accident and my uncle ended up keeping these curious objects. He stashed them away and more or less forgot them... but he did eventually tell my aunt about Bill and his remarkable finds, and so the story has been passed down through the years. 

After his death, my family came across an old steamer trunk in the attic filled with some of Uncle Howard's secret treasures. There were vintage pinups, yellowed newspaper clippings, a jar of old silver coins and other personal items. In the bottom corner there was a small but very heavy wooden box which turned out to be lined with lead in case of radioactivity. Inside were several strange twisted metal items and a greasy smudged note card in my uncles' handwriting which read, "Bill's horde. From NM crash site 1947." On a second card he had scrawled "Space nails?"  

SpaceNails are faithful replicas of the 1947 originals. Made of armor plate titanium, 3.75 inches long, they will make a great pry tool, although we can only guess at their original use. Were they pins used to hold together the decks of an alien spaceship? LOL...fun stuff.

Titanium SpaceNails will run $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Limit of two on them please. Thanks for dropping by my friends, and may the force be with you. ;)

These are sold out, thank you so much everyone and have a great weekend!


 


 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Black Delrin 6 Flute Megas

Hi Folks,

I hope you all are gearing up for a safe holiday season. We'll be playing it very low key this year and that's just fine, better safe than sorry for sure...good time for me to hunker down and concentrate on working...

I'm making good headway on projects...steel MiniBar+ tools are close to the finish line, just waiting on packaging materials today. Just got the milling done on half of the steel P20 Prybabies so there is a good chance I can get them to completion before the end of the year. Bronze QuickDraws should be done in a week or two...SpaceNails are coming next week. New ti TightWads are still in the queue and I hope to get one batch done before Christmas.

Today I have the Black Delrin 6 Flute Mega beads for you. These are my personal favorites of the Delrin beads, and I like to use them on pocket knives especially. I tied these up with camo cord for a nice look. I left these kind of dry so that they don't ruin the insert cards and make a mess. But if you want to deepen the black color a little you can give them a quick wipe either with WD-40 or any kind of oil and that will bring out the color even more.

Black Delrin 6 Flute Megas will run $25 each and there is no limit on this big batch. Thanks for dropping by, and please stay safe out there, covid is truly getting ugly lately. 

All gone, thank you everyone!
 

 
 

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Black Delrin 3 Rib Magnums

Hi Everyone,

Yeah I know, you can't believe I'm back for a third day in a row! Haha...well, it's quite cold outside this morning. When I took the trash out it was a balmy 17F, so just a bit on the chilly side. At least it's bright and sunny out there. Not that I would going anywhere, except to the grocery store...

Well today I have a small batch of Black Delrin 3 Rib Magnums for you. Delrin is light and non marking so it won't weigh you down or scratch up your gear...I didn't get to make as many of these cuties as I wanted, but maybe next year I will do another run. At any rate, here a few dozen for you today...I will make it a limit of two on them please since it's a small batch, and they will run $30 each plus shipping. Will be releasing black Delrin 6 Flute Megas next so more Delrin beads are coming. Thanks for dropping by as always, and stay safe folks!

All gone, thank you so much!
 

 

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Anodized 3 Rib Magnums

Hi Everyone,

I'm back again...we have a chilly gray day today with a few moments of weak sunshine, around 35F, and with a light dusting of snow that appeared overnight. Much more typical for this time of year. 

Well it's been quite a while since I released any new beads. These are the same titanium 3 Rib Magnum beads that I made a while back, but I saved out a bunch for anodizing which I recently got around to doing. I still have about a dozen or so with plain finish so if anyone wants those instead, please just drop me a line...otherwise, this batch has a wide variety of bright colors and combinations as you can see below. I will just send them at random as very few are exactly alike. 

The Anodized 3 Rib Magnums will run $30 each plus shipping and the link is below. No limit on them. Thanks so much for stopping in my friends, and hope your week is going great!

Sold out, thanks so much everyone!


 

 

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Steel Oddvarks

Hi Everyone,

Well it certainly has been an interesting fall so far. Also extremely tense and disturbing, and I for one could do without so much "interest" thanks very much...at least the weather has mostly held up and we had some surprisingly warm days in the 70's last week. But now it's turning raw and getting quite gray, a sure sign of impending winter. Another sure sign, we ate our last bag ripened homegrown tomato of the season last night! I'm still ripening some cherry tomatoes and peppers although they aren't as good as sun ripened.

Updates: Progress has been slow but very steady lately. I have a number of batches of tools and other items either ready for sales, or very close to ready. Steel MiniBar+ tools should be back later this week from heat treat. Mysterious titanium items that I'm calling SpaceNails, relicts from a long ago historical event, are also on the way...bronze QuickDraws are nearly done, they just need one more small milling operation to complete and then I can stamp them and do final finishes. A large batch of new old stock flat steel G5 Prybaby Wruler tools from over a decade ago is pending, as soon as they get some milling done. Also coming up are several batches of beads and some small odds and ends. A double batch of special 20 year anniversary steel Prybabies have been cut and prepared for milling so those will be coming towards the end of the year, or in January. I've been busy! :)

Today I have some new CPM 154 steel tools for you. The Oddvark combines a broad pry tip which is also good for scraping tasks, with a cap lifter, small SAE wrench set and small screwdriver/pry tip in a super compact 2.5 inch OAL package. Excellent ergonomics and utility with this one....

The Oddvarks have a bead blasted finish for a little change rather than my usual stonewashed. There are a wide variety of stamps here, and even a couple without stamps if someone wants to email me. Also a half dozen stamped lefties here as well.

Oddvarks will run $65 plus shipping and the link is below, limit of two please...Stay safe everyone. The covid is out of control and life is crazy but we will make it through!

All gone, thank you so much folks!
 




 
 
 

Friday, September 25, 2020

Steel Bookie Tools!

 Hi Everyone,

Well, fall has arrived very suddenly during this past week. There were a few cold nights where we briefly flirted with an early frost but somehow managed to narrowly escape each time. After that we went from tired green leaves everywhere to spots of orange, yellow and red. It's been so dry all summer that I don't know what effect it will have on fall foliage though, and it might end up being a bit subdued... At any rate, I always savor the warm afternoons this time of year filled with golden light and the delicious smell of decomposing leaves.

The projects continue to slowly chug along. I just need to put in two more days of work and I will be ready to send a batch of a new steel pry tool called the Oddvark out to heat treat. Steel MiniBar+ tools are next in line after those. Not too much else to report at the moment, but I will stay with it and have more cool tools coming up soon.

Today I have some New Old Stock items for you. I was going through boxes this summer and came across a batch of 10 year old Steel Bookies that I never finished. It has been a very long time since I have had any edged tools to offer and so I figured I ought to finish these up.

The concept behind the Bookie was to make a thin bookmark tool that could be kept sheathed in a journal or book. They are made of hardened 420 stainless cutlery steel with stonewashed finish and have a 2.5 inch sharpened edge. And naturally they also have a cap lifter built in. These are intended to be used primarily as a desk tool and they make for a unique letter opener. They will ship with a simple plastic edge cover and it is up to you to find the perfect book, Moleskine journal or other home for them. 

In our frenetic electronic age, it is almost becoming quaint to use pen and ink and to read a book printed on paper. But I still love doing things the old fashioned way at times, and thankfully no battery is required!

Steel Bookies will run $70 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for dropping by and I hope you are gearing up for a nice weekend.

Bookies are gone for today, thank you so much!


 



 
 
 

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

Roidy Tims!

Hi Everyone,

Well it sure is gorgeous outside this week. We're enjoying some of the last warm days right now, and there is not a red or yellow leaf anywhere to be seen. Usually by this time of year we have a few branches here and there showing colors, but so far there is nothing at all. Maybe the unusually dry summer and the warmer than usual nights are keeping them back. But I am sure that fall cannot be denied and we will start seeing some nice foliage in the next week or two. Generally the first week of October is when we are at the peak of color.

As I mentioned last week, the CPM 154 steel Tiny Tims did indeed make it back from heat treat, and I worked on them all weekend. These are my favorite Tiny Tim design variation so far, and rather chunky, at just under 1/4 inch in thickness. So I think they can be officially considered Roids...

The functions include 1/4, 5/16 and 7/16 hex wrenches, cap lifter, and extra leverage pry tip/screwdriver. They are 2.1 inches long compared to the earlier titanium version which was 1.95 inches long, so a little bit more working room on the pry tip end. They have a silky antique satin finish which will wear like iron. Oh wait, they ARE iron (and carbon, chromium, etc.), haha... 

I used my usual wide variety of stamps on them, and the stamps are very deep and well defined on this batch. I had some fun with them and so there are quite a few with interesting image combinations as well as some sweet understated single stamped pieces. There are a few lefties here as well.

Roidy Tims will run $60 plus shipping, no quantity limit on them, and the purchase link is below. Thanks for visiting today, and I hope your holiday shortened week is going great so far!

Sold out, thank you so much folks!



Friday, September 04, 2020

Titanium MiniBar+

Hello Everyone!

I am back. I have been taking care of an older family member for the past several weeks who has been having some emergency health issues. So I was doing a lot of driving them to the ER, many doctor visits, surgery, helping at home, etc. Everything is cool now though, all is well thank goodness, and it looks like I have my life back...health care stuff is never fun during the best of times but during this pandemic navigating everything has become a nightmare, especially for older folks.

Anyhow, my production certainly suffered during August. I did still manage to get a few things done however, and I'm happy to report that a large batch of steel Tiny Tims is coming back from heat treat today so will be finished by next week. I also just finished milling some other steel projects and so will have at least two more steel tool batches coming up for the fall. I'm thinking of cutting a brand new titanium gas wrench tool, the GasBone, this month. I do have a pile of other designs in the wings too, including brand new Prybaby designs, so as I work through my backlog of projects this fall I will look at cutting more tools.

Today I have some nifty new titanium tools finished. The MiniBar+ is based on my Stubby MiniBar design which I released a while back. I had only made 10 of those Stubbies at the time but had so many people asking for them that I decided to make a similar tool, and I ended up adding a cap lifter and second rear pry tip. As with many of my designs, it has a fun form factor with a lot of potential function in a small package.

This is the first batch, in titanium, but a second batch in steel is nearly done as I mentioned above, and will be coming soon. So if you're a steel fan and not crazy about titanium then not to worry, I will have you covered in a few weeks. And if you're a ti fan but don't like anodizing, not to worry as I have a handful of these today set aside without anodizing. So please just drop me an email if you want a plain finish. I think there are even a few without stamps and grinds if you want super minimalist.

Otherwise, this batch today is all stamped and anodized with my wide range of decorative stamps and anodized colors. Most are contrast anodized for maximum variety and I left some grind marks on these for even more subtle contrast color effects...the one thing I forgot to do on this batch was to make some lefty only pieces. Sorry about that, but there will be some lefty ones in the upcoming steel batch.

Titanium MiniBar+ tools will run $65 plus shipping, no limit on them. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're gearing up for a great holiday weekend!



Sold Out, thank you everyone!










Tuesday, August 04, 2020

Groom Lake Monster!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all are doing well and surviving this crazy summer! We had a small tornado rip through the state just south of here the other day but luckily the damage was very minor. We're bracing for that big tropical storm though and it is supposed to be quite rainy later today and windy tonight. This is a good time to freshen up the water jugs and check all the flashlights just in case...

I have been quite busy working on projects, and spent most of last week grinding tools. There are some steel and ti tools coming up shortly based on the Stubby Minibar design. I began work on some new TightWads as well. I did the prep work on a small batch of new steel pry/opener tools called the Oddvark, and now they are ready to get milled. A sizable batch of bronze QuickDraws has been cut and I am in the midst of the prep work on those so that they can be milled. A big batch of steel Tiny Tims very similar to the recent titanium ones are scheduled to be cut soon. And there are some other exotic surprises coming up as well, so please stay tuned.

Today I have something quite unusual for you...back in the 1950's the US government was looking for a location to put their new top secret air base, which would later be known as Area 51. They chose a remote dry lake bed in Nevada called Groom Lake, and sent in a team of geologists to make sure the ground was stable enough for aircraft runways. While drilling some deep test wells they came up with many core samples which were placed in storage and then forgotten about for decades. A few years ago, in a dusty shed full of rusty shelves, some crumbling boxes with faded labels were discovered containing those very core samples. Under a microscope the contents revealed what looked like egg casings mixed in with the sand. When water and special chemical brine was added in the laboratory, these mysterious eggs sprang to life and the Groom Lake Monster was revived! This new tool is a metal replica of the ancient and long extinct beast, what scientists are now calling a Cryptopode.
       
The Groom Lake Monsters are made of titanium. A compact mini pocket comb, they also feature a cap lifter, 5/16" and 3/4" wrench. They have a light bead blasted finish and are all anodized in a wide range of colors, no stamps other than name stamp and they are stamped on both sides. These little guys were quite expensive and labor intensive to produce, so the batch is small and is limited to one per customer please. They will run $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for dropping in and I hope you all are staying informed and being safe!

Sold out, thank you!










Friday, July 17, 2020

Titanium Tiny Tims

Hi Everyone,

We were certainly enjoying some lovely mild summer weather this week with very comfortable temperatures. But a pounding rain woke me up at 4:30 this morning... Now it looks like we're going to get high humidity and scorching temps for the next few days. I guess it must be summertime, hehe.

So, I'm gradually getting some stuff done in the shop. I will have something brand new and completely different from an undisclosed laboratory located in the Nevada desert coming very shortly....also I'm almost done getting several batches of items through my newly renovated anodizing set up. And I just finished a brand new drawing this morning for a future tool, so things are beginning to move a bit on this end.

Today I have a batch of newly redesigned Titanium Tiny Tims completed. These little guys are adorable and feature more functions that the originals, in a package that is only slightly larger. They have a cap lifter/extra leverage pry tip/screwdriver. Plus a 5/16 wrench, as well as a 12 point 7/16 wrench and 1/4 inch 12 point bit holder. These are cute as a button and have great ergonomics for such a tiny tool.

There are no lefty or righty tools here. Some have the name stamp on the "front side" and some on the "back side", with the decorative stamps on whatever happened to be the opposite side. There is a wide variety of stamps as well as anodized colors. And there are a handful of "vanilla" ones without anodizing available as well.

Tiny Tims will run $55 plus shipping, no limit on them, and the link is below. Thanks as always for dropping in folks, and I sure hope you're all staying safe and healthy this summer.

All gone, thank you so much everyone, and have a nice weekend!




Thursday, July 09, 2020

Stamped Zirconium Hangmen

Hi Everyone,

Well the summer is flying by and it's hard to believe we are already in July. We had several days of rain storms here last week so the drought cycle is finally broken, much to everyone's tremendous relief, although we still need several inches of rain to get us back up to speed. The weeks of dry windy days in June took a heavy toll on my lawn which is going to need some reseeding this fall. More storms are due over much of the weekend.

I've been taking it a bit easy over these past two weeks. I needed to take a few days off to finish some projects around the house, tend to my gardens, do some careful shopping, take care of car related obligations, etc. It was good to get all those pesky errands out of the way because no doubt there will be dozens more coming up to take their place!

The constant stream of world events are so disturbing and disruptive this year that it is making it hard to concentrate on work and develop new ideas. Many creative folks have been reporting the same issues for months so it seems to be a pretty widespread problem. I do remain somewhat optimistic though and I think we will survive this dreadful period of time, somehow, but people have just got to start wising up and keep looking out for one another. Let's all keep informed and hope for the best.

Today I have some Zirconium Hangmen with stamps for you. These little beauties have my usual wide variety of stamped images and feature the traditional gray/black heat colored Zirconium finish. A second smaller group of these with a brand new sparkly and subtly colored Metal Flake Finish is also in the wings.

Stamped Zr Hangmen will run $60 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping by my friends. I hope you're staying healthy and have a great summer weekend ahead!

Sold out, thank you so much folks!

 



P.S. Remembering my friend Dean today, who worked at the local post office for decades. He handled literally thousands of Atwood packages over the years, before finally retiring in 2018. Dean was a sweet and kind man, loved by everyone and he will be sorely missed. Sadly, he never really got to enjoy his retirement because of early onset dementia, and then this spring while in a care facility I'm told the Covid-19 got him. RIP my friend.