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!