Groom Lake Monsters

Hi Folks,

Spring has definitely sprung here in a big way, although it is advancing with fits and starts. We've had a few gorgeous days, many chilly days and a couple of hot days that came way earlier than usual. I've taken advantage of it to get my gardens going, power wash the algae off the house, patch my driveway and freshen up my deck. I also cut down a few saplings and cleared some brush, although when you live in the woods there is always more to be done. These are typical springtime activities on my small country property which provide a welcome respite from news of the horrifying world and I'm so grateful for it.

I'm about to jump back into the shop and get going on various projects. I have several new small tools to work on, and also other partial batches to finish. I still have a bunch of Zr Keytons to complete, as well as PryDaddy Jrs. I'm hoping to have a cute little timascus ThumbNail variant tool in production soon. I have several older sheets of thin S30v steel lying around that I never did anything with, and I have an interesting new project in mind that might use some of that material up. I'm also waiting for some new mugs to come out of the kiln soon and there are some really cool pieces among them. On the bead front, it looks like they are finally going ahead and I'm looking at maybe June and July for those. So there is lots of fun stuff to look forward to.

Today I have a small batch of Groom Lake Monster Combs for you. These are all stamped and feature my usual wide variety of images. Thin titanium can be very challenging to stamp and tumble out so expect a few character marks here and there as well as a faint "phantom tooth" on a few left from the waterjet. I deliberated for some time on the finish, finally decided to try my new Heat Wave treatment on them and they came out quite nice.

Groom Lake Monsters with Heat Wave will run $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for swinging by today and I sure hope your Spring is going well too.

GLMonsters are all gone, thanks again my friends!

 

 

Pryons with New Heat Wave Finish

Hello Everyone,

We've got gray skies here today, and it's rather chilly. But at least I can report that over the drizzly weekend the tiny patch of snow in the backyard has finally succumbed. We have daffodils just about ready to break into bloom and I'm sure there are some hungry little juvenile newts roaming the woods looking for springtails.

Today I thought I would post something a little different. I have worked with these materials for so many years that I sometimes forget that there are other directions that I could go in. Titanium is roughly half the weight and twice as strong as steel for prying, but much softer, so that means it deforms and scratches more easily. For years I have played around with electrical anodizing and developed many different types of finishes, but I generally ignore heat treating because the resulting colors are not as vivid and they are much more difficult to control. Heating also alters the surface of the metal by laying down a very tough layer of oxides. So if you do want to make a change in coloring or finish, then it makes for a ton of extra work. The heat treat process hardens the surface of the metal, and that can be used for an advantage in that it increases the scratch resistance and improves the material's tendency for deformation. You can never achieve the hardness and toughness of steel, but it definitely does have a noticeable effect on wear and tear.

So today I have a batch of Titanium Pryon Tools for you. This is the trial run featuring my new Heat Wave finish. For now I am just doing a military-like grayish bronze color, but I will play around and see what else I can come up with down the road. Today's Pryons feature my usual array of crazy stamps, but I do have a few without if anyone wishes to request them. And I do have a couple of lefties as well.

Pryons with Heat Wave Finish will run $70 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for coming by, and I hope your week is a lovely one despite the worrisome world.

All gone, thank you so much!

 

 

Steel Skeletaurs Return

Hi Folks,

We're having April showers here today, and temps in the 40's. Very typical for this time of year. I'm hoping that between the showers today and the 60's temperature tomorrow we might finally bid goodbye to the ugly glacier in the backyard which is slinging tenaciously to life.

Today I have another round of Steel Skeletaurs for you. These were inspired by the classic skeleton keys of the past but given a generous application of AI (Atwood Imagination!) to produce something with more of a multitool flavor. Who knew that I have been using AI all along to design my tools? :)

Anyhow, the Skeletaurs are stamped with a wide variety of images. I also have a few without stamps if anyone wishes to request them, and there are still some lefties (paws, clovers or fish) as well.

Steel Skeletaurs will run $80 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for coming by today, and I hope your upcoming weekend is terrific.

All gone, thank you so much! 

 

Steel P20s!

Howdy Folks,

We're finally thawing out here for the most part. I still have two big piles of snow but they are receding and maybe by next week they will be out of here. Plenty of bulbs are poking up in the flower beds though. The purple and yellow blooms of the crocus, daffodil and Siberian Iris are always a welcome sight to see this time of year.

I've been steadily working away on several new projects, and I am hoping to bring you some new beads later this Spring, among other things. I have numerous tool batches underway as well and will have some new stuff coming up in a few days. 

Today I have just seven of these left over CPM154 Steel P20s for you. I saved a few with especially nice stamps. 

Steel P20 Micro Batch will run $75 each plus shipping and the link is below. Thank you for dropping by this week and hope you are enjoying the nicer weather!

Sold Out. Thank you so much!

 

Anodized Ragman Hooks!

Hi Everyone, and Happy Official Spring! 

It is still quite chilly here in the Northeast, but a couple more weeks of this raw weather and we should be getting to some milder days. Maybe by then the two huge piles of snow in my yard and the end of my driveway will finally disappear. It can't come soon enough.

Well today I have some more Titanium Ragman Hooks for you. These are anodized with a wide range of colors and effects, and are also stamped with a wide variety of stamped themes. I do have a few colored one without stamps btw, if anyone wishes to email me for them. I also have some stamped ones without coloring, and I have uncolored and unstamped pieces available as well. Just ask. :) And, I have some lefties in this batch too...just a reminder, I no longer have any rags left to go with these, it's BYOR, haha..

Anodized Ragman Hooks will run $60 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for popping in today and I hope you all are staying with it in these crazy times.

All gone for now, thank you so much!

 

Pryon!

Well, a Happy Thursday to you all, and a one day early Happy Spring! I am so looking forward to some warmer days ahead after the brutal deep freeze we have had this winter. My little pepper plants are looking good and I'm glad I started them a few weeks ago. Tomatoes will get started in a couple of weeks as well.

Well today I have the first small wave of new Titanium Pryon Tools for you. The Pryon, (aka Wrenchikins) are adorable little PryWrenches featuring a 1/2" open off set jaw, a rear 7/16 opening and a sturdy rear pry tip. OAL is 2.9", so quite compact indeed. I have stamped ones today with no anodizing, and there is are also a few without stamps if anyone wishes to request them. No lefties just yet, but I will get to them as I work my way through the batch...

Warning: EDC and Use could result in a case of Chronic Wrenching Disease in the states of CA and MA. Hehe... 

Titanium Pryon Tools will run $70 each and the link is below. Thank you for checking in today and I hope your week has been going great.

Sold out for today but more on the way very soon, thank you so much! 

 

Ti ThumbNails

Howdy Folks, and Happy St Patrick's Day! 

Well it's a blustery day here with plenty of gusty winds and we won't get out of the 30's. But at least the sun is slated to make some appearances. We still have a few patches of snow on the ground and several giant piles left from the plow but the overall trend is definitely moving towards Spring. I expect to see crocus flowers poking up any day now and the skunk cabbage is starting to come up in the swampy areas down the road from our house.

Today I have some more Titanium ThumbNails for you. Most of these have asymmetrical grinds, stamps and anodizing. I also have a couple of plain ones left if anyone wishes to request them.

Ti ThumbNails will run $55 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for swinging by today and I hope your week is a going well.

Sold out, thank you everyone!