Copper Dice!

Hi Everyone,

So the hot and lazy days of summer are here finally! It's a good time to hunker down and get some things done in my cool basement shop...

Today I have some solid copper dice finished. These are not drilled for bead chain. They are made of grade C147 which is a sulphur copper alloy and it is much harder and more machineable than ordinary pure copper. A great choice for this application. I have given them a super long tumbling session which gave them a beautiful antique patina. Not only do they look nice but they are quite heavy and solid feeling in the hand.

The copper dice are $30 for each single dice plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping in on this fine holiday weekend and hope everyone has a safe 4th of July!

Copper Dice are gone, thank you!

Plain Ti Wrunts

Good afternoon everyone! Hope your week is going well. It's a bit gloomy here this afternoon but at least the temps are comfortable.

So, the party continues. :D Today I have more stonewashed titanium Wrunts finished. I decided to leave these alone and not do any colors because I know there are lots of folks who like them plain. Indeed these would make great user pieces. The grinds are like the first couple of batches and there are even more variations in this group. I was having fun with them... :)

Anyway, these are once again a bit limited in number so it will be a one per customer sale. They run $65 plus shipping and the link is below...thanks for dropping by!

Sold out , thank you!

Pink Belly Wrunts

Hi Folks,

OK, let's see if I have the blogger software figured out and have paragraphs again...I had a setting wrong the last few times and so ended up with run on paragraphs.

Tool Updates: More ti Wrunts (in plain stonewashed) are almost ready to go after these ones below...a few more ti Dice are coming up (with holes) and around the end of the week or weekend I should have solid (no holes) copper dice completed. In addition, I am told that the CPM 3v G5 prybabies (semi Roid) are close to finished at heat treat so those may be back by the weekend or early next week. Now, I can only do one thing at a time, contrary to what my wife thinks, so I'll be getting this stuff done as quickly as I can but it will not come all at once. It's going to take a while to get the batches together and I have to pace myself. However, it promises to be a very busy couple of weeks ahead...very busy indeed!

Soooo, tonight I have a short batch of light UV anodized "Pink Belly" titanium Wrunts with extra grinds available. Same kind of grinds as the earlier bronze anodized Wrunts, very fun stuff and many different configurations. There are just a couple dozen of these so it will be a one per customer sale please...the Pink Bellies run $65 plus shipping and the link is below:


Sold out, thank you so much!

Shake It Up Baby!

Hi Everyone! Hope your week is going well...it's quite hot here today and tomorrow so I'm hunkering down and trying to get a little bit of work done indoors. So today I have the first wave of something new and a little bit different...now, dice have been done before by various makers and even dice beads have been made in the past but to my knowledge these are the first TITANIUM dice beads ever made. These are something that I have wanted to make for a long time and finally things came together in such a way that the project could move forward. Anyway, these are turned and milled from a solid bar and the final size is .46", so they are slightly under 1/2" cubes. I intentionally kept the bead chain hole as small as possible for several reasons, both for fit of the chain, aesthetics and to affect the weight of the dice as little as possible. Using one end of the hole for the 1 was a no brainer and having it come out on the other side at 6 means that the number is always instantly readable so that worked out very well. And of course, the dots are placed on the dice in the usual way, each opposite side adds up to 7. Now, these are definitely NOT regulation weight and all that stuff so they are being offered as cool objects and I'm not making any claims as to whether a pro thrower should use them for gambling. But in my own tests at home they seem to throw just fine with no numbers coming up in anything but what appears to be a random fashion. I'm thinking I will make some without holes though in one of the subsequent waves for the purists out there who want to be sure the dice are as fair as I can make them. Now, even though most dice games involve just two dice, I am going to offer these up SINGLY because there are certain games that call for anywhere from 1-5 dice and I recognize that folks may want varying quantities. So, these dice will be $30 each plus shipping and you may order as many as you like while the limited supply lasts...I also want to mention that I have some bronze and copper bar stock ready to go so those versions will be coming in a week or two as well. Fun stuff ahead! Green Dice are SOLD OUT! Thank you! I will have more of these and perhaps in other colors, in about a week.

Matte Brass Whistles

Good Morning and Happy Weekend! I've had these whistles kicking around the shop for a year or more and just couldn't seem to get around to finishing them. Anyway, I was getting tired of looking at them sitting on the shelf so I decided it's time to finish them up and move them on out. As I was putting them together I decided to try a little experiment and give them a light bead blast and I really like the resulting matte finish, something a little different and they should patina very nicely over time. They are on bead chain. This is a very small batch so it will be one per customer on them please and they will run $45 plus shipping. SOLD OUT, thank you again folks! Show here on a background of flat S30v Wrunts... they will be coming up later next week! :)

Super Juice

Hi Folks, Well it's been a couple of great days in the shop. I spent quite a bit of time NOT working on tools for a change and instead doing some much needed and long overdue cleanup and organizing. Also some important maintenance stuff that I have been putting off for months. The good news is that I should be able to work a little smarter this summer and be able to keep myself somewhat sane in the process but perhaps that is too much to ask. ;) Anyway, I did manage to get some stuff underway and keep it moving through the processes. Today I have some more anodized aluminum Longslides done and this time they are in a brand new color. I'm calling this one SuperJuice because it reminds me of a certain well known sports drink...or maybe what happens after you eat a bunch of B vitamins...hehe. At any rate, this color is absolutely electric looking and I have put it on black cord to show off the contrast even more. The SuperJuice Longslides will be $25 plus shipping and the link is below. As always, thank you so much for stopping by and for your very kind emails and comments both here and on the ToolBook. Much appreciated! SuperJuice are sold out for now, thank you!

Colored Titanium

Folks, just a reminder, those finger oils will dull the anodizing on titanium. To revive the vivid colors just spray with Windex or other glass cleaner and then wipe with a soft cloth or towel. It will perk the colors right back up again. Of course, this will not remove scratches, impact marks or brassing from keys but for simple finger oils and dirt this will work wonders.

Ti Wrunts with Tiki Grinds

Hi Folks, Whew, it's been so busy here that I'm running around like a chicken with his head cut off. We're getting there though. The 3V Semi Roid Prybabies went to heat treat yesterday finally so that was very good. Couple of weeks and they will be back. Many other things are happening too, it's a very interesting year to say the least! Tonight I have the4 very first wave of ti Wrunts done. I decided to tweak the design a bit, adding the tiki grind style thumb grooves that some people might remember from my Atwrench series and many of my old edged tools. I also extended the butt end a bit and added chamferred holes for bead chain which will be included with each of these. People have been begging for Area 51 style grinds but I have gone a little nuts on these. There are several dozen different variations I would say in this batch. All sorts of tiki grinds, face grinds, edge grinds, A51 style grinds, many asymetrical grinds, grinds on the front, grinds on the back, grinds grinds grinds grinds grinds. So I hope people like them and all I can say is just go ahead and try to collect them all (he said laughing maniacally to himself). :D Anyway, this first of many waves are all anodized bronze. I haven't done bronze in a long time and I'm sick of blue, green and UV so time for something different. They are all matte finish and look a lot sharper than my quickie picture would indicate, especially in the sun. I don't too many bronze ones so I'm going to make it one per customer so more folks can get a chance at them...they are $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping in and for your great patience! :) Sold Out! Thank you again!

OD Green Longslides

Howdy Folks, I've been dragging my tail the past few days, not getting too much done...so hopefully I'll find some of that energy I had last week and getting cranking in the shop again as this week goes on. I did manage however to get the rest of the dark OD Green Aluminum Longslides finished up finally and that is what I have done today. These are actually on a variety of cord colors, mostly leopard but some on plain Desert Tan and a few others as well. So not too many on the Killer Bee cord but that's the only picture I had already. These are the usual $25 plus shipping and the link is below...thanks for stopping in tonight! All gone, thank you again everyone!

UV Ti Keytons

Hi Folks, Sorry for the long radio silence but I've been quite busy these past two weeks getting projects underway and processing tools. The month of June is going to be absolutely crazy busy as things get finished up. I have loads of ti Keytons that are nearly done, flat S30v Wrunts which are at heat treat right now, ti Wrunts are started, CPM 3v steel G5 Prybabies (semi Roid 3/16 thick) which are about to go to heat treat, more Count Sporkulas, Longslide beads and lots more. Today I have some ti Keytons done. These are stonewashed with UV purple anodizing, quite nice. They run $65 each plus shipping and I think I'm going to keep these at two per customer because there are a fairly limited number of them. I will have more coming very shortly in other colors and will do some fancies too so stay tuned...UV Keytons are sold out, thanks VERY much!

Plain Ti Keytons

Hey Folks, Hope everyone is doing well this week. It's warming up and getting a little muggy here in New England and we're getting into black fly season. I've been slowly working on a variety of projects but have been besieged with seemingly endless delays, distractions and small frustrations this spring. So it's been a little slower than I intended lately...but that will be changing soon as I'm finally making some headway and getting in some shop time. Still a lot to do in the weeks ahead though. Anyhow, today I have more titanium G2 Keytons completed. These are simple and plain with a light bead blasted finish. No stamps, no colors and no patterned ones yet but those will be coming in future waves. They do however have an extra grind on the lower pry tip. The plain ti Keytons will run $65 plus shipping and they are gone, Thank you! Thanks as always for stopping by this evening, much appreciated!

Rest of the Spanslides

Happy Rainy Tuesday! It's gray and drizzly here so this is going to be a good week to get some work done. Today I have the rest of the Spanslide batch finished. These are anodized a nice bright UV color and the cord is mostly Leopard pattern but there are a few other colors in there too. The spanner wrench tabs fit the pivot screws on larger Strider folding knives only, not Hinderer pivots... The Spanslides run $35 each plus shipping and the link is here: SpanSlides are Sold out, thank you!

Plain Count Sporkulas

Happy Weekend! It's going to be a nice one here, sunny and pleasant temps. Will make a nice change from the dreary skies and chilly rain we've been having. Today I have some plain Count Sporkulas done. These are the same batch, titanium, but this time with a light bead blast finish. Perfect for the folks who prefer good old fashioned vanilla as opposed to Super Fudge Brownie Sundaes! Anyway, these are $50 plus shipping....they are SOLD OUT, thank you!

Blue Count Sporkulas

Hey Folks, Wow, it's been a busy couple of weeks with numerous distractions and derailments but I'm rapidly getting back on track here. It's a good thing because the projects are starting to pile up now and I really need to get things moving along. Thanks for being patient and bearing with me! So today I have more Count Sporkulas finished. This time they are plain with no pattern and anodized a deep rich blue. I have started finishing more as well and will have Plain Jane vanilla ones with light bead blast finish very very shortly. Anyway, these plain blue ones will run $50 each plus shipping and the link is below: Blue ones are gone, thank you!

Wrest of the Wraw Bar Wrunts

Howdy Folks,

Lovely evening for a sale! Tonight I have the rest of the Wraw Bar Wrunts done...they run $55 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping in and I hope everyone is having a great week!

Wrunts are all gone, thank you!

Wrunts!

Hi Folks,

Quick update: More Count Sporkulas are tumbling today but may take a few more days to complete due to birthday/tax season paperwork/nice upcoming weekend kind of delays. So I'm guessing early next week for the next wave.

Anyway, at long last I have the first wave of Wrunts ready to go. These cool little keychain tools are very small, only 2.5" OAL, and the material is Wraw Bar S30v with a slightly matte stonewashed finish. These are close in size to the Chiggers or Mini Poltergeists and in fact the footprint is similar to the Mini Poltergeist/Ghost pieces. However, the Wrunts have a small wrench set with SAE sizes 1/4"-1/2" and a simple cap lifter area rather than the wrench/bottle opener. Cords will vary in color.

The Wrunts will be $55 plus shipping. The batch is fairly large but not huge so I'm going to make these two per customer please. International purchases will ship via Priority Mail for one or Express for two pieces. Thanks for stopping by today, always appreciated!

First wave is sold out, thank you!

Count Sporkula...

...the Prince of Forkness!! :D

Hehe, I crack myself up!

I have been working on this design for quite some time (ever since having some ice cream at the drive-in last fall) and it's been killing me to keep it secret. But finally I have the first batch of them cut and have the very first wave ready to go. They are made of .063 titanium, 3.5" long, and are virtually weightless, a flat tool that will get the job done and will ride easily in your wallet. Practically unbendable too. True, since it's flat you won't be eating soup with it... but chili, yogurt, ice cream, mashed potatoes, chicken salad, mac and cheese, really just about anything else is fair game for the Count. Spread cream cheese on your bagel with ease. And of course it opens your beer or soda pop too.

I decided to pattern all of these for several reasons. The ti has all sorts of minor imperfections in it and unfortunately it does not tumble well. Because these pieces are so light and flat they just clump up instantly in the tumbler. They all have to be individually sanded out which just makes all the little scratches and stuff show up and it's a bit slow going. So, it looks like patterning is going to be the way to go on this whole batch probably. I may do some of the next ones without the anodized coloring though and those look very nice too, very elegant and understated.

This is only the first of numerous waves of these. I'll make this bunch one per customer but no worries, there really are tons of them left to finish up over the next week or two. Count Sporkulas will run $50 plus shipping and the link is below. As always, thank you for stopping by today and thanks for your patience!

Gotta shut them down for now, thank you so much folks! I have a ton more coming, just need to finish them up.





The inspiration for CS came from the humble ice cream stick:

Diamond Knurl SpanSlides

Hi Everyone,

Well, the early spring heatwave has passed and we're back to chilly temps and biting cold wind today. It was a good day to spend some time in the shop and get some stuff done. I'm slowly but surely working my way through the S30v steel Wrunts and should have them ready for heat treat in another couple of days. Have not touched the 3V steel Roid G2 Keytons and I'm just not sure when I will get to them...I'm probably going to end up finishing 3V steel G5 Prybabies first. These are Roid G5s but not quite as thick as I first intended so maybe we'll call them Semi Roids. Still, at 3/16 thick, they are going to be quite robust.

For ti projects I will have more ti Keytons coming up and will be doing a variety of finishes on them. And there's always the possibility of a ti mystery tool. ;)

Anyway, today I managed to get more of the ti SpanSlides done. These are diamond knurled and I have left them plain with no anodizing. They are mostly on Teal cord but I have some Tan cord too. They are $35 plus shipping.

Plain diamond ones are all gone, thank you folks!

SpanSlides!

Hi Folks,

Hey, any Strider Knives fans in the house? :D

As many of you may remember, some years ago I made a few batches of Prybabies(R) and I incorporated a spanner wrench in the butt end to fit the pivot pins on Strider folding knives. Well, I won't be making any more of the Spannerbabies, but I still get requests quite frequently for them. So recently I was playing around with my old school AR folder and I realized that there might be a way to incorporate the spanner tabs into a Lanslide bead. So, after some quick drawings and a couple of days spent fine tuning the design at the machine shop I have some of these little beauties ready to rock and roll.

The SpanSlides have a jewel like quality to them. They are made of 1/2" titanium bar stock and there's quite a bit of milling involved to get them to work correctly. They are roughly the same size as the 5 rib Longslides, slightly longer if you take the spanner wrenches into account. I wanted to make them so that they could be used when on a paracord lanyard so I milled a deep channel into the sides so the cord has a place to go and the resulting spanner works very well indeed. In addition, there is a deep O-ring groove for enhanced grip or to keep them quiet when banging against another metal object and a couple of o-rings are included with each one.

The first wave is rifle knurled and they are anodized green. I'll have blue ones coming up early next week and then some diamond knurled ones after that in various colors. Maybe I'll do some in plain bead blast finish on military colored cord for the folks in the service too.

The SpanSlides run $35 each plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping by and hope everyone is having a great weekend!

First Wave is gone! Wow, that was quick. I have a ton more of these coming but this is all I had time to finish so far. Thanks so much everyone!

OD Green Longslides

The St Patty's Day celebration continues today...these hard anodized Aluminum Longslides aren't exactly Kelly Green but they are a great military OD green. The cord is a killer color so I'm calling it Killer B.

OD Green Longslides run the usual $25 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping in...have fun and be safe out there this weekend!

First wave is all gone, thank you everyone!