G3 Mini Keytons

Hi Everyone,

Happy Easter Weekend! It's supposed to be lovely here, in the 60's and sunny. Looking forward to it.

Well, today at long last, I have the first wave of G3 Mini Keytons done. These are made of CPM 3v tool steel hardened to 58-60 Rockwell. The stock is 5/32 thick so they are plenty beefy yet remain very compact. As you can see, the footprint of the Minis is slightly smaller than the original Roid Keytons and the overall length is 2.7 inches. Although the wrench sizes are not super useful (1/4, 5/16 and 3/8) they are the sizes that fit in the small space and they look cool too. :)

The 3v tool steel is super tough material and very scratch resistant especially with this finish. Give them a little oil now and then and they should stay looking like new on your keys for many years.
 
The Mini Keytons are going to run $60 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. The batch is not very big so it will be one per customer on them please. I am looking into making a second batch and perhaps a couple of variation designs later this year so I'm sure this isn't the end of them.

Have a great weekend everyone and thank you as always!

Sold out for now, thank you again everyone!

   

Titanium Terminators

Hi Everyone,

We're finally getting some decent spring days up here in the northeast and the snow is completely gone now. Looking forward to those April showers bringing us some May flowers and green lawns.

Things are going along very well this month and much progress is being made on all the projects that are underway. The 3v Mini Keytons should be back from heat treat later this week and three other steel tool projects are well in hand and moving forward including the Shutterbug photographer's tool. Some great stuff on the way this spring!

Today I finally have the first wave of rifle knurled titanium Terminator beads finished. These are gorgeous and I'm very happy with them! They are very light in weight compared to the previous bronze and copper ones...they will be plain and unanodized in this first release.

The special tooling, machining time and material costs were quite a bit higher for the ti Terminators so they will cost a little more, $30 each plus shipping, and once again I'll keep it at two per customer please. The purchase link for them is below. As always, thanks for checking in and hope your week is going great!

Ti Terminators are gone for now but more are coming shortly. Thank you!

 

More Bronze Terminators

Howdy Folks,

I hope you're having a great weekend! Since it's still frozen and gray here I figured I'd sneak one more sale in for the week...

Today I have the remaining rifle knurled Silicon Bronze Terminators done. These little beauties are just terrific on bag pulls and lanyards, I'm really enjoying these on my own gear too. I'm thinking of making some variations on this design in addition to the ti rifle knurled Terminators that are on the schedule for end of next week. So there are some cool new patterns on the way this spring. :)

Anyhow, the Bronze Terminators are the usual $25 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks again for taking time to stop in and have a relaxing weekend everyone!

Terminators are sold out for now, thank you again folks!

Stamped Titanium Hangmen

Hi Folks,

Well, the calendar says it's Spring but I just don't believe it yet. Hope it starts warming up soon or this might be another New England Year Without Summer, like the one back in the 1800's...

So the new 3v Mini Keytons just got cut this week and that means that they are about a month away from completion. It takes a long time to surface grind, edge sand, grind the bevels, tumble for several cycles, name stamp, heat treat, and then finish tumble, sort and package the results. It's many steps and a ton of work but they will be really nice at the end of it all. The CPM 3v steel Shutterbugs (#3 in the Superbug series) are also supposed to be cut this week and have an identical road ahead for processing. So lots of tools are coming but it's going to take a while to get them done.

Also delayed are the titanium Terminator beads due to machine and tooling issues. They are supposed to start turning next week though. I will have more bronze ones coming in the meantime and also a variation or two if I'm lucky and everything works out. Still no word on stainless Tipplers but hoping to see them in late April perhaps. This stuff always seem to take forever and then it all happens at once.

Today I have the last of the titanium Hangmen done. These are stamped and I have tried to make them as different as I can although there are some duplicates among them. They are plain with no anodizing and they are a very small batch so one per customer please...they will run $45 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping in and don't be bragging to me how you are mowing your lawn this week for the second time, it will just make me disgusted. Hehe... :D

Sold out, thank you everyone!

Titanium Count Sporkulas

Howdy Folks!

Another dreary day here in the Northeast with freezing rain, sleet and snow in the forecast. Luckily it doesn't hang around very long this time of year though and that sun is getting stronger all the time.

Things have been slow going on the steel tool front lately. There are numerous projects underway but it seems like it's taking forever to move them along. However I'm happy to report that a brand new CPM 3v Mini Keyton design will be coming soon as well as a new CPM 3v captive bit tool. I'm hoping to have a small run of Tippler cups coming in stainless steel later this month...no guarantees as to when Tipplers will actually happen, although it is on the schedule. And I have several other interesting ideas that I am testing out both in round and flat stock. It's going to be a really fun spring if and when I can finally get all these projects going!

Today I have a good sized batch of titanium Count Sporkulas done. These are made from slightly thinner stock than the ones I made a couple of years ago, measuring .050 in thickness, so they are truly feather light and literally disappear in your wallet. These have been barrel tumbled for days to soften the edges and make them very smooth to the touch leaving just a few gentle marks here and there, perfect for EDC and utility use.

The Sporkulas will run $45 plus shipping and the clickable purchase link is below. Thanks for stopping in folks and hope your week is going great!

Sporkulas are sold out for now but a few more will be forthcoming soon, thank you!

Bronze Terminators

Good Morning and Happy Weekend,

It's sunny and bright today, spring is definitely on the way now, thank goodness! And the clocks have changed last night, another excellent sign that soon the icy grip of winter will be just a memory. Lastly, spring training is in full swing and regardless of whether the Red Sox win or lose I'm looking forward to another great baseball season ahead.

Today I have some fabulous bronze Terminators on black cord. These are made from silicon bronze, alloy #655, which is 97% copper with 2.8% silicon and then traces of a number of other metals to make up the remainder of ingredients. This alloy is very strong, nearly as strong as steel, with good corrosion resistance and it is used primarily in the marine industries and for industrial pump applications. It looks wonderful with a light golden color, quite shiny and bright and I think because of the relative hardness compared to tellurium copper for instance, that it might be fairly tarnish resistant. It will be very interesting to see how it looks over time.

So the bronze Terminators will be $25 each plus shipping and once again, limit of two per customer. The link is below....have a wonderful rest of the weekend everyone.

Sold Out, thank you!

Green Dreads

Hi Folks,

It's a bright and sunny one today with temps moderating slightly. Maple sugaring season is finally starting this weekend so that tells you something right there. Maybe if we're lucky some of that ugly white stuff piled up at the end of the driveway might even start disappearing, just enough to make room for another 12 inches due next week.

Bronze Terminators will be next up, probably over the weekend or early next week so stay tuned for those.

I have lots to do later on so I thought maybe an early morning sale (late night for the Aussies!) might be in order....Today I have some Titanium Dreadknots with green anodizing available. As usual, they run $60 each plus shipping. This is a tiny batch so one per customer please, the purchase link is below. Thanks and have a great weekend everyone!

Dreadknots are gone, thank you so much everyone!

 

More Copper Terminators

Hi Everyone,

The cold and misery continues here this week but it looks like maybe this weekend we will finally get above freezing during the day. This surely has been a winter for the record books...

Today I have another round of the tellurium copper Terminator beads finished. Thank you for the many kind words on the Toolbook and the enthusiastic emails I got about these! They are indeed beautiful and they work wonderfully for their intended purpose. The upcoming bronze and titanium versions are going to be equally as nice and hopefully I'll have some of those coming up this weekend or by early next week.

As usual, the link to purchase is below and they run $25 each plus shipping. We'll keep it at two per customer once again. Thanks as always for stopping in everyone and stay warm this week!

Copper one are sold out for now, thanks again everyone!

Tellurium Copper Terminators

Hi Everyone,

It's been a pretty quiet lately on the blog but I'm still here! This dreadful winter weather has been beating us down pretty good in the northeast. It's been so cold that the maple sugar season hasn't even started yet and that is usually halfway over by now. It's just crazy...luckily we're only three weeks from spring so things should start improving soon.

I've been working steadily on a number of interesting projects. I have a bunch of new designs coming up this spring that I'm excited about and I can't wait to get some of them going and share with you. I'll have more about them as they get closer, but in the meantime I've got this cute new Lanslide design to introduce today.

The Terminator Lanslide beads are something I have been thinking about for a couple of years now. I kept envisioning a bead large enough to hide a standard 550 paracord lanyard knot but 1/2 inch diameter stock was simply not big enough to do the job. So, I went up a size to 5/8 inch stock. These new beads are the largest that I have made so far both in girth and in length, .8 inches long, yet with the elegant tapered shape they really seem to be a perfect size. The sure positive grip they offer is outstanding.

The bottoms are counterbored and will accept a two strand Matthew Walker style knot (instructions for tying can be found here).  By trimming and sealing the cord ends the hollowed bottom of the Terminator will completely hide the knot if you wish to have a super clean look. Or you can let the cord tails stick out which looks fine as well and is easier to change if you want a different cord color. I will be shipping these with the cord tails in place and let you decide how you want to finish them since I know many people will be tying these onto their own custom lanyards anyway.

The first batch is made of gorgeous tellurium copper. They are very solid feeling and weigh in at a hefty 13 grams, nearly a 1/2 oz! I can't wait to see the patina develop on these...they look beautiful now but they are going to become fantastic as the months and years go by. The AAA copper flashlight in the background has been in my pocket every day for a year and it has a wonderful rich glow to it. Sweat, dust, finger oils and general oxidation give you a warm personal patina you can only get with age and constant handling. Good stuff.

This is only a small batch today but I will have more copper ones coming next week. Following that there will be titanium and also bronze Terminators.

The Terminators will run $25 each with a limit of two per customer for now. The link to purchase is below and if you don't see the link that means they are temporarily sold out.

Thanks for stopping by and stay warm this weekend!

Terminators are Sold Out for now, more coming next week, thank you!

  

HAIII Natural BitBuckets

Hi Everyone,

TGIF is all I can say...the sooner we get through this miserable February the closer we'll be to warm and sunny Springtime. At least the sun is out today and the snow looks bright and shiny. Almost makes you forget for a minute that the mercury was showing below 0F this morning, as it has for many many mornings this winter.

There have been a lot of distractions lately but I'm steadily chipping away at a variety of projects. Ti Count Sporkulas are coming up very shortly and a brand new Lanslide design will be coming in maybe a week or so. Still no movement on the remaining Frankenslices but I will get back to them soon. And I haven't gotten too far on the remaining Hangmen but will try to get to some of those in the next few days as well.

Today I have the last batch of aluminum BitBuckets done. These have a beautiful deep olive gray colored HAIII Natural Hardcoat Anodizing on them. A nice match for your SF flashlights. These will run the usual $55 plus shipping and it's a very modest sized batch so one per customer on them please. Link is below...thank you for stopping by today and may your weekend be a warm and happy one. :)

Sold Out, thank you very much!

Anodized Titanium Hangmen

Hi Everyone,

Happy Superbowl Weekend! My Pats got knocked out two weeks ago but that is just as well since they didn't have much of a chance this year anyway. So I don't really have a dog in the fight anymore and can just sit back and enjoy the game.

It's been a bit quiet around here lately but I'm making great progress and will be stepping up the sales a bit in this next week. So much stuff is about to be finished...

Today I have the first wave of anodized ti Hangmen done. These are finished in a variety of colors, mostly different although there are some duplicates such as a few solid green, a few solid blue, a few gold, etc. I tried to make them as different as I could though so there is a wide variety of color fades and multi colored pieces. These all have a bright chamfered accent on the attachment hole as well. I will send whatever I send so I can't give you a color choice, but they are all absolutely gorgeous and I think everyone will be thrilled.

 I ran out of the mini S clips so these will all ship just by themselves...but since most of you guys put them on keyrings and such anyway I'm sure you will find a way to integrate them into your EDC. :)  This is the first half of the batch and more will be coming in this next week.

If you are new to colored titanium: finger oils will dull the colors so clean periodically with Windex and a soft cloth to restore the bright color. Colors are applied via electricity and are very thin. They are somewhat delicate but at the same time surprisingly durable. The stonewashed texture on the base of the pieces will help preserve the color and blend in the inevitable patina from use. 

The anodized Hangmen are $45 plus shipping and the link is below. It's not a very large batch so is one per customer please...thank you for your patience this winter and I hope everyone is staying warm and comfy this weekend. Temps are finally moderating a little bit here after the most brutal January I can remember...

Anodized Hangmen are sold out for now but more are coming shortly, thank you so much!

    

And the Bronze Bitbucket Winners Are...

Thanks so much for another great turnout everyone! Here is the list of winners and I will be sending out emails very shortly:



 

Bronze Bitbucket SUSale

Happy Wednesday Folks!

I might have mentioned yesterday that it's really cold here this week. Won't be getting out of the teens for at least couple of days if not for a week or more and below zero at night. Brrrr. This is the Fahrenheit scale I'm talking about here, the only "real" temperature measurement...hehe. :)  

Well today I have a little Sign Up Sale for you. I have two dozen of these pretty #655 bronze Bitbuckets. These will run $60 plus shipping and the link to sign up is below. I will let the sign up run for 30 minutes, so until 2:30 eastern time and then I'll give 3 hours to get back to me after I send out the emails. So if you sign up please make sure to check your email (and spam filter to be safe) in the next few hours.

So, wishing everyone a warm and productive Wednesday and thanks for stopping by.

Sign Up is over, emails will be sent shortly...thanks again!


List of Folks Who Signed Up 

Photo shot with new Lomography brass Petzval lens at f2.8 on Canon 5dmkii.

Ti BitBuckets!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it's been so slow this year but things are starting to pick up at last. I have a few small batches of items that I am finishing up now and then we'll be on to some bigger projects again.

Coming up in a week or so will be more ti Hangmen, this time in anodized colors. Also coming in February is a batch of ti Count Sporkulas. In addition, I am working on some new stuff so you can expect a brand new Lanslide design this winter as well as a new titanium tool. That's it so far but there are other ideas brewing as well so there's just no telling what might happen next. :D

Today I have completed the remaining titanium BitBuckets from last year's run. The batch is small so it will be one per customer and they run $60 plus shipping....the purchase link is below. Newbies: if you don't see the link right above the picture then that means they are all gone. Thanks for your patience everyone and I hope 2014 is treating you right so far. It's going to be a great year, I can feel it in my bones...although since it's about 10F today those bones are sipping cocoa and wearing a sweater. :)
 
Sold Out, thank you so much!
 

  

Last of the S30v Ghosts

Hi Folks,

It was well below zero F here last night and it's snowing steadily right now. Looks like we're due for another 4-8 inches of fluffy white stuff by tonight. Some people love this weather but I have to confess that it's my own least favorite season. Builds character though I guess, or so they say...

Anyhow, today I have the remaining S30v G2 Ghosts done. It's a small batch but I'll make it a two per customer limit in case some folks want to pick up last minute Christmas gifts. The Ghosts run $60 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for stopping in and I hope everyone has a safe and warm week ahead!

Ghosts are sold out, thank you everyone!

  

HangMan!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

We're settling into a cold spell here in New England, bitter overnight temps and miserable chilly days. At least we're finally getting some sun this week.

Well, I've been scrambling to get some last minute projects done for the year. Today I have on offer a new design, something that I have been planning for quite a long time. The HangMan is a neat little keychain accessory that allows you to hang your keys from a belt loop, or use it as a pocket clip to suspend your keys or other gear in your pocket. I've given this idea a lot of thought and tried many versions out to arrive at one that satisfies me both in action and in form.

The HangMan is made of .160" thick titanium and measures 2 inches x 1 inch, so it is small and unobtrusive yet still feels very beefy. The aggressive grip allows for easy retrieval. I have thinned one side in order to give a very slight spring action, quite stiff but with just enough flex to be able to comfortably slip over a belt loop or pants pocket edge while at the same time preserving considerable strength. These have an attractive stonewashed finish and are a perfect complement for a working tool. If they prove to be popular I will do another run with anodizing and maybe stamps, etc. But these are all plain stonewashed for now.  

The HangMan hooks will run $40 plus shipping and the batch is reasonably sized so I'll make it a two per customer limit. The purchase link is below. As ALWAYS, thank you for stopping by and I hope everyone is having a warm and safe holiday season so far!

Please note: The US Post Office is a little bit slow right now due to the enormous holiday mail volumes. In addition, this year they have rerouted mail to different facilities due to their cost cutting measures so sometimes tracking shows incorrect or strange locations. Don't worry, delivery might take a day or two longer than usual but everything HAS been getting there eventually so please be patient. ;)

Wow, first wave is sold out! Thank you so much everyone!

Another Round of Atwrenches

Hi Folks,

It's a cold,  rainy and sleepy afternoon here. I think winter is finally just about upon us despite our best efforts to ignore it. Good day for an Atwrench sale. :) 

Today I have some of the remaining S30v Atwrench batch done. They run $60 each plus shipping and the clickable purchase link is right above the picture. If you don't see the link then that means they are sold out and I have removed the link....as always, thank you very much for your support this year and I truly hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year!

This batch is sold out, thank you so much everyone!

SAE Atwrenches!

Hi Everyone,

I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was a good one. I ended up doing more family socializing than I had expected (this always happens) so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked...more FrankenSlices for instance.  However, I did get a chance to finish up a bunch of the SAE Atwrenches yesterday during the football games...this is the first wave of them, more to come and also S30v Ghosts.

The SAE Atwrenches have the identical footprint to the Metric ones that I released earlier this fall, except for the wrench set which is the familiar 1/4"- 9/16".  They are S30v steel and I spent quite a bit of time on this batch trying to make them extra nice. They have a lovely stonewashed finish that will hold up great on a keyring for a very long time. One of my best tools this year I think.

Anyhow, the Atwrenches are $60 each plus shipping. The mail is running pretty steadily right now but the volumes are starting to pick up for the holidays so an extra day or so for delivery would not surprise me for certain destinations. The purchase link for the Atwrenches is below. Thank you for stopping by today and have a great week!


First wave is done but there are a lot more of these to go later this week. Thank you so much everyone!
   

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I certainly have MUCH to be thankful for this year once again. Thank you so much folks, you never cease to amaze me with your interest, your enthusiasm and your support. I truly have no words for my deep appreciation.

I hope everyone has a terrific holiday weekend! I'm taking it easy today but will be back to work tomorrow so stay tuned...S30v SAE Atwrenches will be coming up in a couple of days, just have to buckle down and get them finished up. Also the last of the S30v G2 Ghosts will be ready shortly. And I will be sending out more emails this weekend for FrankenSlices.

So be safe, be warm and eat a lot of turkey. :)

Peter

FrankenSlice Winners List!

Well I am floored! Over 1100 entries, wow, absolutely amazing... Thanks you so much for the enormous response and interest in this tool. I am truly humbled and grateful. Looks like I will be needing to make a lot more of these...

Ok, here is the list. It will take a bit for me to send out all the emails so please be patient and check your spam filters too if your name is here and you did not get an email in an hour or so.

7    Antonio
31    UofKfan
102    Bruce Macgregor
128    JT2019
132    Zach Held
159    dga
172    762jack
197    Valpal1975
225    tsaraceno
248    Bull
269    andrew
309    YuppieMike
311    GGold
348    Jay kap
349    mlopez928
374    hudagai
404    mespineli
410    Euroazngal
418    Edouard
428    STLWill
429    Alex Napier
430    Hops McGee
443    Pmek5
455    Mad Max
522    NickNardone
538    BGTactical
561    n8
592    Avery D. Kerry
608    Airesz
611    VolleyballMom
638    Crazykat429
642    cktenders
695    jres11
696    Joe C.
711    Vik
715    syko
735    Matt B
736    nYxxfOnt
780    vtbilly
794    Phil The Preacher
848    tomah
863    Lauriek
885    GoBC
892    Rayfensive
944    fangtastic
963    Justin
977    Al-mu
982    Nursejane
983    Nivek
992    gOAD
1014    indianaman
1042    Lindsasaur
1066    fr20005
1122    jaggedx
1124    100ghostusmc
1132    PapaEd
1161    Chiuslick
1172    weaver

Thanks again everyone and have a great Thanksgiving!