Hi Folks,
Well it's a cloudy Monday here in the northeast. At least it's a bit warmer now and it looks like we are finally out of the woods as far as frost is concerned. I will be planting a bunch of vegetables this week, but I'm still going to be cautious about my tomatoes and peppers and give it another week or two for those. I did spy a little flower forming on some protected zucchini (courgettes for the Brits, hehe) that I have going.
In other news, I never thought I would be stoked to go to the dentist, but that is where I am going this afternoon...my appointment in March was cancelled just two days beforehand because of the shutdown. So I have been waiting for two months to get a broken filling fixed. Really not fun, and a daily reminder of the utter craziness of this time. More on that shortly, because "The Captain" is coming...
So today I finally have the new PopWroaches ready to go. This is the latest tool in the captive bit Superbug series and it continues that evolution. In this CPM 154 steel compact tool I have included the new style captive bit dock, which allows for bit retention using just two o-rings. These are similar to the recent Mini LockNut Monsters, but theyare smaller and have a surface ground finish. Instead of the open wrench jaws on the front end, here we have a 5/16 wrench/cap lifter. I gave them a pointy but slightly rounded pocket friendly nose which can be used as a gentle pry tip, or in a pinch it can pop tape on a package. The back end has the usual pry tip/screwdriver with an oversized and generously chamfered lanyard hole to make these easy to throw on your key ring. There are my usual wide ranging variety of decorative stamps, and I have a few lefties available.
The PopWroaches will run $65 plus shipping and it's a modest batch so I will make it a one per customer limit on them please, so more folks get a chance at them.
Thanks as always for stopping by today. I deeply appreciate the continued support and interest in my crazy little projects, and especially in this difficult time when so many less fortunate folks have lost their jobs, or even their lives. Stay safe, stay sane and stay handy my friends!
Sold Out, thanks again everyone!
Monday, May 18, 2020
Friday, May 08, 2020
Twisted Tim 90s
Hi Folks,
Got a super quick little batch for you today...titanium Twisted Tims with 90 degree twist...these are the TT version with pry tip end.
TT90s will run $75 plus shipping and it is VERY small batch, so one per customer please. Stay safe, stay sane, and above all stay handy my friends! :)
Got a super quick little batch for you today...titanium Twisted Tims with 90 degree twist...these are the TT version with pry tip end.
TT90s will run $75 plus shipping and it is VERY small batch, so one per customer please. Stay safe, stay sane, and above all stay handy my friends! :)
Thursday, May 07, 2020
Titanium QuickDraws!
Hi Everyone,
Well, it's pretty darned chilly out there again this morning. It was a rather frosty 34f when I looked at the thermometer earlier, and we'll be lucky if we make it to 60f today. Much to my horror and disgust, they are even calling for a chance of snow on Saturday and the high will only be 45f...this is totally nuts! I'm really looking forward to some warmer days but it looks like we are in for at least another week of this. Good time to do some sales...
For many years I have thought about making some sort of little drawing tool. In this age of digital design, there is still something very cool, dare I say refreshing, about taking a pencil to paper and making an actual mark rather than simply pushing pixels around on a screen. Modern technology is certainly wonderful in many ways, but I think there is still tremendous value in maintaining that connection with our ancient and simpler selves. The current Covid Crisis is making that even more apparent. No matter where it all takes us, or how fancy it all gets, using physical tools and making things by hand will always have their place. And it's an important human place that I believe is worth visiting every day.
Today I have a simple little drawing tool for you. I wanted something durable that I could have in my wallet and use as a quick reference for the angles 30, 60 and 90 degrees. I wanted a pencil slot so I could make a 45 degree angle mark. I also wanted two small measuring scales, and for an attachment hole a 1/4 hex was the obvious choice. The result is the QuickDraw!
Made of thin .076 titanium, these tiny tools are very light of course, but there is still enough there to have some substance. I have multi anodized most of them with bright contrasting colors, although there are a dozen plain ones available too. They are all stamped and have my usual wide variety of images...this first batch is titanium but I may make some with other materials in the future, we'll see how it goes.
Titanium QuickDraws will run $55 plus shipping. Thanks for stopping by today, hope you all are staying healthy, sane and handy in these crazy times!
Well, it's pretty darned chilly out there again this morning. It was a rather frosty 34f when I looked at the thermometer earlier, and we'll be lucky if we make it to 60f today. Much to my horror and disgust, they are even calling for a chance of snow on Saturday and the high will only be 45f...this is totally nuts! I'm really looking forward to some warmer days but it looks like we are in for at least another week of this. Good time to do some sales...
For many years I have thought about making some sort of little drawing tool. In this age of digital design, there is still something very cool, dare I say refreshing, about taking a pencil to paper and making an actual mark rather than simply pushing pixels around on a screen. Modern technology is certainly wonderful in many ways, but I think there is still tremendous value in maintaining that connection with our ancient and simpler selves. The current Covid Crisis is making that even more apparent. No matter where it all takes us, or how fancy it all gets, using physical tools and making things by hand will always have their place. And it's an important human place that I believe is worth visiting every day.
Today I have a simple little drawing tool for you. I wanted something durable that I could have in my wallet and use as a quick reference for the angles 30, 60 and 90 degrees. I wanted a pencil slot so I could make a 45 degree angle mark. I also wanted two small measuring scales, and for an attachment hole a 1/4 hex was the obvious choice. The result is the QuickDraw!
Made of thin .076 titanium, these tiny tools are very light of course, but there is still enough there to have some substance. I have multi anodized most of them with bright contrasting colors, although there are a dozen plain ones available too. They are all stamped and have my usual wide variety of images...this first batch is titanium but I may make some with other materials in the future, we'll see how it goes.
Titanium QuickDraws will run $55 plus shipping. Thanks for stopping by today, hope you all are staying healthy, sane and handy in these crazy times!
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
Mini LockNut Monsters
Hi Folks,
Well it's another freezing cold week here in Massachusetts, but at least the sun is shining. Spring is certainly taking it's sweet time getting here though with temperatures in April well below average, so it wasn't just my imagination. And so far May is looking like it will be quite chilly as well. But that hasn't stopped the hungry little black flies, which swarm around my head as soon as I step foot in the garden. I have a secret weapon against them however, a camo trucker hat with built in bug net. So I can wear that and then go about my business relatively undisturbed.
I don't have too much to report on new projects, but they are slowly coming along. Hopefully I'll have the little QuickDraw tools done by the end of the week...
Today I have a brand new version of an older tool for you. The Mini LockNut Monster is a bit lighter in weight and about 25% smaller than the original version which I made many years ago, measuring just 3.3" long. These are made of CPM 154 steel, with a light raw bar finish. Features include five American wrench sizes 1/4-1/2", rear pry tip/screwdriver, and my new compact captive bit system. I omitted the cap lifter from the original design to give these a smaller footprint.
These cute little guys are stamped with a wide variety of images. It is not a very big batch, so it will be a limit of two per customer please. I may make more later this year depending on how things go, but at least this batch will get them started.
Mini LockNut Monsters will run $75 each plus shipping. Thanks for coming by today and hope you all are staying healthy!
Well it's another freezing cold week here in Massachusetts, but at least the sun is shining. Spring is certainly taking it's sweet time getting here though with temperatures in April well below average, so it wasn't just my imagination. And so far May is looking like it will be quite chilly as well. But that hasn't stopped the hungry little black flies, which swarm around my head as soon as I step foot in the garden. I have a secret weapon against them however, a camo trucker hat with built in bug net. So I can wear that and then go about my business relatively undisturbed.
I don't have too much to report on new projects, but they are slowly coming along. Hopefully I'll have the little QuickDraw tools done by the end of the week...
Today I have a brand new version of an older tool for you. The Mini LockNut Monster is a bit lighter in weight and about 25% smaller than the original version which I made many years ago, measuring just 3.3" long. These are made of CPM 154 steel, with a light raw bar finish. Features include five American wrench sizes 1/4-1/2", rear pry tip/screwdriver, and my new compact captive bit system. I omitted the cap lifter from the original design to give these a smaller footprint.
These cute little guys are stamped with a wide variety of images. It is not a very big batch, so it will be a limit of two per customer please. I may make more later this year depending on how things go, but at least this batch will get them started.
Mini LockNut Monsters will run $75 each plus shipping. Thanks for coming by today and hope you all are staying healthy!
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
More Metric Mini Prybabies!
Hi Everyone,
Well, the sun has decided at long last to stop playing peekaboo and start sending us some warming rays. We will finally be getting some warmer days in the 60's this week which will be much appreciated by all, and especially by my struggling seedlings in the garden.
Projects continue on their way to the finish line. I managed to get a bunch more steel stuff finished this weekend...on deck will be Mini LockNut Monsters and PopWroach captive bit tools. Also more titanium stuff is very close to done including the new Tiny Tim design and the little QuickDraw tools. Stamped Zr Hangmen are also nearing the finish line.
Today I have the rest of the Mini Metric Prybabies finished. These are just like the plainer ones last week but have the usual extra grinds added on the front end. Stamps are on the back side and there is a wide variety of them. Also several lefties are available.
Metric Mini Prybabies with grinds will run $65 plus shipping, and it's a large batch, so there is no limit on them. As always, I hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Thank you so much for stopping in today!
Well, the sun has decided at long last to stop playing peekaboo and start sending us some warming rays. We will finally be getting some warmer days in the 60's this week which will be much appreciated by all, and especially by my struggling seedlings in the garden.
Projects continue on their way to the finish line. I managed to get a bunch more steel stuff finished this weekend...on deck will be Mini LockNut Monsters and PopWroach captive bit tools. Also more titanium stuff is very close to done including the new Tiny Tim design and the little QuickDraw tools. Stamped Zr Hangmen are also nearing the finish line.
Today I have the rest of the Mini Metric Prybabies finished. These are just like the plainer ones last week but have the usual extra grinds added on the front end. Stamps are on the back side and there is a wide variety of them. Also several lefties are available.
Metric Mini Prybabies with grinds will run $65 plus shipping, and it's a large batch, so there is no limit on them. As always, I hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Thank you so much for stopping in today!
Friday, April 24, 2020
Metric Mini Prybabies!
Hi Everyone,
Our rainy and cold April continues here in New England. Tomorrow it's finally supposed to be sunny and in the low 60's, but the warmer weather sure has been slow to show up this month. I can't wait to get some more plants out in the gardens, but at least I have some lettuce and radishes going so far, and some very cute little bush peas.
I've been picking away at projects all week and have a ton of stuff finished, so will be trying to get them packed up and get some sales posted over the next couple of weeks. Gosh I miss baseball this year! My favorite thing over the past few years has been watching Red Sox games while I package up tools...oh well, hopefully next year...
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. They are identical to the Mini Prybabies from last year, but in metric.
I divided the batch into two parts. The first wave has simple bevels with no extra grinds. I recently had a few requests for old style Prybaby grinds, so I decided to leave a few like this, and it means I can offer these today for a little less cost too. The next group, which is the bulk of the batch, will have regular extra grinds on the front end.
These are all stamped, but there wasn't much real estate left on the front side due to the larger footprint of the wrench set. So the stamps are all on the back side in this series and there is my usual wide variety, with a few cool new ones too. There are some lefties as well in both groups.
Stamped Metric Mini Prybabies will run $60 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today and I hope everyone is safe and sound, and above all, staying healthy!
Our rainy and cold April continues here in New England. Tomorrow it's finally supposed to be sunny and in the low 60's, but the warmer weather sure has been slow to show up this month. I can't wait to get some more plants out in the gardens, but at least I have some lettuce and radishes going so far, and some very cute little bush peas.
I've been picking away at projects all week and have a ton of stuff finished, so will be trying to get them packed up and get some sales posted over the next couple of weeks. Gosh I miss baseball this year! My favorite thing over the past few years has been watching Red Sox games while I package up tools...oh well, hopefully next year...
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. They are identical to the Mini Prybabies from last year, but in metric.
I divided the batch into two parts. The first wave has simple bevels with no extra grinds. I recently had a few requests for old style Prybaby grinds, so I decided to leave a few like this, and it means I can offer these today for a little less cost too. The next group, which is the bulk of the batch, will have regular extra grinds on the front end.
These are all stamped, but there wasn't much real estate left on the front side due to the larger footprint of the wrench set. So the stamps are all on the back side in this series and there is my usual wide variety, with a few cool new ones too. There are some lefties as well in both groups.
Stamped Metric Mini Prybabies will run $60 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today and I hope everyone is safe and sound, and above all, staying healthy!
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Twisted Tims with Pry Tip
Hi Everyone,
Another crazy week, stuck at home....bleh. We've been greatly enjoying the outdoors though as it slowly starts to warm up here. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend and nice for getting some gardening and yard work done. But then we had a stormy Monday and now chilly temps are here for the next week, and even a chance of flurries on Saturday...it is inevitable though, spring is now officially on the way, within sight and it cannot be denied. Even the lawn is finally showing some faint signs of greening up.
Well, the projects continue at a steady pace. I'm almost done with a couple of ti batches, and the steel tools should start trickling back from heat treat in a few days.
Today I have some new tools in the Twisted Tim series for you. These beauties are made of thick armor plate titanium and feature a cap lifter, extra leverage pry tip and screwdriver, as well as a larger rear pry tip. These tools are slightly beefier than the first TT batch from this past winter...They have been heated and twisted, and then underwent a complex refinishing process, followed by a final electrical anodizing. They are anodized in a variety of contrasting color finishes. There are no stamped tools in this group although one or two oddballs with alternate shapes are available upon request.
Twisted Tims with Pry Tips will run $75 plus shipping and there is no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by and I hope everyone is making the best of it this week and staying safe!
Another crazy week, stuck at home....bleh. We've been greatly enjoying the outdoors though as it slowly starts to warm up here. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend and nice for getting some gardening and yard work done. But then we had a stormy Monday and now chilly temps are here for the next week, and even a chance of flurries on Saturday...it is inevitable though, spring is now officially on the way, within sight and it cannot be denied. Even the lawn is finally showing some faint signs of greening up.
Well, the projects continue at a steady pace. I'm almost done with a couple of ti batches, and the steel tools should start trickling back from heat treat in a few days.
Today I have some new tools in the Twisted Tim series for you. These beauties are made of thick armor plate titanium and feature a cap lifter, extra leverage pry tip and screwdriver, as well as a larger rear pry tip. These tools are slightly beefier than the first TT batch from this past winter...They have been heated and twisted, and then underwent a complex refinishing process, followed by a final electrical anodizing. They are anodized in a variety of contrasting color finishes. There are no stamped tools in this group although one or two oddballs with alternate shapes are available upon request.
Twisted Tims with Pry Tips will run $75 plus shipping and there is no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by and I hope everyone is making the best of it this week and staying safe!
Tuesday, April 07, 2020
Zirconium Hangman Hooks!
Hello my friends!
I hope this post finds you and your families healthy and safe. We are in very good shape here and like you have been staying on top of every bit of news that we can find, from a wide variety of sources. This is obviously a disaster of epic proportions in which we find ourselves and we're all trying to navigate it to safety. I am taking many precautions here and just this past weekend finally broke a 3 week isolation to go to the grocery store. We could have held out for another week or more, but I figured early on a rainy Friday morning the store would be less crowded, and it was. I wore a mask the entire trip and was super careful to sanitize everything that I brought home.
I don't know about you guys but I REALLY don't want to catch this awful thing and we have had quite a few cases in Western MA, although relatively few deaths. I think having everyone stay home and on heightened alert has greatly slowed the spread already, but it is heart breaking to see the daily deaths piling up all over the country, including 25 so far at the local veteran's home. Still, I am hopeful that we will get a grip on this, but it's going to take many stressful months.We'll get through it though!
I've been using my recent down time to get some work done. I just sent a huge batch of steel Metric Mini Prybabies to heat treat last week. Luckily heat treat is still running for now. We'll see if that lasts... Anyhow, a nifty little batch of newly redesigned Mini LockNut Monsters has also been sent out, and another captive bit tool in the Superbug series, called the PopWroach, just went out to heat treat yesterday. So that's three batches of steel tools that are finally approaching the finish line.
Titanium projects are also moving along briskly. I have a new Tiny Tim design that is very cute and those are on the bench awaiting stamping and anodizing. I have a super cool mini angle checking/ruler scale/drawing tool called the QuickDraw that is close to complete as well. There's a small opener/pry tool design based on the very limited stubby MiniBar batch that is sitting on the grinding bench right now, and I'm almost done with the grinds. A steel version of the same tool is also cut and awaiting milling... Also on the stamping bench is a tray of top secret items liberated from an old storage shed in Nevada...So lots of super cool items are coming this year despite the sorry state of the world.
Today I have a batch of Zirconium Hangman hooks done. These are plain, without stamps, and they have the usual heat colored and hand rubbed dark gray finish. I have a second group of these coming soon with stamps, and I have some interesting brand new finishes for Zr that I will be offering for those. At any rate, these guys today are plain vanilla, and are a little thinner than the past batches of Hangman hooks so are very light in weight. They will run $55 each plus shipping and the pp link is below, no limit on them.
Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope everyone has a safe and healthy week ahead and best wishes to you and your families during this difficult time!
I hope this post finds you and your families healthy and safe. We are in very good shape here and like you have been staying on top of every bit of news that we can find, from a wide variety of sources. This is obviously a disaster of epic proportions in which we find ourselves and we're all trying to navigate it to safety. I am taking many precautions here and just this past weekend finally broke a 3 week isolation to go to the grocery store. We could have held out for another week or more, but I figured early on a rainy Friday morning the store would be less crowded, and it was. I wore a mask the entire trip and was super careful to sanitize everything that I brought home.
I don't know about you guys but I REALLY don't want to catch this awful thing and we have had quite a few cases in Western MA, although relatively few deaths. I think having everyone stay home and on heightened alert has greatly slowed the spread already, but it is heart breaking to see the daily deaths piling up all over the country, including 25 so far at the local veteran's home. Still, I am hopeful that we will get a grip on this, but it's going to take many stressful months.We'll get through it though!
I've been using my recent down time to get some work done. I just sent a huge batch of steel Metric Mini Prybabies to heat treat last week. Luckily heat treat is still running for now. We'll see if that lasts... Anyhow, a nifty little batch of newly redesigned Mini LockNut Monsters has also been sent out, and another captive bit tool in the Superbug series, called the PopWroach, just went out to heat treat yesterday. So that's three batches of steel tools that are finally approaching the finish line.
Titanium projects are also moving along briskly. I have a new Tiny Tim design that is very cute and those are on the bench awaiting stamping and anodizing. I have a super cool mini angle checking/ruler scale/drawing tool called the QuickDraw that is close to complete as well. There's a small opener/pry tool design based on the very limited stubby MiniBar batch that is sitting on the grinding bench right now, and I'm almost done with the grinds. A steel version of the same tool is also cut and awaiting milling... Also on the stamping bench is a tray of top secret items liberated from an old storage shed in Nevada...So lots of super cool items are coming this year despite the sorry state of the world.
Today I have a batch of Zirconium Hangman hooks done. These are plain, without stamps, and they have the usual heat colored and hand rubbed dark gray finish. I have a second group of these coming soon with stamps, and I have some interesting brand new finishes for Zr that I will be offering for those. At any rate, these guys today are plain vanilla, and are a little thinner than the past batches of Hangman hooks so are very light in weight. They will run $55 each plus shipping and the pp link is below, no limit on them.
Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope everyone has a safe and healthy week ahead and best wishes to you and your families during this difficult time!
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Stamped Tommyknockers
Hi Everyone,
I think my calendar must be wrong this week. It says that it's early March, but it sure does feel like late April outside. I have never seen such an early spring here in New England and I simply don't believe it yet. It wouldn't surprise me at all if we had a big snowstorm in a week or two...
Despite all the recent and ongoing uproar in the world, the projects in my little shop continue to chug along. I just completed the next generation of Twisted Tims and am almost done with Zr Hangmen, so those two projects will be coming up next. Some nifty brand new designs are in the planning stages too, so the spring and summer are going to be getting very busy here.
Today I have the second half of the Armor Plate Titanium Tommyknocker batch done. These are all stamped, and also anodized with a wide range of colors. I also have a handful without ano for those who want to email and request plain ones. And there are a couple of lefties here too.
Stamped and anodized Tommyknockers will run $75 plus shipping and the link is below, no limit on them. Thank you so much for stopping in today and hope you all are staying safe and healthy.
I think my calendar must be wrong this week. It says that it's early March, but it sure does feel like late April outside. I have never seen such an early spring here in New England and I simply don't believe it yet. It wouldn't surprise me at all if we had a big snowstorm in a week or two...
Despite all the recent and ongoing uproar in the world, the projects in my little shop continue to chug along. I just completed the next generation of Twisted Tims and am almost done with Zr Hangmen, so those two projects will be coming up next. Some nifty brand new designs are in the planning stages too, so the spring and summer are going to be getting very busy here.
Today I have the second half of the Armor Plate Titanium Tommyknocker batch done. These are all stamped, and also anodized with a wide range of colors. I also have a handful without ano for those who want to email and request plain ones. And there are a couple of lefties here too.
Stamped and anodized Tommyknockers will run $75 plus shipping and the link is below, no limit on them. Thank you so much for stopping in today and hope you all are staying safe and healthy.
Monday, March 02, 2020
Titanium Tommyknockers
Hi Folks, and Happy Monday!
Whew, there's certainly some crazy stuff going on right now and I know everyone is watching the situation closely. It would not be the dumbest thing we ever did to stock up on a few weeks' worth of necessities, just in case, and keep washing our hands constantly. I have actually been gearing up and slowly preparing our household for this crisis for the past several weeks because there were obviously potential problems coming and I have little faith in anyone's ability to contain it. My efforts still may not be enough of course, but I'm a big believer in preparedness, and pandemic outbreaks of new viruses that we don't really know much about yet make me quite nervous.
The projects are rolling right along. I'm almost done with the next twisted tool batch but haven't gotten to finish much else these past couple of days. I did do some prep work on the next two captive bit tool batches though and did more grinding on steel metric Prybabies... But my shop is now a whole lot cleaner and I can actually see some work benches again. I figure every 5 or 6 years it doesn't hurt to get out the broom and throw some junk away, whether it needs it or not, haha...
Today I have some new tools for you. These new Tommyknockers are made of the upcycled Armor Plate titanium, and I have to say, this is some of the worst grinding material I have ever encountered. Ugh! There is a reason it's being used to build armored vehicles, because this stuff is ridiculously tough, and it eats expensive grinding belts like candy.
The new Tommyknocker design is identical to the recent steel Atwrenches, with the exception that the butt end is angled rather than round. Same exact footprint otherwise though, a little thicker at .200", with aggressive grip areas, SAE wrench set and 5/16 wrench and bottle opener area. These have a plain stonewashed finish, although I do have a few color anodized ones which are available upon request, and I may do a small sale for those if enough of these are left over...there are a couple of lefties here today as well. No stamps with these, and no extra grinds, it was bad enough just grinding the standard forward grinds, although I did make a few variations and conbinations on the forward grind styles.
Titanium Tommyknockers will run $70 plus shipping and the link is below to purchase, no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today and please stay healthy my friends!
All gone for today, thank you everyone!
Whew, there's certainly some crazy stuff going on right now and I know everyone is watching the situation closely. It would not be the dumbest thing we ever did to stock up on a few weeks' worth of necessities, just in case, and keep washing our hands constantly. I have actually been gearing up and slowly preparing our household for this crisis for the past several weeks because there were obviously potential problems coming and I have little faith in anyone's ability to contain it. My efforts still may not be enough of course, but I'm a big believer in preparedness, and pandemic outbreaks of new viruses that we don't really know much about yet make me quite nervous.
The projects are rolling right along. I'm almost done with the next twisted tool batch but haven't gotten to finish much else these past couple of days. I did do some prep work on the next two captive bit tool batches though and did more grinding on steel metric Prybabies... But my shop is now a whole lot cleaner and I can actually see some work benches again. I figure every 5 or 6 years it doesn't hurt to get out the broom and throw some junk away, whether it needs it or not, haha...
Today I have some new tools for you. These new Tommyknockers are made of the upcycled Armor Plate titanium, and I have to say, this is some of the worst grinding material I have ever encountered. Ugh! There is a reason it's being used to build armored vehicles, because this stuff is ridiculously tough, and it eats expensive grinding belts like candy.
The new Tommyknocker design is identical to the recent steel Atwrenches, with the exception that the butt end is angled rather than round. Same exact footprint otherwise though, a little thicker at .200", with aggressive grip areas, SAE wrench set and 5/16 wrench and bottle opener area. These have a plain stonewashed finish, although I do have a few color anodized ones which are available upon request, and I may do a small sale for those if enough of these are left over...there are a couple of lefties here today as well. No stamps with these, and no extra grinds, it was bad enough just grinding the standard forward grinds, although I did make a few variations and conbinations on the forward grind styles.
Titanium Tommyknockers will run $70 plus shipping and the link is below to purchase, no limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today and please stay healthy my friends!
All gone for today, thank you everyone!
Friday, February 21, 2020
Brass Son of BeadThings
Hi Everyone,
Winter is certainly still here, but it really hasn't been too bad so far, and spring is now only a few weeks away. I can't wait!
Well, I'm finally back. I've been grinding my brains out for the past two weeks, cleaning and reorganizing the shop, and trying to get some projects to the finish line. I made a lot of progress and am very happy to report that steel metric Mini Prybabies are only a couple of days away from sending out to heat treat. Of course that means I need to spend a couple of whole work days more to get to that point, but they are indeed much closer than they were last week...I also began twisting some of the new ti twisted tools, but once again, several more days in the shop are needed to get those finished up. Also in the wings are two batches of new steel captive bit tools, which are both awaiting grinding. I just ordered abrasives for the new TightWad batches that are coming up. Several older projects are also getting dusted off and will be finally getting some grinding, stamping and other operations in order to get them further along through the finishing processes...all this stuff takes time, but I am steadily plugging away at it.
What I did manage to complete are a portion of the Zr Hangmen and most of the updated titanium Tommyknocker batches. Those are sizable batches so I divided them up into more manageable groups which will allow for a greater variety of finishes. Both of these new tools are coming up next.
In the meantime, I have just completed the rest of the Son of BeadThings. These are made of lead free brass and will run $75 each plus shipping, limit of one please, since it's a tiny batch. I also have a dozen of the steel SOBTHings left too for anyone who wishes to email me and I'll be happy to hook you up. Thanks for your patience and for dropping by today. Hope your weekend is a great one!
All gone, thank you so much!
Winter is certainly still here, but it really hasn't been too bad so far, and spring is now only a few weeks away. I can't wait!
Well, I'm finally back. I've been grinding my brains out for the past two weeks, cleaning and reorganizing the shop, and trying to get some projects to the finish line. I made a lot of progress and am very happy to report that steel metric Mini Prybabies are only a couple of days away from sending out to heat treat. Of course that means I need to spend a couple of whole work days more to get to that point, but they are indeed much closer than they were last week...I also began twisting some of the new ti twisted tools, but once again, several more days in the shop are needed to get those finished up. Also in the wings are two batches of new steel captive bit tools, which are both awaiting grinding. I just ordered abrasives for the new TightWad batches that are coming up. Several older projects are also getting dusted off and will be finally getting some grinding, stamping and other operations in order to get them further along through the finishing processes...all this stuff takes time, but I am steadily plugging away at it.
What I did manage to complete are a portion of the Zr Hangmen and most of the updated titanium Tommyknocker batches. Those are sizable batches so I divided them up into more manageable groups which will allow for a greater variety of finishes. Both of these new tools are coming up next.
In the meantime, I have just completed the rest of the Son of BeadThings. These are made of lead free brass and will run $75 each plus shipping, limit of one please, since it's a tiny batch. I also have a dozen of the steel SOBTHings left too for anyone who wishes to email me and I'll be happy to hook you up. Thanks for your patience and for dropping by today. Hope your weekend is a great one!
All gone, thank you so much!
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Stubby MiniBars
Hi Everyone,
It's a bright and sunny day here in the Northeast. I love the light this time of year because it's getting a little bit stronger finally, and we're on the right side of the solstice.
Today I have a tiny little tool for you, a stubby version of the steel MiniBar tools. I only have 10 of these so I expect they will be gone in a flash. I may make more up the road though because it's just too darned cute!
Stubby MiniBars will be $55 plus shipping and obviously just one per customer on them please due to the very limited number. Thanks as always and hope your week is going well.
It's a bright and sunny day here in the Northeast. I love the light this time of year because it's getting a little bit stronger finally, and we're on the right side of the solstice.
Today I have a tiny little tool for you, a stubby version of the steel MiniBar tools. I only have 10 of these so I expect they will be gone in a flash. I may make more up the road though because it's just too darned cute!
Stubby MiniBars will be $55 plus shipping and obviously just one per customer on them please due to the very limited number. Thanks as always and hope your week is going well.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Son of BeadThings!
Hi Everyone,
It's looking a little cloudy today, but mostly it's been a fairly reasonable and mild winter so far, with just a few super cold stretches. I will take it.
Not too much to report project wise. I'm not sure yet what I will tackle next, but there is a ton of stuff to choose from and I need to get through some tool batches soon. Maybe I will make most of next week a grinding week...
Anyhow, today I have something unusual for you. This is an object that I have wanted to make for a long time. It's a Do It Yourself key fob project, called Son of BeadThing. These hefty little beauties are turned and milled from solid bars of 303 stainless steel and are a wild mashup of past and present bead shapes and concepts. They have a 5 flute element combined with the 3 rib shape from the old whistles and the recent 3 rib beads. Also, a small Terminator style "bell" shaped end which can be used to hide the knot.
The through hole for these is not as big as regular beads though so you would need to use either 550 cord with inner strings removed, or some smaller diameter cord stock. These will come simply by themselves and you can supply whatever you want to create your own personalized piece. A pictorial example of how I did one of mine is below. But I leave it totally up to you and YOUR creative imagination as to how you want to finish, assemble and use these, after all, that's the whole point of DIY! It will be cool to see what you all come up with. :)
This is a first run in steel and a smaller batch in lead free brass will come soon...but this may very well be the first and only batch of these as the production costs were just too crazy high for them. I made the cards for them when I was in the middle of turning them, and I listed aluminum and titanium as possible future runs, but now that is looking unlikely. So in other words, there is a good chance that I won't be making these again.
Son of BeadThings will run $75 each plus shipping and I'll make it a two per customer limit on them please. Thanks for swinging by this week and hope everyone is staying warm.
All gone, thank you so much everyone!
It's looking a little cloudy today, but mostly it's been a fairly reasonable and mild winter so far, with just a few super cold stretches. I will take it.
Not too much to report project wise. I'm not sure yet what I will tackle next, but there is a ton of stuff to choose from and I need to get through some tool batches soon. Maybe I will make most of next week a grinding week...
Anyhow, today I have something unusual for you. This is an object that I have wanted to make for a long time. It's a Do It Yourself key fob project, called Son of BeadThing. These hefty little beauties are turned and milled from solid bars of 303 stainless steel and are a wild mashup of past and present bead shapes and concepts. They have a 5 flute element combined with the 3 rib shape from the old whistles and the recent 3 rib beads. Also, a small Terminator style "bell" shaped end which can be used to hide the knot.
The through hole for these is not as big as regular beads though so you would need to use either 550 cord with inner strings removed, or some smaller diameter cord stock. These will come simply by themselves and you can supply whatever you want to create your own personalized piece. A pictorial example of how I did one of mine is below. But I leave it totally up to you and YOUR creative imagination as to how you want to finish, assemble and use these, after all, that's the whole point of DIY! It will be cool to see what you all come up with. :)
This is a first run in steel and a smaller batch in lead free brass will come soon...but this may very well be the first and only batch of these as the production costs were just too crazy high for them. I made the cards for them when I was in the middle of turning them, and I listed aluminum and titanium as possible future runs, but now that is looking unlikely. So in other words, there is a good chance that I won't be making these again.
Son of BeadThings will run $75 each plus shipping and I'll make it a two per customer limit on them please. Thanks for swinging by this week and hope everyone is staying warm.
All gone, thank you so much everyone!
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Titanium 3 Rib Magnum Beads
Hi Everyone,
Brrr...it is freezing cold out there this morning, in the single digits F. Looks like it will warm up a bit in a couple of days though.
Well I'm back already with another fresh batch of goodies. For quite some time I've been aching to revisit the old ribbed bead designs from years ago. I finally got a chance to make a few this past fall but didn't have time to finish them up before the holidays. That's the great thing about playoff football though, because it's the perfect time to tie some lanyard strings, in between enjoying some beers and hitting mute on the remote every two minutes when the darned commercials come on. But I digress...
The new Titanium 3 Rib beads borrow from the old ribbed whistle design, but with slightly tapered ends, and they have a great sleek look to them. These are 5/8" diameter, so I would consider these to be Magnum sized beads. I will no doubt be looking into a 1/2" diameter batch at some point but this is a nice starting point for a new series. They have a smooth, bright tumbled finish, without anodizing, and feel great in the hand.
The Ti 3 Rib Magnum beads will run $35 each plus shipping, and there is no quantity limit on them. Thanks for stopping by and hope your week is going great!
Brrr...it is freezing cold out there this morning, in the single digits F. Looks like it will warm up a bit in a couple of days though.
Well I'm back already with another fresh batch of goodies. For quite some time I've been aching to revisit the old ribbed bead designs from years ago. I finally got a chance to make a few this past fall but didn't have time to finish them up before the holidays. That's the great thing about playoff football though, because it's the perfect time to tie some lanyard strings, in between enjoying some beers and hitting mute on the remote every two minutes when the darned commercials come on. But I digress...
The new Titanium 3 Rib beads borrow from the old ribbed whistle design, but with slightly tapered ends, and they have a great sleek look to them. These are 5/8" diameter, so I would consider these to be Magnum sized beads. I will no doubt be looking into a 1/2" diameter batch at some point but this is a nice starting point for a new series. They have a smooth, bright tumbled finish, without anodizing, and feel great in the hand.
The Ti 3 Rib Magnum beads will run $35 each plus shipping, and there is no quantity limit on them. Thanks for stopping by and hope your week is going great!
Monday, January 20, 2020
BagBoy Clips
Hi Everyone,
Happy New Year!
Wow, it's so hard to believe it's 2020 already. I'm really hoping this next decade is a good one, although the current events are often disheartening. The horrific fires in Australia are a good example...to that end, I will be contributing some of the proceeds from today's sale to the New South Wales Rural Fire Brigade, one of the many important groups who are desperate for help right now.
Well, I certainly do have tons of new stuff coming up this winter. Brand new ribbed beads are on the way, newly redesigned TightWads, titanium TommyKnockers, Zirconium Hangman hooks, several different newly designed twisted tools, steel metric Prybabies and new captive bit tools. There is more craziness in the wings too, such as something called Son of BeadThing...And I haven't even started looking at potential new drawings for the year yet. It's going to be a wild and wacky year ahead for sure.
Today I have something new for your kitchen or workshop. In my opinion, mass produced magnetic clips are generally so poorly made that they barely stick to the fridge. And if they do get knocked off and hit the floor, I have seen several shatter into pieces because of the flimsy brittle plastic they are often made from. This happened to me again last summer, so I finally got fed up and decided to come up with something better....
After extensive research I came across these fantastic stainless steel clips which are very strong, stay clipped in place and are able to provide almost pinpoint accuracy when clipped to a bag or anything else. The only catch: no magnets. So I did more experimenting and finally came up with a working solution.
My BagBoy clips are made of high carbon stainless steel. I designed a custom shaped fastener with hub which is drilled and tapped, then snapped tightly into place inside the clip handle. The titanium fasteners are knurled on the edge and I left them with a plain satin finish and Atwood stamp. Then I used a doughnut shaped rare earth magnet held firmly in place with a machine screw to bring the whole assembly together. A thin sticky dot made of cork finishes the back side elegantly. These are very sturdy clips, the best of their kind, and should last virtually forever. Use them in the kitchen for keeping foods fresh in the pantry or freezer, in the workshop for holding small flashlights, notes, etc.
BagBoy Clips will run $30 plus shipping and there is no quantity limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today, and I hope this new decade ahead is a great one for everyone!
All gone for now, thank you so much!
Happy New Year!
Wow, it's so hard to believe it's 2020 already. I'm really hoping this next decade is a good one, although the current events are often disheartening. The horrific fires in Australia are a good example...to that end, I will be contributing some of the proceeds from today's sale to the New South Wales Rural Fire Brigade, one of the many important groups who are desperate for help right now.
Well, I certainly do have tons of new stuff coming up this winter. Brand new ribbed beads are on the way, newly redesigned TightWads, titanium TommyKnockers, Zirconium Hangman hooks, several different newly designed twisted tools, steel metric Prybabies and new captive bit tools. There is more craziness in the wings too, such as something called Son of BeadThing...And I haven't even started looking at potential new drawings for the year yet. It's going to be a wild and wacky year ahead for sure.
Today I have something new for your kitchen or workshop. In my opinion, mass produced magnetic clips are generally so poorly made that they barely stick to the fridge. And if they do get knocked off and hit the floor, I have seen several shatter into pieces because of the flimsy brittle plastic they are often made from. This happened to me again last summer, so I finally got fed up and decided to come up with something better....
After extensive research I came across these fantastic stainless steel clips which are very strong, stay clipped in place and are able to provide almost pinpoint accuracy when clipped to a bag or anything else. The only catch: no magnets. So I did more experimenting and finally came up with a working solution.
My BagBoy clips are made of high carbon stainless steel. I designed a custom shaped fastener with hub which is drilled and tapped, then snapped tightly into place inside the clip handle. The titanium fasteners are knurled on the edge and I left them with a plain satin finish and Atwood stamp. Then I used a doughnut shaped rare earth magnet held firmly in place with a machine screw to bring the whole assembly together. A thin sticky dot made of cork finishes the back side elegantly. These are very sturdy clips, the best of their kind, and should last virtually forever. Use them in the kitchen for keeping foods fresh in the pantry or freezer, in the workshop for holding small flashlights, notes, etc.
BagBoy Clips will run $30 plus shipping and there is no quantity limit on them. Thanks for dropping by today, and I hope this new decade ahead is a great one for everyone!
All gone for now, thank you so much!
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Merry Christmas!
Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and best holiday wishes to you all. It's been a very fun year and I just want to thank you all for the wonderful support and so many kind words. I have a ton of crazy new designs coming up for 2020 and I can't wait to share them with you. In the meantime, I hope you all have a warm, safe and joyful holiday week ahead, and thank you once again! :)
Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and best holiday wishes to you all. It's been a very fun year and I just want to thank you all for the wonderful support and so many kind words. I have a ton of crazy new designs coming up for 2020 and I can't wait to share them with you. In the meantime, I hope you all have a warm, safe and joyful holiday week ahead, and thank you once again! :)
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Christmas Six Flutes!
Hi Everyone,
It looks like a winter wonderland out there today. We had a pretty substantial storm that hit us all day yesterday and dumped about 6 inches or more. I just came in from shoveling the driveway and cleaning up after the plow. It wasn't too bad though, light and fluffy. Now it's supposed to be quite cold for a few days.
Thank you so much for all of the kind words on the Twisted Tim projects. I appreciate all the great feedback and I'm always so happy to get cool items like these out into the world. I'm currently mulling over some new but similar designs and so you can be sure there will be more intriguing tools like those in the near future.
I'm still working away diligently on several things and hope to keep rolling with the sales this week. Today, in the spirit of the season, I have some really nifty Aluminum 6 Flute Mega Beads with brilliant green anodizing. They are actually a little darker shade of green than the photo shows but lighting is tricky this time of year and it makes colors tough to capture accurately. Anyhow, I chose some red camo cord for them and the result is a sort of Tactical Santa look. Very fun stuff.
The Christmas 6 Flute Megas will run $30 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. A portion of this sale goes to the Food Bank of Western MA. Thank you so much for stopping by today!
It looks like a winter wonderland out there today. We had a pretty substantial storm that hit us all day yesterday and dumped about 6 inches or more. I just came in from shoveling the driveway and cleaning up after the plow. It wasn't too bad though, light and fluffy. Now it's supposed to be quite cold for a few days.
Thank you so much for all of the kind words on the Twisted Tim projects. I appreciate all the great feedback and I'm always so happy to get cool items like these out into the world. I'm currently mulling over some new but similar designs and so you can be sure there will be more intriguing tools like those in the near future.
I'm still working away diligently on several things and hope to keep rolling with the sales this week. Today, in the spirit of the season, I have some really nifty Aluminum 6 Flute Mega Beads with brilliant green anodizing. They are actually a little darker shade of green than the photo shows but lighting is tricky this time of year and it makes colors tough to capture accurately. Anyhow, I chose some red camo cord for them and the result is a sort of Tactical Santa look. Very fun stuff.
The Christmas 6 Flute Megas will run $30 each plus shipping and there is no limit on them. A portion of this sale goes to the Food Bank of Western MA. Thank you so much for stopping by today!
Friday, December 13, 2019
Twisted Tim v90
Howdy everyone!
Well it's rather gray and gloomy today but at least they're calling for rain rather than snow. So it shouldn't be too messy this weekend.
Twisted Tims were a big success, and thanks so much for all of the kind words and interest. I can't wait until folks have them in their hands and can see the many variations.
Today I have another small batch of these but with an added twist...the tail end is at 90 degrees to the body. These might be my favorites so far. Up the road on future runs I have to try to figure out the best way to do the stamps to take full advantage of the twists, but really, all of these came out super cool. Also, I was curious how they would ride on a key ring, and although they take up a little bit more space, it's barely more than the straight twisted ones.
Twisted Tim v90 will run $85 plus shipping and again, it's a tiny batch, so one per customer on them please. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead!
Well it's rather gray and gloomy today but at least they're calling for rain rather than snow. So it shouldn't be too messy this weekend.
Twisted Tims were a big success, and thanks so much for all of the kind words and interest. I can't wait until folks have them in their hands and can see the many variations.
Today I have another small batch of these but with an added twist...the tail end is at 90 degrees to the body. These might be my favorites so far. Up the road on future runs I have to try to figure out the best way to do the stamps to take full advantage of the twists, but really, all of these came out super cool. Also, I was curious how they would ride on a key ring, and although they take up a little bit more space, it's barely more than the straight twisted ones.
Twisted Tim v90 will run $85 plus shipping and again, it's a tiny batch, so one per customer on them please. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead!
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Twisted Tims!
Hi Folks,
Yup, I'm back again...
Today I have something ultra cool for you. Something totally unique that you simply could never find anywhere else. I have been wanting to make a little tool like this for many years, and finally decided this fall to make some designs that would work well with the metal working techniques involved. This is the first of several versions. ;)
The Twisted Tims are made of upcycled Armor Plate Titanium, and are nearly 1/4" thick. The features include a 5/16" wrench, bottle opener, screwdriver, extra leverage pry tip and 7/16" 12 point wrench. They are small, with the OAL around 3 inches.
After prepping and stamping, these were heated with a torch and then carefully twisted by hand and straightened, all simply by eye. What I love is how this work demonstrates the plasticity of the material, the ductility of hot metal. It's not something you usually would see outside of traditional blacksmithing because it's too small and fussy to be made with modern production methods...you'd have to be a lunatic like me to take the time I guess, haha. So worth it though.
The twisting makes for cool distortions of the stamps and I had some interesting moments trying to figure out how they would end up since twisting makes the images upside down when brought to the other side. Many of them have name stamps on both sides so are ambidexterous too....Most are anodized, but the colors are generally muted due to this specific grade of ti and also because of the heat affected twisting zone. I also have a small number without anodizing available upon request.
Anyhow, these were just a ton of fun to make and I know you guys are going to love them. :) A second version is on deck already, and then a third design is halfway done and on the bench for finishing after the holidays. So more will be coming shortly and then again this winter.
The batches are small, so naturally it will be one per customer on these please. They will run $85 plus shipping and the button is below. Thanks so much for dropping by today!
Yup, I'm back again...
Today I have something ultra cool for you. Something totally unique that you simply could never find anywhere else. I have been wanting to make a little tool like this for many years, and finally decided this fall to make some designs that would work well with the metal working techniques involved. This is the first of several versions. ;)
The Twisted Tims are made of upcycled Armor Plate Titanium, and are nearly 1/4" thick. The features include a 5/16" wrench, bottle opener, screwdriver, extra leverage pry tip and 7/16" 12 point wrench. They are small, with the OAL around 3 inches.
After prepping and stamping, these were heated with a torch and then carefully twisted by hand and straightened, all simply by eye. What I love is how this work demonstrates the plasticity of the material, the ductility of hot metal. It's not something you usually would see outside of traditional blacksmithing because it's too small and fussy to be made with modern production methods...you'd have to be a lunatic like me to take the time I guess, haha. So worth it though.
The twisting makes for cool distortions of the stamps and I had some interesting moments trying to figure out how they would end up since twisting makes the images upside down when brought to the other side. Many of them have name stamps on both sides so are ambidexterous too....Most are anodized, but the colors are generally muted due to this specific grade of ti and also because of the heat affected twisting zone. I also have a small number without anodizing available upon request.
Anyhow, these were just a ton of fun to make and I know you guys are going to love them. :) A second version is on deck already, and then a third design is halfway done and on the bench for finishing after the holidays. So more will be coming shortly and then again this winter.
The batches are small, so naturally it will be one per customer on these please. They will run $85 plus shipping and the button is below. Thanks so much for dropping by today!
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
A51 Mini Prybaby19
Happy Wednesday my friends!
It's another cold overcast day here in the Northeast, just now turning sunny, so typical for this time of year. At least we got rid of some of the snow yesterday, enough to clear away and make room for the next storms. There is enough on the ground that we might be socked into a solid white landscape until spring though.
I've been nibbling away at a few projects here and there over the past week, in between the sales. There is much that I won't get to before the end of the year, but that's just fine because it means January and February will be very busy. This winter I will have newly redesigned TightWads, steel Mini Metric Prybaby19s, ti Tommyknockers, new bead designs, new captive bit tools, new finishes, and much more...
Today I have a small batch of stamped steel Mini Prybaby19s with A51 grinds. This is a very small batch, just a couple dozen, and so it's one per customer on them please. They will run $75 plus shipping and the button is below.
Gone in a flash, thank you so much!
It's another cold overcast day here in the Northeast, just now turning sunny, so typical for this time of year. At least we got rid of some of the snow yesterday, enough to clear away and make room for the next storms. There is enough on the ground that we might be socked into a solid white landscape until spring though.
I've been nibbling away at a few projects here and there over the past week, in between the sales. There is much that I won't get to before the end of the year, but that's just fine because it means January and February will be very busy. This winter I will have newly redesigned TightWads, steel Mini Metric Prybaby19s, ti Tommyknockers, new bead designs, new captive bit tools, new finishes, and much more...
Today I have a small batch of stamped steel Mini Prybaby19s with A51 grinds. This is a very small batch, just a couple dozen, and so it's one per customer on them please. They will run $75 plus shipping and the button is below.
Gone in a flash, thank you so much!
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