Plain Titanium Tombstones!

Hi Everyone,

It's been a warm and steamy week up here in the Northeast, as I am sure it is in most of the country right now. This has been quite the summer so far... Last weekend we had 6 inches of rain in just a few short hours which did a lot of damage to local roads, and indeed a few are going to be closed for the foreseeable future. Farmers in low lying areas near the rivers and creeks are having an awful time and a lot of crops have been ruined from flooding. Meanwhile we keep getting dumped on, and pretty much the only things happy are the slugs in my garden, and the mushrooms which seem to be popping up everywhere throughout the forest.

I'm slowly picking away at projects. It seems like machine maintenance is endless, especially with tumbling equipment and other finishing tools. But, I am making good progress and I should be well set up for the rest of the year now. Tool batches are moving along despite the disruptions, and I have a nice batch of titanium Count Sporkulas that are well underway and will be coming soon. Ti Prybabies are on the bench and are next up for grinding. I should have some new titanium Wedgie tools ready for grinding soon. Steel MiniBars are still sitting on the bench where they have been waiting patiently for months and I need to tackle the grinding on those next week. And I'm testing yet another Wedgie variation to hopefully have cut in steel this summer.

Today I have a big batch of titanium Tombstones done! I decided to give stamps and anodizing a break for these and so all you plain vanilla fans should be pleased to see some old school style tools. :) 

These Tombstones have a lovely buttery smooth finish on them and feature a small SAE wrench set, broad pry tip with V notch and cap lifter. I'm pretty sure I made most of the originals years ago without the V notch, so this is an upgrade to the older design, plus the cap lifter arm is more robust. A sweet little tool with plenty of function...I will have a second wave of these with stamps and anodizing in a few days. And there are some lefthanded Tombstones here if anyone wishes to email me and request one.

Plain Ti Tombstones will run $60 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for popping in today, and I hope you're staying cool this summer!

All gone, thank you everyone!

 

 

Titanium MikroSpikes!

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's a hot and steamy morning here in New England. We have been having crazy amounts of monsoon type thunderstorms here for the past two weeks and it has been very hot as well. The combination has caused a lot of flooding in some areas although I am up in the hills and away from streams so have not been in any danger. But it's been ugly. I think we got 4 inches of rain just yesterday and might get another 1/2 inch tomorrow. At least the slugs are liking it, much to the chagrin of my garden plants.

I've been quite busy in the garden lately, installing a bunch of deer fencing and building up some beds. It's nice to do some work in the shop then take a break and putter around in the garden in between the rain storms. This week I will be harvesting a few veggies and finishing some tool batches at the same time, so it's feeling like a very productive period.

Last week I got steel Mini Superbugs and steel Tiny Tims with pry tips prepped out and they will now get milled. So I should be getting those finished around mid August. In the meantime I have titanium Tombstones on the bench right now and am about halfway into grinding them. Full sized Ti Prybabies are in the wings and will be up next after those. A batch of 3V steel Prybabies awaits further prep steps and those will be coming in the fall. I have a few Zircuti MikroSpikes coming up shortly, and then a larger batch will be on the way in a month or two....and I have some new tumbling equipment so have been playing around with new finishes as well for all my tools.

Today I have a batch of Titanium MikroSpikes for you. These are similar to the previous MikroStiks, but are about 50% larger, so they feel great in the hand and are up for bigger tasks. The MikroSpikes are a great tool for light prying and cleaning duty as well as making an excellent marlin spike for rope and knot work. They have my usual wide variety of crazy stamps and wild contrast anodizing on them, and the finish is buttery smooth. I do have a handful of plain ones also if anyone wants to email me for them.

Titanium MikroSpikes will run $60 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for popping in today and I hope you're staying cool this week!

All gone, thank you!

 

Titanium Keytons

Hi Everyone,

Well Happy Summer! It's finally feeling more like summer up here in New England. It has been warmer and the humidity has come on suddenly, along with several inches of much needed rain. It will be stormy on and off for the next week probably.

I've been putting in lots of time in the shop recently. I have been playing with new equipment and finishes which are going to be very helpful going forward. Also, numerous projects are getting moved along towards the finish line and I will have lots of cool stuff to bring you over the next couple of months. My puzzle project is well underway and I'm looking forward to revealing that very soon. The MikroSpike project will be coming up next, followed by ti Tombstones, PuzzleTiles, and ti Prybabies.

Today I have a sweet batch of titanium K23 Keytons for you. These are very similar to some of the more recent Keyton designs, and they give me a nice palette for stamps and distressed finish anodizing. There are many interesting combinations here, as well as a couple of plain ones, and a half dozen lefties for anyone who wants to drop me a note. 

Titanium Keytons will run $75 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for checking in today, and hope your week is shaping up to be a great one!

All gone, thank you everyone!

 

CPM 154 PieceMakers!

Hi Everyone,

Well summer is nearly here, but you almost wouldn't know it. It's been an unusually cool June so far. At least we finally got a couple of inches of rain last week to relieve the parched yard and garden. And it looks like temps will finally briefly get into the 80's later this week.

Anyhow, I've been keeping quite busy down in the workshop. I have some titanium Keytons nearly done and those are coming next. I have a slightly larger version of the MikroStik, the MikroSpike, ready for stamping and final finishing. I have a very special batch of rare Beta Titanium Wedgies in a new design coming soon. There is a big batch of titanium Tombstones on the bench right now awaiting grinding. I still have a batch of steel Stubby MiniBars partially ground and awaiting finish work before sending to heat treat. There is a sweet batch of new titanium Prybabies in a slightly larger size (closer to the Original Prybaby size) that have already been milled and are just awaiting grinding and finishing steps. And a big batch of steel Prybabies in the same design has also just been cut. I will be doing a new steel Tiny Tim design later this summer as well as some new Mini Superbugs with pry tip. And interesting little Puzzle Tiles in various metals are still in progress and will be coming very soon...I also have some timascus tools to get to later this summer which are going to be a lot of work.

Today I have the remaining CPM 154 PieceMaker knives ready to go. They are identical to the Elmax batch except for the "L" stamp on the back side. They were heavily bead blasted and then tumbled, so they have a low luster Antique Satin finish on them. These are stout working knives, yet are small enough to easily carry.

There will be a few more stray PieceMakers after these, but this is the bulk of the batch, and I have already sold quite a few to folks who missed the Elmax batch and who had emailed me. These tool knives are really cool, but they will not be made again as they are from very old stock. I may have a few more fixed blades coming up later this year, but I need to take a break from sharpening and sheaths and get back to the many other tool projects that are piling up, as mentioned above.

CPM 154 PieceMakers will run $220 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks again for coming by, and I hope your summer is going to be great!  

Sold Out, thank you so much!

 

 

Elmax PieceMakers!

Hi again my friends!

Well, it was a wonderful holiday weekend here, and now there are some more lovely days ahead for us. It will be getting quite hot this week though and will feel much more like summer for a couple of days. I have planted out most of my garden vegetables and flowers, and all is going well so far.

Today I have something rather special for you! These PieceMaker captive bit knives were cut many years ago, probably almost a decade ago. But I'm finally getting around to finishing the first run...

The first batch of PieceMakers are made of Elmax steel. The broad, big bellied blade is 2 inches in length and they are V ground. Overall length of the knife is 4.25 inches. These are nice slicers and are comfy in the hand while maintaining a fairly small footprint. They also have a ton of utility as you can see, with a captive bit handle and rear pry tip. The large opening in the blade provides an excellent  forward grip point for fine work, and allows for good sheath retention, at the same time allowing the bit to be removed while the knife is sheathed. Of course, you shouldn't use any of the tool functions unless these knives are safely nestled in the sheaths. ;)

The Elmax ones are marked with an "L" on the back side since I didn't have a dedicated identifying stamp for this steel back when I made them. The CPM 154 ones will be coming in a few weeks and those do not have an "L" stamp on the back side, so that is how you can tell them apart. At any rate though, these are sweet little tool knives in either steel and they are shaving sharp!

This first run in Elmax is only four dozen pieces and will be $225, but the larger batch of CPM 154  coming shortly will run slightly less. The Elmax turned out to be quite expensive to make, both in material costs, and also Smith and Wesson had to run a whole special oven cycle for them in the heat treat as this steel has a different schedule than normal CPM steels. But I thought it would be worth trying something different for this one small batch....

The PieceMakers feature my usual wide variety of stamps, and since these were made a very long time ago I only used the older and smaller stamps as there wasn't much open real estate to play with. The entire batch is stamped, and there are no left handed specific knives, although with a V ground blade it doesn't matter so much. 

Thanks for dropping by today and I hope the rest of your week is fantastic!

Sold out, thank you so much!

 

 

 

 

Jeweled BabySharks!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you had a nice weekend! We're finally getting a glorious spring week here with low humidity and comfortable temperatures. This has been a chilly spring for the most part though, with the weather alternating between rainy stretches or no rain at all. But we're finally in the clear for planting I think, after having a frosty overnight low of 27F just last week! Brrr...

I'm barreling along on my projects. Ti Keytons will be coming very soon as I am nearly done grinding them. I have some slightly larger sized ti MikroStiks coming up and those are ready for stamping and final finishes. Other ti tools are about to be milled, and steel tools will be getting cut next week for the summer months  lineup. And sharpening continues with a few more small fixed blades coming up in the next few days as well.

Today I have the final batch of BabySharks to offer you. These are drilled on the front side like the glow dot ones, but have various gem stone inlays! They are stamped on the back side just as the glow dot series was. The gem stones vary but are all pretty cool...there are beautiful garnets, a few opals, couple of emeralds, rubies, sapphires, amethyst, jade and black MOP. A super cool little addition to these tools and something different for you.

The Jeweled BabySharks will run $195 plus shipping and the link is below. Once again, it is a small batch so one per customer on them please. Thanks for popping by today and I hope your week is starting out great!

Woah, these are all gone, thank you so much folks!

 

BabySharks with Glow Dot

Hi Everyone,

Absolutely lovely week ahead with perfect temperatures and sunny skies. I will take advantage of it and do a few spring painting and touch up chores out on the deck this afternoon. I think last night was the last of the 30f temperatures so some pepper plants will be going into the ground this week too.

So I've decided to cut some steel over the next month and new Prybabies are on the menu. Also new Superbugs and a new Tiny Tim design. In addition, I will be cutting a new Wedgie design in both steel and a special super tough grade of titanium. And the puzzle piece project is proceeding as well in bronze, stainless, brass and zirconium. I also just got finished milling titanium Keytons, so those will be forthcoming in a week or two. So there are lots of cool projects are ahead for the summer and fall.   

Today I have a small batch of fixed blades for you. These BabySharks have a glow dot inlaid on the front side, and are stamped on the back side. Since these were heat treated well over a year ago the stamps are all of the slightly older variety, so no Bigfoots or dinosaurs in this group, but some great images nonetheless. A larger second group of these are coming shortly, but with gorgeous gemstone inlays rather than the glow dots.

BabySharks with glow dots will run $175 plus shipping and it is one per customer on them please. Thanks for checking in today, and hope your week is a pleasant one!

 Gone in a flash, thank you!

 

 

 

 

Zircuti MikroStiks

Hi Everyone,

I'm back! It's been a cold and rather rainy two weeks here in New England, but the doldrums have finally broken and we are now looking at some warmers days with abundant sunshine for the next week. I am more than ready, and I think I can cautiously start putting some plants in my garden as long as they are covered or hardened off.

I've been quite busy lately doing a serious and long overdue spring cleaning in my shop. I still have lots to do, but at least I made some great inroads on the accumulated junk and disorganization. I also started several new projects and those tools are underway right now. I will have new titanium Tombstones, ti Keytons and a new ti Prybaby design coming up over the next several weeks. I also will be cutting some new steel tools soon, and will probably cut the new Prybabies in steel among other designs still to be decided...I should have some interesting new puzzle stuff coming up shortly too. There are several new tools coming this summer in exotic materials, and I am doing some sharpening right now as well. So tons of cool stuff is coming up, please stay tuned. 

Speaking of exotic materials...Here is a tiny batch of original style MikroStiks in Zirconium Titanium Damascus! These have been stamped and are all quite unique in their anodized colors. There are only a dozen of these little guys today, but there will be other tools coming this summer in similar materials. 

Zircuti MikroStiks will run $85 each plus shipping and it is one per customer on them please. Thank you for checking in today, and I hope you have a great weekend ahead!

Gone in a flash, thank you so much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Titanium PryDaddies

Hi Folks,

Another stellar day out there! I will continue my spring clean up activities this afternoon and then take a couple of days off to enjoy the lovely spell of weather. ;) I just got my taxes and paperwork updated and caught up on, so I'm definitely feeling relieved today. And I have some newly cut titanium parts to work on so will spend a bit of time on those as well...

So, today I have the remaining Titanium PryDaddies done. There are just a couple dozen of these, and they feature my wide variety of stamps as well as color anodizing.

Titanium PryDaddies will run $85 plus shipping and the link is below. Thank you as always for swinging by today, and hope your week is shaping up nicely!

Sold out, thank you so much!

 

 

Steel Tiny Tims

A glorious week is unfolding here in New England. It will be sunny and in the 70's and even maybe reach the mid 80's as the week goes on. Perfect weather, and a great week to get some gardening and spring cleanup done, before those darned the biting flies wake up. I have a few minor repairs to make and a tree or two to cut down, but it's all easy stuff... And of course, taxes, bleh! :)

Today I have a handful of steel Tiny Tims for you. These little guys are one of my long time favorites and certainly have a lot of utility for such a tiny tool. These are all stamped.

Tiny Tims will run $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for popping in, and hope you have as nice of a week ahead as we do!

All gone, thanks so much!

 

 

Titanium Fleas

Hi Everyone,

We're shivering again this morning, and it will only be about 50f today and tomorrow. But then it will start warming up over the next week. It's so nice to be out in the yard and garden again, and I will be getting my tomato seeds started this weekend.

Today I have a couple dozen titanium Fleas for you. These have a wide variety of stamps and anodized colors. I also have one left handed piece available, and a couple of pieces without stamps or anodizing if any one wishes to email me for them.

Titanium Fleas will run $70 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for popping in today, and I hope you have a great Easter weekend ahead!

Sold out, thanks again folks! :)

 

 

Brown Micarta 6 Flute Megas

Hi Folks,

It's a cool and wet morning out there today. But it is supposed to go up to 70f later on with a chance of showers. After this though, we should have a string of sunny days for the next week and temps will climb into the 60's and maybe even 70's. I can't wait!

Today I have the remaining Brown Micarta 6 Flute Mega Lanslide beads for you. This is my personal favorite of the synthetic materials, and it makes for a very good looking bead that is both durable and light weight. These are light in color but you can easily darken them if you wish by applying a little bit of oil. I will be looking into making a run of mini size ones later this summer.

Micarta 6 Flute beads will run $30 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Hope your week has been going well and you are looking forward to a relaxing weekend ahead.    

Sold Out, thank you very much, and have a nice Easter Weekend!

 

 

 

 

Steel MikroStiks

Hi Everyone,

It's a cloudy one out there today, but at least it's mild. We did a bunch of spring cleanup chores yesterday and it felt so good to finally be outside working in the warm(ish) sunshine for a change. I think it's finally safe to put away the snowblower for the season!

The projects are moving along slowly. I will be making a new Prybaby run this year, and the drawings for those are now finalized. Also a new Keyton batch is coming...and I decided to dust off another older design, so an updated Tombstone will be coming back as well. I'm also in the middle of testing an unusual new puzzle concept, so watch this space for more on that very soon.

Today I have a few dozen steel MikroStiks left. These are CPM 154 steel with a light raw bar texture. A very handy little tool for all sorts of poking, scraping and light prying tasks. They have a wide variety of stamps on them, and there are a couple of plain ones without stamps too if anyone wants to email me for them. I also have a half dozen of the smooth but slightly thinner stamped ones left.

Steel MikroStiks will run $45 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks as always for swinging by today and I hope your week is warm and sunny too!

All gone, thank you everyone!

 

 

 

 

Steel PryDaddies

Hi Everyone,

We still have a couple of tiny spots in the shady areas of our property where a few lingering piles of snow remain. But they are disappearing fast, and there are 4 days in the 10 day forecast that are promising temperatures above 60 F., so those piles are not long for this world, and we will not be sorry to see the last of them!

Today I have a few steel PryDaddies left. This is a very small batch, but there are some great stamped ones here...steel Prydaddies will run $85 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for coming by today, and hope your spring is coming soon where you are too!

Gone in a flash, thank you so much!

 

 

Steel Mini Wedgies

Hi Folks, and Happy Friday!

Looks like a typical late march weekend is in store for us here. It will be chilly and rainy tomorrow, followed by cloudy and 50's on Sunday and Monday. At least the snow is receding from our lawn except for a few piles here and there, mostly on the north side of things where the sun doesn't come round until the afternoon. I did spy a few crocuses yesterday and some daffodil shoots, so that's a pretty good sign that we are heading for some warmer days.

Today I have a little batch of steel Wedgies left over from last year. These are 17-4ph stainless steel and feature a drilled divot for DIY glow dot if you so choose. A handy little tool and quite stout! These are mostly all stamped, but there are 4 plain ones without stamps as well if anyone prefers that.  

Mini Wedgies are $65 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks so much for coming by today, and I hope you have a great weekend ahead!   

All gone, thank you so much everyone!

 

 

G10 6 Flute Megas

Hi Folks,

It's still quite chilly out there this morning. So even though the calendar says spring, the reality is that it will take a month or two before we can really believe it. There is still a couple of stubborn inches of snow on our yard and some big frozen piles that the plow pushed up, and that will be around for at least a few more days, or possibly weeks.

Today I have some more of the 6 Flute Olive G10 Mega beads for you. These really look great tied onto many of the popular folders from Benchmade and Spyderco, and indeed I have been enjoying several myself. They also make terrific lightweight zipper pulls for gear bags and garments.

G10 6 Flute Megas will run $30 each plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Thanks as always for coming by today and I hope your week is shaping up to be a good one. 

All gone, thank you so much everyone!

 

 

 

Fluted PermaCorks!

Happy Spring Everyone!

Yes indeed, that long awaited day has arrived! As of 5PM today it will officially be spring, my favorite time of year. Can't wait to see the last of Polar Vortexes and nasty snow storms, and I'm really looking forward to seeing some green grass again.

My recent shop cleanups and organizing continues to pay dividends as I uncover more older projects. I will get into the shop for some finishing operations this week and hopefully get some of this stuff done.

Today I have a few dozen PermaCorks that I had completely forgotten about. These are the 6 Flute Aluminum ones with the clear HAIII hardcoat anodizing for that cool Surefire/Military kind of look. 

Bottle openings do vary a bit, but these will fit most beer, wine and liquor bottles. I often will moisten mine under the tap if the fit is on the tight side. Once in a while I find I cannot use them either because the wine bottle is a little too narrow, or sometimes on beer bottles it might be a tiny bit loose. But for the most part they do perform very well. 

PermaCorks will run $45 plus shipping and the link is below. There are a half dozen of the version with black round head and knurling left as well if anyone wants to email me for them. Thanks for dropping in and have a great week ahead folks!

Sold Out, thanks again everyone!

 

 

Bronze MultiMags

Hi Folks,

Well another Friday is upon us. I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend after this rather busy and stressful week we just had. It looks like the temperatures will be moderating here and that just might be the end of the big snowstorms for the season. I sure hope so!

I don't have anything new to report on as far as projects go. But, I will be putting in a few days in the shop next week for sure.  

Today I have a small batch of bronze MultiMags left from a couple of years ago. These are a dandy little fiddle toy, and they also make really nice fridge magnets. I have a few with bead blast finish and a couple with dark tumbled finish.

Bronze MultiMags will run $55 plus shipping. Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you have a great weekend ahead!

Gone in a flash, thanks again my friends!

 

 

Titanium Wrunts

Happy Snowy Wednesday Everyone!

We're still cleaning up after a massive snow dump for the past 36 hours. Heavy, wet and nasty. It brought down a lot of power lines in the area and many folks are still out of power this morning. We got lucky and only were down for a few hours yesterday, but seem to be back up and stable so far today. I'm not sure how much we got but it was about a foot probably.

Today I have a small batch of Titanium Wrunts for you. These were unfinished from the earlier batch a few months ago that I recently got around to getting done. All have extra grinds and there is a wide variety of stamps. I have a half dozen without color or stamping if anyone prefers that. There are also a half dozen lefties as well if anyone wants to email me (lottagear2000-pp@yahoo.com) for them!

Titanium Wrunts will run $75 plus shipping and the link is below. Thanks for popping by today, and I hope you are having a great week!

All gone, thanks everyone!

 

 

 

 

Titanium Game Boards!

Hi Everyone,

Well, looks like a doozy of a storm is heading our way tonight and tomorrow. We're supposed to get a foot or so of heavy wet snow, accompanied by gusty winds up to 50mph. I have a lot of emergency stuff ready to go just in case of power outages, so I know I will be fine, but it sounds like it could get a bit unpleasant for a day or two...

Today I have something very fun for you, the OG GameBoard! Everyone knows the game Tic-Tac-Toe, but it turns out this game has quite ancient origins and can have much more strategy involved than the basic X and O game that we all played in the dirt or on paper as kids. Some variants have been played since Roman times or even earlier, and apparently it is common to see early boards carved into the choir pews in certain cathedrals in Europe. Different versions have been called Nine Holes or Three Men's Morris and the rules are slightly different for each one. 

Basically, each player takes turns placing three men on the board. If there is no three in a row after all 6 pieces have been placed, then the players takes turns moving one man at a time until someone achieves three in a row. Some versions allow the piece to be moved only to an adjacent spot, others allow to move the piece anywhere on the board, so you will have to decide how you want to play. Some versions say that diagonal rows aren't allowed to win, only the horizontal or vertical, so again, you have to decide how difficult to make it. Just do a Google search for Nine Holes or Three Men's Morris to get all the different rules of play so you can decide how you want to do it.

These OG GameBoards would have delighted the original players I am sure...Made of 1/4" thick titanium plate and measuring 3 inches by 3 inches. These are quite heavy. I elected to lighten them up a bit by drilling 9 large holes and using marbles for the game pieces. Milled lines indicate the rows. And they can be used as table coasters as well when not playing. Given the 9 square inches of material, these may be the heaviest titanium items I have made. Also, they were quite expensive just to cut them and do the milling. So this is probably a one time run unless I can figure out a more economical way to manufacture them.

The OG GameBoards are stamped and anodized with a wide range of images and colors. I did leave a few of the stamped ones without anodizing, and there are two or three without stamps as well, so if anyone wishes to have a plain version just drop me a note please.

OG GameBoards will run $90 plus shipping. Thanks for swinging by, and stay safe out there this week if you in the path of the storm!

 Sold out, thank you so much folks!