Looks like the Nays have it...

Well, I didn't get nearly as many positive comments and emails as negative ones so it looks like there will only be 15 of the straight knurl made, at least for now. I have 13 left so when these are gone they are gone...the remainder of the batch will be diamond. Hopefully I will have some pics of the diamond knurl version by next week.

Regular Prybabies will be back tomorrow.

Yay or Nay? You tell me....

Here's a quick pic showing the new straight knurl next to my standard rifle knurl. They ran a few of these this morning then had to stop the machine for a few days and will resume next week. So here's your chance to speak up and tell me if you all think these are a go or not. I'm definitely having some with diamond knurl done for certain but wasn't as sure on these. I'd appreciate anyone with a strong opinion to post in the comments section. Thanks! :)

So, Onward and Upward

Things settled down here and I'm back to work today. More goodies coming later this week! :)

Something Else...

Constellation Series

A couple of quick pics of the forthcoming Constellation Series. These are fun! :)

Prybabies and Prybaby XLs Back in Stock

Just got a bunch of Prybabies done today. I have several dozen of the full sized XL version as well as a dozen or so of the regular ones. These all have the thumb scallops this time. Usually I only do them on the XLs but I thought it would be nice to add soem to the regular Prybabies as well for a little variation. This particular batch is monster thick, nearly 3/16" and is in CPM154. Will have a few "special" ones as well in a couple of days... :P

Still waiting on whistles.

Whistles are Coming!

It's true, whistles are finally almost ready. Should be back in just a couple more days...when the run is completed this time there will be 3 different knurls offered. My standard rifle knurl will be included of course but then there will be a portion with a straight knurl and a portion with a diamond knurl. I'm excited to finally have a little more variety available. A few other options may be coming as well so keep your eyes peeled late next week or the week after as they get finished up.

Shot glasses may also be following. ;)

More News on the Postal Front

OK, here's the scoop as far as I can tell...domestic postage has gone up just a little bit for most of the packages I am sending. In most cases it is not a big deal. International though is a whole other ball game.

For basic orders less than $50 I can ship flat rate Priority mail for about $11 to most countries. This is now the cheapest option unfortunately. No tracking is available however and if someone wants to risk shipping this way they are taking responsibility if the package is lost or stolen in transit.

For orders over $50 I think Express Mail International is the safest way to go. The rates vary from country to country but is about $25 and it offers tracking.

Certain countries such as Italy I'm not sure about yet. So please email me to confirm and I will try in the meantime to figure out a way to set up my site for international ordering.

Thanks for your patience!

Overseas and Domestic Postal Rates Change Today

Well, this is going to require a bit of patience. The US post office has decided to change their rates effective today. They have really messed things up it sounds like. Apparently packages destined within the US will now be zoned and priced accordingly. Not sure yet exactly how it will work but the charges are not too bad and only slightly different than before.

It is with the foreign orders that I am really not sure what's going on. Packaging is different and the charges may be quite different so please contact me if you are ordering from overseas. I will be happy to inquire and figure it out. I hope this is a short period of adjustment and that I will get it all sorted out fairly quickly.

Ti Bar Group Shot

Got the first 6 done. I'm keeping the blue with coyote brown one for myself right now...:P :D

Titanium Bug Out Bars Exist!

It's true. Well, one exists anyway. But more are on the way in the coming week or so. I have tons of stuff happening at once as usual so I have to pick one thing at a time and stick with it. But these are absolutely happening. Made of 6AL4V 5/32 thick and 4.5 inches OAL. They are a 3/4 size version of my standard But Out Bar. I'm having way too much fun with this stuff lately. :)

Drinking Heavily :)

A recent prototype for an Atwood Drinking Tool....hehe...holds the standard 1 oz of liquid yet weighs in at an astonishing 7.5 ozs (215g). Turned from solid 303 stainless steel, this thing gives new meaning to the term "heavy drinking". LOL...

I'm going to maybe try another one of these and then decide if I want to do a small run of them. A very neat thing even if you don't drink alcohol. ;)

Breaking the Color Barrier

I love titanium! :) My recent Flat Spannerbabies have been very fun for me. I bead blasted these before anodizing to give a matte appearance that when colored gives a very interesting jewel-like quality to them.

Micro Card Knives

A recent batch of Micro Card knives that I'm finishing up now. I've made some neat little leather sheaths for these. Kind of exploring alternatives to kydex which I pretty much hate. The fumes from heating that stuff are nasty and can't be good for you and the potential for scratches on the knife has always bugged me.

Next...

Still working on finishing up a few more of the Skeeters. I have a couple with bright colored cord wrap that I will try to get up on the site tomorrow.

Hoping to start finishing up Mini Keytons, Mini Prybabies and a dozen regular Prybabies tomorrow as well. Should have them up on the site Thursday or Friday.

More flat spanners are planned and material arrived today. Whistles are supposed to be turned any time now.

Prybaby XLs are about 2-3 weeks away.

Whew, that's a lot of projects right there and that's only about half of it! :D

Skeeters Are Done!

Available on the site while they last. I have a few with stonewash finish and then a batch with my usual antique satin finish.

And There's More!

There's just a ton of stuff in process right now. Prybabies, Mini Prybabies, Mini Keytons and a few other models will be back in stock mid week next week. I am heat treating this weekend and fooling around with new stonewash finishes. Tumbling is just way cool especially on these sorts of small tools and tool knives and I'm slowly learning more about it.

Speaking of Stonewash finishes on knives...The new 5/32" thick CPM 154 Skeeters are here. :) I'm working on sheaths right now for them and will get these up on the site sometime this weekend. I've got at least a portion of them with stonewash finish and the rest will be my usual antique satin. A variety of cord colors will be available. These are ground on both sides for a change so the V Grind enthusiasts should be happy. I've been carrying one for the past few days and am just tickled with it. A very handy little piece and at 3 1/8" long it's only a hair longer than the Mini Son of PryThing.

Sorry for the fuzzy pics, I'll pay more attention next time! :D

We Span Econo

I was never a big Minutemen fan back in the 80's but I do love the play on words from the title of the new documentary of their music "We Jam Econo". :)

I thought a few of these might be kind of fun. They measure only .050" in thickness so they are super light and they fit the spanner slots absolutely like a glove on the Strider folding knives. The screwdriver tip on the butt or on the front can be used as a light weight prytool and scraper but more inportantly can also be used to adjust Emerson and Hinderer pivots. And they open bottles and they are made of TITANIUM! :D

Obviously there isn't the complexity of a regular Prybaby with spanner here so these will be priced accordingly, hence the econo part. I'm thinking they will be about $25. Will have a few done later this weekend. Finishes will be plain bead blast and bead blast with anodizing, solid colors only.

The Trouble with Lists

I was maintaining a list for a long time. It seemed like a good idea at first and sometimes it actually worked out. Someone would email me and ask for something that I knew that I would be making down the road. I put their name on the list along with what they wanted. Some period of time later things would be done, I'd go back over it, see their name and send an email. One down, 68 to go.

The trouble was that months would go by and I still hadn't made Widget X for so and so. The list grew and grew. I'd hack away at it as best I could and all the while I'm thinking "Oh shit, I've got to get to Widget X....and Widget Y and Widget Z and all the other Widgets."

After awhile, say 6 months, I'd look over the list and decide that I'm never going to get to this request or that request. Or it's been too long, they will have lost interest by now. So I'd purge off anything older than 6 months.

And still the list grew. It was getting ridiculous, at one time over 80 requests from individuals. Some of these were for 6 or 8 different items and all were custom combinations of stuff. For instance, one guy might want a Wedgie4 with tiger stripes and camo cord wrap and also a brass whistle, a damascus skeeter, a Micro Bug Out Blade without V notch but with a satin finish and OD cord wrap and a tibaby with scalloped edges Area 51 grinds and blue bubbles. And he doesn't want it one at a time, he wants it all at once if possible. Just hold those first three for him while the others are getting finished because he wants it shipped together to save on postage. Yeah right, OK.

Well, I'll tell you, when you have one order like that it's not that big of a deal. You can get to it. But when you have 70 or 80 of these piling up with seemingly no end in sight and more coming in every day two things happen: First you thank God for your incredible good fortune and then you quietly begin to go insane. :D

So that's why I've taken a break from the custom requests and have been ignoring my list for awhile. It's just too much, plain and simple. And that's why I keep telling folks to check the site and this blog for info on what's coming up. I'm still feeling my way towards the best approach to the whole thing and I appreciate everyone bearing with me while I work it out.

So enough of my whining and apologizing! :-) This week, more Sumos and hopefully Skeeters. Also trying to get some more mini Keytons into the heat treat. Prybabies of all sorts in a week or so and a few Bug Out Bars both Micro and full sized. Whistles in 2-3 weeks and I hope there will be a few damascus ones available.

Working on it!

I've been cranking out some stuff this weekend. Working on large batches of various tools and small knives. I'm hoping to get a more substantial amount of stock on the site and am working like a maniac. Will have more to report later this week. :)