Friday, August 30, 2013

M is for.....Metric!

Hi Folks,

Thanks for patiently waiting for new releases these past couple of weeks. I've been working steadily on numerous projects and have made a huge amount of progress. It's looking like September will be the busiest month of the year so far with a couple of brand new offerings and also some older ideas brought back to life. Exciting stuff is on the horizon once again!

I had mentioned today's tool on the Facebook group last week but didn't have a finished one on hand to post a picture. At any rate, I'm very pleased to bring this one back from the dead. Several years ago I made a series of tools called the Atwrench which many of you probably remember. I did a bunch of SAE version tools in steel and also made a few titanium pieces. Then I decided to do a metric offering and I made just one small batch of them in S30v steel. Needless to say, those metric pieces have been in high demand over the years and I have received MANY requests for another run of them or to make a brand new metric tool.

Well, for the past several years I have had an old titanium Atwrench sitting on my kitchen counter and it is a constant reminder to me of how handy this tool is. I have used it to pop more than a few beers of course but it has also been useful as a pry tool on numerous occasions. At 3.25 inches long (82mm), the size is perfect and the ergonomics are very satisfying indeed.

So earlier this summer I was going through some older drawings and I came across the Atwrench and Metwrench designs and it was yet another reminder to me. The time is definitely ripe for a revival of these great tools.

For this version I have left the original odd number Metric size wrench set in place. Wrench sizes are 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15mm. Up the road I may do a variation and try to include the most ideal frequently used sizes only but I'm not there quite yet. For now, the original wrench set will have to suffice.

Anyway, I played around for days with various configurations and ended up with a rather nice design update. This new tool features more aggressive, deep cut crenallations on the edges for a secure grip. The cap lifter is perfectly sized for smooth single pop action and I moved the distinctive "M" to the small end of the wrench set so it is less obtrusive and much stronger. Careful chamferring on all corners and edges ensure the most comfortable grip possible and indeed, this tool will melt into your hand. They are made of .160 S30v steel so have plenty of heft to them and they have been thoroughly tumbled to a nice stonewashed finish. All in all, a very satisfying tool and one that you will really enjoy carrying.

This is the first wave of the double sized batch. The other half of the batch is at heat treat right now and will be back in about two weeks. In addition, a double sized batch of SAE Atwrenches with the exact same footprint have already been cut and are getting surface ground next week. So the first of those will be coming in about 4-5 weeks. Lots of Atwrenches on the horizon!

The Metric Atwrenches will run $60 plus shipping. It's a one per customer sale and I'm doing this one early in the morning so our European, Aussie and Asian friends have a chance at them....
no worries, the next wave will be at a more West Coast friendly time, I promise. ;)


First wave is sold out, thank you so much!














                

Friday, August 09, 2013

Anodized Ti DreadKnots

Hi Everyone,

Raining like heck here today and quite humid. We'll survive I'm sure, but it makes for a gloomy summer day.

Speaking of gloomy, the light is lousy so I apologize in advance for the crummy pics below. Couldn't find good light today to get the colors looking right...anyhow, today I have the first wave of titanium DreadKnots done. These came out very nice. I have anodized them in various color combinations, mostly rainbows and color fades although there are a few solid colors in the mix as well. Basically though they are mostly all different and unique so I will send you whatever I send you, no color choices this time around.

I've been working on a second batch of ti DreadKnots to be finished shortly and those will probably be a plain stonewashed batch, we'll see what I feel like doing and what I have time to get done.

The ti DreadKnots will be $60 each plus shipping...The batch isn't huge so it will be one per customer on them please. The link is below. Thanks for stopping in as always and I hope everyone's summer is going great!

All gone for now, thank you!