Titanium Hangman v2.5

Hi Everyone,

Well, the day has finally come where my web host has made changes to php that will no longer let me run my old code. So I am no longer able to upload photos and generate new sale pages on my atwoodknives.com site and Jenny can't figure out what changes they have done. I don't feel like setting up a whole new site and shopping cart, etc since none of the off the shelf sites will let me do things the way that I am used to and it would be very costly to pay for a full custom site that I can easily update myself.

So my solution is to keep things very simple and just stick a Paypal button on the blog posts as a way to run the sales. We'll give it a try and see how it goes, but this should be a far simpler way for everyone and eliminate the convoluted steps that I have been doing in the past...

Today I have a batch of Hangman v2.5 hooks finished. This is the same updated rigid design as the Hangman v1.5 but with the addition of a pry tip on the bottom. I have stamped these heavily and anodized the batch, and there are a few non anodized plain ones available as well. The colors and stamps vary widely and no two are alike. Just email me if you don't want anodizing and I'm happy to hook you up. I believe there are even a few without stamps just in case someone wants totally plain.

The Hangman hooks will run $60 plus shipping. There is no quantity limit, but this is my first test sale with the Paypal button and I am not certain just how this will work, but you should be able to add more than one in the cart if desired. Hopefully my settings are right, but if not I will change them next time. I believe the shipping will be added in automatically according to your location and the rate is the same, $14 for international, $10 for Canada, $7 flat rate for US sales. Thanks for stopping by today and fingers crossed that this all works correctly!  

Sold out, thank you everyone! The button worked flawlessly so that's a relief too. More goodies coming very shortly so please stay tuned. :)

Titanium Wring Tools

Well Happy Autumn Everyone!

Fall is suddenly in full swing up here in New England. The leaves are changing everywhere, but the temps haven't been cold enough to give us much color yet. So the leaves are mostly brown and tired looking, but here and there you can spy a bright orange and red maple as you drive down the country roads.

I've been working steadily on numerous projects and have also come up with several new drawings recently. So all kinds of stuff will be coming, basically for the next several months and well into the new year.

Today I sat down to create a new sale page and discovered some mysterious website problems. After spending a couple of hours trying to get it straightened out we decided to try a work around for now. So hopefully the sale can work for today...the problem was in uploading image files and so my sale page today and my shopping cart won't have any images, but they should still work properly. At least I hope so, hehe!

Today I have something really cool for you. This is brand new version of a very old tool. Some of you might remember the original Ring Tools that I made many years ago. I decided to revive the concept but added some new twists.

These Wring Tools are made of a special new material. They are titanium, but the titanium I am using is upcycled Armor Plate. It's surplus material from the Department of Defense. I have no idea what the original purpose was, but I'm guessing it was probably from those V bottom shaped armored vehicles that you sometimes see in combat images. Or maybe it was for tanks or something...Anyway, this stuff is crazy TOUGH, and also nearly 1/4" thick. So these tools are a lot more robust than the original ring tool design which were maybe 1/8 or 5/32 thick at the most.

The reason I went with the 12 point wrench interior shape is that not only does it look super cool, but it does allow for a much more forgiving fit range than a plain circular ring shape would. There is leeway for several ring sizes in these.  In order to make the Wring size so that it will fit the broadest range of fingers possible, I settled on 13/16". If you have a full wrench set you can test that size right now and see how these will fit. The next closest size would be 3/4" (which you can also easily test with a wrench at home) but that is a little bit small for a lot of people. So I will skip 3/4" on this design for now. On the next Version Two of the Wring tools I have made a small number of 3/4" Wrings, and those will be available in a few weeks. But today I only have the 13/16 size which I am calling size M/L. The future 3/4" ones will be size Small.

The Wring tools feature a screwdriver/pry tip. The batch is fairly uniform and there are none with stamps. I elected to leave them with a plain finish as this grade of titanium does not anodize quite as brightly as the normal stuff usually does. The Wrings have gotten many hours of tumbling and then hand rubbed finishing to give them a soft buttery feel. There is a slight raw bar texture on them.

These first Wring Tools will run $50 each plus shipping and the link is below. I'll make it a limit of two per customer on them please. Thanks for stopping by today and hope you're all enjoying the last warm days of the year.

All gone for today, thank you so much!

     

 

Six Flute Titanium Megas

Hi Everyone,

Well it's a lovely week here in Massachusetts. The mornings are a bit crisp now and it takes a few hours to burn off the dew on the lawn. We're trying to get out every day for a brisk walk while it's still shorts and t-shirt weather, but something tells me it won't be long until long sleeves become necessary. 

I've been busy this week moving existing projects forward and also fiddling with some new drawings. Taking some time off this summer has really paid off as some very interesting new ideas have been coming to mind. Hopefully at least some will pan out.

Today I have some titanium 6 Flute Mega beads done. These have a plain finish and are roughly half of the total batch. I will anodize the rest soon, but today it's just the plain ones. These have deeply milled flutes and narrow fins which make for a very grippy shape. The finish is buttery smooth. Great for zipper pulls and for making into lanyards for tools.

The 6 Flute Megas will run $30 plus shipping and the link is below. Thank you for dropping by today, and I hope your upcoming weekend is excellent!

All gone for now, thank you so much!

Titanium MikroStiks

Hi Everyone,

I'm back!

Wow, what an amazing summer this has been. I still can't believe it's almost over though since time has flown by so fast....but here in the Northeast the air is starting to get a familiar early morning chill, the days are suddenly not as hot and we're losing precious daylight minutes at a rapid clip. We don't have any leaves showing color yet, but it's only a matter of time. Four short weeks from now we should be in peak foliage season.

Even though I've been quiet as a mouse for the past few weeks, work on projects has steadily continued. I've been quite busy the whole time grinding tools, creating new drawings, tumbling, sanding, anodizing tools and tying strings. The difference this summer compared to past ones is I've also been playing guitar, working out (Google the awesome little Pocket Monkii), gardening and cooking every single day, and going to several music events every week. I've even messed around with some acrylic paint and canvases. So my days have been somewhat mixed up, jam packed with both work and play, and we've super charged our social life this summer. Good times!

As I mentioned, the projects have been rolling along and I have a ton of stuff coming up this fall:

Steel Metric Mini Prybabies and new steel Atwrenches are both on the bench, still awaiting finish grinds and final decorations. But they are close to being sent out to heat treat.

A couple of older projects have been resurrected and are nearing completion, such as titanium TightWads, and a second small batch of rough cut steel tools has been rescued, although they are not Mini Shiners this time but rather a little tool called the Wrant that I never released.

I decided to revisit a very old design, the Ring Tool, and two completely new versions of that will be coming up in a rather novel new material. I'm finding these new Wring Tools to be highly addictive fiddle toys btw... A new small key fob design is coming, several long overdue batches of fluted beads, more kitchen magnets, a high quality kitchen clip design, zirconium Hangmen, an updated older tool in titanium, new Tiny Tims but with a twist and several other goodies.

Today I have a fancy little item, Titanium MikroStiks. These tiny 2.5 inch long tools are perfect for small and delicate poking, cleaning and prying tasks where a sharper pin tool would be too pointy and sharp. A versatile tool, it is excellent for fine renovations, small delicate repairs, cord and knot work or for pipe smokers looking to clean their pipe...these are heavily stamped with a wide variety and many combinations of images as usual, and most are contrast anodized with bright colors. There are also a few without anodizing for the vanilla lovers, just email me and I'm happy to hook you up.

I find that the MikroStiks pair well with any of my beads, and it's easy to tie a cord to them and use the bead as a sheath if you want to pocket carry these without poking yourself. They carry just fine on a key ring mixed in with your keys too though, especially Hangman style carry...also, you will note the center hole which provides for a tie in finger loop point for those who like to play with minimalist defensive tool ideas.

The Titanium MikroStiks will run $50 plus shipping and the link to purchase is just above the picture below. Thanks for dropping by today and I hope your summer has been super fun as well.

Sold out, thank you! There will be plain steel ones coming later this fall too...

Tie on a cord and any bead (you all have tons of beads I bet, haha!) and you have this nifty little carry option:

  






       

Stamped Zirconium Magnums

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

We're due for some strong thunderstorms here today so I thought I would try to slip in a quick and early sale this morning. Some very hot weather is coming our way for the weekend and it looks like much of the country is going to be sweltering. Probably not so great for outdoor events unless it involves swimming...

Now, earlier this year I sold a batch of Vintage Magnum beads, and I thought at the time that those were stainless steel. However, it turns out I had mixed up some trays and those were actually zirconium after all. I should have known this at the time because stainless simply will not take a heat coloring like that. Doh! Oh well, mistakes happen, LOL... 

Anyhow, today I have the rest of the Zirconium Magnum beads finished. These are name stamped and then also I have added some of my tiny decorative stamps to them. They are heat colored, lightly tumbled and then oiled to bring out the color.

The Zr Magnum beads will run $70 each plus shipping and it is a tiny batch so one per customer on them please. Thanks as always for swinging by. I hope everyone has a great week ahead, and stay cool my friends!

Gone in a jiffy, thank you so much!

Rough Cut Mini Shiners

Hi Everyone,

Summer is in full swing up this way. Yesterday I spotted a couple of cherry tomatoes starting to develop a noticeable pink blush so it won't be long now until we're enjoying the best salads of the summer.

Today I have a small batch of New Old Stock tools. These were cut about 5 years ago but I never got around to finishing the batch because they weren't cut as cleanly as I would have liked. This has happened once in a while before, and in the past I have simply trashed the bad batches. Usually it's because something didn't fit correctly because I didn't check my design thoroughly enough before cutting. But in this case, they were just cut kind of fast or something and so the edges were quite rough, but the fit was fine on the 1/4 hex opening and the cap lifter. Recently I came across the box and decided that the tool was kinda cute and that I would try to save some of these, at least enough to pay for the materials and expenses.

The Mini Shiner is one of the smallest tools I have made. Not as diminutive as the Tiny Tim, but pretty small indeed. They are made of CPM 154 steel and measure just 2.5" long by 1/2" wide and are 5/32 thick (.160). They feature a small rounded pry tip, cap lifter and 1/4 hex opening. Small enough to almost disappear on your keys...as I mentioned, these were somewhat rough cut so expect to see some sanding and cut marks around the edges, but they still make for a great little user tool. There are no stamps on these and no lefties or any other variations.

The Mini Shiners will run $50 plus shipping and the link is below, limit of one per customer please as there are just a few dozen. Thanks for dropping by this week and hope you all are staying cool!

Sold out, thank you so much!

Titanium Hangmen v1.5

Hi Everyone,

We're finally getting some heat here this week with temps in the high 80's and 90's. Good to see that summer didn't forget us after all, and this is very appropriate weather for the middle of July.

Well I thought I would keep things going after this great holiday weekend...

I have had more requests for these than almost any other tools I have made. The original Hangman hook was a great little item and the form factor was terrific. But, there were a few things that bothered me with that first design. I wanted them to be slightly flexible to fit over various pocket edges since pant pockets can vary so much. In practice though, the flexible arm just weakened the design unnecessarily, and made it more prone to bending. In my Hangman releases since then I have worked to refine and strengthen the design considerably, but I ended up changing the original form factor and I kinda missed it.

So in this new release, I have revisited the original compact and elegant shape, with some small changes, but also incorporated all of the little improvements I have learned thus far. These Version 1.5 Hangman Hooks are made of 5/32 thick titanium and are non flexible. I have streamlined and updated the side grip scalloping, and changed the key ring opening to a hex shape. Then, I went nuts on the stamps and really did these guys up with many variations, as you can see in the sample photo below... Finally, I gave them several long tumbles and left them with a semi polished stonewashed finish. I elected to keep these plain without anodizing but will make another run if enough people want colors. There are a few lefties too, just email me.

Version 2.5 with pry tip is also underway, and I should have them finished very soon. Later this year I will also make a third batch of V1.5, but in zirconium.

The V1.5 Hangmen will run $50 plus shipping and the link is below. No limit on them. Thank you so much for dropping by again, and I hope everyone has a fantastic summer week!


Sold out for today, thank you very much everyone!

      

Titanium MultiMags

Hi Everyone,

Happy Summer!

Wow, we finally have gotten some spectacular weather here over the past two weeks. And it was relatively dry for much of the time too...I had a zillion projects to deal with at home such as replacing some rotten trim and door sills, refreshing the deck, sanding and painting trim, tending to the garden, planting blueberry bushes, changing the oil in the lawnmower, sharpening the blade, taking the cat to the vet, installing air conditioners, and the endless list just goes on and on. I still have a pile of things I need to get to, like going to the dentist, argggh. But it's time for a break from all that and getting back to the workshop.

I finally got the milling done on metric Mini Prybabies, so they are next up on the bench for a few days of grinding and further finish work to get them ready for heat treat. Maybe in a week or so I can get them ready to go out, so figure late July for completion. Hopefully.

I have just cut a batch of steel Atwrenches so those will be coming later this summer with a nicely updated design.

A nifty new micro pry tool is on the drawing board and will be coming in a month or so, maybe sooner.

New beads have just been turned so I have a lot of string tying ahead of me...handy projects for watching Red Sox games and getting work done at the same time....and there are several other projects that need to be finished too.

Today I have titanium MultiMags finished. For this group I made the magnets slightly thicker so they are a little bit stronger than the previous ones. These have decorative stamps in my usual wide variety of images and the batch is mostly contrast anodized. There is a small handful of pieces available that are plain, just email me if you don't want colors and I'm happy to hook you up while supplies last.

Ti Stamped MultiMags run $50 each plus shipping and the link is below. No quantity limit. Thanks so much for dropping by today and I hope you're enjoying the warm summer days!

Sold out, thank you so much!

 

   

Steel Mini Prybaby 19

Hi Everyone,

Yup, it's true, I'm still here! Sorry for the long delay but this cold rainy spring has been an incredibly busy period for me, with tons of non work related things competing for my increasingly limited time. Most of those activities have been terrific and positive, but my recent schedule has been a disaster for getting tool projects to the finish line. Anyway, I'm striving to develop a new sort of work/life balance this year so hopefully this summer will shape up to have more of a steady flow and still allow me to get all these other important things done.

..........................................................

Long Overdue Updates:

The steel metric Mini Prybabies are about halfway completed and should be ready to send out to heat treat in two or three weeks.

Stamped Ti MultiMags are actually finished and I'll be putting them up for sale very soon.

New and improved ti Original V1.5 and V2.5 Hangman hooks are cooking right along. I've had some minor shoulder issues interfering with stamping but I'm slowly picking away at these guys and they will be spectacular once I finally get through the two batches.

A cool little magnetic clip project is going along swimmingly, and I should be able to get something finished with those in a few weeks.

A brand new mini tool design in steel and also ti has been cut and the steel ones are already surface ground, so these will be nice projects to tackle for mid summer. And a revamped older classic tool design is also on the drawing board which I'm pretty sure I will be cutting in a few weeks.

Several other older projects that have been languishing for far too long are also coming, such as TightWads. More Mega sized 6 flute ti beads are on the way and turning as we speak. And a few small limited number type sales are long overdue as well that I need to get to.

.........................................................

Today I finally have the new CPM 154 steel Mini Prybabies done. An all new Mini Prybaby design for 2019, these little gems are like several previous models rolled into one. They are about the same size as the older Mini P15 Prybabies, just over 2.5 inches long and the classic 5/32 thick. The mini tool set features SAE wrench sizes 1/4-3/8, cap lifter, pry tip with open V notch, and my classic rear pry tip/screwdriver shape. The rear lanyard opening is slightly larger than the older designs so the tool hangs nicely, even on fatter key rings. The Prybabies have a smooth stonewashed working finish so should stay looking new for a long time.

The whole batch is stamped, although I was limited to my smaller stamps mostly because there just isn't much real estate left on such a tiny tool. The upcoming metric version will probably not be stamped as there will be even less unused space available.

The stamped Mini Prybabies will run $70 plus shipping and the purchase link is below. Limit of two please. Thanks for dropping by today, and of course for your endless patience!

All gone for now, thanks so much!

 

Anodized Count Forkulas!

Hi Everyone,

Happy rainy Monday from New England! It's a cool start to April for us this year, actually kind of typical though. There is still one spot of stubborn ice the size of a dinner plate in the shady part of the yard which I expect will disappear today. But hopefully we'll be seeing some warmer days by next week.

Not too much to report on projects. I will be trying to finish grinding the Mini Prybabies by the end of this week so they can go to heat treat, and also catching up on paperwork for taxes.

Today I finally have the last Count Forkula batch finished. These little cuties feature a cap lifter in the handle which I think is a very nice complement and would certainly be the preferred design if I were to make another batch. I spent a lot of time working on the multi anodized finishes and many of these will have gorgeous complex color patina effects. I do have a handful of plain ones for the vanilla lovers if you would simply email me and ask for them...also a couple of lefties. For some mysterious reason I seem to be missing a few dozen of these so the batch is not as big as I thought...

Anodized Count Forkulas will run $45 plus shipping and it is a modest sized batch so two per customer limit on them please. Thanks for dropping by today and hope your week ahead is warm and sunny.
 
Sold out, thank you so much!

Weathered Bronze Magnum Beads

Hi Everyone,

Happy April Fools Day! It's still fairly chilly here and we have several pockets of snow remaining around the yard, but it should be gone by the end of this week. The daffodils and crocus are bravely pushing their way up, always a welcome sight.

I'm still plugging away here. Not too much to report other than my various projects are coming along nicely. I should have the next wave of Count Forkulas done in a day or two and then I'll tackle the final work on ti magnets. Almost done with Mini Prybaby milling and so by next week hopefully I'll be sending them out for heat treat.

Today I finally have the Bronze Magnum Lanslide batch done. These came out so great and I'm really glad I took my time with them. I wanted to develop a new finish for bronze and this patina is definitely the direction I wanted to go in. They have a multi step heavy weathered patina with many of them showing areas of gorgeous blue-green verdigris. It will be very interesting to see how the finish continues to develop over time.

The Weathered Bronze Magnums will run $30 each plus shipping and it is a huge batch so no limit on them. Thanks so much for dropping by as always, and hope you all have a great week ahead!

All gone, thank you so much!

Steel MiniBars

Hi Everyone,

Well I'm back finally!

We're starting to have some of our first glimpses of spring here in the northeast, even though there are still big snowbanks at the end of the driveway. It's always a big relief when the weather starts to warm up a little bit and it no longer hurts your face to walk outside. I get tired of my fingers turning icy every time I take out the trash. And baseball season returns this week too, so life is definitely taking a turn for the better.

I've been a busy boy lately, slowly picking away at several projects and working up some new ones as well. Coming up are ti Count Forkulas with cap lifter and bronze Magnum beads. Ti magnets are almost done, just need to finish stamping a few of them and figure out how I can hold them for the anodizing. The new Mini Prybabies are still a few weeks away but are getting milled this week, so it won't be long until I can get them finished up and off to heat treat. Fans of the Original Hangman design will rejoice as I have a reissued version coming up very soon, as well as a new version of Hangman v2. Metric Mini Prybabies in steel will be getting milled in a week or two, so those will be coming in late April or early May. I have a really cool new small tool design on the drawing board too.

Today I have the CPM 154 Basic Steel MiniBars done. These are identical to the fancier ti version, but they are without stamps. They feature a broad pry tip with V notch and 7/16 wrench. A slim and light weight tool that carries easily on your keys. The practical combo of Rockwell 58-60 hardened steel and tumbled finish means these will wear like the iron that they actually are, and last pretty much forever.

The Steel Basic MiniBars will run $55 plus shipping and the link is below. It's a big batch so no limit on them. Thank you so much for waiting on me and my sporadic sales so patiently, and I hope everyone is gearing up for a great spring!

Sold out, thank you so much!

 

Bronze MultiMags

Hi Everyone,

Happy Weekend! It's bright and sunny here today, but we're due for another round of minor storms again this weekend. Still, the sunlight is so much brighter now, and much stronger than it has been for many months. Spring is definitely on the way in a few weeks whether it likes it or not and we won't be taking "no" for an answer...and the clocks change this weekend too, woohoo!

I've been quite busy these past couple of weeks grinding tools, organizing projects and getting my taxes out of the way. The Steel MiniBars just went out to heat treat a couple of days ago. The first wave of new Steel Mini Prybabies (SAE) are much further along now, and I'm just about to do the milling on them. The Metric Mini Prybaby batch is still a bit further behind in the preparation steps but I will be starting on those next. Sneak peek at the new Mini Prybaby which will be done probably mid April time frame:

Other things that are underway: Count Forkulas with cap lifter are coming along but they have been slow to get to the finish line. The titanium MultiMags are also getting closer to finished and I should have those available sometime next week. And a few other surprises are in store if I can ever get my production act together and settle down to work.

Today I have a medium sized batch of Bronze MultiMags done. These have a cool "Desert Tan" matte finish for something a little different. They will run $45 plus shipping and I'll make it a four per customer limit on them please. Thanks for dropping by everyone and hope you have a great weekend!

Sold out, thank you so much everyone!

BB MultiMags

Hi Everyone and Happy Friday!


With another post office holiday coming up on Monday I thought I might as well slip another little sale in today....

It's been a while since I did anything with a bead blasted matte finish, so it's about time I guess. These 303 stainless MultiMags look great with their cool gray low luster looks, and they are not as slippery as those with a more polished finish. This is a very modest sized batch today and is the end of the stainless MultiMags before I move on to the bronze ones.

BB MultiMags will run $45 plus shipping and the link is below. Limit of 2 please on these...thank you as always for dropping by today and I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend ahead!

All gone, thanks again everyone! :)

 

Stainless MultiMags

Hi Folks,

Well Happy Valentines Day everyone! Hope you're having a great day today. We're having moderate temps this week and the snow storm the other day turned out to be no big deal which is always better than the alternative. Sometimes the weatherman is just plain wrong, and for once it was in our favor.

Not too much to report on upcoming projects. I did forget to mention that some fleeting sightings were made recently of a mysterious beast, and I do hope to bring you more info on that soon. Also, kitchen project #2 will begin production soon, and it is a complement to the one below...

Today I have a super fun treat for you. For years I have been thinking about doing something like this and I'm so happy to finally have it come to fruition. You see, like many people, my kitchen fridge has always been covered in an assortment of take out menus, kid's art, library hours reminders, stray business cards, trash bag stickers, shopping lists, etc. The trouble is, most kitchen magnets are just plain pathetic. I find myself frustrated all the time because they fall off or easily slip down. Finally this winter, after picking up yet another magnet off the floor, I said enough already! I will build the kitchen magnet of my dreams. :)

These little gems are based on my familiar 5 flute Magnum bead design. I added a short waist so that the fluted handle stands off a bit for easy grip, and then a bell shaped skirt which houses the powerful magnet. OAL is 1.5 inches and they have some nice heft to them. I have satin 303 stainless steel ones today to start with, and then coming up will be bead blasted stainless, bronze and eventually titanium as well.

It took me a while to figure out just how I wanted to do the magnet part. I found some super strong neodymium magnets and tried a couple different ones out before settling on an ideal size/strength ratio for this design. These are perfect for their size. I thought about using screws and a doughnut shaped magnet to attach but the pull simply was not strong enough. Solid magnets turn out to be the best in this case. Anyway, the magnets are potted with green Loctite 680 rather than super glue, so should be bonded permanently in place. 

Now,  I wanted my magnets to have some BALLS. Literally! LOL, I got to playing around with a proto and I had some chromed ball bearings lying around. It didn't take long to realize that these could become awesome little fiddle toys just by adding some balls, hence the name MultiMag. I tried several sizes and combos of ball bearings before settling on the configuration below. These guys are deceptively simple and quite addictive. I have literally spent hours playing around with them and there is a lot you can do, particularly when you have more than one set to mess around with. Most of them have the poles facing the same way, and I'm not sure which one it is that is facing out. However, you can do a lot with them no matter which pole is exposed.

SAFETY WARNING: Strong rare earth magnets and ball bearings are a swallowing and choking hazard! Please keep these far away from small children. Also keep away from pacemakers, electronics and credit cards. I know everyone probably already knows this but it definitely bears repeating to be extremely respectful of strong magnets.

MultiMags will run $45 plus shipping (postage rates increased slightly last week) and they come with a little velvet bag so you can carry them around if you wish. They will make great gifts too obviously. The batch today is good sized, so it will be a limit of 4 per customer please. Thanks for stopping by as always and hope your Valentines Day is terrific!

Sold out, thank you so much!

Count Forkulas!

Hi Everyone,

It's a gray and cold day out there today, and we're expecting a big messy snow storm which is supposed to turn into rain overnight. But you can tell that even though the winter chill is still in full swing, and will be for some time, the days are definitely starting to get a little longer. Pretty soon the sap will be running and the neighbors will begin their maple sugar season.

I've been quite busy this past week getting the next projects underway. I hope you stick around because the first waves of kitchen MultiMags are nearly finished and they are going to be super fun! Also coming up are bronze Magnum beads as well as colored delrin Magnums. I have not made much further progress on the next batches of steel tools but will be spending a few days on some grinding probably next week and see if I can't get at least one of those batches out to heat treat soon.

Today I have the first version of Titanium Count Forkulas done. These little guys are adorable! They are the same length as the regular Count Sporkulas but I decided to make just the fork end and give them a more traditional slim handle shape. The resulting mini forks are easy to use, stow away nicely in a wallet and are always ready for action. I gave them a coarse stonewashed finish and then a polish tumble for the final pass, so they are a bit more polished feeling than their somewhat textured look would indicate. There are some lefties among them as well for you southpaws... A second version of this nifty little fork is also coming very soon and those have a cap lifter incorporated into the handle.

Titanium Count Forkulas will run $35 plus shipping and the link is below...I'll make it a limit of 4 since the batch is sizable. Thanks for swinging by today and hope your Valentines week is going great so far!

Sold out, thank you so much!

 

Fizzy Guitar!

Hi Folks,

It is indeed brutally cold this morning, with temps only in the low teens F today. Ouch, now that's cold!

I'm busy juggling projects as usual. The two upcoming kitchen items are proceeding at a rapid pace...get ready for a sticky experience ahead, hehe...I'm also nearly done with a couple of bead batches and the first of the little forks, so please stay tuned over the next week as much will be happening.

Today I have the rest of the new guitar picks done. The Fizzy Guitar follows the Air Guitar and Ventilator models in the Art Picks series...These have the same wide variety of anodizing effects, many with rich patinas, as well as a few plain ones in the mix. Very cool shape for all you perfie lovers out there, and they certainly provide a variety of grip points.

I'm also considering making a similar shape in a small batch of carbon fiber picks by the way, so that's a possibility for up the road. Please shoot me a note if you would like to see CF Fizzies.

These will run $35 plus shipping and it's not a big batch so I'll make it two per customer limit on them please, purchase link is below. Thank you so much as always, and stay warm this week! 

These are all gone, thank you folks!

As an aside, thanks to Donors Choose, a music teacher, Mr. Anderson, received three Casio keyboards for his classes and another music teacher got materials so that he can teach his students to read music. So thanks again for your purchase today as a portion of it is going to some great causes!

Ventilator Picks

Hi Everyone,

Brrr, getting cold out there as the bitter arctic air makes it's way to us. We're due for at least half a foot of snow tonight and then it will be quite cold for a few days. Typical winter for up this way actually even though the weathermen always try to make like it's an emergency. 

I'm back again with round two of the guitar pick project. The Ventilators are very cool looking and provide a terrific grip as well as several attachment points. Same wide range of color combos with these and a few plain ones as well...

The Ventilator picks will run $35 plus shipping. The batch is a little smaller so I'll make it a two per customer limit on them please. Thanks again for dropping by this week and hope your Tuesday is going great!


All gone, thank you so much!

Air Guitar Art Picks!

Happy Monday Everyone!

It's going to be super cold here this week. We're supposed to be getting a few days of below zero temperatures overnight so a few quite unpleasant days are ahead, after which temps will be more moderate. I'm already looking forward to spring, which isn't really all that far away.

I spent the weekend working on projects in the shop. I'm close to finished with several of them so will be trying to do more sales later this week.

Today I have the first wave of titanium guitar Art Picks done. Although still a beginning player, I couldn't resist having a go at designing some picks. After doing much research and trying many different examples of the currently available commercial designs, I came up with some ideas of my own. Those first picks were well received, and now I have three new designs that I think are even better. Even if you aren't a guitarist and are just a music fan, these would be nice worn as jewelry on a bead chain. Or you could treat them as an incentive, a promise to yourself, to some day start learning to play. They say that as we age that we should learn a new language or an instrument, and I don't know about you guys, but I would rather learn to play rock and roll than a foreign language!

The first batch of Art Picks is the "Air Guitar" and it features three generous openings to aid in grip. In addition to grip, the openings also allow for easy attachment to a clip or keys so you can keep these safe and ready for action...The picks are ever so slightly oversized and are made of thin .040 titanium, so roughly equivalent to the 1mm thickness commonly seen in standard heavy weight guitar picks. They have been tumbled for days so have a buttery smooth finish and rounded edges. Some have wild and unusual patinas from multiple anodizing sessions.

I used an older name stamp to create a very deep permanent mark but I should note that on items this thin, the name stamp does telegraph through to the back side, so expect to see a corresponding mark on the back side of the pick...there are no decorative stamps on these, just the name stamp, because hand stamping something this thin is very difficult and most of my decorative stamps simply don't work well for thinner material.

I have anodized these in a wide range of solid colors and color combinations. If you can't stand bright colors no worries, just drop me an email as I have kept a few back from each batch that are without anodizing for the vanilla lovers.

Art Picks will run $35 plus shipping and these are medium sized batches so I will make it a limit of 3 on them please. The next two batches will be coming along later this week, the Ventilator and Fizzy Guitar models...Have a great week and do stay bundled up!

Sold out in a Jumpin Jack Flash, thank you so much! :)

 

6 Flute PermaCorks!

Hey Everyone,

Happy weekend! Hope you're all doing well and getting through the cold weather months comfortably, wherever it is that you may be.

I'm back with another nifty offering today. This is the next generation version of the PermaCorks, this time in type III hard anodized clear aluminum for that great SF/military look. I especially like the way the red silicone o-ring gaskets stand out against it. Anyway, this next generation version features my now familiar fluted shape, a total of 6 flutes in all on these. The flutes offer a great grip and they look very cool too! If there is sufficient demand for these in stainless steel I will make some later this year...please give me a holler if you want to see a run in stainless.

Six Flute PermaCorks will run $40 plus shipping and the link is below. No limit on these as the batch is pretty big. Thanks for stopping by today and have a great weekend ahead!

Sold out, thank you again everyone!