Hello and good afternoon everyone, pls forgive me for my absence the last couple days or so, I am sure you all know I spend the end of the week in the shop working wood and this week is not unlike any other, I have been giving it hell and working on new stuff and custom orders. All is good though, the family is healthy and my boys cant wait for summer break, damn some school! Oh and my wife is ready for her summer break too being a teacher now, she has the whole summer off. Seems like they just dont last as long as they used to. Well I am running into some manufacturing issues with my metal lathe/mill combo, the damn thing is not even a year old and is already getting slack or play in it, whatever you wanna call it. The thing wont turn true, it may turn down two pieces fine but the next one or so could be off a little here and there and that aint cool. Its still under warranty which is good but I gotta crate and pallet the damn thing up and ship it back to have it repaired, the freaking thing weighs 450lbs.! SS is some super hard shit and has really put a hurting on my machine, I am thinking about upgrading to a larger model, a more precise dedicated machine that will handle what I working that and a stand alone mill. Thing is if I do go that route then I gotta build another shop and pour a slab and all that. The larger lathe weighs 3 times as much and you can go putting that on a wood floor and a wood bench. So am looking at about $7,500 for an initial investment. I have found someone locally that is gonna do the bushings for me in the meantime while I am down, the guy is giving me a hellova price. I have called all over the state and even called outa state looking for someone to handle the work and here this guy is about 15 minutes away with a hella shop, CNC's and metal working machinery that says thats no sweat he can handle it. Hmmmmm may work out that he can do all my metal work and I may not have to spend a freaking arm and leg. Time will tell yall!
@Herr_Dampf I do think we need to talk bro, pls check below and holla at me!
@Reflections Thanks for the welcome back, camping was the shit, we had an awesome time, the wife backed out on us at the last minute, shes not much of an outdoors kinda person, the boys never once asked for their mom, I know they had a blast! Yeah problems are just short term, they always work out one way or another, sometimes they are opportunities to open new doors and hopefully this is one of them!
@equatorgringo Thanks for stopping by with the kind words and pics bro! I really appreciate them. The 18mm wong looks great with your silver solo, I am glad you are digging it and hope you do for a while to come. Hmm water on wood is never good bro, but the Blackwood is super dense and I would think it would be less susceptible to water than lets say Oak. If it gets wet I would try to remove it from the water and dry it off quickly. I use Bomb Ass Butter to treat all my pieces, this is just a simple beeswax/mineral oil mixture that penetrates the wood and adds a little luster to it, I would say that it really prevents any water from getting into the wood though. Just be careful with the piece and try not to saturate it is all. I am sure with a little care it will be fine.
@vakedcow I appreciate you stopping by also, its been a while I am sure all is well, its good to hear from you! I thank you for the kind words, I share my stories here cause I feel like we are all family, FC is a great community where I have come to know many great people in different ways, some I have really come to rely on for advice and help when I need it. Others here have reached out to me to with help when I never even asked for it! I say it all the time, I am blessed to be a part of FC and look forward to getting to meet and know everyone here I come in contact with! As far as a 18mm Nano wong, thats probably gonna be a custom piece now, I have so much going on that I havent really had time to think about adding them to be a readily available product. Shoot me a PM or am email and lets talk about it, I can fit you in and get something made up for ya in the next week or two. Thanks again for stopping by!
@CarolKing Hello and thank you for stopping by, I appreciate the kind words and I have something special for ya. You told me to kinda do what I was feeling for the wong and I made this for ya!
One of em is yours, the other is going to one of the founders of 420 Media to help me spread to word, she is very optimistic about my work and deals with brand recognition.
@Snappo Thanks for stopping by with that tip, thats good one and appreciate your input!
@as I think I could probably do a storage tube for ya, are the caps push on or threaded? Threaded will be a problem as I have not done any threading of wood yet. I know it can be done, I have even looked into it once or twice just to get an idea but am a long way away from making it happen. If its just push on caps that hold tight then I dont see any issues with that. Could spin you one right up! Lets talk more about it.
@jambandphan03 Thanks for your 2cents, they are always valued here! You are right, keep that wong and joint clean and you wont have any problems. A little maintenance and care goes a long way to the longevity of these pieces.
I have just made some more BAB and its back in stock at my shopping cart if anyone is interested, it not only treats the wood but would also add a little lubrication if needed.
Alright now to what I have been doing the last couple of days, pics are the fun part!
I have made some Nano stems in 3 different species for the moment. They are 4" in length and just under a 1/2" OD, the bowl depth is a 1/2", it also has the SS pin installed through the bushing and into the wood to eliminate any separation from the high heat. These will be added to my website tomorrow and will be available for purchase then also. Pls hang in there with me just a little longer.
Cocobolo Enano Stems
Blackwood Enano Stems
Paela Enano Stems
@Enchantre &
@Herr_Dampf Hope this is what you have been waiting on, I made this one from Cocobolo, the pic really doesnt capture all the colors but it does give you something to look at. Pls tell me what you think! It has a 1/2" OD SS bushing on it that has been flared to fit the Hammer. As you know all I had to go on was the stem you sent Enchantre. The bowl is quite a bit larger than the glass, I feel pretty certain that this piece will fit and perform well, and who doesnt like a larger bowl! It is 4" in length, has the SS pin installed and is easy to handle. I hope you like it and look forward to your thoughts!
I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to everyones thoughts and feedback! Pls if you'd like to do something a little custom just let me know and lets talk about it, I may or may not have the time but will sure give it some thought and do my best to make it happen. I wish you all a great weekend and to all the mothers, I wish you all the best on your day and thank you for all you do for your children and your families, your hugs and kisses mean the most, thank you!