Stainless Damascus Mini Makemakes

Here is the latest group of Mini Makemakes. Each is handmade from Chad Nichols' stainless damascus. From left to right, the patterns are:

Lizard, Iguana, Constitution, and Kalipso.

BP Makemake in Hiro Hito Carbon Damascus

Here are a couple of quick shots of the front and back of the first tool I've made from high carbon/high contrast damascus. It's Chad Nichols' Hiro Hito pattern.

Mokume WorryStone/BottleOpener

Here's a neat piece I made both for myself, and as an experiment to see if it would make a durable bottleopener. It's made from Chad Nichols' 3Tone Scrambled Eggs pattern mokume.

black/blue= nickel silver

pink/red= copper

yellow/gold= brass

It's soft material, and feels and even smells like coinage, but has held up to opening a few bottles so far. It's good for "fiddling" with, and I use it much like a worrystone. It should show greater contrast and character as it ages, and fingerprint oils are actually good for this one:)

I may try to take another picture of it a little later to show how it has changed over time.

please pardon the whitish styrofoam dust that's clinging to it.

Mosaic Damascus Cross

Here is a cross I made from the last piece of Chad Nichols' Boardwalk mosaic damascus. This one's for my grandmother.

On another note, I just placed a large order for more stainless and high carbon/high contrast damascus.

Mosaic Damascus Anyone?

This is a Thumbnail I made from some material (C. Nichols mosaic damascus, I think) that a friend/customer sent me. I've had it sitting in the shop for what seems like forever, because I haven't known what to do with it or how to treat it. I figured it out today:) This stuff is actually the usual "silvery" metal color when in the raw, and heat is utilized to bring out the pattern and color. I have no more of this available for now, but after seeing how it turned out, have plans to purchase more stock in the very near future.

Latest Orders including a New One

Here are two pieces I just finished up. One is a plain titanium Mini Makemake, and the other is a newer tool I'm adding to the lineup. This is the second I've made and it works great as a dedicated bottleopener. This one will be tethered to a barbecue pit to open cold ones for the owner while grilling:) I still haven't thought up a name for it yet.

Steel Flamed Mini Makemake

Last week, I sent a few pieces to my buddies Derrick and Leonard at Steel Flame. You can see a couple of the pieces in a post I made in late April, and the third was a plain titanium Mini Makemake. I always try to do my best work, but because of how much I think of them, I really wanted to do a good job on these pieces. I spoke to Leonard on the phone a few times that day, and he assured me everything was good. Fast forward to a few hours later. I'm down in the shop grinding away in the heat, and the phone rings. I see it's Leonard, and so pick up right away. He puts Derrick on the phone, who begins with, "Please, don't be offended." Well, of course, I almost fainted, but brace myself for the forthcoming well-meaning criticism. D tells me that there's some pitting in the metal, along with some discoloration. I'm baffled by this (the pitting), since it's titanium, and some type of corrosion was what I was envisioning. He said he was going to send it back to me. Normally, I pride myself on being thickskinned and resilient, but must admit I've been bummed out on some level for the past couple of days. Those close to me could tell something was a little bit off, but I kept it to myself for the most part. I had sent in the "One" Warrior ring they had made me to have it resized, and was expecting it along with a couple of the SFI/EKI thumbstuds for my Emersons, and the defective tool. I opened the package, and this is what was there. One pitted, discolored Mini Makemake;)

BPMMM with 1/4" Sixgun Mosaic Pins

Here's the most recent one I've finished up. It's a BP Mini Makemake made from titanium and featuring two 1/4 inch mosaic pins. The pin are some of my favorites, and look to me like the cylinders (wheels) of a sixgun.

Central Texas Shop Scenery: Prickly Pear Flowers

more on the way!:)

I just wanted to share a few pics of Nature's Majesty that I'm privileged to look at when "at the grind."

Unique Mini Makemake

Here's a completely custom titanium Mini Makemake I just finished up. It features a 1/4" mosaic pin and two glowdots (purple and true blue) on the obverse, and the Lynx stamp and an initial (C) on the reverse.

BP Mini Makemake

Here's a new tool that's really more of a combination of a couple of older tools. Like the Mini Makemake, it's 2 1/4 inches in length. Originally, the BP stood for Baby Pacu, but a good friend/customer coined the term "Bi-Polar" Mini Makemake:)