Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Next Wednesday Update... ;-)

I was hoping to start on a new run of  Titanium WilkinsGRIP BMG X2 grips this week but when the shipment of titanium arrived, the 5mm thick plate had somehow become ... 6mm. Now I buy this stuff from a large, reputable dealer here in Germany so I called and said, hey, looks like somebody cut up the wrong piece of titanium! They replied, "No! That is 5mm ... it's just OVERSIZE." I shit you not. Are we talking "Relaxed Fit?" Are well talking jeans or titanium sheet?

So I asked, well, is the 4mm I ordered and received actually oversized 3mm? Why even have thicknesses? Just sell 1mm OVERSIZED?. Is a $5 bill an undersized $10 bill? Next time I buy something for $10 I'll hand over a $5 and try that line, see if it works.

Long and the short of it ... I ain't got no damn 5mm titanium like I thought. I already bought $500 worth of carbide cutters to mill it with. So I am looking for some real, actual 5mm Ti. If I find any, I will make those Titanium grips.

In the meantime I do have 2-3 sets of Titanium grips for the Mini Griptilian left in stock. I received some more 4mm titanium, so I will be making another run of Minis in the near future too.

I ended up buying the 6mm titanium sheet for a reduced price. I am such an idiot. I don't know what I will make out of it now. With the future of my shop still very much in doubt, I am only buying new materials I plan on using in the near future.

I am still spending a lot of time looking at real estate -- or at least looking through real estate ads -- trying to find a new location for my shop. Several times I thought I had something, but nothing panned out. Right now there are a couple of things in the works, keep your fingers crossed one will work out. I'm loosing my mind.

If anyone in the Berlin area has any CNC machining work, let me know, I will need to keep my machines running more hours in the future in order to pay the higher rent. Doesn't need to be knife-related. Must be profit-related! Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

BMG mini Grips in Swimming Pool Green are Ready


Got these WilkinsGRIP BMG minis in Swimming Pool Green G11 finished up today, they look pretty cool with a Blood Red spacer – or as desired, with a standard hardcoat Black anodized one – the choice is yours. Price is unchanged from all other plastic WilkinsGRIP BMG mini Grips:

€113.05 for EU sales, €95 for sales shipping outside the European Union.
Shipping is extra: €7 Germany, €10 to Most of the rest of the World

Let the Good Times Roll!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Sunday Status Update


WilkinsGRIP News:
Swimming Pool Green BMG X2 grips for all large Griptilian Folders are in stock and selling fast. Get a set before they're gone!

Swimming Pool Green WilkinsGRIP BMG mini grips are in the works right now. I hope to be able to deliver the first ones end of the coming week, a lot will depend on when the anodizers finish the last batch of spacers.

Workshop Relocation News:
I am still looking like mad for a new space. One option does look promising, one or two others are long shots that might be doable. The rents are the main hurdle. I just can't swing the asking price on many spaces – which also have rent increases built into the leases so that they start out too high and get a lot worse over time.

If anyone out there knows of any industrial space in Berlin for rent, drop me a line! It cannot be a store front or located in a residential building. I need 80-120 square meters with industrial power and accessible for heavy machinery – either at ground level, through a large freight elevator or through a window with a crane.

Also, if anyone out there would be interested in buying my Haas CNC milling machines and / or other machinery, drop me a line. I don't plan on selling them yet, but if all efforts at relocation fail, I will be forced to do so in early 2014.