Hey Robin, great work !

keep me on the 1st Group Buy interest list please

 

I have to decide what to make next. What do you want?

 

I don't have anything else except the english oak trim -- I really like the two-color handle. When will they go for sale, and how hard will it be switch out from the OEM handle?

 

....what he said.

 

Elegant, Robin. The two-wood format is visually captivating. Look forward to a mix-and-match selection of beautiful woods. Great work!

 

The two color handle could go up for sale in a few days, when the finish is dry. It has three coats now and will get a forth later today. Then it should have a few days to cure.

Installation is fairly simple. I'll try to make a video. You pry the end of the plastic handle off, pry up a tab on the black plastic (that was under the end cap), pry up the boot around its base, and slide the whole thing off. Turn the boot inside out and clip one of those plastic ties holding the boot material to the handle.

Installation is pretty much the reverse, with a few exceptions. I'll use a stainless steel set screw to hold the handle in place. I plan to supply an allen wrench for the set screw, and a plastic tie.

The all blackwood handle will probably go in my car. I expect to get more African blackwood soon that is the appropriate size for ebrake handles. It is in the mail. I have plenty of blackwood for *****, but it is too short and fat for handles.

I can make more handles, but have to decide what to make first. Pre-orders would, of course, take priority. I have Ebony, Koa, Amboyna burl (with more pattern), Genuine Mahogany, Rosewood, Cocobolo, American White Holly, Zebra Wood, Ziricote, and a few other things.

Prices will be a little lower than the ***** because wood can sometimes be less expensive/easier to find in this size. The labor involved is a little more than for *****. Boring a 20mm hole through 8" of hardwood gives meaning to the word "boring". The drill has to be backed out and cooled with a special lubricant to keep from lighting it all on fire. About 1" of boring raises the drill bit to 200 F. One thing that will help the price is that it doesn’t need a stainless steel adaptor.

I'm guessing that the prices are going to be in the $100-175 range. The two color will be a more than the one wood handle because three pieces need to be turned to fit precisely into each other (for strength it is not just a butt joint), glued, and then the outside turned.

The two color **** in the picture above will be $125 because that piece of Amboyna has a fairly straight grain. The prized burl with swirls and eyes will be at the top of the range.

 

Robin,
go to this link http://www.minimania.com/images/inst...1036_INSTR.pdf

I think it might be for an r53

 

Yes, that is for the R53, but the R56 is very similar. Someone PM'd that link to me and it was very helpful.

 

Hmm, mention a price and the thread goes silent.

Did I just answer everyone's questions? Or is it that it will cost about the same as a trip to the grocery store and gas station scare everyone off?

 

Actually, I'm really interested. I think what I need to do is print out your webpage (or load it on my iPhone) to see what wood complements the English Oak trim the best.

 

OK, later today I need to decide which woods to use for the first batch of handles.

 

Robin,

I am salivating over your splendid first examples, trying to decide whether I want a uninterrupted one-piece handle in a gorgeous burl, or a visually more complex two-wood.

I definitely want amboyna burl (preferably a lighter shade) for the central main piece - Would it be possible to do end pieces in cocobolo? If I go with the multi-wood, I want end pieces which are darker than the central shaft, but which also will show some grain, unlike the African darkwood. Or would that look too busy? Let me know your thoughts. You can PM me.

 

My fear is it spinning once installed...will this be a problem?

 

OK, that gives me something to go work with. Cocobolo varies considerably in dark to light. Knowing what you want will help. I'll watch that the two woods don't get too busy with grain patterns.

Blackwood also varies from dark chocolate to black. I'll have to see what the new stuff looks like when it come in.

 

No. The stainless steel set screw is quite secure. I've been using a prototype for awhile and given it some hard testing.

 

PM sent!

 

Robin,

prices look OK if the silence got your concerned, the closer to 100 the better though ;-)

can you do engravings too (if I provide the pattern) like Doug ?

 

Definitely like the African Blackwood

 

Robin,

I'm definetly interested in ordering one. I'm not sure which wood to use that would go well with the English Oak I have. I don't want too light since the English Oak is on the darker side. Two tone would be fine too. Let me know what you think and how to place an order.

 

Mostly what he said... (no iPhone here). I think I would like to see either the solid piece with a fairly close match or the middle fairly close and the end pieces a bit darker but not clashing grain wise... we need a configurer to play with

 

TheBigNewt tells me that African Blackwood goes well with his English Oak. That probably is true for the lighter variations, such as the handle in the photo. Other examples of it are quite dark.

Some Cocobolo goes very well with English Oak, such as
http://www.robincasady.com/ShiftKnobs/060Cocobolo.html
and http://www.robincasady.com/ShiftKnob...urlinCoco.html
I have enough from this piece to do three handles.

Other Cocobolo has a fair amount of red in it. I don't have any English Oak to hold it up to so I'm not sure whether it is a good combination, or not.
http://www.robincasady.com/ShiftKnobs/052Cocobolo.html
I have some really nice pieces with coloring similar to the above. They will make stunning one-wood handles. I'll probably make one of these for myself.

IMO, A light wood, such as Amboyna or Afzelia burl would look good with English Oak. The dark and light would play off each other for a very rich look. So, I think African Blackwood with a light burl would be excellent for English Oak.

BTW, the blackwood and burl handle in the photo above has already been spoken for.

I'm not selling the all blackwood handle because it was not long enough for a sturdy flange on the end. There isn't enough wood around the set screw. I'll use it for myself, because I know how to baby it, but it isn't robust enough for general release.

 

Robin,

Do you have any pics in the car of the handle. I would love an african blackwood as I think this is what I am going to get for the shifter.

 

I should be able to shoot some over the weekend. A friend is going to come over and help me make a video of removing the stock handle (we have to put it back first) and then installing a wooden handle.

 

African Blackwood matches the English Oak extremely well. I have the shifter (see my gallery) in that wood. It isn't black at all, it has brown grain all over it. In my car the two things I touch the most are the shift **** (1st) and the brake handle (not including the steering wheel of course, which Robin hasn't dealt with yet). The wood feels way better than the stock stuff.

 

Robin,

The Cocobolo looks like it would go very well with the English Oak. I'm thinking that a two tone of Cocobolo with Amboyna (like the photo of your shift ****) would be what I would want. Probably with the Cocobolo the largest piece in the center with Amboyna ends. Let me know how I should place an order with you.