Testing For Lead

In my pursuit of toolmaking, I don’t want others to come to harm. I use a lot of odd bits and bobs to make things with. Brass and bronze have a special appeal. The problem is that these items can be full of lead. Leaded brass is easy to work and polishes up with ease.

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No Glue, No Glue, What to do!

I need some glue, lots of glue, epoxy preferably. I have looked around, I have lots of glue, a couple of boxes of glue, all of them are now strange hazardous waste. They are all well over a year old. Glues, most glues are dead in a year. Some may go a few more years, […]

Food Safe Glue

My next glue purchase is going to be a gallon of Ecopoxy.

I have been looking for a waterproof, food safe glue for quite a while. A lot of people advertise that their products are made with food safe glue, and a lot of people say that this or that glue is food safe, but […]

Is a Copy of a Copy a Crime?

I have waded through a lot of discussions about copies being made of other tool designs. It is quite interesting to see where people stand. It seems that there are several issues that divide how we think about these things. The variations on ethic make this a pretty heated issue. Personally I like this. I […]

The Slope, and 'Needing' new Tools.

Hand tool users online, often talk about the slope. It is a reference to the constant pressing need for new tools. It is really a fairly honest thing.

To start out making the simplest projects out of wood, you need to be able to cut wood and stick it together. A saw, hammer or screwdriver, […]