MBI Core Ti - (world's thinnest??) Titanium Flashlight Pendant - (work in progress)

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Hi Guy, I've seen Titanium rings that are made as wedding bands that have an open cut in them...they're not a continuous circle just like the clasp here...and they have jewels mounted in the slot (diamonds, birthstones, like that) The tension of the Titanium apparently holds the jewels in place as though they're suspended.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...dingrings.gif/ this pic borrowed from the internet

On that line I thought it might be cool to have a trit in the slot of the clasp.

Hi DBC,

Ahh, thanks for shedding light on that.
Now I get it
The clasp is only 4mm wide so might need to find a very short trit.
There is some free space in the button though so you could probably mill a trit slot or two into it.
maybe an option for the future.

tgwnn

[the_guy_with_no_name]

CoreTi manuals are ready and on-route





I received a batch of 4.2mm CoreTi's today.
Very very exquisite!

The multi-etch should be here in a couple more days so I can get started with some anodizing,
and the clasps not too far behind!

Almost time folks

tgwnn

[DBCstm]

Can hardly wait!

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Can hardly wait!

Ahh yes, me 222222222222222

tgwnn

[the_guy_with_no_name]

I've been busy doing some custom assemblies (colored leds).

The manuals should be here in a day or two.

I had word from the clasp maker today (they were supposed to ship today) that there was an electrical incident in their building which will cause the clasp to be delayed till end of this week.
Whilst I confirmed there was an issue, I'll be watching it closely and if I feel there's too much of a holdup with the clasps, I'm of the mindset to just send the CoreTi's and send out the clasps later.

Still waiting on the multi-etch for anodizing. A huge thanks to the cpf'er who has been working very hard to try and get this shipped to me (feel free to say "its me" but leave that up to you). Trying to arrange international hazardous shipping has been very very challenging.
It needs to be packed by a certified HAZMAT packer, then labeled, and only then can it be shipped for a fee of several hundred dollars. Hoping to get that resolved in the next day or two and then express ship it so its here by the end of this week.
For the same effort/cost, we could almost hire a chemist to create it from scratch

Whilst I've had the workshop do some assemblies, I also had them send quite a few unassembled (mainly so I dont have to seal the magnets, etc during anodizing). I had to wrestle with some of the magnets as the tolerance was really fine (taking me about 30-40 minutes for one CoreTi) so I'm thinking I might get all the anodizing done, then send the CoreTi's back to the workshop for assembly, then have them sent back to me again.

I received another batch of CoreTi's. Very pleasing to look at

This week should be a busy one and I'm on standby to do some serious shipping, once the clasps arrive (hopefully by this coming weekend).

Thanks so much for your patience and don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything.






tgwnn

[DBCstm]

Nice pics there Guy! While I love how that polished one looks, the blasted one is pretty dang decent too! I'm not sweating it, it'll get here when it gets here. I'll just move my birthday from Thursday to next week or the week after to coincide! (Might have to move mine to the 20th and celebrate with my son!) lol

Is it just me or does it seem that a lot of trouble was gone to on the shape of the clasp hole in the CoreTi only to end up with a Ti clasp going in that would have benefited from a simple oval design? Not a biggie at all, leaves room for clasp options as far as I'm concerned.

[Caveman357]

WOW
Just made me order another one.
You have to stop with these pic's, my wallet can't take it.

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Nice pics there Guy! While I love how that polished one looks, the blasted one is pretty dang decent too! I'm not sweating it, it'll get here when it gets here. I'll just move my birthday from Thursday to next week or the week after to coincide! (Might have to move mine to the 20th and celebrate with my son!) lol

Is it just me or does it seem that a lot of trouble was gone to on the shape of the clasp hole in the CoreTi only to end up with a Ti clasp going in that would have benefited from a simple oval design? Not a biggie at all, leaves room for clasp options as far as I'm concerned.

Hi DBC,

Thanks. Birthday time! oh no....
The hole was very over-engineered but like you say, options

WOW
Just made me order another one.
You have to stop with these pic's, my wallet can't take it.

Hi Caveman,
Very funny
So glad you like the photo's.

tgwnn

[the_guy_with_no_name]

The Ti clasps were completed today





They should be on-route by tomorrow and here by early next week.

The manufacturer was worried whether the opening was adequate (meaning did I want them to have it more open when shipped) but it can be adjusted with some long nose pliers easily enough if needed and I didn't want to give them any further reason to delay things.

The manuals were held back at customs (they were checking if they were fake manuals for some famous brand) but will be here Saturday.

That means shipping for most CoreTi's next week

For anodized CoreTi's:
We've been going through a hell'u'va time trying to get the multi-etch shipped from the US.
By now, its easily ten's of hours spent contacting various vendors, shipping and packing specialists to find one who can ship it and looks like finally we have found 1. Just one!

I will spare you the fine details but I've been amazed at how complex it is to get this shipped internationally.

I've been EXTREMELY fortunate to have the help of a fellow cpf'er without which I would have easily clocked up $1000 in consulting fee's alone.

I had almost decided to just anodize without the multi-etch if I couldn't get it and just pre-polish and do as best a job as possible but if you want your CoreTi anodized, I really think its worth the wait for the multi-etch as the finish and vibrance of the color will be significantly improved.

Once the multi-etch is here, I plan to anodize all the CoreTi's over a 2 day period (or 1 if possible).
Then I'll send them to the workshop for final assembly, get them back and then ship to you.

In case you can't wait (and that's ok) I'll be happy to anodize it without using the multi-etch in which case it would only be a few days behind the non-anodized CoreTi's.

Thanks for your patience.
tgwnn

[DBCstm]

I'm ok with waiting for the multi-etch for my polished one, totally up to you on the bead blasted one. Hold it and ship them together if it'll help you any. I'll move my birthday from today to the day they arrive. .....might get another birthday when the HF arrives, or you can send them all together if you'd like, I'm easy!

[sassaquin]

Hi TGWNN -
Before I became disabled, I used to work for a major medical device company and shipping hazardous materials internationally was one of my responsibilities so I understand just how complex the process can be. I am sure you payed through the nose to have a certified shipper pack the Multi-etch with the necessary documentation in addition to the Fed-Ex or DHL charges. The various regulations that different countries have for hazmat makes the process one giant headache.
Too bad there isn't something similar to Multi-etch that you could source locally.

Thank you for being so committed to your company and striving for perfection. After seeing all that has gone into producing the CoreTi, I am going to value and treasure mine so much more.

I'd like to wait for the Multi-etch to have mine annodized.

[Got Lumens?]

Hi Guy,
A thumbsup to You!
The Multi-Etch is an evironmantally friendlier product than any of the other brands of Etch that contain an acid, and the Multi-Etch does not. Kuddos to you for choosing the best product to acheive the best results. I am more than happy to wait to have mine etched. My guess is you will be etching and annodizing by a week from today . Thanks for the update, I will stay tuned.
GL

[the_guy_with_no_name]

I'm ok with waiting for the multi-etch for my polished one, totally up to you on the bead blasted one. Hold it and ship them together if it'll help you any. I'll move my birthday from today to the day they arrive. .....might get another birthday when the HF arrives, or you can send them all together if you'd like, I'm easy!

Hi DBC,
Thanks and whatever makes you happy works best for me

Hi TGWNN -
Before I became disabled, I used to work for a major medical device company and shipping hazardous materials internationally was one of my responsibilities so I understand just how complex the process can be. I am sure you payed through the nose to have a certified shipper pack the Multi-etch with the necessary documentation in addition to the Fed-Ex or DHL charges. The various regulations that different countries have for hazmat makes the process one giant headache.
Too bad there isn't something similar to Multi-etch that you could source locally.

Thank you for being so committed to your company and striving for perfection. After seeing all that has gone into producing the CoreTi, I am going to value and treasure mine so much more.

I'd like to wait for the Multi-etch to have mine annodized.

Hi sassaquin,

Thanks very much for the feedback.
We were a hair and freckle away from considering the HAZMAT certification course to get this packed properly.
Just about all the major shipping companies make some fantastic claims on their websites but when its comes down to it, the packing and labeling needs to be contracted to a certified HAZMAT capable facility and handled somewhere else before they will even consider accepting the package.

It somewhat crazy to think shipping the product here is 20x the cost of the product.

I did experiment with some other concoctions but understanding how dangerous it can be to randomly mix chemicals (in my home) it was a fairly tame experiment.

It's a little tough to guess just how much better the anodize will be with multi-etch but from reading the comments of those who have used it, they swear by it and say they would never again consider anodizing without it. It should also make a huge difference to the blasted versions because hand polishing to remove a few microns of oxidized titanium is not an option (as it would spoil the basted finish).

Hi Guy,
A thumbsup to You!
The Multi-Etch is an evironmantally friendlier product than any of the other brands of Etch that contain an acid, and the Multi-Etch does not. Kuddos to you for choosing the best product to acheive the best results. I am more than happy to wait to have mine etched. My guess is you will be etching and annodizing by a week from today . Thanks for the update, I will stay tuned.
GL

Sir GL,

Thank you :

tgwnn

[the_guy_with_no_name]

The clasps are officially on the way
I have the tracking number.

The manuals are at the post office and will get a hold of them by monday at latest.

I received a large batch of (mostly) assembled CoreTi's yesterday.
It's taking some time to check each one, and make any adjustments where needed (eg. polish, button adjustment, etc).

Just about all will be shipping next week and anodized CoreTi's will be a little behind those. There are also a few with engraved buttons where I may have a new button engraved again as the font was a little too close to the edge of the button for my liking. If that's the case, I'll send you a photo of the engraving and let you decide though.

Almost at the finish line

tgwnn

[DBCstm]

<holding up 10.0 sign!

[the_guy_with_no_name]

<holding up 10.0 sign!

Thanks DBC

Im spending all my available time checking every single CoreTi.

in short the process as follows:

[Initial Check 4-5 minutes]
remove outer package sleeve,
remove bubble wrap
remove from box
unwrap
check external finish
button test
open
check internals
label with any required adjustments
sort

then its mostly

[Adjustments]
some extra hand polish [5 minutes]
securing the silicon that covers underside of button [5 minutes]
securing the led [5 minutes]
adjusting buttons with too loud a "click" [5-10 minutes] (sometimes i need to swap out the button assembly entirely)

the unassembled ones...
whooh...
installing the magnets is the most time consuming.
mostly the holes need to be slightly enlarged,
then install each magnet, confirming the polarity.
then press into place firmly using some large pliers, and felt with flat titanium sheet in the middle to protect the CoreTi and provide even pressure over the magnets.
then carefully sand down the last 0.1 ~ 0.3 mm of magnets that wont go any further.
that takes up to 30 minutes per CoreTi.

installing the led and button assembly for the 4.2mm version also takes some time.
many fine adjustments to get everything to fit perfectly as there is only about 0.1mm tolerance/leeway of breathing room.

Working overtime to get all the CoreTi's ready by the time the clasps arrive, later this week.



tgwnn

[GrimCreaper]

Cant wait to get one of these Its nice to see the effort your putting into this project while your managing everything else. You gotta tell me what kind of tea or coffee your drinking to have enough energy for all this, might help me get through my work days >.> (and maybe some other people too!)

[Got Lumens?]

Wow Guy,
That is some process
Thanks for sharing with us all the love and effort that is neccesary to bring these to your customers and us.
I will hope that they do get easier as time goes on. with all that extra time involved to get them just right, I can see this being one of my favorite lights! I can also see that there may be a need to adjust the price once the first batch has been completed and readied to ship. I would be happy to send you additional funds for mine to ensure your success with making and selling the CoreTi in the future.

Anybody else feel the same way? Should Guy increase the price after this initial first run release?
Being it is Titanium, I am sure that a slight increase to cover the costs of "making it right" will not hurt, but only help Guy to keep designing awsome lights, and offer them to us flashaholics in the future .

GL

[climberkid]

Wow Guy,
That is some process
Thanks for sharing with us all the love and effort that is neccesary to bring these to your customers and us.
I will hope that they do get easier as time goes on. with all that extra time involved to get them just right, I can see this being one of my favorite lights! I can also see that there may be a need to adjust the price once the first batch has been completed and readied to ship. I would be happy to send you additional funds for mine to ensure your success with making and selling the CoreTi in the future.

Anybody else feel the same way? Should Guy increase the price after this initial first run release?
Being it is Titanium, I am sure that a slight increase to cover the costs of "making it right" will not hurt, but only help Guy to keep designing awsome lights, and offer them to us flashaholics in the future .

GL

Id pay more for another one in a few months


-Alex

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Cant wait to get one of these Its nice to see the effort your putting into this project while your managing everything else. You gotta tell me what kind of tea or coffee your drinking to have enough energy for all this, might help me get through my work days >.> (and maybe some other people too!)

Hi GrimCreaper,

Thanks very much.
My cool-aid is "passion"
If you can do what you most enjoy, then its hard to keep away.

Wow Guy,
That is some process
Thanks for sharing with us all the love and effort that is neccesary to bring these to your customers and us.
I will hope that they do get easier as time goes on. with all that extra time involved to get them just right, I can see this being one of my favorite lights! I can also see that there may be a need to adjust the price once the first batch has been completed and readied to ship. I would be happy to send you additional funds for mine to ensure your success with making and selling the CoreTi in the future.

Anybody else feel the same way? Should Guy increase the price after this initial first run release?
Being it is Titanium, I am sure that a slight increase to cover the costs of "making it right" will not hurt, but only help Guy to keep designing awsome lights, and offer them to us flashaholics in the future .

GL

Hi GL,

Really appreciate the courtesy.
For now, the price is the price and enough to cover all material and manufacturing costs.
My time, is exchanged (for free) for all the support, patience and time that everyone here has provided (for free) to make this happen.
Perhaps after this pre-order batch is one, I'll re-evaluate the real cost of making the CoreTi's and consider any adjustment that takes into account the time for all the small details, but truly for now, I'm just thrilled to be able to make these together with everyone's help.

Id pay more for another one in a few months
-Alex

Hi Alex,

thanks and as mentioned above


Sorting is done,
still working through the fine adjustments and checking.
the clasps should be here by thursday but I may not be able to collect them till friday.
planning to be able to start packing on friday and I'm so excited to be able send out the "shipped" email!
midnight runs to the post office on the weekend are quite actually efficient as there is usually no waiting time.
will be working all weekend (mostly in the night hours when everyone is asleep) and hope to get every last CoreTi ready and shipped, with the anodized CoreTi's to follow 1~2 weeks later.

Thanks again for all your patience and support.

tgwnn

[DBCstm]

Wow, what a ride huh? Funny how easily we get addicted, I always check on here several times a day to see what's going on...have to with Guy making new stuff all the time...and all of a sudden everythings inaccessable! Glad it's back up and running (hope it's back up and running) and looking forward to seeing how things are progressing with the lights.

Dale

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Wow, what a ride huh? Funny how easily we get addicted, I always check on here several times a day to see what's going on...have to with Guy making new stuff all the time...and all of a sudden everythings inaccessable! Glad it's back up and running (hope it's back up and running) and looking forward to seeing how things are progressing with the lights.

Dale

Hi DBC,

Thanks for the post and the downtime sure is frustrating for everyone!

I finally got the clasps and they fit just perfectly (breath of relief)



A quick anodize test to make sure they are titanium


and all is good

Currently working through sorting and packing, boxes everywhere.....
Planning to get to the post office this evening to send out the first batch and then I'll make a couple of visits each day over the next 2-3 days to send most out.

Really glad CPF is back online though!

tgwnn

p.s. going to make a quick post in the HF thread, then its back to packing/sorting

[CMAG]

so mine will go out tonight

[the_guy_with_no_name]

so mine will go out tonight

Hi CMAG,

Either tonight or tomorrow night (was just checking yours earlier).
Please hang in there!

Im working through as many as I can, as quickly as I can,
basically pulling each one apart, and checking everything is right, and making adjustments as needed, then a final polish.
On average 30 minutes each.

I went to the post office earlier to get all the shipping slips.
I need to double check through mails and PM's as I've had change of address requests, item cost requests and anodizing requests so also want to be sure nothing get's missed or lost.

tgwnn

[DBCstm]

I'm so glad I'm not in your shoes right now!

Take your time, it happens when it happens. I got in a hurry on a photoshoot with my son yesterday morning and got home with bad shots.

[the_guy_with_no_name]

I'm so glad I'm not in your shoes right now!

Take your time, it happens when it happens. I got in a hurry on a photoshoot with my son yesterday morning and got home with bad shots.

Hi DBC,

Thanks.
It's not bad, rather I'm enjoying it, just wish I had 3 days with no disturbances, day job or anything else so I could zip through it all.
I'm about 25% done, mostly the engraved ones first as I want to verify as quickly as possible any of the engraved ones that might need to be re-done (about 3 or 4 that don't seem perfect to me).

The blasted ones tend to go faster for some reason.

Then tomorrow I'll be going through all the blank ones which should be easier (I hope) as I dont need to worry about putting the wrong CoreTi in the wrong package when there is no engraving.

I've doubled my speed on cutting tape and making up boxes (the easy stuff)
Getting a little too sleepy to write labels correctly though


The clasp is a little firmer than I thought (but a perfect match) so you may need some pliers to close it.
I've found the easiest way to close it around the pendant is

1) Insert it into the necklace hole on the pendant (making sure the open side of the clasp is facing the side you want facing your chest).

2) Now adjust the position of the clasp so that the open side points upward.

3) Wrap some felt, leather or cloth around the clasp.

4) Gently press it closed with some pliers or similar tool.

Be careful not to scratch it!

If you'd like me to put the clasp on for you, please mail/pm me. Happy to do it (takes just a few seconds).

I'll post some photo's of attaching the clasp when I get a breather.

tgwnn

[DBCstm]

Guy, you might try using Vise Grips to set the clasp. This will allow an adjustment of the jaw width so that it only closes as far as the clasp touches, gives a little reassurance on the squeeze end that you won't overdo it! Also a large pair of Vice Grips has a nice wide jaw opening to allow for the extra piece of leather or whatever to assist in not scratching the Ti. They also work extremely well for cracking nuts!

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Guy, you might try using Vise Grips to set the clasp. This will allow an adjustment of the jaw width so that it only closes as far as the clasp touches, gives a little reassurance on the squeeze end that you won't overdo it! Also a large pair of Vice Grips has a nice wide jaw opening to allow for the extra piece of leather or whatever to assist in not scratching the Ti. They also work extremely well for cracking nuts!

Hi DBC,

Thanks. I had thought of using some, and though it does take a few seconds more than with pliers, if you were only doing 1 or 2, that might be a smoother and more precise method.

I'll have to get some nuts to experiment

tgwnn

[Got Lumens?]

Hi DBC,

Thanks. I had thought of using some, and though it does take a few seconds more than with pliers, if you were only doing 1 or 2, that might be a smoother and more precise method.

I'll have to get some nuts to experiment

tgwnn

Hi Guy,
Thanks for sharing, yet again. If you revisit the visegrip thing, I will add to DBC comments in that the large vise grips 10"+ will act exactly like pliers, only they will have a built in adjustable stop. I'm willing to bet that if you use two pairs of vise grips the process will go just as quick if not quicker, with less chance of mistakes. If you use a few bits of leather, they can be glued to the jaws to speed the process even further. I am glad you are making progress and are able to ship ASAP the orders that are ready. My orders are for some that are annodized . I will be waiting a little longer for those, and I am happy to do so. I will have to admit I am kinda glad that it will take the little extra time while you perfect the annodizing/etching process. You deserve a little break and some down time to catch up on all the other open orders and product developments. I hope others feel the same way I do, in that it is worth the delay and a little extra wait to receive the finely crafted end product of all your efforts. I can hardly wait for mine, and look forward to the pictures. posts, and comments of those that are shipped and received by others. Take Care, and keep on trucking .
GL

[sassaquin]

You deserve a little break and some down time to catch up on all the other open orders and product developments. I hope others feel the same way I do, in that it is worth the delay and a little extra wait to receive the finely crafted end product of all your efforts. I can hardly wait for mine, and look forward to the pictures. posts, and comments of those that are shipped and received by others.
GL

+1