We’re working on the next batch of Crucible Card Scrapers this weekend and will have them in the store in the coming week. We ran into a production snag at the waterjet cutter, but we’ve gotten that fixed so things are moving smoothly again.
As to Lump Hammers, Brendan Gaffney is planning on assembling another big batch this week. We’re also working on a way to greatly increase our output (believe it or not it has to do with tool paths on the milling machine).
As I’ve mentioned before, we are quite grumpy when things are out of stock and are working at this every day. We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and hope this is a short-term problem.
Website Change
As a way to streamline our lives, we’re moving all the Crucible tools into the Lost Art Press store. When the move is complete, we’ll close the dedicated Crucible website and redirect all the traffic to Lost Art Press.
Consolidating the websites will save us loads of time, which is the primary reason for the switch. We’ll also save a little money by having only one website.
I am certain there will be some chatter out in the world that this consolidation is “the beginning of the end” for Crucible. I assure you, it is absolutely not. In fact, I’m planning on getting a Crucible tattoo on my forearm – my first – to match John’s. That’s how dedicated we are to growing the tool business.
— Christopher Schwarz
Hi Chris,
Will you be making any additional dividers in the near future?
Nope
got it
You may want to consider making Crucible a subdomain of LAP. It would allow you to have an address of crucible.lostartpress.com. I have minimal experience with WordPress, but it should be doable. Would make it a lot easier for users to find that section of your site. Good luck with the business world’s four-letter word (inve**ory).
Oh please please think twice about getting a tattoo. The tattoo, in such a visible location, will not look good in your videos, even if it is a Crucible logo. My opinion.
Thanks
It’s his arm. I doubt that CS is concerned about looking good in videos, and it’s not like he has to worry about getting fired. If this were a travel blog about Japanese onsen it might be worth a gentle caution but, otherwise, who cares?
Remember the wisdom that getting your girlfriend’s name inked on is the surest sign you will lose her. As well as a lifelong memory of that fact. (not to mention the future wife)
A scar is a better idea than a tattoo.
Lose the tattoo, make more great tools.
No tattoo, please!!!
Skip the tattoo and brand the logo onto yourself. It goes nicely with the whole idea of fire and heat associated with a crucible and would make a louder statement of your commitment than just a boring old tattoo. Plus you get the benefit of being it of it being reusable – Rainy, John, Meghan, Brendan.
Although i like the branding idea, I would say go for the tattoo! As you can see its anarchic enough to spot the weenies. 🙂
I wonder if you could dip the hot branding iron in tattoo ink and get a two-fer? 😊
I knew someone who had a fancy scripted tattoo of his mom’s name, Lois, on his arm when she passed. He did the same for his dad, Richard when he died. Everyone thinks he’s an idiot for having an L on one arm and and R on the other.
To show how dedicated I am to being a professional woodworker, I’m going to get a big front neck tattoo that reads “BROKE”.
You had mentioned that you would be posting a video about sharpening the card scrapers. Is that still in the works?
Ya. I need to do that. Been too busy *making* tools. Will do it very soon.
Cool! When you made crucible as a separate entity, you all are such ethical, conscious people I figured there was some good reason making them distinct, like different stakeholders. But as someone who wants to see you all be as successful as possible I’ve always worried it’s too hard to find. I don’t worry. Lee Valley has Veritas, TWW had gramercy and BTC, for reasons I’m sure beyond simple branding. I don’t worry. Get the tattoo! They can be so helpful and healing. And I know I’m probably a of an outlier, but at my office when I started, I realized I was one of the few people who didn’t have one. Or a scar from an old piercing. Now I have three tattoos and want more. They’re so healing and good for setting an intention. And anyway, it’s your body, and it’s for yourself. I think it would look good on a forearm, so if you want to roll up a long sleeve shirt it would show just halfway.
Love the idea of a tattoo! We appreciate all the work the team does!
Please consider selling temporary tattoos of the Crucible logo, or even ship one free with the tools. Maybe your daughter could expand her line of stickers with various temporary tattoos?
Put the tat money into new tooling……………..:)
I received my card scraper last week. It’s very nice. Thank you for making it.
Being a cheapskate (Scots heritage), and having made scrapers before from saw blade remnants, I hesitated (but only a moment or two) before buying one of these scrapers on opening day.
If you place ANY VALUE on your time, these are well worth the price. I was fortunate to get in on the first day order, received it in only a couple of days, slapped it around a bit with a hone and put it to work making nice curly wisps. Very WELL WORTH the money.
As for combining the sites, keeping one store up to date is easier and more accurate than too. I know you lost sales when one site site out of stock, while the duplicate site was accepting orders. ***IF*** your store software can handle it, you can still have two unique stores (not duplicates) on the LAP site, each with their own branding. That seems to me a good solution.
(Holler / email if you want to talk WordPress.)
This is how your message is appearing on my screen. Just thought you might like to know about it as the publisher. I don’t know if the problem is on my end or yours, but it just doesn’t seem right, somehow.
Hi Rocky. Can you send a screenshot of the problem? Nothing is showing up here. You can send it to help@lostartpress.com
Good for y’all on switching to one website; less is more
No one doubts your dedication to both publishing great books and producing great tools. I find both of your product lines are well worth the money I’ve invested. I not a tattoo fan, but that’s your choice, not mine (or anyone else’s). Rock on, Chris!
I am deeply lazy, so one site makes my life better. Hope it does the same for yours!
But as Mike Tyson and prison gangs everywhere know, nothing says REAL commitment quite like a face tattoo 🙂
If you’re looking for new tools to make at crucible, then please consider a sector. A sector with the hinge quality of the crucible dividers would be awesome.
As for moving the site, I’d go with the suggestion above: crucible.lostartpress.com.
That’s a great idea! Hammers and scrapers are well and good but I can find hammers and scrapers lots of places, even if they are presumably not as good. You can barely find anything at all about sectors online, let alone any to buy.
Sorry, but we have no plans to make sectors. It’s a fascinating tool and it has a lot to teach about geometry. But it’s not a tool I use at the bench. And therefore making it and trying to promote it would be folly.
When you’re very old, someone in the home is going to tell you: “That old tattoo looks like a pair of BVDs.” You can tell ’em its a crucible for holding hot stuff. Your nurse may snicker but stick to your story.