March!
about 4 years ago – Sun, Mar 01, 2020 at 09:55:27 PM

Hello Backers! 

It's been slower than usual this past month with the flu ebbing and flowing through the house.  Here's hoping it's the last for a while.   

There are currently about 30 that are going to get packed up in the next few days and shipped out this week.  That will bring things around the backer 200 mark.  Backers 200-250 are pretty much all cut and awaiting assembly and the rest of it.  

As always, if you have questions or want to check on something, email me at [email protected].

Alex

January!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Jan 12, 2020 at 11:37:35 PM

Hello Backers!

I hope you all had a good holiday season and have gotten into the swing of 2020 so far. 

I took a couple of weeks off around Christmas and New Years to re-arrange and tidy up the shop as well as get some maintenance done on the machines. 

The glue fixture I have been using up until now was slowly dying; taking longer and longer to get the units in the correct way with the right force.   I designed a new version and will have one up and running tomorrow with another ideally up by next weekend. 

So unfortunately, I haven't been mailing out a ton of units since a little before Christmas.  I have been cutting artwork and all that good stuff and have about 50 orders worth, in the 160 - 210 area, waiting to get glued up.  Which will start tomorrow. 

I typically exhibit at GaryCon at the end of March but canceled it this year due to me still being so far behind.  Slowing things down for 4 - 6 weeks to build up stock for it didn't seem like the best idea. 

As always, feel free to email me at [email protected] for any questions you may have. 

Alex

November!
over 4 years ago – Mon, Nov 18, 2019 at 01:38:03 AM

Hey there, backers!

It's been unseasonably like winter up here in there north and I'm not a fan. 

Gamehole Con was a good time, thanks to everyone that showed up!  I gave out about 17lbs of candy and 3lbs of dice to all the small ghosts and goblins running around the con on Halloween. 

Production and shipping

Some tomes went out earlier this past week and some went out yesterday (Saturday).   I've got another pile (below) to flock this week and they should be going out early next week at the latest.  Everyone under 150 should have theirs by the end of the month.  Parts for the next large portion are being cut out and will begin getting assembled in the shop this week.

Flocking dust cabinet

With all the flocking I do it's been making quite a mess.   I built a cabinet to capture the overspray of the flocking and act as a drying rack for the tomes as well after they're flocked.  MDF is a wonderful thing.  

That's about all I've got at the moment.  Feel free to message me on here or email me with any questions at [email protected]

October!
over 4 years ago – Fri, Oct 11, 2019 at 03:30:00 AM

Hello, backers!

I hope the chilly wetness that is fall hasn't found you like it has found us here in the north. 

The 20 a week wasn't quite achieved -  It was more like 10.   A couple waves of sickness went through the house, some components had to get restocked and general life got in the way.   So it goes sometimes.  I'm still hopeful of cranking them out faster. 

Backers 100-150, and some other stragglers, are either sitting behind me awaiting a good flocking or making their way through the shop.  I'm currently printing out orders pack lists for backers 151-250 and will start cutting artwork for those tomorrow. 

I'll try to be more regular with updates about orders shipping and the general progress of things.

Here are a few shots of the in-process tomes. 

Gamehole Con

 is at the end of the month here in Madison, WI.   It starts on Thursday, October 31 and goes through Sunday.   If you're anywhere nearby you should head over; it's a good time.  It will actually be free to get in on Halloween from 4-6PM for trick-or-treating.    I won't have nearly as much stuff as I typically do, with making Kickstarter stuff, but there will be Gamehole coasters for charity at their merch booth.  So pick one of those up when you're getting your plushie Displacer Beast - you know... for the kids. 

Alex

[email protected]

September!
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 02, 2019 at 01:20:56 AM

Hello Backers!

Gen Con was a good time as always.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth!

Production

I'm getting about 20 done a week these days.  I've made an actual schedule and am trying my damnedest to stick to it.  It's a bit of a work in process, but this is what it looks like as of now. 

This is just one week and doesn't show that it takes about 2 weeks to get one through the full process. 

November is probably pushing it to get everything done, but most of them should be by then.  I'm going to keep cranking them out and we'll see how it goes.

Special Tool - Non-marring Drill Stop

I mentioned some new tools that have helped reduce scrap and therefore speed things up.  The first one is a drill stop with a bearing pressed into it as to not mar the wood when drilling magnet holes.  Before designing and printing this tool, I had the silver stop collar you see as the stop which ran into the wood. I would try to be gingerly about it, but would end up mucking up the wood sometimes which would result in more sanding and refinishing.  

As always, drop me a message on here or at my email [email protected] for any questions you might have.  If I haven't responded to you in a bit, maybe poke me again to refresh it in my email.  Things tend to get buried. 

Have a great Labor Day! (or a regular Monday if you're not in the U.S.)

Alex