Rubik Twist Bottle Opener

[jcornell]

Here's a bottle opener from a railroad spike (yeah, what a cliche, right?). I've made the rubik twist, which is really simple to do (if you have a grinder and band saw) and looks terrific when it's cleaned up.


My hope is that I can sell a few things so as to make my hobby pay for itself (or at least pay for the propane). We'll see if it's still fun when I'm making stuf to sell, rather than making stuff to learn new techniques.

[John B]

This cube twist does look great, however IMHO it is best on items that don't have to be gripped in use, as it is very uncomfortable to handle in the palm of the hand

I have seen these used on firetools etc and they tend not to sell if people handle them before purchasing,

[MOblacksmith0530]

Really nice looking twist, you did a bang up job on it. I think the twist on a bottle opener will do fine since you don't use it too hard. I can definitely see the point about the fireplace tool handles, but something like a bottle opener should be fine.
When you are making things to pay for the hobby it is good, you can then spend more on experimentation and learning. Just remember to keep telling yourself that when you do the tedius items like the 40 twisted tent stakes I made Monday to pay for the fuel used on the weekend to travel to the Demo. A hobby is a hobby and work is work. If you have to do some work to help pay for your hobby it is only giving you the means to pursue the hobby more.

[Frosty]

Nice cube twist but they are pointy in the hand. I like handling sharp things, I roll bottle caps between my palms because I like the sensation. Lots of folk don't so even pineapple twists can be hard to move. I made a number of doffers for my wife's spinning friends, they all loved how they work but don't like the pineapple twists because they're too sharp. The doffers the spinners love has a cable twist handle, it's easy to grip while being smooth and comfortable and better yet, looks like yarn.

My thinking on this kind of product is to make a number of each style and see how they sell and adjust to maximize profit.

Frosty The Lucky.

[macbruce]

If you were to hot brush the sharpies they would soften a bit, but even the wussies won't notice after the first bottle or two.... :P