Tag: walnut hollow

Walnut Hollow Hot Tool Issues

On By Michel McDonaldIn craftsLeave a comment

July 15th 2009:

I just emailed Walnut Hollow with this query but I wanted to post it here as well.

I have a Creative Versa-Tool wood burning kit.  Sometimes the points get black from being used so much or maybe from being turned on for extended periods of time.  The points I can sand with a very fine metal sandpaper which I usually use when needed but the threads on the points also get black.  I can use a wire brush to get the black off the threads on the points but what about the inside of the tool?

I’m having issues getting the points on and even taking them off.  I have to use a pair of pliers to put the points on and take them off because it’s so tight from all the black on the threads.

So while I await their response I’m going to save this post as a draft so I don’t have to edit my post.

I am still waiting for their response but while I was waiting I decided to try my own little experiment.  I tried looking for a wire brush, it looks like a tooth brush but it’s wire instead of the normal plastic bristles your tooth brush has.  I wasn’t so lucky but I did find something that is a bit longer than the average tooth brush with longer bristles and is meant for use in the kitchen.  So I grabbed that and also a can of WD-40 meant to keep my bicycle lubed up at all times.

I sprayed some of that on 2 of my points and it soaked the In ‘N Out Burger napkins on my desk so the bottom of my desk is now an oily mess.  I proceeded to scrub the shit out of the points with the brush and even though I could see some blackness going onto the bristles, the threads didn’t change.

I then squirted some WD-40 into the chamber where you screw the points, not too much, I flipped it over and tapped it on the napkin so in case I put too much in there then it would drip out.  I then tried screwing a point on and unscrewing, you know, to grease the threads and it seems to have helped a little but not too much.  Maybe it just needs that to be done several times to get that shit out of the threads on the inside and on the points.

It’s too late now to get a response so back to the draft this post goes until I get a response hopefully tomorrow (Thursday).

July 20th 2009:
Dear Michel,

I believe that the ‘black’ on the Points and threads is due to a reaction when the metals get hot from the tool. To remove this, you can use fine grade sandpaper. As for any difficulty you have changing the Points using pliers, try using powdered graphite (found at most hardware stores) to help with changing Points on the tool. Powdered graphite is mostly used in locks to make keys slide in and out easier – works on our hot tool threads also.

Hope this helps,

Chris

I Got Wood…

On By Michel McDonaldIn craftsLeave a comment

… for wood burning lol.  What were you thinking?  You dirty birds.

My package from Walnut Hollow came tonight with 4 medium pieces of wood and 2 large pieces of wood.  I also got a book and the numbers and letters as well as some fun shapes to burn with that all screw onto the wood burning tool.

I was going to do my own font for the Spirit board but considering the large wood is a bit smaller than I thought it would be I’m gonna have to use the smaller letters and numbers and since I bought letters and numbers then why not use them right?  Then once I’m done with it then I can just do some other designs on the board.  Although, now I need to make a smaller planchette lol.  I have another piece of wood so no biggy.  I want to make a different one anyway without the hole inside with just a pattern on the top of it.

Anyway, I can’t wait to see what I’m going to make.

New Bike Seat and Wood Burning Stuff

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike, craftsLeave a comment

New Bike Seat:

I just bought my new bike seat finally.  It’s an Ergo bicycle seat which means it has no “horn”.  It’s just the butt part.  The one I bought is the “Classic” Vinyl Bicycle Seat with the black sheepskin cover.  The sheepskin is supposed to add more cush for the tush.  It was a bit pricey at $67 after the shipping cost but it’s worth it to me to have a bicycle seat that doesn’t make me numb in places that make me blush to mention.  Also my left leg has had some pain shooting down from the crotch area and that’s not good so this is going to be great to have.

Update: I just got an email from the bicycle seat website that I bought the seat from and the guy who is in charge of it all sent me an email saying it will take him 4 to 5 days before he can send it out because there was a tragic death in the family.  Poor guy.  I can wait.  4 to 5 days would be Monday or Tuesday when he can send them out.  That’s fine, I wasn’t really expecting it to be sent out until then anyway because of the 4th of July weekend.  I can be patient.  I was hoping it would’ve been shipped out today though so I could get it by Monday but that’s fine.

Wood Burning Stuff:

I’ve been wanting to go to Michael’s to buy some wood burning stuff but their wood burning section is too small.  So instead I went to the Walnut Hollow website.  They have a special discount for the 4th of July, all you do is type in Made in the USA when you checkout.  It didn’t work for me, probably because all the things I bought are already discounted.  Here are the things I bought.

I don’t normally brag every time I buy something… ok yeah I do but I just wanted to brag about these things lol.  All the wood burning stuff from Walnut Hollow came out to about $38.58 after the $10 UPS shipping.  Which is not a bad price to pay for shipping considering the alphabet set and the numbers set at Michael’s costs $28 each.  And all that wood that I bought they don’t sell the irregulars at Michael’s but they are expensive there.  I would guess that I’d have to pay about $15 or $20 each for those.  So I think I got a really good deal on everything.  The hotstamps everyday series and word series, I probably will never use those or maybe use them once but who freakin’ cares, .50 cents dude!  The books were not in the “Great Deals” section which I like to call bargain bin but that’s ok.  $5.29 for a book is great and the other one that is 99 cents is a thin book.  No biggy.

I can’t wait to get all that stuff especially the seat.  Oh boy do I need that seat because I’ve already added 3 miles to my ride thanks to that homeless guy at the rest stop.  But you know, thanks to him for creeping me out and pushing me to go further lol.