Alamo Square Flea Market & Indie Mart: Saturday Aug. 20th
us-motors-bag1, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Come down to Indie Mart this Saturday 9 – 3pm at Alamo Square. I’ll have two new bags, new cuffs with metal plates and pins, Upcycled belts, iPad cases, belts with NOS vintage buckles, belt loops for keys, leashes, etc. Lots of new stuff and there’s also a flea market. What’s not to like?
Update
Doctor bag B, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I’ve been very busy crafting up a storm. Uploaded new pictures to Flickr. Closed my store. Decided to use Etsy instead & that site will be populated with new items very soon. Some craft fairs coming up, so keep on the look out for further updates.
Lower Haight Summer Art Walk, Saturday Aug. 6th
Stencil cuffs, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Steiner will be closed between Haight and Waller and that’s where I’ll be. I’ll be selling these new cuffs with brass stencil plates, also some new women’s belts made from a used horse harnesses, a new up-cycled doctor bag, belts with vintage buckles, etc. Noon – 6 more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=224767767567645
BHI at Art Mur Mur – Friday, August 5th
bridle-cuff, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
BHI will be selling this cuff made from an antique horse harness at Art Mur Mur, located at 23ed and Telegraph in Oakland. I will also be bringing some new women’s belts also made from a used horse harnesses, a new up-cycled doctor bag, new cuffs with brass stencil plates, belts with vintage buckles, etc. There will be music, food, galleries open and many people. 6 – 9 p.m. Click on image to enlarge. More info at: http://oaklandartmurmur.com/
BHI @Treasure Island Flea, July 30 – 31
Hex clock – Etsy 10, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Come by this Saturday or Sunday to Treasure Island Flee Market , 9am – 4pm, to pick up this clock, new wallets, belts, bracelets, etc. I’ll be with Romey Designs in booth 215 across from The Window Lady.
http://www.treasureislandflea.com
BHI will be at Indie Mart, Sunday July 24th
Leather bag: De Rio Negro – 1, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Come join me at Indie Mart this Sunday, 12-7pm @ Thee Parkside. Biggest one yet and goes till 7pm. It will be epic. This upcycled bag is my latest creation and will be available here first. It may not make it on to the web. More bags are on the way. Also, my last two clocks, a pile of new belts, even more bracelets, iPad cases, and much more. Click on picture to see more images of the bag.
Wallets now available at Black Heart Cases
All leather and rivet construction with a grommet for a chain, if so desired. Series A is out of black leather with laser etched designs: Royal Eagle, Anchor Tattoo, Anchor Etching, Swallow Tattoo, Star Tattoo, and Ol’ Tyme Cycle. There is also a version for wearing on a belt. Fits up to 1.75″ wide belt, standard blue jean size. The wallets are large enough to hold credit cards/id, cash folded in half, or any small whatnot.
Update: Store is closed
Kindle Sleaves
Now available at www.blackheartcases.com This sleave is for the Kindle 3. It’s constructed from leather and metal rivets. Simplicity itself.
There are several versions of the sleave. Some are ongoing colors while others are limited editions. Currently only black is available. If you are interested in a custom bulk order, colors can be specified. Custom laser engraving is also available for large orders, i.e. company logo, etc
Leather Envelope Cases and Mustache Stands for iPad now at Black Heart Cases.
New Mustache Stands, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Now that the Kickstarter project is over, the Envelope Cases and Mustache Stands are now at www.BlackHeartCases.com. Pictured here is a fresh stack of staches. Stay tuned for some special color editions of the Envelope iPad case, a case for the Kindle, and a wallet.
Mate gourd
gourd, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I got this last October, down the coast, at a pumpkin patch. I just let it air dry. It got some water on it that softened the outer skin and removed some of the color. I used a Japanese saw to cut the top off. The new edges where placed onto sandpaper to make even. The seeds and fibers were then scooped out and the inside washed. If I had some rock salt, I would put it inside. I’m not sure if I should keep the top and add a hinge. Also, should I add a metal border? What method to employ: Fabrication, electro-plating, machining? I will be adding a base similar to a wine glass. I’ll probably machine it out of steel.
Maker Faire 2011
Giant tricycle , originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
This giant tricycle was made by Todd Brarricklow. It can be used on train tracks as well as the road. He can be found here:
toddbrarricklow.com
I went both days. I was given tickets for Sunday so I could be interviewed for a new television show. More on that later. Somewhat hush-hush.
New reivew of my Kickstarter project
New write up on Cult of Mac:
http://www.cultofmac.com/leather-biker-ipad-case-comes-with-mean-mustache/95656
Funny take on my craftiness. The stashes are a big hit. Every villain needs a mustache.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackheartindustries/leather-envelope-case-and-mustache-stand-for-ipad
Kickstarter project update
My Kickstarter project is about half way through. It’s been a-lot of work. More work to come. Maker Faire is coming up this weekend, time for pirate style marketing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackheartindustries/leather-envelope-case-and-mustache-stand-for-ipad
My first blog review
I’ve been writing hundreds of emails to promote my Kickstarter Project:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackheartindustries/leather-envelope-case-and-mustache-stand-for-ipad/posts
It’s the little things that keep you going:
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=40600
My 3 speed road bicycle
My 3 speed road bicycle, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I love this bike. The chromoly frame is probably an early LeMond. It has Campy dropouts. I like the way the cable housing runs though the top tube. The crank set, bottom bracket and bullhorns are made by Mavic. The rear hub is a 1963 Sturmey Archer AW 3 speed. It has 40 holes. I replaced the axle with a longer one, which is a difficult procedure, like working on a clock. The rim, a Velocity Deep V, had to be ordered. The lasing pattern is 2 Leading, 2 Trailing with 4X Spokes. I found the design here:
http://www.terminalvelocity.demon.co.uk/WheelBuild/
It makes a 5 pointed start that matches the crank set. The front hub is a Sunrace. Nothing special, but they are the company that bought Sturmey Archer, so the hubs match as well (yes, it’s a stretch). The brakes are Campagnolo Deltas. People will tell you that they don’t work so well. This is true if you don’t have them adjusted right or have old pads. The brake levers are made by Syntace. The inside ends of the bullhorns had to be ground out to hold them. This combination has to be the most difficult possible. First you clamp down the brake lever body with an allen wrench, then attach the lever. Feed the cable though the hole in the bolt you just fastened. Fish the cable out of the hole in the bullhorn and then push the cable housing over it. Now feed the cable into the brakes and tighten down the 3.5 mm hex bolt?! I use a 5/32″ allen wrench. Finally trim the cable and tuck it inside. Ridiculous. The stem is a Shimano Dura Ace. The handlebar is held in place via a hex bolt hidden behind a cover at the bend. Beautiful design. Lastly, the shifter is from the 1950s. Click on picture to super-size it.
BHI at Art Mur Mur – Friday, May 6
3 belts, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
BHI will be selling these belts at Art Mur Mur, located at 23ed and Telegraph in Oakland. I will also be bringing some hair clips, holsters, sashes, and new stingray/alligator/leather bracelets. There will be music, food, galleries open and many people. 6 – 9 p.m. Click on image to enlarge. More info at: http://oaklandartmurmur.com/
Light guide clock part 13
Rotary switch, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I found this amazing rotary switch at the Techshop. There’s a date marking: May 1960. It has 4 pairs of contacts per position, of which there are 30. The solenoid takes 48 volts. The forward push opens a leaf switch, the one to the left. The backward pull advances the rotary contacts. At the 0 position a double throw leaf switch changes contacts and another leaf switch closes. I must use this beautiful switch for my clock. I also found several timer relay modules that have tube type connectors. What I’m thinking is to use the timer module to send a pulse once a minute to the solenoid. That takes care of the first 30 minutes. At 0 a relay is used to switch to another row of contacts on the rotary switch. Not quite sure how I would do that yet. That would take care of the full 60 minutes. What about the hours? I have quite a few micro switches with rollers. Maybe at the completion of the 60 minute cycle, another solenoid is used to advance a wheel with 12 switches around it. The wheel having a point on it to turn on one of the roller switches, or something to that affect. The rotary switch makes a very satisfying sound when triggered. All this stuff is going to make the clock much bigger then I had originally planed. Once the clock is running, I will machine a metal frame to hold all the components. Everything will be exposed so you can see the clock working. Clicking on the picture will take you to Flickr, where there is a photo of the switch from the other side. Thanks Peter Wendt for your help with the first attempt at this clock. His nixie tube clock schematics being the foundation for this project. His clock designs can be found here:
http://www.mcamafia.de/nixie/ncp_en/ncp.htm
Launched project on Kickstarter!
I’ve been working on this like crazy. Head over to Kickstarter to see the Envelope Case and Mustache Stand:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1740329935/leather-envelope-case-and-mustache-stand-for-ipad
My new site is up & running!
I am pleased to announce my new site:
www.blackheartcases.com.
A whole new business. Leather skins for the iPad and iPhone 4. More is coming. It’s been kind of crazy recently. I’ve not been blogging because I’ve been busy with this and a very big deal that you’ll see real soon.
F M Smith Mfg Co.”The Universal” Rivet Press
I picked this up a few months from one of the folks I get my leather from. I got my choice of dies from a box full of them. None where a matched set. I machined and polished a shallow concave surface onto both dies. The top die leaves a circle with small teeth embossed in the leather. An interesting detail. This has sped up production of the leather envelope cases, soon to be released. Also, less noisy then hammering.
Clock with brass face at Etsy
Clock with brass face – Etsy 11, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
That’s it for the clocks I have on hand. There are a couple at Arkay Workshop also. I won’t be making any for awhile. This one is made of reclaimed oak, has a vintage brass face and an American made quartz movement. It has a back panel so can be placed in a location that the back can be seen. It’s base is flat, so it can be placed on the mantel as well as the wall. Black heart branding on back side. 10.25″ x 13.5″ x 3″.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackHeartIndustries
Another Hex clock at Etsy
Hex clock – Etsy 10, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
This clock is made of reclaimed oak wine flavoring sticks and pine. It has a vintage paper covered metallic face and an American made quartz movement. Black heart branding on lower right side. 10.75″ x 15.75″ x 2″.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackHeartIndustries
Diamond clock at Etsy
Diamond clock – Etsy 9, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
This clock is made of reclaimed oak and pine. It has a vintage paper covered metallic face and an American made quartz movement. Black heart branding on lower right side. 7″ x 16.5″ x 2″.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackHeartIndustries
Another new clock at Etsy
Rectangular clock – Etsy 8, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
This clock is made of reclaimed oak. It has a vintage painted metallic face and an American made quartz movement. Worm-holes, scratches and chips are deliberate as weathered details. Black heart branding on lower right side. 10″ x 14.75″ x 2″
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackHeartIndustries
