Some progress! The body of this top is a design I have been stewing in for years. It’s time 😊
super early in the process
6/3/19
Starting to work on the body for this top now. I have always wanted to do the prong/claw on the stem side so you know what, I’m going to 🙂 pics to come once I get something worth taking a pic of. Designing everything on the machine as I go. Wish me luck
I like where this is heading!
Getting Closer, what do you think?!
I got the next design element planned but needed to order tooling. Should be here tomrrow
6/4/19
Let’s talk new top, short vid, better hurry
More tweaking needed but I like the way it’s going
Getting closer…again
way to go FB lol. I will upload it to IG also so you can see it in better quality
some pics
6/5/19
99% sure the top part of the top is done. Lots of minor tweaks. Added symmetry to both body patterns, shortened stem, added small radius in the prong corners, changed inside chamfer length so milling pattern is elongated, improved prong finish, made stem diameter before the ball smaller to accentuate curves and added length to body so I can get freaky on the second end 😊
6/10/19
New machine day! It’s first job will be running the bottom end of the new top. Our smallest CNC ever!
Gavin is all settled in. Mazak should be up tomorrow to install him and he should be making parts yet this week! I did have to order some holders as it did not come with the normal amount we get with a new machine. I will get a video of him working later this week!
This thing is awesome lol. Sooooo tiny
Our biggest machine is 52,000lbs this one is… 4,500lbs lol
6/12/19
Lots of tweaks needed on the bottom but the Vanguard spins like a dream 😊
6/13/19
About to get started, lots of tweaks happening. Goal is to get a Vanguard done early afternoon and get some pics of it today! Price for standard materials will be $125. I got a lot of exotic materials I plan on using for this one! Hoping to get sales rolling in a week or two. Shooting for 15 combos total.
BilletSPIN Vanguard!
-2pc top with carbide bearing balls on each end -$125 plus shipping for standard materials on up for exotics -around 15 material combo’s will be available -will be available starting in a week or two -.98″ in diameter -All SS weighs 29g and spins around 7 minutes for me
6/14/19
Need input
Making tops with pointy things…
6/17/19
Go go Vanguard! Just waiting for Gavin to finish the bottoms
Gavin is the name of the tiny lathe we just bought
I would never poke fun. The machine is a beast and thats why I named it Gavin. Nothing says MAN like this machine
I think I will do 24 hour sales for the standard versions of the Vanguards. I “might” even split some exotic releases, one at noon and one at midnight. We deeply value our international customers and think this might be a good way to take care of them. We can schedule them but the only problem is that if there is a issue, we will be sound asleep. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
I will post pics of any combo’s I know about. You will all know what I know. Thats the best I can offer
Due to my old source for Rubies not selling them anymore, I had to use another source. Due to the price of them, the Vanguard with a ruby in the stem will cost $5 more than the ceramic. Beside the cost of the ruby itself, we have to hold a much tighter tolerance in the bore so the ruby does not crack.
Besides Ruby, we will be offering black ceramic as well as white ceramic bearing balls in the stem. As of right now, I doubt I will offer carbide in the back of the stem as I don’t like how it raises the COG. Ceramic/ruby is very light. If you plan on spinning the vanguard upside down, do NOT buy the ruby.
6/18/19
Just made this CuW/Ti Vanguard and checking it for spin time and to see how bad the flutter is.
Here it is at the end of the spin. It will have a ball in the end of the stem, this was just for testing. It will be the longest spinner but like with all things I make tungsten related, will have a good amount of flutter. Is this a combo you would still like available? Price will be $150 plus shipping
scale at work says 39g
got limited amount of material and if I get a crazy amount of wobblers, I will not be making many.
Video of the CuW/Ti that will be coming in a week or two
Good things are a happening here in BilletSPIN land! Just want yooze all to know I luvs ya and hope you have an amazing rest of your week. Next week the fun begins 🙂 If anyone ever has any questions or comments just let me know!
Be sure to hit the lovely Sue Stadler up for any customer service related issues or questions.
6/19/19
BilletSPIN Vanguard combo #1 All SS. 24 hour unlimited sale starting noon central June 26th www.billetspin.com-.98″ diameter -29g-6-9 minute spin times-$130 w/ruby $125 w/ceramic ball in end of stem-DO NOT spin this top upside down with Ruby ball-1/8″ carbide bearing
6/24/19
This wednesday June 26th noon central we will start a 24 hour sale of the all SS Vanguard. We will make whatever we sell. $125/$130 w ruby
On Friday, June 28th noon central the Copper Tungsten/Ti Vanguards will go live. I have a LOT of these. This was the last of the 1″ stock I had. I do still have some larger stock but this will be the last of this size or smaller top BilletSPIN will make from WCu or W. If that’s your jam, don’t miss out on this combo of the vanguard. This will be the only combo using the heavy stuff. Also be aware you can expect flutter on this combo. I will be doing a full video review of this top and showing it spinning about mid week. $150 w/ ruby
Next week Wednesday will be Twist Dammy/titanium. $175
That’s all I know for now. Let me know if you got any questions
CuW/Ti Vanguard going up for sale tomorrow noon central! We will space them out a bit more in the future. Pics and video will be coming late tonight. These are already made up but we have a lot of them. Let me know if you have any questions
Copper Tungsten/titanium stem Vanguard coming June 28th noon central www.billetspin.com. I ran all the material I had so there is a lot available but when they are gone, they are gone. -39g-9-13 minute spin times-expect flutter!!!-$150 plus shipping
6/28/19
Ya know I really thought I made enough for a few weeks, yooze all are awesome 🙂 still some left but just amazing support. Thank you all
7/2/19
BilletSPIN Vanguard Twist Dammy/Titanium stem going live on July 5th noon central www.billetspin.com
I have a lot of material so this sale could last as long as 24 hours but we make no promises. Shipping lead time will be one week from date of sale.
.98″ diameter 25g 6-10 minute spin times Ruby ($180) Gray ceramic ($175) White ceramic ($175) Let me know if you have any questions!
Vanguard #4 Bronze/Titanium going live July 12th noon central and will run until July 15th noon central on www.billetspin.com I will make as many as are ordered!
-$140 for White and gray ceramic -$145 for Ruby -25g -6-10 minute spin times -.98″ in diameter
7/10/19
Had to do one outside for the ruby! Going live Friday noon central www.billetspin.com
7/12/19
Been a long week, I had posted the wrong price earlier this week. I apologize for any issues this caused.
7/16/19
Coming this week!
BilletSPIN Vanguard 3 color Mokume with titanium stem! Going live July 19th noon central. We have a decent amount of these and they will stay up until they are sold out!
-$175 with ceramic, $180 with ruby plus shipping -28g -1/8″ tungsten carbide contact point -.98″ in diameter -Spin times 6-10 minutes
A little teaser pic of what is coming this wednesday! Damascus stems are rare for us so I hope you enjoy these! I ran all the material I had. More pics and a video will be coming tomorrow! Price will be $200 ceramic and $205 ruby.
7/23/19
Here is the other side, Zirc over twist dammy! Coming tomorrow, July 24th noon central www.billetspin.com $200 ceramic, $205 Ruby
I will get some better pics tonight!
Getting the studio stuff warmed up and had to share tomorrow’s top!
Some pics! Good video coming later tonight! Dropping Tomorrow July 24th at noon central www.billetspin.com
Zirc over twist dammy $200
Here is a video of tomorrows drop! Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great night and best of luck tomorrow!
Coming tomorrow, July 26th noon central www.billetspin.com Copper/Stainless Steel Vanguard! These will stay up until they sell out and we have a good supply!
$125 ceramic $130 Ruby 32g Bit longer spin times with this combo
7/29/19
Next Vanguard coming this Wednesday noon central www.billetspin.com Twist dammy over zirc! $185 ceramic, $190 ruby. Better pics and vid coming tomorrow!
7/30/19
Twist Dammy/Zirc Vanguard coming this Wednesday, July 31st. www.billetspin.com noon central
$185 ceramic, $190 ruby 28g 6-10 minute spin times
Finally, folks I have had mental block for weeks but it finally came to me. I won’t lie, I was getting a little nervous. This will be a different assembly than anything prior. Should be really cool
I am going to call it right now…ya know because I am so excited… I always love my job but sometimes I really love it. I am going to vent with ya here cause yooze all my peeps. I have been in a designing funk since the Spark. Just no motivation or inspiration etc. Well last week I looked over at my beautiful wife’s face and the clouds opened. I saw it clearly. It was begging to be made and for a few hours you could not tear me away from my computer. The assembly will be tricky so I had to rough draw this one out plus I needed some lengths for all the material I needed to order.
This one will have ZERO milling. It will utilize some materials you have not seen before. Three pieces with a decent spin time (10 minutes). The design will be like nothing I have seen before. In fact I have no idea where the actual pattern/theme came from. It should be very conducive to showing off exotic materials.
So here is the call. The first material combo will be released on 9/12 (Sept 12). Prices will be inline with other 3 piece tops. The name… “The Orchid”.
PS-anyone that knows me well enough knows this might all change in a few hours so take it all with a grain of salt 😛
8/29/17
Prototyping starts tomorrow. This one will take a while. I will post some teaser pics once I get to a good point. Wish me luck…
8/30/17
Getting the prototype machines set up now. Here is the rough drawing so I got something to start with. The ball side is only drawn on the top portion so disregard the lower section on the ball side. I am sure there will be plenty of changes as I go but it is a great starting point!
For those that have a hard time seeing it, this is sort of what it will look like from the grip side
Great progress, loving it so far but got a long ways to go!!
yup, orchid is not going to work on this one lol
once the stem is in this, it is going to be sick. Might pull an all nighter lol
it is hollowed out so much I think the CG will be low enough it should be a pretty easy spinner. I will mainly be using titanium stems for this one hopefully
Size comparison
The stem sucks but you get the idea. This is a ROUGH ROUGH prototype but wanted to show some progress!
when I am done with this stem…I was going to go home but BACK to the machine!
Heading home to take some pics. Done for the day! Give me 45 minutes
Prototype: This is not done but wanted you to see where it is at. MANY changes to be made and yes, the grip is milled. When I say no milling, I assume you know the grip will 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of the time will be milled 😛 As of now, NOTHING is set in stone for this top and the bottom is not done. I think that should cover it. Enjoy the pics!
The proto’s will be going in the garbage…
I like it but dont love it. It will be tweaked
the tip does not fit the design. The wheels are turning and will turn all night. Just the process, takes time
Got a great idea for the stem. Not going to sleep well tonight lol
my man!! Can you imagine?! Perfect shape for exotics
68g as it sits. This will be a big heavy top!
Should finish around 60
Threw up in my mouth when I looked at the end of the stem again 😛 I got a great plan to really tie this into the design. It will get a little longer. Been wanting to do this style long stem for quite a while. Well off to work to get a jump on it! Wish me luck!
Last one for now
8/31/17
Bottom needs more tweaking as does the grip diameter but we are getting closer
I guess we know who wears the pants in this group…
timing a spin now. was getting just over 8 with the longer stem, I am guessing 9 now
I thought so too and tried it first. Just a big top so the unbroken up area did not look right. I love this bottom though but it will be slightly different in the final version due to assembly
Ok all, I have given you enough teasers on the next top. I hope you enjoyed the progress pics. We are still a long ways off and cannot go full production until the Sparks are done. I will not be showing anymore so you can be surprised by the final version. Thanks for joining me on the ride, its always an adventure. I will provide details as I firm them up. Right now, nothing is firm.
Anyways, have yourself a wonderful rest of your week!
9/6/17
Too excited to wait to take pics in the studio
it is always a process, I just dont show it on most designs
It combines the flower idea you originally had (orchid) with with the fact that it also looks like an eye.
Information post:
Sparks- Started shipping today.
Triskelions- I have three material combo’s. Two are standard and will be sold together and one is exotic which will be sold by itself. The standards will be sold 9/12 and the exotic at a later date. I will be posting pics and vids up today of the standards.
Iris- This is the name of the new top. The sales of this top will be different as I have a bunch of special materials coming for it but it will take almost 2 months for all of it to get here. The special materials I am ‘hoping” to get are:
-Special Timascus Patterns
-Carboquartz
The carboquartz is ordered and AKS is testing some new patterns but I will not know for sure for a while yet.
I plan on selling these Matrix style but I will not be able to provide as detailed of a chart without the materials being here. I plan on releasing the 1st Iris combo within the next two weeks. Prices will be similar to the K2 ($150 plus shipping for standard materials). Exotics will be slightly more depending on how they are arranged as the inner disc is quite tall and requires a lot of material.
I will post more as I get more info. At this time, this is all I know. Thanks all!!
Some outside shots of the Thrust. That is black timascus in case anyone was wondering.
Video uploading now!
Carboquartz! Quite the crazy stuff but nooooooot cheap. Used in high end watches and knives
Yup, it’s on the lighter side
I would guess a smidge lighter than Ti
You all can thank Patrick Olsen for the tip on this material! Never would have happened without him!
Jim SkeltonAs you can see from the stickers on my two pieces, it’s extremely expensive. James from CarboQuartz spent nearly a year negotiating to be able to buy and use this material. Until this, it only existed in the watch industry because it’s made exclusively for Richard Mille. They make cases from it on watches that cost $130,000+. Only one autoclave in the world is making it.
Here’s the breakdown:
TPT, which stands for thin ply technology, is a method for making ultra-thin unidirectional strand sheets of carbon fibers. The sheets aren’t just fibers however, they are “tapes” that are pre-impregnated (“prepreg”) with resin for more accurate and controllable application in use.
The resin is the material that works like a glue to hold the carbon fibers together; when placed under heat and pressure the resin flows between all the fibers and finally hardens to create the solid carbon fiber material we are familiar with.
The TPT carbon tapes used in Richard Mille cases have layers that are, on average, around 45 microns thin, or just under two-thousandths of an inch (.002”). Moving on to TPT Quartz, the construction is the same, only it is composed not of carbon fibers, but of fused quartz fibers. These fibers start out life as purified ground quartz crystals. These crystals are fused with heat and pressure to create fused quartz rods. These rods are then drawn (pulled and squished) under an oxy-hydrogen flame to create extremely long continuous fibers of fused quartz.
North Thin Ply Technologies developed the TPT Quartz in collaboration with Saint-Gobain Quartz, who supplied the Quartzel™ 9- or 4-micron quartz fiber filament (which is thinner than human hair); Reichhold, suppliers of ADVALITE™, a monomer-free vinyl hybrid resin; and, of course, Richard Mille, who led design and validation for the new process. The result was the world’s first thin-ply quartz fiber prepreg material, which immediately won the JEC World 2016 Innovation Award.
Billetspin Thrust video!
I have learned a few very interesting things from making tops. If it was up to me I wouldn’t name any of them but people really care about the names. Never really understood that and that is probably why I suck at naming them 😛
I wish I could make a chart. If you have a specific material you might be interested in, I can guess at what the combo will be but don’t hold me to it
I have to do some math. This combo would be around $250
My bad, there is a top already named Iris so I am switching it to Thrust. I will change it is all the other places, sorry for the inconvenience!
I will refer to it as Thrust so everyone knows which top I am talking about but you all can refer to it with any name you like! 🙂
9/7/17
Official Thrust information post:
-1.24″
-carbide bearing ball
-spin times of 6-10 minutes
-3 piece top
(TUNGSTEN WILL NOT BE USED ON THE THRUST)
The first combo sold will be SS/black timascus/SS. It will be sold at www.billetSPIN.com on 9/14 at noon central. Price will be $275 plus shipping. The SS will be polished as seen in the pictures below!
We will try to have DHL as an option for international shipping. It would be $35 but provide full tracking, delivery to your door and 7 day max delivery. USPS will still be an option for $15 international. Domestic will be $5 and shipped USPS.
The Thrust will be sold like the Matrix in that we sell a new material combo once a week or so. Once the sale is over, we never offer that combo again. Due to the fact we don’t have many of the materials yet, I cannot make a chart but here is a ROUGH combo list! This list is subject to CHANGE! I don’t have pricing at this point other than standard combo’s will be $150 plus shipping.
1) SS/Black Timascus/SS
2) Polished SS/polished SS/polished SS
3) Flamed VF mokume/polished Copper/machined finish Bronze
4) Bronze/Copper/Bronze
5) Polished and flamed damasteel/titanium/blue electro anodized titanium
6) Copper/SS/Copper
7) Timascus/twist Damascus/titanium
8) SS/copper/SS
9) Blurple electro anodized titanium/spiro dammy/polished SS
10) Copper/bronze/copper
11) Polished and flamed Zirc/ polished 3 color mokume/copper
13) SS/Copper/Bronze
14) Polished and flamed Timascus/polished and flamed zirc/polished and flamed zirc
15) Bronze/SS/Bronze
16) Polished flamed zirc/carboquartz/polished flamed zirc
17) Polished SS/Superconductor/Copper
Here is an overview of the Thrust!
Superconductor is ordered for the inner disc of the Thrust. Oh an not just one filament pattern either 🙂
Some damasteel for the outer collar just showed up. We will try flaming this like we did on the matrix.
We also just got news we might be getting some very special SS Damascus in.
You will definitely get to see some crazy materials for this top!!
Rare Timascus pattern. I have had this bar for a while now and made a Matrix from it but think this is a good top to use the rest of the bar on. This is not the special stuff I had mentioned before, that is not here yet! Fun stuff 🙂
it is a pattern you have not seen before. Looks like a huge plus sign
I probably don’t do this enough but I think I am going to make myself my own one off top tomorrow. Really digging this design.
Damasteel/black Timascus/zirc sounds cool
Just for me to keep
9/8/17
Just playing with some 3 color mokume
this is a very light bead blast finish. Really love how it brings out the contrast!
I am thinking this with a machine finished stem. Thoughts?
just looking for feedback
good or bad
Having fun now! This wont be an option as I think it is too much -mascus but we are getting close!
finishing mine now! This will be awesome
My personal Thrust!
9/9/17
Edit: comments are closed, like your favorite suggestion and I will pick the winner next week!
Thrust combo suggestions. One suggestion per person. I don’t have everything but I will have a lot. So here is how this is going to work, I will be shutting comments off for this post once we got a decent amount of suggestions. The combo that is actually possible to make, that has the most likes will get made.
Too many materials for me to list but DO NOT use Tungsten as your suggestion as it won’t happen and will just cause someone else to lose a spot.
List top materials from outer to inner
ok, looks like Black Timascus/Flamed Copper/Zirc is the winner. I do not have black timascus for the outer and not sure I can get it. If not, Zirc/black Timascus/Zirc but I dont have any black timascus for the inner. I will see waht I can do and keep you all posted!
9/11/17
Which would spin longer, brass Spark or solid Tungsten Spark?
I have talked about this a lot to try to educate. Well I made 2 tungsten Sparks and guess what?! The brass spins longer. Why? Well because the grip diameter is made for the weight of brass/SS/copper and not Tungsten. I am averaging 30 seconds more on the brass. This effect would be magnified on the Thrust as it is a much bigger top. Just thought some of you would find it interesting. I made these tops as I was contacted by a teacher that wanted to show this to his students. Not for sale 🙂
Due to the fact there will not be a chart, I plan on taking pics of some combo’s so you can get an idea of what the different materials look like on the various components. Here are a few for you to enjoy. Please keep in mind, these are proto’s. This means the finishes and colors should be as good or better in the actual final versions. Hope that makes sense!
9/12/17
Thrust update 🙂
This is on its way…and others… :O
that is not basketweave. Close but different
this stuff is brand new so not sure if it has names
super fine 2 alloy twist is one of the other ones coming
Please read: I apologize. When we try new things, unexpected circumstances arise. The cost of these new Timascus patterns are substantially more than the standard patterns. Due to this, I will not be ordering as much so the combos that use it will be much much more limited in order to help justify the added cost.
I will try to get more of the standard patterns so it is more attainable to the masses.
I apologize. This happens when I try to keep everyone posted and I jumped the gun on this one. I hope you understand!
9/13/17
All polished SS 🙂 combo #2!
Got some Black Timascus that is a little out of balance so I am going to use them as top/sphere stands instead.
These will be $50 plus shipping and sold on the website during tomorrow launch. Looks like I will have about 25 of them
Who is ready for tomorrow…
Sneak peek at combo #3 of the Thrust. Bead blasted 3 color mokume/glow/SS. $250 plus shipping sold on www.billetspin.com at a soon to be announced date and time. Let me know if you have any questions.
9/14/17
Stem samples
Carboquartz 🙂
this one is dead smooth. I don’t foresee an issue with it at all but you never know until we get more into it
around $325
I was on there RIGHT at noon and still did not get one post. WHY ON EARTH did you not make more Rich??!! This is not fair etc.
If this is you, this post is for you. My only excuse is I did make all the material I had. I appreciate your interest in BilletSPIN and there will be a lot of other cool combos! Have a great day,
Rich
2 minutes
here we go!!
stands gone
tops almost gone
SOLD OUT, THANK YOU! Great way to start off this design!! We will begin shipping right away!! You rock. I will continue to proto the new combo’s and try to get as many pics as possible. So much to do and so little time
We are going to do something new for #2 all SS. I am going to do 5 all SS with varying finishes on the components. Flaming will definitely not be happening as I am getting away from flamed SS due to issues. I will hopefully have all 5 versions tonight.
All #1 tops and stands have shipped 🙂 We are not messing around!!
Well not going to get all the #2 protos done tonight. Daughter is not feeling good so I got to stay home and hang out with her. Sorry! Tomorrow, I promise
9/15/17
SS versions are done. There are 4 total. Pics coming later. Did a few other combos as well.
The 4 horsemen. All SS with varying finishes. These will all $150 each plus shipping and sold on 9/19 at www.billetspin.com at noon central. Limited quantities and once gone, they will never be offered again!
Please reply with your favorite. 1-4 left to right
1 has wire wheel finish and blasted finish as does 2. 3 is polished and 4 is buffed outer with machine finish on the rest
more pics of random combos. These are just so you can see what these materials look like!
Some more standard material combos
Notice the two different finishes on the copper inners
Quick live video to talk about #2…(click to view in FB)
SS Thrust Combo #1 Wire wheel finish outer/Bead blasted inner with machined finish stem. Ball side has machine finished outer and bead blasted stem.
SS Thrust Combo #2 Bead blasted outer/wire wheel finish inner with bead blasted stem. Ball side has bead blasted outer and machine finish stem
SS Thrust Combo #3 polished finish on all components, front and back
SS Thrust Combo #4 Buffed finish on outside of outer collar, all other surfaces are machine finish
9/18/17
BilletSPIN Thrust all Stainless Steel versions are launching this Tuesday (9/19) at noon central on www.billetspin.com in limited quantities. There will be four different models with varying finishes.
-Combo #1 Wire wheel finish outer/Bead blasted inner with machined finish stem. Ball side has machine finished outer and bead blasted stem
-Combo #2 Bead blasted outer/wire wheel finish inner with bead blasted stem. Ball side has bead blasted outer and machine finish stem
-Combo #3 polished finish on all components, front and back
-Combo #4 Buffed finish on outside of outer collar, all other surfaces are machine finish
Each combo is $150 plus $5 domestic and $15 international ($35 DHL optional with 7 day delivery for international buyers). These will begin shipping on 9/21.
-1.24″ in diameter
-1/8″ carbide bearing ball
-approximately 63g
-no limit on how many you can buy
9/19/17
#2 Thrust will start shipping on Thursday! International peeps dont forget that sweet DHL shipping option we added!
SOLD OUT!! Yowza!! Yooze are just to freaking awesome. THANK YOU for the amazing support. Just awesome. We will get crack-a-lackin on finishing these right away! Cant wait to see which was the most popular!
Ok, I hear talk of cart sniping. As far as I know, all 4 were open for 12 minutes. If that was not the case for you, comment below. I will sell you what you wanted. Just respond below with what you wanted to order and Rich N Sue Stadler will contact you tomorrow for payment and shipping info. I apologize for any issues and once again, thanks for the support.
Please just keep this to those that missed out due to the glitch
I will let our following pick #4!
BilletSPIN Thrust Combo #3 Bead Blasted 3 color Mokume/Glow/Machined finish Stainless Steel! $250 plus shipping. Going live on www.billetspin.comon 9/26 at noon central. Could take up to 10 days to ship as we are waiting on more glow material.
-1.24″
-43g
-1/8″ carbide bearing ball
BilletSPIN Thrust Combo #4 Bluetongue damasteel/Anodized Titanium/wire wheel finish titanium stem with anodized ball side. $290 plus shipping. Going live on www.billetspin.com on 9/29 at noon central. Shipping will begin on October 2nd.
-1.24″
-44g
-1/8″ carbide bearing ball
9/25/17
So all of combo #2 have shipped and we are set for the #3 release tomorrow. We should have all of those shipped this week! #4 will be released on Friday and those should be shipped early next week!
9/26/17
Best of luck to you all, if you did not get one or got cart sniped, this post is for you.
25 left
Well looks like it was a good idea to get more glow in! We are dwindling now so if you want a #3 Thrust, now is the time. I am heading to lunch, thank you for the amazing support! These will start shipping tomorrow!!
Here it is 🙂 The video for #4 Damasteel/Titanium/Titanium $290 plus shipping 9/29 www.billetspin.com noon central limited quantities
9/27/17
GAW time, I got a one off Thrust. To win it you just need to share this project and reply to this post with where you shared it. Each social media outlet or website/forum counts as one entry. This is a very cool project so let’s help get the word out! I will end this next week and draw the winner then
This damasteel top is giving me fits. BRUTAL! Wish me luck, this top making stuff is not as easy as it looks!!
Has to be in the material, we have everything dead true. We can run a standard and its DT smooth. Not good
Getting 40% good right now
unfortunately this one can’t be solved without balancing material. I guess I will make stands from the bad ones at a later date. The issue is there will not be many of these available tomorrow now. I could honestly vomit.
37 good out of 115. I have no words right now. Sick just does not describe it
Good morning you all! Quick update, #4 is done and over. We will be attempting to save the wobbly outers but no plans as of yet.
I have the #5 Thrust in two different bronze/copper/bronze finish variations. We will be offering these on Wednesday in limited quantities. We will also be selling some spin bases and the Zirc/timascus Triskelion.
I will be doing a video for them today and they spin fantastic 😀
Should Aaron Jordan be able to pick the Super Conductor Thrust combo?
For fun I am going to leave up the add your own options. Keep it clean 😛
Official info post about October 4th release! Here is what will be going up for sale on www.billetspin.com at noon central:
-Gen 2 and 3 spin bases in Green, amber, blue and white $90
-Bronze/copper/bronze Thrusts in 2 finish variations $150
-Zirc/timascus/zirc Triskelions $300
-Zirc/Zirc/polished SS Matrix $350
Shipping will be $5 domestic and $15 international USPS or $35 DHL
10/3/17
Please watch video first!!!!!
I can use the superconductor to somewhat balance the damasteel. It will still flutter but will be much better than superconductor in a regular combo. This inner disc shape is different to show off the superconductor more. I will only use this shape when I use a superconductor inner disc. Thoughts?
Hmmmm 😀 Thoughts?
10/4/17
PLEASE READ!! If you are planning on getting in on today’s noon central release, remember that the item/items are NOT yours until you complete checkout. Having them in your cart does NOT mean they are yours. All of the items today are limited so factor that in. Best of luck, let me know if you have any questions and have a great day!!
yooze got 7 minutes to prepare yourselves.
Zirc/timascus Triskelions still available along with green spin bases Gen 3. Everything else is sold out! THANK YOU ALL!!
10/6/17
Ummmmmmmflamed
Thrust update post. So I am trying to come up with a list but it is just impossible with the material logistics. Some materials are not here, getting pushed back or have some issues. Making others in advance is causing issues from patina. I will do my best to keep you all in the loop but as of right now the only ones I know for sure are the damasteel/Superconductor/SS and SS/Cu/SS. Those are the next two in either order. After that, I have no idea. I apologize for that but I just don’t see any way to create a list with this many variables. Thanks for your patience!
Rich
The standard material combo’s on the original list will happen, just dont know when. I am 99% sure of that
10/9/17
Just a heads up, SS/Cu/SS will be the next combo of the Thrust and will be released on Thursday of this week, noon central. Three variations, limited quantities. 2 will be $150 and the other will be $160. Shipping will be extra. Sold on www.billetspin.com. I will do pics and a video later today. Reid Branston
The combo after that will be damasteel/superconductor/SS in 2 variations. They will go up on www.billetspin.com on 10/16 at noon central. I will get pics and a vid up this coming friday of those. Price will be $325 plus shipping. Expect these to have a flutter to light wobble. They spin much better than I expected but I have balanced each one to the best of my abilities but are not perfect. These will be limited as well.
25 of each being sold
They are all made so shipping will be fast
10/12/17
Thoughts?
made some improvements, good pics coming later today!
not even sure they will be an official combo
I worked all day on them and have some good ideas
one hour peeps, these will start shipping today!
10/13/17
We have Combo #8 samples done! I will get pic later today. They will be released next Friday. 2 variations and they look pretty stinking cool :
I am thinking after the Thrust is done maybe making something crazy. Something Wraith level or beyond. Not to sell, just something to see what I can come up with. I am guessing this feeling will pass but I am due for something over the top. Something like 100 pcs with moving parts. Who knows
Thrust combo’s #7 and #8 information post!
Thrust #7 Damasteel/Superconductor/SS in 2 color variations.
-55g
-$325 plus shipping
-limited quantities
-www.billetspin.com on 10/17!!!
-expect flutter
-expect flamed colors to vary
Thrust #8 Titanium/SS/Titanium and Titanium/Titanium/SS
-41g & 44g
-$230 plus shipping
-limited quantities
www.billetspin.com on 10/20!!!
-expect titanium stem colors to vary
-expect outer collar and inner disc titanium colors to vary slightly
10/14/17
PLEASE NOTE, due to the extra time needed to balance combo #7 the release will be 10/17, NOT 10/16. Sorry for the inconvenience!!
10/16/17
these are all assembled and ready for tomorrow!
Update:
Combo #7 is still launching tomorrow (10/17) at noon central.
Combo #8 is launching on Friday (10/20) at noon central. We are also including the leftover Sparks and Torus in this launch. These were saved for CS and were not needed to we are selling them off. This is the absolute LAST of them so if you wanted a Torus or Spark, this is your last chance.
Sparks-$35
Torus-$75 & $90 (flamed)
10/17/17
Going to launch right now instead!!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
.
.
.
JK, you got just under 3 hours
6 minutes!
sold out!!
Everything has shipped!
10/18/17
Having fun this morning
Zirc varies a tiny bit from batch to batch, this bar is extremely dark but we have several bars here
well…oh baby!
I think I got a new favorite
the vid of this does NOT do it justice 🙁
uploading same video here but FB will destroy it
Here is a future Thrust combo. No idea when or price yet
titanium stem
10/19/17
Here are some pics of the 2 carboquartz options coming late next week and the zir/timascus/ti version coming early november. Hope you like them and let me know if you have any questions. I will be doing an official post about the Carboquartz versions Monday.
Don’t forget these two are going live tomorrow noon www.billetspin.com$230 plus shipping! Thrust mania running wild 😛
REALLY curious to what you guys think of this next one! 15 minutes… I know this is a lot of info but I am doing the best I can so you all know what combo’s are coming since I could not supply a chart.
Modified Basketweave/Black Timascus/zirc…
video is uploading now… This top is very photogenic
Yup
You are looking at two of the most expensive exotic materials I know of other than precious metals. This will definitely be the most expensive of all the Thrusts. I will probably post the price at a later date once I get it figured out and ask how many people are interested. If enough still are I might do a SUS for this one. Might be the grand finale of the Thrusts.
meaning this will be a small run. I should have enough for about 25-30
Here are some pics of the Modified Basketweave Timascus/Black Timascus/Zirc. Notice the coloring of the zirc stem. Gavin called it oil slick and thats the best description. Hard to capture in the pics but looks really cool in person!
10/20/17
PLEASE READ: Due to cosmetic variations, I had to retake the picture of the Ti/SS/ti Thrust. This picture is a more accurate representation of what they will look like. So sorry for any trouble this causes. I want to make sure the pictures best represent the product.
Also, due to some major issues, we will not be shipping these until early next week. Once again, sorry for the delay.
Zirc/carboquartz/zirc is next. Looking like next Thursday or Friday. $325 plus shipping. I will post more details once I get them. We had a rough end of the week here so still doing damage control. Hope you all have a great weekend and thank you so much for the continued support!
Last time I promise! From left to right, which is your favorite?
I tried doing a poll but it would not let me add the picture. Sorry for deleting 🙁
#2 is obvious but I really thought 5 would get more love. Pictures really don’t do 5 justice and the white background is wrong for 2 but it’s hard to make that one look bad 😛
10/23/17
Well pleasant surprise after last week. We are finishing assembly of the Ti/SS combo’s that sold last week. These came out soooooooo good. The colors are just amazing. I will predict these will be one of the most sought after combo’s down the road. Congrats to those that scored them. They will start shipping today and finish shipping tomorrow!
Zirc/Carboquartz will go live this Friday. $325 plus shipping. The demand is large for these so this run will be larger. There will also be 3 variations now. Pics and video to come in a few days.
Just love these
WOW FB you really sucked the coolness from this video
ugh, pics too. How deflating
unreal how bad FB is. It is sooooo much brighter in person
I give up
its a very vibrant color, pretty much identical to the triskelions
let me try outside
Cloudy, I guess you will just have to be surprised
10/24/17
Carboquartz is coming
BilletSPIN Thrust Combo #9 Zirc/Carboquartz/Zirc
-10/27 noon central www.billetspin.com
-limited quantities
-$325 plus shipping
-3 variations
-1.24″ in diameter
-.125″ carbide bearing ball
-spin times from 6-10 minutes
-35g
10/26/17
Carboquartz versions are coming along great! We will be shipping them on 10/30!
10/27/17
THEY ARE LIVE!!
running low already, almost single digits on each combo
So I have 2 thrusts. Both same materials but different finishes. These are the only 2 that will be offered in this material combo. I have sort of a GCA that the proceed would go towards. Would you all like to see 2 auctions, 2 waffles or one of each? This will be happening today
post is up, thanks for the feedback!!
6 different tri-metal Thrusts are coming next week! Just a heads up with everything we got going on.
Lindsey Wissing is adopting a baby girl from India! Everything is approved and now they just wait for the call before they fly to India. Costs for this adoption are very high. Due to that, we are going to waffle 2 tops off over at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/333704123681338/
Entries will be $25. There will be two waffles. The first will start around 5pm central and run until 11am central tomorrow so international friends have a chance to enter. You can buy unlimited entries up until the deadline tomorrow morning. The second waffle will follow the first one. Payment will need to be made through paypal.
100% of the proceeds will go to Lindsey and her family.
Here are the pictures of the tops. Both spin very very well. Both are Modified Basketweave Timascus/timascus/zirc and will come with a COA.
If you have any questions, let me know!
Billetspin Lindsey Adoption GCA #1
PAYPAL (pay as you play): billetspin@tds.net
$25 per spot unlimited spots (x# however many spots you’d like)
THIS WILL RUN FROM NOW UNTIL TOMORROW 12 PM ET (11 AM CENTRAL).
Background (from Billetspin):
Lindsey Wissing is adopting a baby girl from India! Everything is approved and now they just wait for the call before they fly to India. Costs for this adoption are very high. Due to that, we are going to waffle 2 tops. This is for the first top You can buy unlimited entries up until the deadline tomorrow morning. Payment will need to be made through paypal.
100% of the proceeds will go to Lindsey and her family.
Top Description:
Modified Basketweave Timascus/timascus/ flamed zirc and will come with a COA.
Spins very well! Only 2 have been made and both look very different from each other.
Admin reserves the right to implement any discount method (if needed) including but not limited to mini games, dropping spots, discount spot price, etc.
We will randomize this once, and the first person at the top of the list wins this amazing piece!!
International Winner Pays Shipping
PayPal will be released when game is full
Friends and family with no comments
No e-checks are permitted
Pick your spots if someone already has that spot, you will pick again, you can get multiple spots
***When commenting to pick how many spots you’d like, please do not edit your posts at all. All further spots picked and edits must happen in a new comment to the main thread.
Congratulations Nate McFarlane!! Rich Stadler has sent you a pm. Thanks so much guys for your help and I am so glad we were able to help Lindsey out 🙂
Billetspin Thrust 2 of 2 Good Cause Waffle (Pay As You Pick)
$25/spot – Unlimited spots – Will end in 24 hours from the time of this post.
Format: First on first draw
Spots will be assigned sequentially, so you just need to comment how many spots you want; for example, X1 means you want 1 spot, X5 means you want 5 spots.
Descriptions: Lindsey Wissing is adopting a baby girl from India! Everything is approved and now they just wait for the call before they fly to India. Costs for this adoption are very high. This waffle is to help with the cost. The top spins very very well. Both are Modified Basketweave Timascus/timascus/zirc and will come with a COA.
We will randomize the list 1 time. First name at the top of the list wins the top
Friends and family only with no comments in the notes
No e-checks are permitted.
Congrats Yalcin K Ataman! Rich would reach out to you to arrange for the shipment! Cheers to everyone! Have a great Sunday.
Really surprised at the lack of pics of the titanium Thrusts. Let’s see some pics!! Would love to here feedback from the owners on those.
10/29/17
Speechless over your support for Lindsey and her family. She has a huge heart for going to the lengths she has to adopt this girl. I know your support will take so much pressure off of her and Ben. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Hopefully we have some pictures by the end of the year!!
10/31/17
Ladies and gentlemen, lovers of all things tri-metal, let me introduce you to the…………… VI
I will break down the individual tops in a bit but these are the 6 variations in these finishes that will be going up for sale this coming Thursday.
YOU GOT ONE HOUR UNTIL THESE ARE LIVE!!
Here are some more pics of the tri-metals. These finishes are what will come on them so what you see is what you will get! Let me know if you have any questions!
Edit: these are going up for sale on 11/2 at noon central. $150 plus shipping. The sale will be unlimited for 20 minutes. This will give everyone that’s wants them to be able to get what they want. Shipping will have a one week lead time
There will be a few more standards before the Thrust is done
it will be SS/br/SS
Polished copper is a huge pain. Just cleaning it after polishing scratches it
You got 1 hour! This sale will be 20 minutes long unlimited and we will fulfill all orders that are placed during that time. Once over, these will never be offered again!
11/1/17
I am going to try to make prototypes of all the remaining Thrust combo’s. If there is one you would like to see let me know now. PLEASE don’t go crazy here as the poll will only allow so many options. So if you don’t have one in particular, just vote on what has been suggested. Thanks!
zirc/zirc/zirc was already going to be happening
Check this out
I might try a different style of polishing on the inner disc of this one tomorrow and have it as another option for this combo. We are also trying a forced patina too on the mokume
11/2/17
Some future combos. I almost have all the rest of the Thrusts prototypes made! I will announce them once I get all of them done
Now there’s a Motley Crue!
11/3/17
OFFICIAL THRUST INFORMATION POST!! I reserve the right to add a few combo’s if I see fit but these will be offered in this order for these prices. Shipping will be $5 domestic and $15 international ($35 optional DHL for international orders). All will be sold on the website at noon central on the dates posted below. Dates are rough but we will try our hardest to meet them. All zirc outer diameters will be polished:
Thrust combo’s
11 11/7 $225
A) polished SS/Spiro dammy/polished SS stem both sides
😎 polished SS/Reptilian dammy/polished SS stem both sides
12 11/10 $225
a) Polished Bronze/bead blasted 3cm/polished Bronze stem both sides
b) Polished copper/2cm/polished SS stem both sides
13 11/14 Zirc/timascus/polished and specialty flamed titanium stem $300
14 11/17 $250
a) Zirc/Spiro dammy/polished SS stem both sides
b) Zirc/Reptilian dammy/polished SS stem both sides
15 11/21 Polished SS/Polished Bronze/polished SS both sides $150
16 11/24 $275
a) Zirc/Spiro dammy/polished zirc stem both sides
b) Zirc/Reptilian dammy/polished zirc stem both sides
17 11/28 Feather timascus/polished zirc/polished SS stem both sides $375
18 12/1 polished and flamed 3cm VF/wire wheel copper/polished zirc stem both sides $260
19 12/5 all polished zirc $225
20 12/8 Modified BW Timascus/black timascus/polished zirc stem both sides $475
Picture below has some of but not all of the combo’s and also has a couple combo’s that will not be available. Let me know if you have any questions
I have spiro coming to test with carboquartz but if it don’t look good I wont be using it. I just tried to make the most of what I had with the time I had available
Video of all the combos uploading to YT now!
Thrust Combo #11 SS/damascus/SS
-SS/Spiro/SS
-SS/reptilian/SS
-$225 plus shipping
-www.biletspin.com on 11/7 at noon central
-limited quantities
-59g
Here is your video of the remaining Thrust combo’s!
11/4/17
Sight unseen auction. I don’t have anything in mind. Let’s see how it goes. Going to see Thor. Auction ends when the movie is over. $5 minimum bid increment.
We are very close on Billetspin first carrying cases and those crystal Top stands I posted a few weeks ago! Got the dammy Thrusts tomorrow and the wheels are working on future stuff 🙂 tomorrow I start on Brian’s sight unseen auction top and then the special GTG combo. After a long weekend, things are rollin!! Yooze all have a wonderful night and just know things are gettin crazy up in here!
Gettin er done!
Sisters!
We are very close on Billetspin first carrying cases and those crystal Top stands I posted a few weeks ago! Got the dammy Thrusts tomorrow and the wheels are working on future stuff 🙂 tomorrow I start on Brian’s sight unseen auction top and then the special GTG combo. After a long weekend, things are rollin!! Yooze all have a wonderful night and just know things are gettin crazy up in here!
11/7/17
Who wants a build posting on Brian’s sight unseen auction top?
Brian Bowden likes purple so I am going to redo the stem to bring out more purples. Then we have to machine the outer collar. I am plum out of modified basketweave so I will be using feather. The plan is to modify the bottom to really let this material shine. I am hoping to have the whole thing done in about 4 hours.
the crappy cell pics are not doing this one justice lol
The SS/dammy/SS Thrusts are live!
www.billetspin.com
Here are some pics of Brian’s top
Couple pics of this Friday’s offering. I will get pics of the 2CM tomorrow!
$225
Disco disco
I could do a lot better if I had more time. Tricky getting the light show on video
11/8/17
One last video with my baby 🙁
BilletSPIN Thrust Combo #12 going live at noon central this friday (11/10) in limited quantities! $225 plus shipping
Polished Bronze/bead blasted 3 color mokume/polished bronze
-68g
Polished Copper/bead blasted 2 color mokume/polished Stainless Steel
-65g
-1.24″ in diameter
-1/8″ carbide bearing ball
-spin times 6-10 minutes
11/9/17
Starting stems for next Tuesday’s combo
11/10/17
You got 15 minutes before these go live!!!
30 minutes!! Polished Bronze/3 color mokume/polished Bronze & polished Copper/2 color mokume/polished Stainless Steel! www.billetspin.com noon central!
12:01p they are live!
12:08p Bronze sold out! 3 left of copper! Wowza 😛 You ROCK!! Thanks for the support and have yourself a rockstar weekend!
Limited quantities and I think you will need to be pretty quick on this one! Pics to come!
BilletSPIN Thrust Combo #13 going live at noon central this Tuesday (11/14) in limited quantities! $300 plus shipping
Zirc/2 alloy timascus/flamed titanium
-41g
-1.24″ in diameter
-1/8″ carbide bearing ball
-spin times 6-10 minute
we take PP and CC and these will more than likely go pretty fast so be quick 🙂
we will have a few extra components that we keep to try new finishing techniques out on. Once the run is officially over we will only have a few one offs or maybe two offs. Nothing major.
Let’s do this!
tick…tock…
Let’s just stare at this piece of chocolate mokume to pass the time…
also, that piece HAS ren wax on it 🙂
these are going pretty fast
YO! Well that was fast! It was around a 5 minute sell out which was perfect! THANK YOU again. I have not done the exact match yet but we are close to the Thrust being the 3rd biggest selling BilletSPIN top! Enjoy these exotics folks because you more than likely will not see them like this again from us in this quantity. As always, thanks for the continued support! I will try to get Lindsey shipping right away!
11/15/17
Yowza
No chocolate was harmed during the shooting of these centerfolds…
Here is the video for chocolate love. I don’t know if I ever made a top that changes more based on lighting and surroundings as this one. I babbled even more than normal, just very excited about this one 🙂
Thrust combo #14 Zirc/dammy SS
$250 plus shipping
11/17 noon central at www.billetspin.com in limited quantities!
2 variations
zirc/spiro/polished SS
Zirc/Reptilian/polished SS
11/16/17
Just a couple friends hanging out! These are the combo’s available this Friday noon central!
What are the odds they just discovered this in the titanic wreckage…
Ren wax vs chocolate lov
11/17/17
First gif that describes my favorite episode of saved by the bell wins a free one off Thrust blasted SS/reptilian dammy/SS
david, contact Sue with your info and let her know the top you won
3 color chocolate mokume/colored brass/brown SS stem
This is what you are getting at the meet and greet 🙂 it’s pretty crazy looking
11/20/17
BilletSPIN Thrust Combo #15 in 2 variations going live at noon central this Tuesday (11/21) in limited quantities! $150 plus shipping
a-Polished SS/bronze/polished SS
b-polished and heat anodized SS/bronze/polished SS
-62g
-1.24″ in diameter
-1/8″ carbide bearing ball
-spin times 6-10 minute
Just a heads up, I have 8 of the regular and 12 of the heat anodized. That’s all!
11/21/17
30 minutes
Well that turned out ok for a freebie 🙂
Gunmetal, always wanted to know how to make that color…now I just need to make sure it is not a fluke
11/22/17
Black Friday special!! I NEVER do this but there is a reason. The zirc/Dammy/zirc tops that are going live on Friday have a rather interesting outer collar. The entire batch flamed differently than I have ever seen. It has a black and gray marbled finish. I will get pics and a video later. They were going to be $275 but due to this they will be $225. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Friday at noon central!
11/23/14
BilletSPIN Thrust Combo #16 going up for sale on black friday at noon central on www.billetspin.com in two variations:
Normally these would be $275 but to to color inconsistencies on the outer collar we are reducing the cost to $225 plus shipping. The outer collar has black-grey marbling. I tried to capture this in pics but couldn’t. It is very organic looking and honestly goes perfect with the damascus.
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! Feather Timascus #17 will not be ready in time so we are going to sell the chocolate (Heat ano SS/Treated Mokume/Heat ano SS) tomorrow (11/28). Price is $225 plus shipping on www.billetspin.com at noon central in very limited quantities.
Combo 17 and 18 will be for sale on Friday noon central and the rest of the dates are correct for 19 and 20. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes. Let me know if you have any questions!
That’s a good question, you might be right. The ones going up will have a high polished outer. Been crazy lately
The outer pics up the white from the room. It’s darker than it appears and I tried everything I could think of. It’s not much darker but it a few shades
yup, sold out. Sorry all, ran all the material I had!
Attention: On December 5th at noon central at www.billetspin.com we will be releasing Thrust combo #19 all zirc! $225 pus shipping
Attention: This friday 12/1 at noon central on www.billetspin.com we will be releasing Thrust combos:
17 Feather timascus/polished zirc/polished SS stem (2 variations) $375 plus shipping
18 polished and flamed 3cm VF/wire wheel copper/polished zirc stem both sides (expect some color variations) $250 plus shipping
I included some group shots of combo 18 so you could see some examples of the color variations.
Attention: On December 8th at noon central at www.billetspin.com we will be releasing Omega Thrust combo #20 Modified Basketweave Timascus/Black Timascus/Oil Slick Zirc (2 variations) $475 plus shipping
This is the last and final combo, no more will be offered at this point.
we will call the left one scalloped
two different bars. This is quite the process to make them and so the two bars vary. I love it as it creates more variation
hey rich why no ridges on the bottom of the right one? just an aesthetic thing? looks great kust curious
shows off the pattern more and provides more variation from the other version
All of these are made and the flamed colors do vary especially on the smooth version. Keep that in mind. The black Timascus will vary slightly as well
12/1/17
Wow, sounds like everything sold out!! You all rock!! Thanks for the support! We made it to Orlando in one piece and survived the 50 kids on the plane going to Disney. Hope you all have a great weekend!!
“Should” be starting the trick shot top today. Expect this one to take a long time for me to design. Hoping to have a proto next week. This is gonna be fun
The trick shot top will do two things. It cannot be tipped over while spinning no matter how hard you try and it will jump when flicked. Since it cannot be tipped over, after it lands from a jump it will continue to spin. Soooooo you can spin it on your desk, flick it and have it land on a spin base. Or you could spin it on your desk and flick it over a flaming canyon of death and onto a spin base. Or you could…well you get the idea.
This idea came from a battle top that was in the Koma Taisen. I have this top on my desk. It was shown to me by the man that translates for the Koma Taisen. I saw that it could be modified as a trick shot top. He encouraged me to do so.
These will not be crazy long spinners. Guessing 3-5 minutes on a spin base. I also think due to the jumping that these could destroy a high end spin base so I would recommend a cheap cosmetic mirror.
Who wants to see Zeus against DIT 001 tomorrow? If I get over 300 likes to this post by the time I wake up I will do a live video of it on the actual arena. I have a few other tops I can battle as well… muhahahahaha
BILLETSPIN UPDATE: The plan has changed so please read this carefully!
I started designing the 4 piece top and folks I will be totally honest, this one has potential to be one of the coolest, if not the coolest top I have ever made. I added some more pieces to it too so it will be either an 8 or 10 piece now. Some of those pieces are very basic so don’t get too excited about that. Unfortunately though, there are two issues with this top.
1) It will take a very very long time to make.
2) I don’t have enough materials to appease the masses
So, after much thought I have decided to change up the schedule to give us the time needed to do this right. The next top will now be the 2 piece long spinner.
For those that did not watch the live video I posted, my goal for this top will be for me to be able to spin it for 30 minutes. This does not mean you will be able to. In fact, some might still not be anywhere near that. Spin times vary greatly depending on skill level. This will not be a pretty top. Every feature on this top will be designed for maximum performance. I have tracked down a very rare grade of aluminum that has an off the chart strength rating. I will use that in conjunction with Tungsten. I probably will not offer this in different materials since these two will give the best performance and that is what this design is all about.
As you know, Tungsten is prone to wobble. I am using the new tungsten so it will be better but I assure you these will still have some wobble/flutter issues. These will come with the new carbide balls which will greatly reduce flat spot issues.
I am not sure on pricing or the launch date at this time. I will have to spend a great deal of time in the prototype stages. I am sure though that they will be available this month yet.
I am sorry for the switch-a-roo here on the schedule. I hope you understand. If you have any questions let me know!
Rich
2/11/17
Vlog #1
Vlog #2
Vlog #3
Vlog #4
15 and still going good
18:55 first spin so I could easily break 20 with a few tries. Pretty good start I think!
Vlog #5
Vlog #6
Vlog #7
Vlog #8 and final for today
this one is worse. Back to the original style. Had to try it
in fact, worst spinner of the day lol
barely 18 minutes, this thing sucks!
still going
got a lot of fight in it
barely rotating
18:57
I thought it was dead 2 minutes ago lol
If I did not have this party to go to I would keep at it
ok, one more design. My brain came up with a plan…
Still here two tops later 😛 This one has promise. I would bet it’s the best of the day! Wish it luck
I had the place all shut down and had my jacket on heading out the door and it hit me…
Now we just have to hope it does not suck
Complete trash, 18:03 NOW I am leaving lol. Have a good one all. I suck
Came back to work. Getting consistent 22-23 minutes now on decent spins. This is still in rough proto stage so there is more in it but not a whole lot. This top as is will see 5 minute improvement over the Tungten/Aluminum Infinity. I am confident I can squeeze another minute or two out of it. I should be able to break 25 with it personally once the tweaks are done. Wont happen every time for sure but should on a good spin. Thats all she wrote for sure now. I am taking the day off tomorrow and will be back on this project on Tuesday. Have a great night all!
I will do a full vlog about it once it is all tweaked. I found a repeatable system of change and that helped out a lot.
There was no way I could sleep with this many ideas in my head so I had to head back to work. Mind is clear now and the path is clear. Sleepy time
2/12/17
So tomorrow will be a dead day for me as we have to finish a few Crown tops before I get back on the long spinner. I will use that time to sell off some prototypes I made yesterday. They will be $115 plus shipping. I will try (and fail) to come up with easy ways to sell them where everyone is happy. Not sure of the exact time. Some have some nicks and most have some movement towards the end of the spin.
It needs it for this much weight. Same top with a .020″ smaller diameter grip tops out at 300 less RPM’s on the launch. Any bigger and the RPM’s decrease as well. It is the size it needs to be
Vlog #10
2/14/17
Uploaded in HD this time. Balancing idea we are working on
The official information post about this new top will happen soon. Until then suggest names for it here.
Official Information post:
The new top will be called the Nexus. I have wanted to use this name for a long time because most of our Mazak’s are Nexus models and these tops are made on them.
This will be on average, the longest spinning top in BilletSPIN history. It will launch on www.billetspin.com on 2/21 at noon central. Here is some info on the top:
-Only comes in one material combination (Tungsten/7068 aluminum)
-1/8″ carbide bearing ball (From our testing, these will be a significant improvement over ceramic).
-1.12″ in diameter
-44grams
-Due to the Tungsten you can expect more wobble than a standard BilletSPIN top. We are using the new tungsten but you will still see a flutter/wobble especially in the second half of the spin. Tops are sold as-is and I will not accept returns due to wobble/flutter
-$130 plus $5 domestic and $12 international shipping.
-We have enough Tungsten for 450 tops. A large portion of those will be junk due to excessive wobble. I will have to play it safe in the amount I make available because I will not have these all done in time for the release. This will hopefully mean there will be a second release once production is done (in a few weeks) and we know how many good ones we have.
-Due to the potential material issues, this design will NOT be retired after this sale. I am guessing this will be a huge hit and I would like to offer more of this one later in the year. However, I might not and this might be your only chance to get one. I just reserve the right to have another release later.
-There will NOT be a limit on how many you can order. I ask you to not buy this top to flip. Any comments to this post in regards to flipping will be deleted no questions asked.
2/15/17
Check this out…
Prototype spin contest! If you got one of the 42,517 Nexus prototypes, post up your best times here. On your honor. Winner gets to say they spun one of the 42,517 Nexus prototypes the longest!
2/17/17
As of now, 10 minute average to balance each Nexus. Going to be a long week
Remember there will be around 450 of them…
I am getting a system down for sure but it is just a tedious process.
2/19/17
Planning on ordering a Nexus? Be sure to watch this!!!
2/20/17
Today went well. I balanced 110. Getting the hang of it. Each bar is consistent from start to end so once we get the offset right for the first piece we can run the bar at the same setting. Should have them all balanced end of the day Wednesday if all goes well. This has no bearing on you all whatsoever but just thought I would share 😛
1st bar was dead perfect. Bore them, assemble, done. It was all down hill from there but still got a lot done
Each bar makes about 25 tops. Of those, they are pretty much identical. None of these will show a crazy variation to another one. They are all pretty close. If I didn’t balance them, they would be insanely different. This super light weight core just magnifies everything.
out of 400 there might be 10 DT smooth. Keep your expectations low but know the spin times will be very good regardless.
2/21/17
Getting close now, you ready!
Last minute Nexus info:
1) After getting the counts, we will be releasing 350 today at noon. We have more to run so I am very conservative on my numbers just in case something goes wrong here. We always keep extras for CS reasons. If we don’t scrap anymore, we might have a few to sell at a later date but it will be in a very small quantity. Nothing else I can do at this point because they are not all done and I need to play it safe.
2) When you purchase from the website, it is NOT yours until you COMPLETE checkout!!! Just because it is in your cart does not make it yours.
3) There will more than likely be people that miss out. People will be upset. I made ALL the material I had. I released ALL the tops I could. It sucks people miss out sometimes but lets try to keep the drama to a minimum.
4) I will NOT be making anymore Nexus tops. This is the only run of them but like I said in #1 there is a small chance I will have a few extras after the dust settles. DO NOT message me trying to get one if you missed out please. It just puts me in a bad spot as I like to please everyone.
5) Shipping will begin tomorrow and we should have them all shipped in one week.
6) I have said it a lot and the website is plastered with this: EXPECT FLUTTER/WOBBLE!!! This is Tungsten and I did my best to balance them but expect the worst.
7) The website will more than likely be password protected at some point this morning. It just means we are prepping for the launch. It will be back online well before noon central.
If you all have any questions, let me know! Looking forward to the fun and cant wait for you all to start getting these!
Just know, I made as many as I could all. If this balancing was not such a pain I would have ordered more stock for a second release. I am working on a solution for future long spinners though. THANK YOU for your support! Cant wait to see some times!
I was not expecting it to go that fast. Watching it was incredible
that was on par with the K2. Crazy. Back to balancing!
Talk to me. Next top, three piece with normal pricing or 4 piece like you have never seen but will be $50 more than the three piece.
Some times ya just know it’s going to be something special. It hit me on the way home. This 4 piece…I almost want to skip sleep and head back into work. Only problem these will take a very long time to make. Not sure how I am going to make that work as I want to make enough for yooze. I am thinking prototyping all week then get a few machines going next week to try to get a good head start then launch them end of this month so there is not a ridiculous shipping lead time. Just talking out loud here. Have a great night. My heart is pumping 🙂 Continue reading “Top #37 “Matrix””
I hope you all had a Happy New Year! I am officially back from vacation and ready to go! So much in fact I forgot we are off today but I showed up to an empty shop lol. Looks like we have made a decent amount of progress on the spheres, Christmas tops are done and shipped. Time to get caught up on some stuff and get designing the stemless top! After that will be the mini and then we get into our regular routine.
Lets make 2017 amazing and I hope you have a wonderful week. I missed yooze all!
1/13/17
Give me a heads up. How many of you are interested in a mini? Would you like 5/8″ or 3/4″? I will shoot for a two piece and try to keep the price between $100-$125 plus shipping. Reply “in” or “n” or “i” or “IN” or “in.” if you think you would be interested. This is NOT an order thread but just checking the demand on these. Be sure to include the size preference mentioned above.
Please only reply if you are interested in the top! Appreciate the feedback and I hope you all have a wonderful day!! Continue reading “Top #35 “Crown””
Well I think we got a good start. Here is what I got for the stemless. 2 piece, .25″ thick by 1.48″ diameter. SS/Timascus for now. I will order some Zirc in that size but doubt it will get here in time
