I have been working on a few Ideas

It has been a while but I figure somethings are worth the wait
I have been playing with a few ideas some good some bad but I had said that I would share
some of them with you
first thanks to Marilyn getting me thinking about ways that I could do more artistic works on the shuttles she had asked me to do a spider as we all know they are the insect weavers and developing on that idea she asked for a web to be part of it . I thought hmmm yes a spider is no problem but a web with that would be interesting wait a sec Marilyn had already asked about painting on the shuttles and that worked nicely why not engrave and paint the web white.

Ok it is now being tested

Noreen was thrilled to see the newest shuttle improvement.
I drilled a couple of holes in the "hands" of the shuttle and then put a bit of blue paint and varnished a couple of times. it turned out wonderfully so what do you think.

Poll results

The people have spoken by a vote of 4 to 3 they like the new script lettering but as it was so close and thank you all for your opinion I will still offer both block and script.
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts.

Wonderfull Idea

A very nice reader wrote me a wonderful e-mail just the other day and described to me a shuttle she has and she very much likes to use. It had a single stone mounted on one side and double mounted onto the other this got me to thinking mounting stones is not something that I could feel comfortable with at this time but ... perhaps something similar so what I was thinking was use my pin vice with a larger pin and only half punch thru the shuttle dab of paint and some varnish on top polish and smooth stay tuned I will post some pictures once I have done a prototype let me know what you think. Thank you Marilyn

I was wondering if you could help me out

I have put up a survey on the right of this post and would like to know what your opinion is? I know you have one and I value it very much. So what lettering do you like best
the block lettering big bold easy to read
the script lettering thiner stylistic and cool
other
anything else remember I can not make middle parts levitate so I can not do really cool fonts
just think of it in the letters O or P or Q plus D nevermind B or R and A some of my Favorite letters (I get to be creative). If you could just make a selection in the survey or write a comment I would be great full who knows I may even run a contest of my own in the near future.

Copper tags

If you want to have your own copper tag I would be happy to make one for you with your selection of wording and or phrase using block or stylistic lettering.
Just email me durusuno@shaw.ca for pricing

Something new yet again

Chloe my wonderful blogging and multi talented wife asked me to make something neat for fiber arts so I put my blade to metal and came up with a cool fiber tag.
to celebrate our blessed union and a cool idea she will be running a contest if you want to enter go to Tangled thread

How about something completely different

I was asked by a new friend hey can you make a gauge? I thought a what? A gauge hmm what does it look like. So a few emailed instructions and a nice couple of pictures and sure enough a new product for people to see.
I know it does not look like much now but wait till I tell you what it does.
you see here 3 different gauges (but what do they do?)

there is the 1 inch by 3 1/2
there is the 1/2 inch by 3 1/2
there is the 1/4 inch by 3 1/2

Now what you do is when you are making netting you use the gauges to make the same size hole in the netting so if you are making a shall or fishnet stocking then hurray the right tool for the right job.
O did I mention they are really shiny so much so that if you look really close you can see my camera reflected in them.
Now these are the prototypes and a wee bit of r and d needs to be done but I figured it is time for something new up here.

New styling

I got a few new orders in the past few days and decided that I wanted to try something new with the lettering on the shuttle. the block stencil lettering is cool and all but not as challenging as I thought these needed. also with the pin vise I can make the letters more refined and elegant.
Pictured here are a 5 1/2 copper weaving shuttle and a matching 3 1/2 copper weaving shuttle

Tool of the Day

I had picked up a pin vise about a year ago and played with it for the first week but was really not impressed with it. The twist pins I got for it were too small and well it just was not the same as one I had borrowed from a friend. But the other day I got some new twist pins and decided to give it another chance yep I am really happy I did I am just finishing my honeymoon, so that is why I have not posted in a while. If you do not know what a pin vise is it is a manual drilling device powered by your own hand and it drills into the material you need it to. Some use it for plastic models others for the cool metal ones you get for games like war hammer to make sure parts do not fall off. Me I decided that my bead holes where to big for what I am working on now. also I can me very exacting where I put a hole. If I get permission I will put it up for you all to see.

Wedding Day post

I have just recently Wed the most wonderful woman I have ever met and now I figure why not get it from my prospective.

My day started at 0630 I woke up with my love.

We got up and got dressed to go and set up the Reception site as it was not available the night before made for a early morning.

0800 get to the reception site and start to set up the decorations. This was a good distraction as it gave me something else to think about as my stomach had more butterfly's than we had at the wedding site.

All finished at 0930 and Chloe had left an hour earlier to get her hair done and preparations at Noreen's home some 30 miles away from our home.

Breakfast at McDonald figured a good breakfast may feed the butterflies and calm them down good thing as I did not have anything till much later. We also stopped by a local shop to pick up a neat surprise for Noreen and family.

1030 Back to my place and time to shower and primp and prepare for our ceremony. I had originally planned to get ready with the guys but then changed my mind and decided to do it alone it gave me a few minutes to center and prepare myself for the day. My best man had brought his RV up and the others had gotten dressed there. That left me alone with some of our fur babies.

1125 all dressed and shaved and prepared Chloe's brother Angus picked me up to meet up with the other groomsmen at the RV and head to the Wedding site we also had to prepare for everything there set up decorations and some minor sound equipment (thanks to Mike and Angus).

1200 Traffic was a nightmare why do Cites decide to do renovations on major roads during the day and take up 2 of 3 lanes?

1215 get to the wedding site carry up wedding stuff to the 3rd floor and start set up Thanks again to Mom and Dad and Angus Bill and Mike and Sean for helping . We string about 1500 Butterfly up and over the seating area from the arbor














1220 forgot some of the decorations Crap panic O no must get (my groomsman Angus is a reliable dependable and smart man) he made it in time back to my place and return in record time.

1230 set up mostly done and now we wait.

1 pm takes a wonderful series of shots of our guests and the site using my camera.
greet our guests and give out wedding favors some really cute Butterfly bubble blowers and shake hands and chat with our guests (it is our day I figure keep busy or my personal butterflies will take over)

1 15 pm Angus returns he rocks

1 28 pm 2 min till the start of the formal wedding ask everyone to take their places and to turn of Cellphones

130 deep breath it is starting my butterflies are just racing
Somewhere out there plays it is a song with deep emotional significance for me and love billows up and a few tears slip down my cheek

I see my big sis come down with my fur baby ring bearer and the Meghan and Allie come and finally.

My wife with her mom and dad to At last by Etta James.
I compose my self and marvel at her Stunning is the first thing that pops in my head what a lucky man I am to marry her.

Then our the world only consisted of one person the woman in the white dress

I was so focused on her that the whole thing was just her and me.

It was magical next we did the signing the license and some more meet and greet with Friends and Family.

2 pm pictures down stairs after the tear down it was fun we even had some scavenger hunters there it was fun.

330 pictures finished and off to home to prepare for the evening and take more care of our fur babies

550 Arrive again at the reception site this time dressed to the nines with my wife and we had a wonderful evening with our friends and family.

The winner of the HOPE shuttle is..

Lois Perry Congratulations Noreen has posted on Hankering for yarn so I can now tell
It was a very fun and magical day both the wedding and reception and the gift opening thank you all for being apart of it with us.

survay says

After only two reply I never did find out where people like to weave it was a tie 1 home 1 anywhere
O well next time something else

Did you want to win one of these shuttles?

http://www.hankeringforyarn.com/a-contest

If you hurry you can enter to win a fine shuttle named HOPE it closes on the 25th at midnight
No entry's after that time.
Draw is on the 26th during our gift opening.
Good luck
The winner of this shuttle is Lois Perry

Making something just right

I was working on my new line of shuttles and I looked at the one that I had done a few days ago and had thought something not right about the top of it it had been just prototype but hey if I do not do the best I can on it then what am I doing making these for fine weavers everywhere.
So I fiddled with it and well oops I really messed it up. so I made a new one and Ha this one rocks. it is a world better as far as I can tell it feels better and looks great and that is what really matters.
I will let you tell me what you think I know the red circle is the part I goofed on. I got a little carried away with the wrong file. But for the benefit of the project I am sure you can see.

A glimpse into my future and possibly yours

As many Artists and Craftsmen out there know it is always good to think ahead and plan for the future so that if you ever get stumped you will have something to fall back on so today when I was working in my workshop a thought came to me what is it that I can do to my shuttles that I have not done yet so I thought and asked my wife to be (only 9 days) what would she like to see on the next one? She responded I would like to see *********** and some ******** and I thought well I can do that so I pulled out some Copper and started to saw and saw and saw well a bit of time later I had come up with this it is a 5.5 copper weaving shuttle for my next season line up yes I know that shape is still the same but what is that on the body? I will leave that up to you to determine but I like it and shazam I got hit with my next Idea for a 4 shuttle series but I really can not get to much into that just yet. It will be available just as soon as it is beta tested and quality checked (Noreen over at Hankering for yarn is eager to get her skilled hands on it).
well back to the workshop for me. Actually I have to polish my shoes for the wedding. I look very smart in my Tux if I do say so myself.

Weaving shuttles in the world

Shuttles in the world.
I would like to hear about them.
Have you seen one outside its natural habitat (work shop, studio, craft room)
If you have where has it been who had it why was it there I would like to know?
If you see a Weaving shuttle outside it's natural environment could you let me know.
If you spot one just leave a comment and who knows some thing nice may happen for you.

Star

A star is born.

I figured hey why not make some shuttles for people who want them right away.

This is a 5 1/2 inch Star Shuttle in honour of the latest NASA shot to the stars.
This one is not claimed by anyone yet so if you are feeling like picking up a new shuttle

it needs a new home and can come your way in just a few days.

How well you can contact me and I will give you instructions.

$19.50 plus Shipping

Thanks

Shuttle features Q and A

I was reading comments on Noreen's Blog and a nice person asked if my shuttles would eventually cut the weft?
No, I would hope not as I very carefully and sometimes painstakingly file down the sharp bits so that they are smooth and rounded.

Very smooth a smooth shuttle makes Clancy a happy man.

Granted some of the inside cuts on names and shapes can not be filed down but they are not in direct contact with the weft so not going to cut the fine threads.

When I first started out it was pointed out to me that some of the silk that weavers use is very expensive.

I am extra careful on the smoothing process to make sure that the contact edges are not sharp at all.

Another asked about the shape?
I make it in form that looks like a person with their arms above their head. Think of it as a diver diving through the water.
I think it is a cool shape and most everyone agrees it is my shtick.

Poll broken

Does it ever make you wonder what is it about that special item that makes it special?

Is it the place you got it?

Is it the person who gave it to you?

Could it be just because?

Perhaps the memories that you have while using it?

My Poll thingy is broken so I would like to hear from you.
just leave a comment Thanks

How far I have come.

If you ever get involved with a craft or art and you get the chance to revisit something you have done in the past. I would highly recommend doing it. Just reach into the bottom of the box or back of the closet and pull it out and try it again.


I tell you it is a wonderful experience.


Recently I was lucky enough to get one of my first prototype shuttles back from Noreen (thanks) and was a little disheartened by the crude nature of it. But it struck me this was the first run of the remake of the replacement for the Lilly speed O weave shuttle. Noreen had only one for her many kits and said the aluminum did not have a great feel so I put blade to metal and came up with a replica of the aluminum shuttle.


It did not have the splendor I had hoped for but it was a good shuttle so we got talking and decided to make the opening bigger and more room for the weft. I hand drilled some bigger holes and tried it again. Nope, it did not have the flare I was hoping for. I was wandering around Noreen's studio and saw this wonderful shape burned onto wood and thought hmm... lets try that!


Wow that went over like a hot air balloon.


But it needed a little fine touch the neck needed to be pronounced. So tada we have the shape you see before you. Back to the point I remade the small shuttle today in my workshop and you know I feel a great bit of pride with my new version however still extremely happy with the original.


It's neat to see how far I have come in this craft. So if you ever want a pick me up and a self pat on the back try a old project again and give it new life you will really see how far you have come.

And the majority says....

out of a new record 4 votes
the favorite size for a weaving shuttle is
pause for effect
.
.
.
.
6 inch weaving shuttle
the most popular by a vote of 2
Hurray I am so excited

Price list

6 inch Brass Weaving Shuttle

Satin finished
complex shape

$21.00

4.5 inch Copper Weaving Shuttle

with word or name 4 letters for 4.5 inch

Satin finish

$17.50

5.5inch Copper weaving Shuttle

(not shown)

with word or name up to 6 letters

Satin Finish
$19.50

4.5inch Copper Weaving Shuttle
with simple shape i.e. Heart Diamond
Satin finish
$17.50
5.5inch Copper Weaving Shuttle
(not shown)
with simple shape
Satin Finish
$19.50

Plain Copper shuttle 3 1/2 inch (no wording) is $12.50
Plain Copper shuttle 4 1/2 inch (no wording) is $15.50
Plain Copper shuttle 5 1/2 inch (no wording) is $17.50

Size

3.5 inch

4.5 inch

5.5 inch

6 inch

Complex shapes

you name it I will try it
Price may vary

Words

Think of it like this

I would like to weave with???

LOVE, JOY,HOPE,CARE,FUN,SONG,LIFE ,LIVE , ONE , SOUL,BODY, WOW ,BABY,

STYLE, GRACE, POWER,PRIDE ,HEART, SPIRIT.

or

your name, JIM, JILL, JOAN, CLANCY, JAKE, SEAN, LOUISE
what ever you want it to read

Prices are in USD
$2.00 for words or lettering

Shipping

through Canada Post

@2.00 for most North America places

Preferred payment method Paypal or Money order

I will contact
you with Email (for updates)

Durusuno@shaw.ca

All orders are on a First order basis
2 to 4 weeks for delivery to your mailbox

Weaving

I have just recently started to weave on a Harrisville back strap loom. I must say it is not as easy as it looks. Admittedly I was a novice at it for the first half hour but I took to it like a duck to water. It is a very wonderful experience. By no means do I think I am a expert but if I need to make myself a nice strap for something I know that it is possible. The little weaver in me was tickled to play with the loom and shuttle and just let go for a while sure I made some mistakes but I did some wonderful weaving to.
I did this for two reasons.
1 to bring you a better shuttle that can serve you better.
2 to have a bit of a quality control point than I can test and evaluate each design before I present them to you.
Well I will get back to my work bench.

Ok here is a new Shuttle hot off my work table

What you are looking at is a 6 inch by 1 inch shuttle in brass with a satin finnish. The Butterfly is new too. It was a experiment in what I can do.

Well let me know what you think.

Metal weaving shuttles

I have been working for the last two days on a few new shuttles and a few new ideas. I know what you are thinking what now. Well not to worry I am not going to show you just yet. Just let you know that some new things are afoot Just a hint it it is bigger than anything you have seen before and it is going to be most wonderfull.

Heart Shuttle

I was pleased to get a order for a shuttle the other day and it turned out to be a wonderful work.

I call it a Heart shuttle.

More Weaving shuttles

This is one of my great creations the "Dianne Shuttle" made for a wonderfull woman down in Texas it is a 5 1/2 brass shuttle. Built on request from Dianne.

Weaving shuttle start

I was asked by a friend of mine what got me started in Shuttle making? Well My soon to be wife is a weaver and so is her mom and one day last year. I was asked if it would be something I would be interested in. I first I thought no way this is crazy but after a few seconds of doubt I said sure why not never one to back down from a challenge. A case of the art finding the artist. I got the brass for my first shuttle from some reclaimed brass (bad idea to start with) however swords into plowshares and all I borrowed my soon to be fiance's jewelers saw and went to work on the material and I tell you it was work it took the better part of 3 months to make the shuttle and if you ask Noreen Crone-Findlay over at http://www.hankeringforyarn.com/ to show it to you she just might I think she has posted it a few times from Christmas on. Back to the story well I finally cut the brass and it was rounded cylinder from its former life which it was well suited to its new life as a shuttle if you know anything about structural integrity a dome is a hard thing to flatten. So I got out my blow torch and well heated and cooled and clamped and heated and cooled and clamped hit it with a hammer and gave it allot of yule time love or frustration (I was making it for a Christmas gift) something you should always start early. After a good day or two of that I got it somewhat flattened which is to say good enough for what I was doing to it. As this was a new thing to me I took lots of breaks as I was doing this as a labour of love. If you met Noreen or her family you would know why. I was given a template of one of Noreen's favorite shuttles so I copied it onto the brass using a somewhat transparent sheet of plastic and taped then after that did not work glued onto the brass and started to saw again now if you have never used a jewelers saw well as I have talked about before the inventor of it was a southpaw and never thought to make a right handed version of it. Lets just say the blades come in 12 to a pack and you need all 12 to cut your project. I went through the set I bought and a few of my wonderful soon to be wife's to boot. I now buy them in bulk a dozen dozen at a time. Well I cut and cut and cut some more but the more I cut the more the material spoke to me and I kind of liked it so I kept cutting making brass dust is fun if not tedious so I finally got through the shape it was a standard shuttle about 6 inches long by about 2.5 high give or take Next came the shaping and smoothing it was the easy part as I had cut it to rough and now was making the shapes I wanted to making sure that there are no sharp edges. Finally I got to the polishing part that is fun as it is something I know allot about a few years in the army and you would to. It was finished looking back it was not one of my most beautiful pieces but one I am most proud of as it is my first weaving shuttle and it was a labour of love and there were many tears of joy that Christmas. I later found some good thick brass at a local metal dealer and made one for my love it took the better part of a weekend something about knowing your material.

More from the workbench

I have created with some guidance a few different shuttles some of them very plain others more elaborate but I figured I should let every one know about the weaving shuttle itself. A tool that has been used by humans since we first started to make clothing out of well anything (leather not included) Most weaving shuttles are made of wood and or bone with some even made from shell. Modern shuttles that I have seen have been made of plastic and or aluminum and yes wood and shell.

So what do you look for in a shuttle?
1. Does it feel good in your hand ?
2. Is it right for your loom?
3. Is it right for your project?
4.Load capacity how much weft can it hold?
5. as all ways personal preference do I like it?

Feeling good in your hand is one of the most important things to look for in a shuttle as if you like the feel it is not work it is a joy.

Right for your loom if you are using a small band loom you do not want to use a boat shuttle although it meets the feel good and capacity it is not right for your loom.

Right for your project if the shuttle does not fit you should not use it.

Load capacity there are some shuttles out there that look fantastic but carry a yard or two of weft so you are constantly having to refill it. Think of it like using a wheelbarrow for a dirt move job if you had a pickup it would take 1 trip to the 5 or 10 by wheelbarrow.

Personal preference I like it my dad liked it his mom liked it so I am going to use it.

This is what I think from my workbench.

Shuttles I have made

This is my collection of 4.5 inch shuttles the metal is copper and they have a nice satin finnish

Start of a Project

I was asked to start a Blog by a dear friend.
What is a shuttle well it as a device used to move weft between the gate of a loom.
I make weaving shuttles.

I recently made a cottage business selling shuttles Durusuo Custom Weaving Shuttles.
Exit plans are cool.
Why ?
Because I can and I like to make something that is of real value. Both historical and practical
I have been making shuttles for about 6 months
My Soon to be wife is a fiber artist and Puppateer her Mom is a well a very skilled Artist.
I only work with hand tools and only the finishing is done by machine.
Metal is my medium as wood has already been done and it is just not got the feel I find.
I have done allot of personal soul searching in my quest to build a good shuttle and I hope I can share some of it with you.
Noreen Crone-Findlay at http://www.hankeringforyarn.com/ is my soon to be Mother in law she has given me allot of guidance in the building of this little project.
Tools;
My primary tool is a Jewelers saw if you do not know what one is then you are lucky as I am a right handed it is built for a lefty someones idea of a sick joke if you ask me. (no they do not make any for regular folks),
a ruler,
and a really cool bead punch I picked up on eBay,
as well as a large assortment of files of all shapes and sizes from standard to just about toothpick size.