Production has begun!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Sep 07, 2021 at 09:50:09 PM

Hello everyone! 

I am happy to report that we have officially begun TILI production!

 A little over a week ago I dropped off four 12"x48" sheets of steel to be water jet cut at North Forge in Winnipeg and a couple days ago I picked them up again. They looked a little different :)

 Along with these cool looking sheets I picked up a small cardboard box that weighed about 50lbs. Inside was close to 200 knives! They were all beautifully cut to shape with a high pressure stream of water infused with an abrasive media. The resulting cuts are exceptionally clean and precise but the biggest benefit of water jetting blades is that the steel does not overheat like it would with a laser or plasma cutter. When steel gets super heated during cutting it tends to harden unevenly and so requires a cycle of annealing (softening) before I can begin working on it. But this steel wasnt heated and so it remains relatively soft and workable!

   So now what?  I have started the first dozen blades - three of each model - just as a warm up and to sort out any kinks in my production process. Even though the blades might look close to done after they are cut out they are actually quite far from the finish line. I still have to chamfer all the edges, texture the flats, stamp my logo, then lay down a rough bevel on the blades. I keep the edge relatively thick at that point because the hardening process is quite stressful and can easily warp an edge that is too thin. Hardening the steel involves cycling through high temperatures with a final heat to 1500 degrees fahrenheit before quenching in a special oil designed to quickly cool the steel. It is this process that adds hardness to the blade, too much hardness in fact. Too march hardness makes them brittle so then I temper the blades in the over at 400 degrees for two 2 hour cycles, which walks the hardness back a bit so they are still hard but also soft enough to be durable. Its a fine balance and it takes time to achieve. After that I can finally finish the bevels, bringing down the edge to a functional thickness. Then I soak the blades in an acidic bath to clean them up and add a protective patina to the carbon steel. And then the final step is sharpening them and sliding them into their sheaths before shipping them out to you! 

 Stainless Blades

The stainless blades follow the same process but they will be hardened offsite.  I need to get them 90% done and them ship them all out together, then they'll be heat treated and shipped back to me for finishing. These will require several weeks of dedicated work just to get them all ready for heat treatment at the same time.

Shipping?
 I won't make any precise commitments on shipping times at this point as it is still the early days of production. I may be shipping several orders this fall but I can do too much until the stainless blades are ready to ship. So for now I can't be more precise than the initial estimates of shipping in November and December.

Surveys!

90% of you have completed your survey. Thank you! Because of you I was able to comfortably estimate total numbers for the cutting and things were able to move along nicely. But 10% of you still haven't done your survey. That means I dont know exactly what you want me to make you, and I also dont know where I am supposed to ship your knives. So please fill out the survey as quickly as possible :)

That's all for now. I  need to get out to the shop and harden the first dozen TILIs :)

Let me know if you have any questions. 

All the best, 

Marc

Survey Survey Surveys!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Aug 17, 2021 at 06:59:35 PM

Hello!

I am happy to report that the survey has officially been sent out! 

A dozen or so went out as a test a couple days ago, and no issues arose so I sent all of the rest just last night. They were sent to the email associated with your order so please check your inboxes and fill them out as soon as you can. If you don't see them make sure to check your junk mail and promotional email folders as well.  If you still don't see them then please contact me and I will make sure to resend yours. 

As of this moment 50% of you have officially filled our your survey. That is incredible! I am hoping to be at 100% in the next few days. The sooner all of the surveys are done the sooner I can lock in final numbers and begin the manufacturing process. You are all eager to get your TILIs and I am just as eager to begin making them!

Thats all for now. 

Thanks, 

Marc

That's a wrap! Now on to production!
over 2 years ago – Mon, Aug 02, 2021 at 01:04:21 PM

 Hi everyone, 

I'll keep this update brief. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who supported us and purchased a reward in the TILI campaign. I could say thank you a million times over though and it would never really capture how I feel. The only way I can truly show my appreciation for all of your support is to put everything I have into this big batch of TILIs that I am going to be making over the next few months. And thats just what I plan to do. But first I'll need some more information from you. 

As you know there were a few different reward option in this campaign and several different add-ons available for each reward. Add to that the handle and sheath colour options and there is a fair bit to sort out before I can begin production. 

So over the next week or so I'll be crafting the Backer Survey using the Backerkit platform. This will arrive in your inbox sometime in mid August and I'll need you to fill it out as soon as possible (there will be reminder update when the survey goes out). Filling out the survey is a MUST. It will not only finalize final numbers for me, it will also ask you for your mailing details for shipment.  Additionally it will be your last chance to add rewards or add-ons to your order. There will be some new stuff available there too ;)

Once I get all of the surveys back I will know exactly how many of each knife to cut and which steel to use for each. I will be using a water jet cutting service here in Manitoba so there will be no shipping delays to worry about. I already have the steel in hand too so once the surveys are done I'll bring the steel in myself and then should have all the blade blanks back within a day or two. The plan is to have all the blanks in hand before the end of the month. Then the work begins! 

For now I'lll leave it there. Look for the survey soon. And let me know if you have any questions. 

Thank you, 

Marc 

UNLOCKED! The Ultralight is here!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Jul 27, 2021 at 12:17:28 AM

We hit 25k!

Thanks to all of your amazing support we have officially reached our first stretch goal of 25k CAD. This is very exciting for us here at Origin and we are thrilled officially unlock the Ultralight TILI as both a reward and a discounted add-on.  This is quite timely because as I am writing this there are only four days to go in the campaign. We are on the home stretch and the unlocking the Ultralight is a great way to finish.

Specs

As the name suggests, the Ultralight is the lightest of the TILI series. The unique frame handle of the Ultralight has the same comfortable ergonomic shape of the other TILI models but with a large inner section removed. It weighs in at only 51 grams, undercutting the Skelen by 10 grams, the Hempen by 20, and the Oaken by over 30. And yet it still packs a punch! I have been using my Ultralight for several weeks now and it is handling everything I throw at it. 

It is crafted from 1095 high carbon blade steel like the others, but can be made from stainless AEB-L if you decide to add that to your order (please add one stainless add-on for each knife you'd like made that way). 

Pricing - Reward/Add-On

The Ultralight is available as a standard reward for $105 CAD (15% off retail), but you get the most bang for your buck if you purchase it as an add-on to an existing order for $75 CAD (40% off retail).  If you've already placed your order it is easily modified to include the Ultralight as well. 

The Richlite Prototype is done

We launched the Richlite add-on in our last update but at the time we only featured a digital rendering as the material shipment had been substantially delayed. Well it finally arrived last week and I quickly set to work mounting it to an Oaken TILI. The result was exactly what I was hoping for. The matte black of the Richlite is very distinct from the original Oaken.  Richlite is very tough stuff, is highly water resistant and is made from 100% recycled paper. The paper is mixed with resin and hydraulically pressed until it dries. Once dried it cuts almost like wood, but with a more consistent grain and predictable finish. If you've ordered an Oaken but prefer a darker handle then the Richlite add-on is the way to go. 

What's Next?

As mentioned earlier, we are now in the final days of the campaign. It has been so rewarding and truly an honour to witness so far. We appreciate all of your support so much. 

The campaign wraps up on July 31st. Shortly thereafter you will receive an email containing your backer survey.  That survey will be very important as it will clarify all of the details of your order including sheath colour, handle colour, as well as your mailing address. It will also be your last opportunity to upgrade your order with the existing add-ons, as well as a couple exclusively priced add-ons that will only be available through the survey. 

After we receive all of the survey info from you we will then know exactly how many of each knife and add-on we will need to manufacture and then the work can begin. I have already taken some preemptive steps to be well situated for an early start on the manufacturing. I have ordered and now have in hand several sheets of blade steel, which will be brought in for water jet cutting as soon as we have final numbers. So once the survey arrives please attend to it as quickly as possible so we can get started with things on our end :)

Thank you again for your support! And don't forget to go check out the Ultralight!

The TILI Ultralight is coming!
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Jul 08, 2021 at 08:00:26 AM

Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for supporting the TILI! We have blown past our funding goal and are now on our way to our first stretch goal of 25k. And we've got some exciting news :)

 Thats right! We are launching the new Ultralight TILI when we reach 25k! This new TILI model will be available as a standard reward but will also be available as an Add On for far below retail cost. We are currently working on the first few prototypes. I expect to have them done in a couple of weeks but before they launch we need to hit $25 000 mark. And to help get us there we have got some new Add ons available right now:

   1) The TILI has gone stainless! For $23 have your TILI made with AEB-L stainless steel, a blade steel known for its toughness, edge retention and ease of sharpening. These stainless TILIs have zero risk of rust or corrosion and will have a more polished satin finish than their high carbon counterparts. They'll be hardened and cryogenically treated to a hardness of 61rc, which we find to be the perfect balance between durability and edge retention.

 2) TruStone beads! In addition to the original hammered brass bead we are now offering two varieties of TruStone bead; turquoise and black gold matrix. TruStone, a simulated stone product, is very beautiful stuff and also offers the durability we need for anything attached to the TILI.

3) Richlite handle material for the Oaken TILI. Richlite is a paper based laminate material comprised of 100% recycled paper. The black paper is compressed with an epoxy resin which, once hardened, makes for a strong and water resistant material with similar properties to wood, only harder. This upgrade is only available for the Oaken TILI, totally changing its look without compromising its utility.  The photo below is a digital rendering. The finished prototype will be coming soon. 

All of these Add ons are available right now! It is our hope that they'll help push us to our 25k stretch goal soon so that the Ultralight will be unlocked :)

Thank you again for your support and thanks for reading. Onward and upward!

All the best, 

Marc and Kayla

Origin Handcrafted Goods