Do You Polish Your Nuts?

I do.

A true craftsman and creator pays attention to the minutiae…to things most people will never notice or care about. Things that form the backbone, the heart and soul of that thing that has never existed on this planet. That is until he dashed out a silly “stick man” drawing on a post it note, then flipped it over and scribbled his name and date on it knowing it was SOMETHING real and not just another idea that will never see the light of day. 

Yes, I polish my nuts. I don’t have to. I don’t think anybody would notice unless I told them. But it’s important to me as a creator. It says something about how I see the world and what I have to say about the process. How things “should be” in my highly subjective view. Same reason I take great care in making sure the shipping labels are centered on the box and that there are no bubbles under the shipping tape. I know, it’s obsessive, but it’s also the simple things that talk to us. And that’s my point. It takes very little extra effort to do a job that’s remarkable . Something people will remember. Something that shows thought, integrity, rightness, care, respect…all the good things we look for, that we pine for. 

So next time you hear yourself saying “That’s good enough”, ask yourself what you could do to make it better. To make it great. To make it as good as it gets.

Excellence is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution

—Aristotle

73,Steve

Now off to the Post Office to send out some keys. 

What the hell, The “Fragile” sticker is a little crooked!  😉

The Green Machine is BAAAACK!

Image

Ok, it’s been a while since I’ve sold these keys. I kinda got burned out making them for SKCC members and was finding it hard to get to the marble mill to make the bases. I’ve been able to streamline my production time so I can get to the mill and knock out a few when needed. Although the price of everything has skyrocketed in the last couple of years, I have decided to keep the price the same at $265, and I’m even including USPS Priority mail for FREE.

Wait time is now very short and deliveries go out the door on a weekly basis. There has never been a better time to order this or any of my other keys!

Laser etching of the Green Machine is available for club or callsigns. Etching is done by Walt Hoppe in San Diego. You will have to pay for shipping to and from along with the etching fee which is VERY reasonable so still a bargain. Of course that will add a couple of weeks to the production of your key, but the end product is very special indeed.

Walt also make covers for all of my keys. Go to the cover page here on my site for ordering info.

73, Steve, W1SFR

SNEAK PEEK…The New Titan Keys are here!!

In the making for over a year, I finally had time to finish the designs for my new Titan Sideswiper, Straight key and Paddle. They feature a massive 3+ pound stainless steel base with a decorative border milled into the surface, and a very high quality 3.5mm jack built into the base. All keys are available with or without callsigns. All keys come with a very cool 30″ retractable cable and the Paddle includes a stereo to mono adapter to change the key into a cootie on the fly.

Titan SideSwiper/Paddle
Titan Straight Key
3.5mm Jack for both keys
Swiper wired as a paddle
Callsign option

Email for info until I get the ordering page up with the pricing

The Finger Piece Holy Grail

Well, after 6 years of making keys, I think I’ve finally found what (for me) is the ideal finger piece shape and finish. I’ve been known for my exotic wood finger pieces with the mother of pearl dot inlay and they continue to be preferred by most of my customers, but I think more will also want to go with the Black Lexan finger pieces, especially when they experience the hand finish which makes a huge difference in the touch/feel of the key.

Let me know what you think… —Steve

The best way to learn Morse?

Well…it’s the Long Island CW Club of course! LICW has become the go-to place to study, learn and experience CW. With just over 1000 members as of this writing, they manage scores of online courses touching on all things Morse.

Here’s a “blurb” from their site:

The Long Island CW Club had been started in 2018 to promote and expand the use of Morse Code- CW amongst amateur radio operators, initially in our geographic area. Today there is no longer a FCC requirement to learn CW to obtain an amateur radio license. Yet we find there is still a pent up demand to learn the code, become more proficient at it and to take part in activities centered around this interesting skill. To help fill this void, we have put together a group of dedicated teachers of Morse Code – CW. We conduct CW training classes via internet video conference classes at various skill levels. We have grown quickly, branching out with members nationwide and overseas. Please see our Calendar for CW class times. Besides Morse Code classes, we are very active locally with regular ‘brick and mortar’ activities such as QRP outings, portable operations on a local museum ship and with BBQs, museum visits and quarterly luncheons at a historic inn etc. We also hold regular presentations on a variety of ham radio and Morse Code – CW related topics, also by internet video conference.

Be there or be square…..Oh, and be sure to sign up for their google group. Lots of good stuff from students and old experienced ops.

www.longislandcwclub.org

73,

Steve—W1SFR—