6/21/08
Things at the shop right now are humming along. Orders are coming in, new friends are being made, and we're enjoying a steady pace. In addition, some longer led projects are finishing up which is always very exciting for us. So there we were and here we are then.

I'm happy to say that we have a NEW production piece to add to our Classic Collection. Below is a pic of the new Rae Koone. It is a beauty single handed double edged viking nasty. For more about the Rae Koone you can check it out in our Classics Collection.

And if that fun wasn't enough, we've also sculpted out our logo into a fetching pendent. Wear it as a necklace, hang it from your window, throw it over your computer monitor. The options are endless! Plus it looks cool too. For more about how to obtain the OlliN Logo pendent check out our Sculpture Collection.

And as always, keep an eye on the news pages, we finished up to super cool custom projects that you won't want to miss. I'm working on the pages right now and hoping to get them up shortly here. And lastly, I'm meeting with Chris Last this week to start up the planning for the next Promethean Arms Summit. We're hoping to get information up at the OlliN site shortly about the agenda for this year and possibly a date. Seriously, how exciting is that?!!?!!

Later Gaiters!

Matt

May 2008

5/23/08
We're back, we're back from the Janesville Renaissance Faire. It we had just a wonderful time! Chirs and Venessa did a wonderful job as did all those who helped to run the event. Please enjoy a few of the many pictures we snapped from the Faire.

We also have a few new pieces that are finishing up. I'll be posting again shortly. Until then...

Matt

5/8/08
Hello one and all. Things here have been, how does one say, on the busy side of things. One of the plus side of things has been the heat treating is working better than ever. We've had more successful runs with our new vendor and we've working out most of the kinks. I certainly know a lot more about metallurgy then I did before! The good news is that we seemed to have resolved the excessive wrapping and sabering issues. This means that we're on to making some great tracks on the in-house orders right now. I would defiantly stay tuned to the new page in the coming months as we have several projects that have been in house for a bit that are going to be finishing up here shortly. For those of you following along on the sword forums this will also include Jean's piece. Another positive with all of the heat treating going out is that we've also been busy adding to the production collections as well. For your viewing pleasure behold the King Jack I.

She is a beauty. I'm so fickle. Every time we put out a new piece it always becomes my new favorite ever!!! And this piece is no exception. It is great getting a chance to add a long sword to the contemporary collection. Find out more about this piece here.
So what's going on?

So What's Going On?
From time to time we'll have questions from custom shop customers asking, "well I see that other swords are getting worked on, what's going on with mine." Great question and one that I think is very topical to talk some about on the news page. Our process depends on a couple of factors. One of them is when designs are approved by our customers. Some customers know exactly what they want down to the distal taper. Others like a more interactive experience and spend a lot of time emailing ideas and concepts to Mark directly. We're happy to help any way we can, however the more rounds of proofs means the longer it takes to put the design into production.

Another factor that comes to mind is ordering materials. This process can take a couple of days or it can take a couple of weeks either researching materials or lining up vendors. It really just depends on what we need for the project. We do try to get the steel in as soon as possible to help keep the things moving along as the blade is really the center of every project. Keep in mind that with all of the custom work that we crank out we regularly have to find new vendors and suppliers to meet the needs of the project which can range from machining to casting, jewels to precious metals.

The last big factor is heat treating. I think we've talked some about this here that we outsource this. How that works is that we send out blades in batches of five to our vendor. During our weekly meetings we go over all of the projects in house and review their status against any vendor we may need. Based on our progress on each piece in regards to both points mentioned above we try to pick a date coming up where we can send the batch out and yet keep all of the projected ship dates in mind. It can sometimes mean that we need to add in some of our own production pieces to bring the total up or take them out to keep things moving forward.

To be fair we do regularly talk with our customers about their order status and everyone is always very cool about what is going on. We encourage anyone to ask questions and let us know what we can do to help. I thought it would be nice to chat a little more than usual as it has been a while since I’ve e updated and perhaps some more insight into OlliN might be kind of interesting as topic.

You said WHAT???
And lastly, we are going to be vendors again at the upcoming Janesville Renaissance Faire!. We had just a fabulous time last year. It was a great event and we're very happy to be a part of it again this year. I know, we're not giving you tons of notice. Sorry about that. But we will be there! Come by and chat with the OlliN staff. Mark and I would love to get a chance to talk about anything you have on your mind; custom projects, collecting, zombie movies, etc. Al Hart will also be there again lending his hand at the booth. Feel free to comment on his red pants. It will be good.

That's all of now. In the imortal words of Tim Gunn, carry on.

Matt

March 2008

3/3/08
To start off with this round of exciting happenings and things, we've finished up a couple of NEW projects to share. Both are custom shop pieces. The first piece is The German Messer. I'm starting to think that I'm becoming fickle when it comes to swords because every time we work on a different design it becomes my new favorite sword of all time. I LOVE the nasty blade on this one. It'll slice and dice and still cut a tomato. Personally, I'd take twelve! No lie.

This next piece is the Spear of Anoch Sun. This project came about in a very different way. This piece was envisioned by Peter V. Brett and was given to him as a present by his friends. What a cool idea and we were beyond happy to work on it. You can learn more about Peter here or if you would like to see what he thought of the Spear (and his surprise 35th birthday party) you can visit here.

Of course both pieces can be seen in our Custom Shop where you can enjoy many more photos and details.

In other news we are busy gearing up for the Janesville Renaissance Fair in May. Mark just finished up a NEW classic piece that we are going to be unveiling at the Faire. Plus there are all of the booth-y things to get ready; displays, brochures, as so on. It should keep us busy over the next couple of months.

More to come, more to do, more on the way! You’ve got questions? Shoot me an email. We’ll do lunch.

Matt

January 2008

1/19/08
Hello 2008! Thanks for staying with us and checking in. As always we're grateful for all of the wonderful people that we've meet and talked with in 07. It was a good year over all and we're looking forward to new products, new projects, and more excitement in 08.

One thing I would mention is that we are looking forward to participating in the Janesville Renaissance Fair in May. We had such a great time last year. Our hope is that in between projects we’ll be able to have some new OlliN products to show first hand.

Another point of interest is that we are working on the details for the Promethean Arms Summit. We had such a blast last year. The turn out was great and the lectures were so fascinating. I can’t wait to see what we line up for this year. I think we’ll be shooting for October again. I’ll keep you posted as I know more.

Last, but certainly not least is a new custom project we finished up over the holidays. A beautiful piece that Chris was very delighted with.

More updates, more new, more, more, more!!! You’ve got questions? Shoot me an email. We’ll chat.

Matt