seam rippers

Dale Johnson

Member
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489
Location
lutefisk capitol, USA
Trying to figure out something that would sell at our church craft show I did these. The ones shown were prototypes, the rest I made I never got pictures of and they all sold. Blade is from the cheapie little ripper. One is bloodwood with sapwood and the other is sycamore. The osage orange sold the fastest.
 

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Great work and idea Dale. I can see that one in Mom's sewing basket. I'll bet she would be the first in line. :thumb:

DT
 
where did you get the metal part fom destroy an old one for them or do you have a supply store for them???? got a couple sewers in my family and could use them for the holdiay,,, whats yur price to michigan...?? got a use for 3 of them. could have a friend turn the wood and i could assemble..:dunno::dunno:
 
Hey Dale, neat. The ladies love those. Bet that's your sons ship in background. Weren't you and Admiral for a day or something recently? Give the boy a salute of thanks for all of us.
 
Did you drill round holes to insert the metal parts into?

If so, did the metal parts leave some space on either side of the holes?

If so, were you able to do anything "fancy" to fill in the space?
 
I drilled the hole the same size as the blade. This leaves a space on each side. I didn't do anything fancy, just filled with super glue. The ladies were so happy to have a handle that they could hang on to that the gaps weren't an issue. A lot of them have arthritus and this really helps them. I drill them on the lathe and then use very light tailstock pressure to support as I turn. Too much pressure will split the tennon.

Frank, I am actually standing on the flight deck of my son's ship. 85 feet above the waterline. The destroyer in the back is one of the escort ships. One of the best trips I have been on in a long time.
 
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I keep an eye on ads from JoAnn's or Michaels for when they run the % off your whole order I buy a whole pile of them. I try to have a bunch of them done and with me when I go to the store. That way when the sales people ask what I do with 30 seam rippers I can show them one of mine and usually sell all that I have with me. Normal price is about $1.70 and with the coupon I can usually get them for a little over a dollar. A good tug with a pliars gets the blade out. I sell them for $7-10 depending on the wood.
Dale
 
OK, a suggestion. Make the receiving hole a tight fit for the actual ripper part. The cutting edges do get dull and need replacing. Do not glue the ripper into the handle, just use a force fit. That way they are replaceable. And saves glue.
 
Very nice little item there Dale. A great item to accompany that would be a needle case. I have turned a few of these. There are many possibilities for shapes but two sewing spools together are a hit.
 
I made about a dozen of those a couple years ago. My wife's quilting guild loved them!

I found a barrel of them at a local Hancock Fabrics store. They were 50¢ each. I turned a couple handles, but the ladies all preferred the ones with flats on the handle. It kept them from rolling off the quilting frame.

I made the handles from pen blanks left over after I got tired of making pens.
 
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