Something Awesome! A new Shuttle!!

 Okay, maybe a PAIR of new shuttles!! And they're GREAT... I got them off Ebay, & to be brutally honest, I wasn't expecting to love them. Like them, but not LOVE them. They're handmade, but for the pair they were $10.95 US, or $6.75 for one. After all these years of oogleing David Reed Smith shuttles but being sad about the price, I wasn't expecting the same quality. They're Cocobalo (spelling sorry!) wood. I'm not sure why they came one with a pick, one without, but I kinda like it that way.

 Yep, they're the same size as a Clover - pretty great, huh? They're polished smooth, but not so smooth they slide out of my hands.

 This is the one I've emptied a shuttle to use... see how thick the wood is? Not fragile at all, even at the tip of the pick. It holds a little less thread than a clover, but not enough less for me to notice. I did have to sand the tips to fit my thread. I left it a little tight, so it's a little fiddly, but with time it'll stretch out. That's why I left it tight! :) I'm thinking of ordering another pair that I can sand out for #80 thread.... I haven't tried any on this set yet, but I think I might have made the gap a little big for anything smaller than 40 or so... Haha, darn! I'll have to order another set!! =D

 Side view of both. Yeah, I know it doesn't have a hole in the post, but I don't usually use the hole anyway. I imagine if you asked they could put you one in....

For size comparison. The pick is straight on the wood one. Ohhh, I love mine. I totally recommend at least trying them out. The guy was super nice, & he really wants to make the customer happy. You can get them all the way up to 3 1/2 inches I believe, so if you like a bigger shuttle, you can get one. The link is here & it'll take you to what is going to be their home page; it isn't finished yet, but there's a link to his Ebay store. They sell parts for old saws & tools, as well as tatting shuttles. I thought it was an odd combination, but I suppose it fits. For those of you that love the look & feel of wood, but don't have mega $$$$$ to spend on them, I would SO try these out. OldTymeAntiques is the name of the Ebay store, & Jeff Erickson is the super nice man that sold me these shuttles :) Oh - & I ordered them late Friday night, & they came MONDAY! if you get any faster than that, I'd have to have a time machine :)