Lots of new stuff happening!

Lots and lots of new things in the works for the Ray Gun bead, but haven't had the time to update the website - my apologies!  Many of you follow along on my Instagram feed at @mstheiner and that's the easiest and most frequently updated spot for Ray Gun bead info.  That said, here's a summary of what's happening as we wrap up 2015!

Folks following me on Instagram will already know that one of the new Ray Gun bead designs is the "Atomic" Ray Gun lineup.  There will be a few different design variations of the Atomic bead, and they'll be available in both titanium and (fingers crossed) zirconium.  These are Ray Gun beads with provisions for twelve tritium gaseous (glow) vials.  They will be sold as "unloaded" beads only, as I don't have an import license for that kind of thing, but if you can source them, there will be slots for plenty of them!  They also look awfully cool as-is, like a Ray Gun with a perforated muzzle brake.  Here's a video virtual-walkaround of a rendering of the Mk.I Atomic:

A quick render of the Mk.I Atomic in still-form:

Here's a sneak-peek spy photo of a prototype Mk.I Atomic, partially loaded with trit to give you an idea of what can be done if you are so inclined...

In addition to the Atomic variations of the Ray Gun bead, there are a couple new designs and a special exclusive edition.  I can't talk about the exclusive edition just yet but it's kickass and you'll be able to buy them from one of the good guys in this EDC gear game.  More to come on that one.

One new variant is the Mk.IV Ray Gun.  It's got a finned tail, but radial fins instead of the axial fins like on the Mk.II.  I've had several people request something along these lines and like the Mk.I it stays true to the vintage SciFi vibe which drove the design of the Ray Gun bead in the first place.  Here's a rendering of what the Mk.IV will look like:

I've been getting lots of questions about availability and price.  I am restocking some of the original versions (the Mk.I and the Mk.III) in very limited quantities in both Ti and Zr. The Mk.IV and other non-atomic will be priced similarly to the earlier run, with some small up-charges depending on the finish and anodizing.  Plain Ti (tumbled) Ray Gun beads I sold previously were typically $65 each so they'll be in that ballpark.  The Atomic version cost more (quite a bit more, due to machine time) to make, so they'll be a bit higher.  The Zirc beads will be pretty costly as the base material is a multitude more expensive than Titanium but I know folks want them and they are going to look AWESOME.  Not sure on the Zirc price yet but it'll be more in the $100-ish range for the Zr versions.  

I'm currently working on the initial batch of Mk.I Atomic Ray Guns and I'm hoping to have a few ready to go by this weekend, to kick off the new year.  Keep an eye on this blog for the sales link and on my Instagram feed for a heads-up when they are posted here.  

Long post, but some fun stuff happening and thought you'd want to know.  

Tumbled Copper and Steel Flame Vintage Gunmetal Ray Guns!

Just a heads-up for my blog followers that both Arizona Custom Knives and Fort Henry Custom Knives have some Ray Gun Beads available on their websites.  I know folks are after these as I have received a number of messages asking about availability of both.

Fort Henry has a handful of the Steel Flame Vintage Gunmetal finished Mk.III beads on their site:

And Arizona Custom Knives have a few of each Mk.I, Mk.II and Mk.III in tumbled copper up on their site:

Both sellers are good folks and friends of mine.  Whether you're looking for custom knives or Ray Gun beads, both spots are well worth a look.

Copper Mk.II's Available in Tumbled and Blasted

Another question I get sometimes is "what's the difference between tumbled and blasted?"  Tumbled Ray Guns are literally tumbled in a vibratory polisher with a small ceramic media, to deburr the beads and smooth out the edges.  Blasted Ray Guns are sandblasted to have a matte finish, which also smooths out sharp edges.

The difference visually is that blasted beads start out more light "pink" in color and the tumbled beads have more of a "new penny" type look.  The blasted copper will naturally patina much more quickly than the tumbled beads since there are little bumps in the surface from the blasting process.  They will both develop a very attractive patina over time, but the blasted variant will get there quicker and have a little more contrasty look.  Here is a photo to illustrate:

As it goes, I have a few of each of these Mk.II's available.  It should be noted that these may have the beginnings of patina already in motion, in the form of small areas where the patina has already kicked off.  The can be polished back but this process is natural and I don't have the capability to vacuum-bag them.

These copper Mk.II's are $65 each, shipped to US addresses.  US buyers can go ahead and purchase by using the buttons below.  Buyers outside the US should contact me for a shipping quote at raygundivision@gmail.com

I'm going to try out some PayPal buttons to make the purchase process a little easier for Ray Gun buyers.  Give these a whirl and please feel free to offer some feedback if you have questions or issues with how things go when purchasing using this method.  They should allow you to purchase multiple beads or combinations of tumbled and blasted.

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Mk.II Ray Gun Beads in Blasted Copper:  $65 Shipped (US)
*** SOLD OUT ***

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Mk.II Ray Gun Beads in Tumbled Copper:  $65 Shipped (US)
*** SOLD OUT ***

"What's the difference?"

I am sometimes asked "what's the difference between the versions of the Ray Gun Bead?"  There are currently three different models or design variants and two materials.

Variants:

• Mk.I - Smooth muzzle crown with a dimpled base
• Mk.II - Smooth muzzle crown with a fluted/finned base
• Mk.III - Fluted muzzle with a fluted/finned base

Folks tend to see the Mk.I as the most "vintage" or retro style.  I think I tend to agree.  It's the first one I designed and it says Buck Rogers to me all the way.  The Mk.II seems to have the broadest appeal.  I have more people say they love the Mk.II than any other variant.  The Mk.III is the most modern of the designs and many people love the additional detail of the fluted muzzle.  

Materials:

The Ray Gun is currently available in Titanium and Copper.  Both are favorites of the EDC community.  The Ti version is quite lightweight due both to the design and the material itself.  It looks good plain, polished and many are quite fond of the blasted.  It's a natural fit with most tactical knives and other gear.  As you can see below, the titanium can be anodized and there are lots of possibilities.  Copper is soft and will get beat up and dinged as you carry it but that's part of the charm of copper for sure.  It will also take a nice patina over time.  The blasted version patinas most quickly since more surface area is exposed when the material is blasted.  They look really nice with both natural patina and forced patina.  

Hope that helps explain the differences.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words and while I'm not sure I hit that number with this post, the picture will help tell the rest of the story.  

Some recent anodizing work

Here are some better detail pics of some recent anodizing work on small batches of Ray Gun beads.  I haven't gotten much into double-anodizing with these yet as I've been trying to focus on making sure I can repeatably get the colors I'm after.

As most who have done Ti anodizing will tell you, green is probably the toughest to get, with pink maybe as a close second.  I'm pretty happy with how these came out.  Hope you enjoy the pics!

Probably the most popular color I've done is a deep Cobalt Blue.  They are stunning on a polished or tumbled bead.  Below I went the other direction and blasted thes Mk.I's, followed by a long etch. The result is what I called "Frosty Blue" as they almost look iridescent in-hand.

Here are some Mk.I's in tumbled Ti and anodized a bright Toxic Green.  Toughest color to get!

I wanted to see how the green came out on blasted Ti.  I was afraid it would wash out and look pastel, but these  Mk.II's came out VERY green and have a bit of that "frosty" look of the blue above.  I dig 'em!

These Mk.II's are tumbled and then finished in blue-purple or "Blurple" fade finish.  These Blurple Fade beads are another favorite of many. 

My wife asked if I could do some in pink and I told her I'd give it a whirl.  These are on the border between fuchsia and purple but have a cool flip-flop thing to bright pink in-hand.  They were very popular at the Vegas show earlier this month.  

Lots variants and projects in the works, as well as some additional collaborations and a couple dealer-exclusive items I'm working on.  I'll keep this site updated as things go along.  

Football Sunday Bead Drops on IG

I'm watching a little football and dropping some anodized Ti Ray Gun Beads today on my Instagram feed @mstheiner today.  Got some great colors out of these and the blasted Ti beads were etched super deep so they have a Frosty Green and Frosty Blue finish.  They look pretty awesome in person!  I also have a couple stonewashed (shiny) Toxic Green and a pair of blue-blurple fade beads.  The bronze ano is not available at this time.

***SOLD OUT*** Mk.III Copper with Vintage Gunmetal

I dropped a few of these Mk.III's yesterday in the Steel Flame Vintage Gunmetal finish and I haven't heard back from a couple of the buyers.  I'll give them a little bit longer but if you missed out and are interested in one, shoot me an email to raygundivision@gmail.com

They are pretty awesome!

***SOLD OUT*** Mk.I Ray Gun Beads in Steel Flame Vintage Gunmetal

I've got a batch of the Mk.I Ray Guns available with Steel Flame's Vintage Gunmetal finish.  These are copper beads but carry a dark look due to the Vintage Gunmetal process/finish.  They have some silver, black, blue, grey hues in addition to a nice deep copper color.  They will "wear' in a very cool way over time.

The sale is open at the Sign Up Sale site at the link below.  The last batch of Mk.II's went FAST so...

SALE LINK:  ***SOLD OUT***

***SOLD OUT*** Mk.II Ray Gun Beads in Steel Flame Vintage Gunmetal

Lots of folks were asking to have these available online in addition to the sale I had at The Gathering, so I set some aside for folks who couldn't be there.  Here's a first-come, first-served sale for a small batch of the Vintage Gunmetal Mk.II's.  These are $100 each and the sale is set to allow a maximum of two (2) beads per person.

Sale is now open at the Sign Up Sale site at the link below, go get 'em!  

SALE LINK:  ***SOLD***

The USN Gathering - This Weekend!

For those who've been wanting a Ray Gun bead, there's no time like this weekend in Las Vegas at The USN Gathering.  The show is Friday-Saturday Sept 4-5 at the Planet Hollywood Casino Hotel.  I'll be at Michael Burch's table 9D at the show.  I have a big selection of custom Ray Guns and will have them for sale at the show this weekend. Table prices will range from $60 to $100, depending on material and finish.

I'll have Blasted Ti, Blasted Copper, Tumbled Titanium and Copper, Anodized Titanium and some very special collaboration beads done with my friends from Steel Flame.   Derrick and crew put their awesome Vintage Gunmetal finish on several of each of the three current Ray Gun design variants and they look fantastic.   Pics of some of these below.

Hope to see some of you in Vegas. For those not attending, I will be selling any leftover beads online via USN, Instagram @mstheiner and via this website.  See you soon!

Some blasted Ti and Copper:

Anodized Titanium:

And the Steel Flame collaboration beads in Vintage Gunmetal over Copper:

Some early Ray Guns

Here are the two original prototype Ray Gun Beads along with the design concept bead I made when visiting my buddy Michael Burch's shop.

Welcome to the Ray Gun Division webpage!

I've had lots of folks ask me "what's your website?" regarding the Ray Gun Bead project.  I've been kicking around the idea of setting up a more permanent site but I think a simple blog page like this one will probably suffice.

Future Ray Gun bead sales will be announced here, as well as some insights on where this whole project may head over time.  Lots of ideas, concept sketches, variations on the design, new materials and several more collaboration projects are all in the hopper.

The first several posts will probably be photos documenting the history and some of the different variations of the Ray Gun bead floating around out in the wild.

I'd like to offer a sincere "thank you" to all who've latched on to these beads with great enthusiasm and I look forward to sharing with you some of the fun ideas that are developing as we speak.

Until next time, PEW-PEW-PEW!  :)