We just received the first metal prints of SpectraTone Red in Stainless Steel, and they are insanely cool.
Even better, they measure up to the tolerances we need to make this project a success. While this isn't the final design, these sample prove that the new Hybrid body will take shape very quickly.
Remember, today is the last day you can save up to 50% on SpectraTone Red, as pledge levels will expire this evening. You can still pre-order and get delivery before this new mouthpiece is offered to the public in March.
Manufacturing is underway, so I wanted to share a few visuals.
Below you can see the latest two pre-production samples which I received last week. The tweaks and updates to the glass are subtle (for most people) but are completely dialed in now! We were able to kick off glass manufacturing—which is the most time sensitive since it is all done by hand.
The corks are not sealing quite as well as I had hoped, unfortunately. After a few samples that did not quite nail it, I decided to order a bunch of stock corks and see what I could learn. It turns out the softness of the material, the angle of the cork and the slight inconsistency of the handmade glass make a trifecta of variables that I believe are driving the issue. The stock cork on the right fits wonderfully, though—so I was able to use that as a baseline and update the design. I should have new samples to test within a few weeks.
Below is a fun new detail I was dialing in on the glass—a new variation on the Manual logo:
This radial layout plays better on the bottom of glassware, and I'm excited to roll this out across the Manual line going forward! Below you can see the bottom in more detail: the new logo, the glass seal, and a slight indentation in the middle. Like I said, these things are subtle, but the details make the design.
And finally for this visual update: the packaging!
Packaging for glass is always a challenge—how do I protect a fragile object that needs to be shipped around the world—and without using foam/plastic? After years of glass products I'm hopeful I've finally found a way to economically protect the products while not having to mold custom pulped paper packaging (like an egg carton—they look awesome, but the molds can be costly).
If you were curious, I always mock up my packaging and test it out:
Just a reminder of the estimated timeline:
December-January 2024 - Manufacturing
February-March 2024 - Shipping from factory to Chicago
April-May 2024 - Fulfillment of orders
As you may know, China celebrates new years with 4-6 weeks of vacation where almost all business grinds to halt. So we are up against an early February deadline—if we can get the manufacturing wrapped in the nest month, and then spend January getting it all packaged and palletized and on a ship, we should be good for early April fulfillment. If we miss the CNY deadline, it will certainly be late May/early June. I'm optimistic we can make it work on the earlier side.
That's all for now. Thanks for following along. Feel free to leave questions below!
We just finished our first Live Q&A session on YouTube.
Topics covered include: Titanium vs SS vs Brass Rim profiles Efficiency variables Topology, Lattice structures, and Additive Manufacturing Rumors & Dreams clients who pre-orders SpectraTone Red Play test on Rumors & Dreams trumpets
We understand that not everyone may celebrate but we hope you're doing well anyways!
Just wanted to check in to say we haven't forgotten about you. We wanted to give a quick update that our manufacturing partners are still working on the organizers. This is their busiest season and to be frank, they haven't exactly treated us with the upmost priority since giving them a much smaller mass production order than we promised/estimated before launching. However, this doesn't mean they aren't going to deliver an exceptional organizer for us!
At this time, we are playing the waiting game to see when they can give us a better and more concrete ETA so that we can estimate when we can actually move into the reward delivery phase. We hope to get something from them soon.
We launched a 2nd round of funding on Kickstarter
Many of you may have noticed we are currently running the same project on Kickstarter (but shipping rates have increased across all carriers so everyone here got a savings shipping fees! Plus, you will receive organizers most likely 1 to 2 months in advance).
So why did we go to Kickstarter? For some reason, a lot of our previous backers did not pledge on this project while it was live on BackerKit (this is evident as we raised and surpassed the same amount of backers and pledge amount in just a few days than we did in the full 30 days here). Going into the decision, we weren't sure but we had to find out. Reason 1) we wanted to see if we could get more funding (as a small family business, projects are our livelihood and we do it not only because we love it, but just like everyone else we need it to pay bills and survive), 2) accommodate backers who we think wanted to pledge on the organizer but only if it was on Kickstarter (we see now this was a case to be made), 3) to compare the two platforms for our own personal knowledge and company growth. 4) To grow and maintain the relationship with our manufacturing partners with a commitment to a 2nd order with them.
It is for these reasons among some others that we launched on Kickstarter.
With that said, we are glad we experienced both platforms running the same product, we have learned a lot and each platform has it's pros and cons. We believe BackerKit Crowdfunding is awesome and it certainly has it's place in the crowdfunding industry. Both platforms can certainly learn from eachother too which ultimately makes a better experience for backers.
Personal news
Typically, we try to keep our personal lives outside of work but sometimes it is necessary to help understand that we are just like you and we have struggles just as everyone else. We wanted to let everyone know we have had a family medical emergency over the last weeks. Aaron's mom had a stroke last year and she hasn't been very well since, its hard for her to get around and she recently had a fall and ended up in ER last week. She is better now from the fall but has developed a fever and is in the hospital with level 2 Sepsis. Apparently, an infection developed through the injuries on her face and head. We are still waiting to see her status from the doctor.
Please note, none of this is going to directly delay the manufacturing partner from working on the organizers but it may mean we are not as available to answer comments/questions as quickly as we hope.
We thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers.
We will be back again as soon when we have good news to share. We thank you for your continued patience!
As noted on 11/3, we're back with a quick update on production!
There are a lot of details here, so let's walk through where we are on all the major components:
Companion Guides - In Production. Per the last update, the text and layout are complete, and the book is with the printer for review. It still takes time to print, bind, and ship the books, but if all goes well, the books should still arrive in early December.
MM5 Small - Complete. The entire run is complete and in the warehouse, and they will be ready to ship when the Companion Guides arrive.
MM5 Touch - Complete. The entire run is complete and will be delivered to the warehouse after Cyber Monday. Like the Small, they will be ready to ship once the Companion Guides arrive.
MM5 Educational Edition - Complete. The entire run is complete and due in the warehouse within the next week. They will be ready to ship when the Companion Guides arrive.
MM5 Large - In Production. Based on the current casting schedule, we expect to receive 800 units by mid-December. This can and probably will change as each museum is assembled, cast, and polished by hand.
Display Boxes and Pouches - Partial Receipt. Since our last update, we've had a little adventure with the packaging. The delivery destined for our warehouse actually ended up getting switched with another company's shipment. The good news is that our shipment was safe and sound, and it is back on track. The first part of the shipment arrived with boxes and pouches at the warehouse this Monday, and we're expecting the next shipment in a few days. Inspections show the items look great and should be all good to go once the rest of the components arrive.
Given all of these factors, if you are planning to give a Fifth Edition Mini Museum as a gift for the holidays we advise you to make backup plans. MM5 Small, Touch, and some early Large backers have a shot at being shipped in December, but there are still a few components that need to be completed before we can say anything for certain. Hopefully, these behind-the-scenes details of crowdfunding are informative and perhaps a little exciting. We're always happy to share the steps of production as this is what crowdfunding is really all about!
To close out this quick update, we've got a photo of one of the newly arrived MM5 Smalls as well as some brief questions and answers!
Q: Will the Fifth Edition be shipped before the end of December?
A: Smalls, Touches, and some early Larges may be shipped out in the middle of December, though this will depend on the arrival of the Companion Guides and the assembly of the packages.
Q: Will you make a print-and-fold gift card like you did with past Editions?
A: Absolutely! As with previous editions, we will have a downloadable print-and-fold gift card. These cards will contain art of the MM5 specimens, which you can share to let your recipient know about the awesome new collection headed their way.
Q: What about the Illuminated LED Stands?
A: QA checks on the stands are complete, and they are beautiful. We noticed that the factory fitment of the top and the cradle is pretty snug on this batch. The first time opening these stands can be a little tricky, and there is a specific way to separate the top and cradle pieces, so we're going to make a little demonstration video and include extra instructions in the box. That will be ready before the Companion Guides arrive in the warehouse, so expect to see an update on that very soon.
Q: What about other Add-ons?
A: Pins have arrived at HQ and look phenomenal (check out our previous update for pics!) The Coelacanth cutting board production samples are on their way to us right now, and they look fantastic. Carly K of Mythic Mgmt has helped this part of the project come to life, and we couldn't be happier. You'll be seeing some photos as soon as they arrive.
Q: When will the Pledge Manager open?
A: Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for the pledge manager! We'll begin collecting shipping addresses and revealing some special new add-ons a little after Cyber Monday, so we can start the first wave of shipping as soon as the museums are ready!
That's all for now. See you soon in the next update!
We've so appreciated the comments and messages from you all about how much you all have loved your bags. Thank you! We read each of them and share them at our team meetings. It means so much to us all to know we are making things that our customers love to use and love to gift.
Would you write a review for our website? Now that we've added these bags to our website, we'd love to have reviews from our backers on those products. If you have a moment, we'd appreciate a review. Click on the link below for the writing style you ordered and then click the "Write a review" button on the right side of the screen.
Our holiday sale this year is 20% off site wide. Additionally, we'll be rotating some of our best sellers through an additional 20% off sale depending on how production in our shop is going. Take a look here if you're interested in checking a few items off your holiday shopping list.
Just a quick update. We are fully fulfilled! (Except for one backer that didn't submit a survey yet).
Thank you so much for supporting this project! I hope you enjoy the magnets and the elements they are made of! Any questions or concerns please let me know. Have a good weekend!
We're incredibly close to hitting $20k, which means every backer gets to select free coffee or tea! All we need is around 10 people to pledge before 9pm CT Wednesday—is there anyone you know that can help us?
I also wanted to invite any Chicago backers to an open studio I'm hosting this weekend:
🏓 OPEN STUDIO - Sun Nov 12th, 11-3
Come see the new Slow System Pitcher prototypes in action, pick up some new grey glassware, and play a round of ping pong in the Manual studio. We’ll be featuring our new friends @ceramiccoffeeroasters (a fresh new Chicago micro-roaster) and @delsur.bakery (a small batch Filipino-inspired bakery, as seen at @sidepractice.coffee) as well. Hope to see you—swing through and check out the rarely open space!
Hi everyone! Just a quick update. I'm just about finished with the finishing on stainless, titanium, and copper. Slowly working through tungsten which requires a lot of sanding. Aluminum should be pretty quick. I anticipate shipping by next week, thank you!
What the sanded tungsten resembles before blasting and tumbling. Tumbling can really bring out tiny imperfections so the sanding has been taking a while.
