# Sharing time...only look if you like to sell!



## GoodTurns

I was messing around with another project on my incredibly unorganized workbench and corks from that project walked across the bench and sat down next to some Pill Holder Keychains (CSUSA Deluxe Pill Holder - Woodturners Catalog - Woodworking tools and supplies specializing in woodturning. )

the wandering corks are an almost exact fit for the tubes on this kit!  Drill, ease the corners, CA finish, press and done.  I bought a box of corks on Ebay, culled it for ones with cool designs/pictures, then sold the remainder on Ebay for what I paid!

I now keep a tray of these near the register in my booth and can't keep them in stock at $30 a pop.  If you do wine shows, these absolutely kill.

Kits with group buy, approx $4; cork, about $0.10; total time, 15 minutes?.... works on just about any business model!  (even if you buy the whole bottle of "Two Buck Chuck", your cost is only about $6!, and you have an excuse to drink more wine!)


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## firewhatfire

I need you on speed dial for all the cool ideas you have.

Phil


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## Haynie

At 6 bucks you afford to give them away to someone spending over a certain amount.  Nice calling card if it is stamped with your contact info.


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## MarkD

That's a great idea! I have a box full of corks I that were  waiting for a idea :biggrin:
Thanks Jon!


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## GoodTurns

Haynie said:


> At 6 bucks you afford to give them away to someone spending over a certain amount.  Nice calling card if it is stamped with your contact info.



there are cork manufacturers who will make custom corks...not sure of minimums....

I also have a display with instructions for ordering custom ones with "Your Favorite Wine"...have them send in TWO corks and a check, they get back 1 keychain.  (2 corks because the fail rate when drilling spongy material is pretty bad!)


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## GoodTurns

firewhatfire said:


> I need you on speed dial for all the cool ideas you have.
> 
> Phil



Ideas, I got...execution, not so much!


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## triw51

That is a really cool idea.  We have local wineries and think they might be interested.  Thank you for sharing.  William


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## ctubbs

Jon, thanks for sharing your helpful ideas.  Do you stay up nights to come up with these ideas or do they just pop out full blown?
Charles


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## Haynie

ctubbs said:


> Jon, thanks for sharing your helpful ideas.  Do you stay up nights to come up with these ideas or do they just pop out full blown?
> Charles



Only if he uses a laxative, other wise he has to work a little.:biggrin::biggrin:

Had to say it.


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## bobjackson

Great idea. That's thinking outside of the bottle.


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## DavidWayne1971

Awesome idea..... just curious, but would stabilizing help the spongy problem?


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## eupher58

Fantastic idea!  But I gotta buy corks...where I come from two buck chucks got a screw cap!


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## Gary Beasley

The corks just might drill better with a hollow tube type bit like printshops use in thier paper drill. If you can find the right size the end is sharpened with the bevel inside, done with a countersink like bit as it turns on the drill press. Wax the outside of the tube when drilling to reduce heat buildup and grabbing.


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## GoodTurns

DavidWayne1971 said:


> Awesome idea..... just curious, but would stabilizing help the spongy problem?



Thought about it, but my pot has been very busy with other goodies, and for the price of corks, it hasn't been worth it.... better than 3/4 of them survive very quick chucking and drilling!


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## robutacion

Oh came on John, couldn't you come up with a better excuse to justify your wine drinking...????:wink:

BTW, the best ideas are generally the simplest ones, well done...!:biggrin:

Cheers
George


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## jeff

Jon, how does the CA finish work with the "give" that corks have? Does it crack?


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## GoodTurns

jeff said:


> Jon, how does the CA finish work with the "give" that corks have? Does it crack?



when the tube is installed, there is much less give.  they have not cracked under a "squeeze" but I have not put any great pressure on them.  no complaints from the couple of dozen I sold last fall.


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## GoodTurns

*got a little time to make a few more*

latest batch.... the ones you can't read are quotes from philosophers about wine (unknown Portuguese winery)   one side has the quote in Portuguese, English on the opposite.  Just an idea of what kinds of corks are available!


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## MarkD

They look great Jon! 
I tried a few myself over the weekend using corks from some of the local NY wineries. The people I have showed them to think they are great! Thanks for the great tip!


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## Dalecamino

Thanks Jon! Can't wait to get started on mine.


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## NC Wood Art

How about if you tried to freeze them overnight before drilling them? Not sure it would matter but may make them harder for those few minutes to drill.

Great Idea will be doing a few tonight myself!

Bill


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## joefrog

Excellent idea!  My wife is an artist; we recently made a "Tree of Life" painting/mixed media from bottlecaps and corks.


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## NC Wood Art

Stopped by local vineyard today with one of these I made with their logo cork, they liked it & I may now have a new customer for my custom pens & these keyring corks, I used the secret compartment kit in 24K gold & gave it to owner with a business card, after brief conversation about the keyring he asked about custom pens! I will have to send you a commission for your idea! On a side note to make an extra special feature I plan to part off & square both ends of the corks & a a small piece of burl turned to size of od of cork. This will add a hard surface for each end & add a twist of a special looking wood end pieces. I did not make picture of my keyring before giving it to owner but will take pictures of the experimental ones I build with the burl end caps.

Bill Holland


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## joefrog

Still loving this idea.  Question -- are these the same pill kits, or at least very similar?  I've been loving these guys -- cheaper on about everything!

Key Chain Kits - WoodTurningz


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## GoodTurns

joefrog said:


> Still loving this idea.  Question -- are these the same pill kits, or at least very similar?  I've been loving these guys -- cheaper on about everything!
> 
> Key Chain Kits - WoodTurningz



nope.  these are Deluxe Pill Holder - Woodturners Catalog - Woodworking tools and supplies specializing in woodturning.


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## micharms

Great idea Jon. I've been trying to find something suitable for a little boutique winery nearby so I might have to give these a shot. What is the length of the tube for these. I'm finding quite a bit of variation in the length of the corks from the bottles I open for my wife:biggrin:

Michael


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## WildThings

The tubes are 1 3/4" long


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## GoodTurns

Delivered a batch Saturday to the local winery that has contracted for a bunch of these.... bonus was a case of wine (and a bunch more corks for the next batch!).


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## johncrane

They Pop Joh! :biggrin:


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## corian king

Great job!!
I have done quite a few of these and some pens.My daughter manages a 
(fine wine and cheese) resturaunt.They sell all types of local and imported wines.
some of the wine cost over 400.00 a bottle.Anyway she brings me home bags full of corks and I sort through them and get out the really nice ones to make stuff with.
She sells the pens,keyrings and bottle stoppers at work for me.
Keep up the great work!!


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## pensmyth

Well Jon, 
I did have a box of wine corks and I was wondering what I could do with them. Saw this post and said HEY! I have some of the key rings too! Out to the garage I go and start rummaging through my stash and an hour later TA DA! 
I chucked them up in my Barracuda 4 jaw and drilled them with a forstner bit. 
Made a nice true hole snug enough I almost didn't need to glue the tubes.
Thanks for rattling my marbles and showing me a really cool idea. These will make awesome gifts for my friends and family wine drinkers.


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## GoodTurns

Nicely done!  Made 2 dozen this week for an order...


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## gimpy

Grat idea, you'll probable sell a ton of them


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## bubbamorse

Creative thought! Thanks for sharing!


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## Dalecamino

Still waiting for my collets :frown:


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## JeffT

Hmmm - boat key rings... another market!


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## micharms

JeffT said:


> Hmmm - boat key rings... another market!



FYI they don't float. The hardware is enough to make them sink instantly. I liked your idea but thought I better check before I tried to claim they would float to the boaters.

Michael


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## McBryde

Jon, that's so funny that you would make a key chain out of a wine cork. I was at my mother-in-law's this past weekend and she actually saves her wine corks. and then I found out my sister-in-law does the same thing. This would make a great gift idea for people like them.
Nice job and very creative.


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## donpratt

*Durability*

This is such a cool idea and they look great.

Now that everyone has been doing these for a couple months, how durable are these turning out to be?  My sister-in-law is getting married at a winery later this year.  I was thinking about making a batch of these for some (or all) of the guests, but don't want to give them something that'll be crumbling after a couple weeks.

Thanks.


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## bjbear76

Bringing up an old topic.......has anybody else made these without a CA finish?  I kinda like the natural cork look myself but wonder if they would start to crumble over time.  Optional finishes: just a quick wipe or two of thin CA? How about spray a coat of clear lacquer?


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## kruzzer

best new idea in my book... looks great


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## Joe S.

bjbear76 said:


> Bringing up an old topic.......has anybody else made these without a CA finish?  I kinda like the natural cork look myself but wonder if they would start to crumble over time.  Optional finishes: just a quick wipe or two of thin CA? How about spray a coat of clear lacquer?



I bet it would crumble FAST, especially in the abuse keychains get. For these, CA or possibly stabilizing is the only way to go. IMHO.


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## LanceD

Joe S. said:


> bjbear76 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bringing up an old topic.......has anybody else made these without a CA finish?  I kinda like the natural cork look myself but wonder if they would start to crumble over time.  Optional finishes: just a quick wipe or two of thin CA? How about spray a coat of clear lacquer?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I bet it would crumble FAST, especially in the abuse keychains get. For these, CA or possibly stabilizing is the only way to go. IMHO.
Click to expand...


I usually never post on an older thread but I have this to say about cork. There's a misconception about cork is that people think cork will break down and crumble over time. Well that's not the case. Cork is a very durable material, especially cork made for the wine bottling business as the cork used for wine bottles is a higher grade than cork used for other items.

Example, cork has been used in building fishing rod handles for well over half a century and takes lots of abuse, especially in the heat of summer or the cold in winter. You don't see the cork on a rod just disintegrate into a pile of dust. It just doesn't happen. A fishing rod handle will see much more abuse in its lifetime than a key chain pill holder would in that amount of time.


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## MarkD

*You never know what to expect...*

I made a few of these when Jon made his original post. I did a Fall Festival last weekend and had a few of these for sale. A group of ladies stopped in my booth and were checking them out. One woman said "oh look, this cork was from Rick's favorite winery". I explained to them that the top unscrewed to expose a "secret" compartment. I said it was meant as a pill container but it was not my place to judge what they put in it :biggrin:
The women started saying how this would be perfect for Rick, so I was thinking they were going to buy it as a gift for this person named Rick. She said she would take it and while she was making the transaction she said that her husband ( Rick ) recently passed any and she had been looking for a way to keep his ashes close to her. She was purchasing the pill container/ key chain and was intending to keep some of his ashes in the container.


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## bjbear76

Wow.....that's a new one!


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## GoodTurns

MarkD said:


> I... She was purchasing the pill container/ key chain and was intending to keep some of his ashes in the container.



I did a set of these for a memorial service...they wanted all of the kids/grandkids to "have a piece of Grandpa"...made the containers and attached a dog collar style medallion with his name and dates  (they did the filling!)


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## walshjp17

Has anyone done these with artificial corks?  A lot of wineries are now using artificial instead of real corks.  

The artificail corks should hold up better to a lot handling assuming one can drill them and have glue properly stick to the drilled hole sides and tubes.


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## ianjwebster

Jon,
Just wanted to thank you for sharing this. I sell about 70% of my work through a local winery. Following your post I ordered / made 5 pill boxes. They all sold the first weekend on display in the winery. So I ordered another 20; they sold out within a few weeks. I've got another 20 on order.
Thank you again for sharing.
Ian


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## bjbear76

walshjp17 said:


> Has anyone done these with artificial corks?  A lot of wineries are now using artificial instead of real corks.
> 
> The artificail corks should hold up better to a lot handling assuming one can drill them and have glue properly stick to the drilled hole sides and tubes.



I haven't been able to drill them.  Too spongy and when you finally do penetrate the cork it shreds.


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## healeydays

Wow, I totally missed this one and I have literally thousands of corks I had been saving for a bartop we decided to do.  Is woodturnerscatalog.com still the only one to consider buying these kits from?


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## walshjp17

Thanks, Bill.  That's what I feared.


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## monark88

LanceD said:


> Joe S. said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> bjbear76 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bringing up an old topic.......has anybody else made these without a CA finish?  I kinda like the natural cork look myself but wonder if they would start to crumble over time.  Optional finishes: just a quick wipe or two of thin CA? How about spray a coat of clear lacquer?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I bet it would crumble FAST, especially in the abuse keychains get. For these, CA or possibly stabilizing is the only way to go. IMHO.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I usually never post on an older thread but I have this to say about cork. There's a misconception about cork is that people think cork will break down and crumble over time. Well that's not the case. Cork is a very durable material, especially cork made for the wine bottling business as the cork used for wine bottles is a higher grade than cork used for other items.
> 
> Example, cork has been used in building fishing rod handles for well over half a century and takes lots of abuse, especially in the heat of summer or the cold in winter. You don't see the cork on a rod just disintegrate into a pile of dust. It just doesn't happen. A fishing rod handle will see much more abuse in its lifetime than a key chain pill holder would in that amount of time.
Click to expand...


You're correct. You beat me to it. I just discovered this thread. What an idea!!
If anyone has problems with drilling/boring the 9/16th's hole, there is a somewhat easier way. Perhaps fewer failures.

You can pre-drill a 6mm-1/4"-pilot hole then finish off with this: www.mudhole.com/Other-Tools/Flexcoat-Pilot-Drill-Bit?search=Shop+Our+Catalog. 

(no need to buy this high priced drill bit, you can make one)

You can then, as another way of doing it, grind the backside of the pilot drill "spade" and pull the 9/16 drill thru backwards.

I used to do this back in the '70's-to about 5 years ago when I made custom rods. Wasn't my idea, but it works a lot better than trying to drill out a 9'16's hole in cork. Also, the cork used for rod handles is not of the grade as is used for wine bottles.( as a rule, normally)

Russ


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## bjbear76

healeydays said:


> Wow, I totally missed this one and I have literally thousands of corks I had been saving for a bartop we decided to do.  Is woodturnerscatalog.com still the only one to consider buying these kits from?



I've been getting mine from PSI

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSEPILL.htm


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## nava1uni

Both CSUSA and Penn State sell them.


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## OZturner

Great Idea, Thanks for sharing.
Brian


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