International Top Spinning Day 2023

Did you know there is an official “International Top Spinning Day”?

Started at the Spinning Top & Yo-Yo Museum of Burlington, Wisconsin in 2003 to celebrate how a spin top corresponds to the Earth spinning on its axis, it is always celebrated the second Wednesday of October (October 11th this year).  The museum hosts an event, world-wide at any hour on that day, that has drawn increasing numbers of top spinners over the years.  It’s as simple as taking a pic and letting them know how many people and how many times you spun the tops.  I KNOW that with our enthusiasts they can easily top the 10,000 spins they are going for!

We know that there are many different degrees of spinner ability and there are many different kinds of tops.  We encourage you to check out the official page and get involved in the fun this year.  https://www.topmuseum.org/20.html

In honor of International Top Spinning Day, October 11th, 2023, BilletSPIN EDC is offering 15% off any spin top bought on the website from September 27th to October 3rd.  Use code TOPDAY for this incredible deal!

Happy spinning!

Sue

December 2022 Newsletter

Find a copy of the December 2022 Newsletter here where I discuss where BilletSPIN EDC started and some of our materials and processes here. December 2022 Newsletter

Haptic Therapy

Recent studies are showing that haptic therapy, therapy involving engaging your fingers in a repetitive action, can be a great tool for those with Autism, ADHD, and PTSD.  The repetitive motion of the fingers can calm a mind and can keep a person focused.  There are many ongoing studies about the effectiveness of using tactile fidgets for these, and other,  issues and much is still to be discovered about why there is a greater effectiveness seen when using a haptic.

At BilletSPIN EDC, we have been following the scientific evidence of this closely and have produced several products that can be utilized as haptic therapy and the need to fidget.

• Our Gambit bodies paired with Gambit coins offer several engaging ways to occupy your fingers.

  • The coin spins easily inside the body, facilitated by the ball bearing in the bottom of the body.

  • The coin clicks into and out of the body easily, made possible by the stainless steel spring recessed within the body.

  • The smooth finish of the bodies allows for a nice contact surface to rub your fingers over.

  • The several different body types allow for customization to a particular feel preference.

  • The several different kinds of coins allow for a choice of different textures to entertain the sensitive nerve endings in the fingertips.

  • The many different materials and the treatments used on them give a nice unique look and some will have a different feel than normal smooth materials, giving another tactile element to the Gambits.

  • Check them out here: BilletSPIN EDC products and gifts for everyday carry

• Our spin tops offer great stress release and another focus area for the mind.

  • Studies show that using spin tops to focus the mind can greatly ease the stress of PTSD.

  • Many different designs, materials, and colors give our spin tops a unique look and something new to focus the mind on at different levels of the top.

  • We make several spin tops that are meant to be long spinning, giving the ability to take a long focus time.

  • Check them out here: BilletSPIN EDC products and gifts for everyday carry

We strive to make everyday better for those who chose our products and pride ourselves on our quality, customer service, and quick shipment.  There are hundreds of different options that can be achieved by combining different products and the outcome can be life changing.

Please contact us with any questions you may have about our products and the choices available.

Scientific Resources:

The Importance of Sensory Processing in Mental Health: A Proposed Addition to the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and Suggestions for RDoC 2.0 - PMC (nih.gov)

https://therapyshoppe.com/therapists-corner/117-the-benefits-of-fidget-tools

https://www.psycom.net/fidgets-anxiety-adhd-ocd

https://edxeducation.com/how-do-fidget-toys-help/

Environmental Sustainability

Our desire for environmental sustainability is achieved by:

•         Recycling all our metals and materials through reputable companies.

o   GFL Environmental Inc. - Waste Management & Infrastructure Services

o   A&W Iron & Metal, Inc – Committed to Quality Metal Recycling (awironmetal.com)

•          Utilizing LED lights throughout the whole facility which helps light our large shop more efficiently.  This means we need less lights and have a longer bulb life.  Thus, reducing the amount of toxic chemicals being put out into the environment.

•          Reducing our scrap metals by making perfect parts on the first try or repurposing when possible.

•          We reuse much of the pre-assembly packaging and discard only what is no longer useable.

•        Our pre-assembly packaging is mostly egg cartons made from recycled paper products.

•          We responsibly dispose of chemicals that we use for the material treatment processes.

•          We regularly maintain and clean our machines, so they run optimally.

•          We reuse scrap paper for marking pre-assembled parts and for note taking within the company.

•          We source our materials from companies that care about the environment.

It’s our pleasure and responsibility to ensure that our procedures and products have minimal effects on our world.

What's with all the different materials?

As you may know, we like to use a lot of different materials in our designs. Here is a list of the ones we currently work with:

Standard Materials: Standard Material Example

• Stainless Steel

• Copper

• Bronze

• Brass

Transitional Materials: Transitional Material Example

• Zirc

• Titanium

• Tungsten (no longer used in our spinning top manufacturing)

• Copper Tungsten

Exotic Materials: Exotic Material Example

• Timascus

  • Black

  • White

  • Modified Basket weave

• Damascus

  • Spirograph

  • Reptilian

  • Honeycomb

  • Basket weave

  • Sharktooth

  • Razorwire

  • Twist

  • Brick

• Mokume

  • 2 color

  • 3 color

• Carboquartz

• Moon Glow Resin

• Superconductor

• Bluetongue Damasteel

We use many different techniques to create or bring out the cool and unique looks that these materials can have. Some of our techniques are:

• Acid etching

• Torch flaming

• Oven cooking

• Chemical anodizing

• Electro anodizing

I hope to, at some point, share some of these techniques in videos in the blogs so keep watch for that.

Feel free to ask any questions about the materials. It is always fascinating to see what info people are interested in hearing about.

Changing Time

Changing Times

We live in changing times indeed! And we here at BilletSPIN always embrace change…NOT! But it is inevitable so we learn to live with it. Let me lead you through a few changes that have happened here lately.

• Jim, our machine operator, was absorbed back into the main company and we got a different machine operator. Now we are truly a “Family” as the new operator is our brother-in-law, Ben. Ben is Lindsey’s husband and has been doing a phenomenal job at putting up with us and getting product done in the process.

• We are moving on to a new pen with an all new mechanism and new body design. This has been a major energy sucker for Rich as when he tried to come up with new designs he gives it everything he has. Makes for dome interesting conversations when he can’t answer my questions coherently.

• I am going to tech for Digital Marketing so I can learn more about boosting the online presence of BilletSPIN. It really is an eye opening experience and I am learning so much. Hopefully I’m not getting people too confused with all the changes I make to the website.

• I am constantly having to move things around my office as I run out of room to store all the new cool things Rich is creating. I’m gonna have to start hanging things from the ceiling soon!

• In case you haven’t heard – Rich officially stated in a FaceBook Live video on January 11, 2022 that he will NEVER EVER do another top using tungsten. Hopefully everyone understands that there are plenty of other great top makers out there that are willing to take the time to create with tungsten but it just isn’t financially feasible of the way we do production here.

I will endeavor to get this blog going again, it’s one of the things I’ve learned in my new classes. Hopefully we can enjoy this journey together and if you have a suggestion of something I can blog about – let me know!

5-20-20 Clearing a Way for The King

BilletSPIN Blog #3 – Clearing a Way for The King

For those of you who don’t know – BilletSPIN has a 20% off sale going on RIGHT NOW until Monday, May 25th.  This is our first ever discount sale.  Could be our last also, you never know.  We don’t do these kinds of sales because there really isn’t a need for it.  However, since we didn’t have a New Release for this week, I wanted to extend something to our customers.  Plus, these days are a little harder right now, we understand. 

I’m appreciating the clearing out of some of my inventory tops and making way for the King Top.  Rumor has it, Rich will be making extras of these to remain on the website.  That being said – he has been known to change his mind from time to time so don’t quote me on that.  He’s been busy designing and getting the machines tuned up for the new top and that leaves me with a little down time.  This sale has helped fill my time a bit so keep up the good work!

Jim has been busy working on pen components and working beside Rich on getting the machines set up for The King.  In his spare time, Jim likes to work with his hands. He has an incredible yard at home where he built a stand alone swing, various yard decorations, a deck and is now working on a long wood walkway to a deck he is building over the pond at the back of his yard.  I wish I had his ability and energy to get those kind of things done!

Evyn will be holding off on coming to our team until things pick back up so she is still working with the main shop and trying to decide where to go with her future.  She is leaning toward being a child care provider, something she’s thought a lot about and done a lot of.  She is so good with kids, and that is not something she got from me (and definitely not from Rich!)  Of course the family keeps hoping she may want to work with some of the other kids in the family and carry on The Shop tradition but that’s up to her.

This has been a tough Spring all around and we are anxiously awaiting some warmer weather with some sun and hopefully some fun once things get rolling out in the World again.  We have season passes to Six Flags Great America in Illinois that were upgraded since they haven’t been open.  We usually go there several times a year with various friends.  I am an adrenaline junky and will ride all the rides there, except the spinning ones – it’s not fun being nauseous.  I’m told eventually my age will make it harder to enjoy the crazy fast stuff but I’m hoping that was just some bad info. 😉

We also go up to Door County, Wisconsin several times a summer and Wisconsin Dells for the waterparks.  Really praying they can all be opened up safely this summer, not only for my enjoyment but for the sake of the people who have businesses there and work there.

So, some of those may be put on hold depending on the state of things to come.   I’m really looking forward to being able to enjoy some of those things again and have faith that they can be done in safe ways.

And that has me wondering:

What are some of your Summer plans you hope you can still follow through on?

Stay safe and always look for the good in your world,

Sue

5-6-2020 The End of Unity Sale

BilletSPIN Blog #2 – The End of Unity Sale

I write this on the last day for the pre-order sale of the Unity top I designed.  Rich, of course, had input as I am no machinist or top aficionado (I’m really not good with Physics) and he could tell me what would work and what wouldn’t.  It was a journey, and a very trying time as what I really wanted, I couldn’t have.  I don’t deal well with that! But, in all, I’m happy with how it turned out and with the reception it got from the BilletSPIN Family. 

I knew going into it that it would be different than most of the BillletSPIN friends like.  Rich’s designs are always so edgy and sharp.  I wanted to do something different and also pull the pandemic affecting us today into the design.

Yes, they are holding hands and not practicing “social distancing” like we are expected to be doing nowadays.  But I feel that where we are at right now will not be where we will always be at.  So this is a hope of a time when we will be able to come close and a remembrance of times gone by.

My favorite one in this design is thee antiqued copper one. I usually like bronze and stainless but with this particular top the antiqued copper just shows the true meaning of it.  These times we are in right now will leave a “patina” on our lives, on our world, but I know we will have the strength to come back strong.

Yvleen showed the true meaning of this top when she gifted one to a new member.  It shows the true heart of where I was going with the design because we need unity right now more than ever.  Unity is lacking and there is a harshness all around us.  So many things divide us and I look for any little ray of sunshine to overcast the hardness in the world.

As this top winds down, I hope you can appreciate some peace and ease in life, even if only for a short while.  I’ve been told I get one top design a year and I am proud of this one with its organic roundness and smooth lines.  

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and for giving my Unity Top a chance.

Go out and find some sunshine and happiness in your world,

Sue

4-28-2020 Inaugural Blog

BilletSPIN Blog – 4/28/2020

“The Inaugural Blog”

Welcome to my first blog, EVER! I’m not an overly social person (which works great for blogging) and I’m not a grammar or spelling or sentence structure scholar so please forgive me from here on out if I don’t have anything perfect.

I’ll start out by saying – It is an amazing community we have in the Top World! I have seen such kindness and helpfulness and it helps restore faith in humanity. Yes, there are some issues and perhaps some bad eggs, but overall, it is a family of people from different cultures, different places and different mindsets that put their differences aside when in the community to help each other in so many ways.

I’ll give you a little insight into our BilletSPIN Family:

• We have 4 main characters in this story:

o Rich – Big Boss Man with the brain of an engineer and the smile of a saint (ha,ha)

o Jim – Main Machine Man that gets the job done and never complains when there is a change in plans (I may be a little untruthful in that one)

o Evyn – Daughter extraordinaire who has yet to run a machine for us but I’m assured it will happen sooner or later

o Myself, Sue, the humble servant of all in the family and the one who screws up on a normal basis

• We have 4 main machines which I won’t even pretend to be able to explain – Rich has some pretty good videos about them on YouTube you can watch to learn more bout them

• We have many smaller, less often used tools such as the polishing wheels, grinder, tumblers and blasting machines

We are part of the bigger family business, J Stadler Machine, which manufactures many parts for various companies. Rich, his sister Lindsey, and their brother David are the owners of a company their parents started back in the 80’s.

BilletSPIN was born out the brain of Rich in Spring 2015 when he started making dice as a side project. He quickly moved on to tops, much to the chagrin of myself and his brother and sister. We had no idea back then that it would become the affair that it is today! Eventually it was brought into the main company and now it sits, happily and safely inside the bowels of J Stadler Machine in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Through the years, Rich has come up with more ideas than I can even count and has been very good at seeing many of them come alive. I joke a lot about having to work for my husband but, honestly, it is amazing to see his mind working through all the concepts he comes up with.

I, myself, have had many jobs and very few of the that I hated enough to say I’d never do that job again. Perhaps, sometime, I’ll go through some of them here and compare them to working at BilletSPIN.

I would love to hear your ideas on what you would like to hear about in the blogs. Sometimes it may seem like rambling but I’m told (by great bloggers everywhere) that that is part of the process.

These are difficult times for so many of us and I pray that you all are well and staying safe and healthy. Please, I know some are truly hurting from many different things right now, please reach out if you need someone to talk to and know there is no judgment from others on how you are managing and making it through. Unless you are being a truly bad human by eating other humans – then there might be a little judgement.

Anyway, have a fantastic day and go find something fantastic and wonderful

New Blog to Begin Soon!

Coming Soon to BilletSPIN.com

Sue’s Blog will begin a journey of behind the scenes looks at life in BilletSPIN Land and all the cool and upcoming products. Product features will also be discussed and introduction of some new ideas will happen at the blog spot.

Be sure to check it out!