I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the fall season. This is my favorite time of the year and I’m glad to be announcing some things that I’ve been working on. I’ll first give an update on my health and the status of production in the shop and then let everyone know what I have to share below.
My health continues to be something that’s requiring a good amount of my attention right now. This has been an extremely demanding time for everyone and I’m no exception. I launched the custom brushes program in January of 2020, and shortly thereafter, the pandemic hit. Looking back at the last 18 months, I can’t imagine a more difficult set of circumstances with regards to the business climate in which to try to take my craft in a new direction. Surely, I am not the only one who has dealt with challenges in 2020/21, most of you have, but with regards to my personal experience I feel it is time to try to manage the custom production of brushes a little differently for a while.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep up with the customer service side of things, and some folks have let me know that the extended reply times are an issue. I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone who has felt that I've neglected the necessary communication during this time. It is just something I have not been able to manage, my focus is often being shifted to my health on a particular day or for multiple days at a time. When I am in the shop I have not been able to take care of the backlog of messages, as production takes most of my time and focus here. This is something I have not been able to do despite knowing that it is important and necessary.
I will be placing custom orders on pause for a while to allow me to catch up and try to give better communication to those already on the custom order list. Any orders already submitted will be fulfilled, but no new order requests will be taken for some time.
May/June Brushes
Below is a preview of what is in production for the newest set of brushes. This run has seen some striking patterns emerge. I’m so fortunate to be able to take these custom ideas, and it is just a testament that with a few different options and brush designs as well as colors that many many combinations can be made. I wouldn’t be doing these combinations if I didn’t receive these custom commissions, so I’m currently very excited to polish these up and see how good they will look. Also in the mix are quite a few of the classic designs in traditional ivory, which provide a nice balance and I’m enjoying making these as well, because they do remind me of the earliest brushes that I made starting in 2015.
Introducing Cannon™
One of the first designs that I had in the lineup was the Cannon (or Kanon, as I originally was going to name it). It was a take on the old Rubberset brushes with a stepped cylindrical handle and vertical fluting at the bottom. I originally had this design ready to go but never actually sold any. I had designed it to take a 22mm knot but I never got around to making these for sale.
Handle design is always a very tricky thing, there are so many variables, it is something that takes a lot of resources and time. Always a challenge is coming up with something new, that looks good, and that is original. Not only don’t I want to step on anyone’s toes, but my designs are an extension of my idea for the brand. I feel very strong about design. It is crucial that all of the handles look like they belong together, that they share the same DNA but also have strong and distinct design identities. I had this design in my mind but had not found a way to materialize it. Recently, I took a piece of Cement I had laying around and turned this prototype, and thought that the ‘Cannon’ name was a nice moniker for it.
I’m happy to share the Cannon in its newest form. That little 22mm brush was great, but this re-imagining of the Cannon concept fits in much better with that The Varlet is in the present time. This will be available in 27mm and 29mm sizes, and it is ~53mm tall which fills a gap nicely in the lineup. The initial “Piece No. 1” in Blue531 with a matte finish will go to Joe, an amazing supporter and someone with a very good eye for details, who shares my appreciation for design elements. The Cannon will also be available for custom orders for those who have order requests already submitted.
S.F.F. Auctions
S.F.F. brushes for April and August 2021 as well as the “20” brush for Sgt. Tyler Andrews will be auctioned on the Semper Fi Fund’s eBay Charity Auctions page. Unfortunately I have not set this up but will find some time this week to do that. I have been spending the last few days setting up auctions directly on The Varlet’s website, but the functionality is lacking for that specific purpose so I had to get creative. However, after some thought, it is probably not wise for me to try to manage something like this on my own. I’ve decided to scrap those plans; Thankfully, the Semper Fi Fund has an eBay presence so I will look into working with them to set up these auctions. I appreciate everyone’s patience on this but I am committed to doing this correctly for both our veterans and for everyone looking to own these brushes. Of utmost importance is the integrity of the bidding process to make sure it is fair for everyone and that there are as few issues as possible.
Orders for the next run
I will begin to take orders for the next run this week. This will include order requests from July, August, and September. I will not be taking orders for October quite yet, but will be in touch with folks on that as soon as feasible.
That is about all I had for now and will have more news on the S.F.F. Auctions as soon as I’m able. Thanks to everyone for reading and hope you enjoyed it.
-Aldo
