"Zero Day" Minimalist Survival Kit ZDSK

Wait til you see this one...
about 8 years ago – Wed, Feb 03, 2016 at 07:39:36 PM

Hey ZDSK Fam!

Soooo as some of you may have noticed, last week there wasn't a normal weekly update.. I am absolutely embarrassed to admit this but I had it all typed out in kickstarter, hit the "save & preview button", and went back to fine-tuning the "shipping room" in my house, mistakenly thinking I hit the "publish" button and the update went out. I cannot apologize enough, I honestly feel disgusted with myself that I didn't triple check :(  I just realized my mistake when I sat down to do this week's update and Kickstarter brought up last week's saved draft.

I will be giving this week's update to get back to normal continuity of information flow. Again, I am so sorry about last week's update.

There are still 18 backers who have not submitted their survey responses. In light of my update mistake, I will be extending the deadline until Friday February 5th at 11:59 PM Eastern time. This should allow the last few remaining backers to respond to their surveys.

Thank you to everyone who has filled out their surveys and to all who pledged for extras and add-ons :) Your support is sincerely appreciated, and I am still awe-struck at the opportunity you have all brought to reality for me.

All of the sticker rewards are in hand and I must say they look awesome!! If anyone is interested in seeing some pictures of the stickers as well as some of the customization I've been working on, I welcome you to join me on Instagram by clicking here or just simply search for ZeroDaySurvival on the IG search. I have also been passing information on about giveaways and will hopefully be doing my own Instagram giveaway soon!

Titanium Survival Kits will start shipping this week. Titanium backers: if you are interested in the custom anodization please contact me as soon as possible for information etc.

Aluminum Survival Kits are at the anodizing house waiting for final counts on color. As soon as surveys close, the order will be finalized. Once they are complete they will be shipped out asap.

We are right at the finish line and I can't wait to hear your feedback and thoughts!

Personal update: I have been taking a few night classes for CNC programming in order to build up my skills in hopes of manufacturing high quality, American made products! I recently made prototypes of my next Kickstarter project if anyone is interested in seeing them :)  I am still quite a bit away from being able to afford my own machine, but as soon as I can save up enough to get my own machine I will be able to make the compass attachment, the hobby blade knife adapter, as well as the power bank flashlight attachment for the ZDSK. My idea to get closer to my goal of getting a CNC machine is to build a great fan base for my next kickstarter project.. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you all have :D

Well that about sums up this week's update. I hope everybody is having a wonderful week!

Landon

ZeroDaySurvival.com

The excitement level......!!!!!!
over 8 years ago – Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 06:14:00 PM

Hey ZDSK Fam!

What's up? .... well my heart rate and excitement level is, that's for sure!

First off, thank you very much to the backers who now follow me on Instagram!!! Be on the lookout for many more pictures of the ZeroDay Survival Kits in the next few days! For those of you who haven't started following yet you can do so by clicking ZeroDaySurvival

Manufacturing update: So all machining is done! I have been back and forth to the machine shop daily. Final inspections are done, all parts for all the kits are in ultrasonic cleaning and will be done (and sparkly clean) tomorrow by lunch time. All the parts will be separated back into their respective material types (Aluminum vs. Titanium). All parts come home with me tomorrow by close of business time, from there the Aluminum will be meticulously packed up and taken to the Anodizing shop. Just to reiterate, the anodizing process will take about a week. As of this update I have 11 days to ship out and be early! Tick....Tock...Tick...Tock... Lol

While I was talking to the anodizing shop again making sure everything was good and ready to go, I learned something new. ((Spoiler: Skip to the next BOLD word to skip the science lesson lol)) Anodizing is measured in the thickness of the layer of oxides adhered to the base metal. Type 2 Hardcoat anodizing typically consists of .0002" to .0012" while type 3 is thicker typically .002" to .0006'... Not really very interesting to most... BUT I learned that I made an incorrect statement in the Kickstarter campaign, and here's why.. Type 3 Hardcoat Anodizing is different from Mil-Spec Hardcoat anodizing. The thickness is still the same but the cell density differs. Why this is important: Type 3 Hardcoat oxide cells are spaced further apart compared to MilSpec Type 3, which allows for regular type 3 hardcoat to accept Dye colors. Whereas MilSpec type 3 will not easily accept color... What this means: The color options I stated in the KS project campaign are partially incorrect. Mil-Spec Type 3 Hardcoat Anodizing will only be available in Black or GunMetal Grey. These colors are the only colors listed as options in the BackerKit surveys. I sincerely apologize for the color issue and I really hope you all forgive me for that :(

The BackerKit Surveys are nearly complete, I'm putting the final touches on them tonight and then they will be submitted to the BackerKit team for review. Backerkit states that it usually takes 2 days for review. As soon as the surveys are approved they will be sent on to you all!! From there they will "lockdown" after 1 week but I am hoping they will all be filled out before then ;p Once surveys are complete and I have solid numbers, all final remaining parts to be ordered will be placed.....Then it's a short waiting game and then..BOOM!!! Shipping!! =D

On a side note regarding the Titanium Anodizing: I don't have a visual demonstration of the Titanium ZDSK anodized yet but once I have the Titanium model in my hands tomorrow I will anodize it and take pictures. There will NOT be a picture for the Titanium Anodizing "add-on" in the BackerKit surveys since those will be finished tonight but I will post pictures once I have the display kit done (I'm shooting for Friday)

That's all for this update. If you have any questions just let me know. I hope you're as excited as I am and you have a wonderful rest of your week!

Landon

ZeroDaySurvival.com

Pics of me playing with electricity!!! :D
over 8 years ago – Wed, Jan 13, 2016 at 10:26:05 PM

Happy Wednesday ZDSK Fam!

It's that time of week again, so let's get to it :D

Manufacturing update: The Aluminum main bodies were supposed to be done Monday. The machine shop ran into a problem with the tools breaking while they were re-honing the center drill holes. Several different tools have already been ordered, some of them have already arrived and are being used to see which will work most efficiently while still giving the final finish desired. I'm waiting on word from the shop about when to expect the finished Aluminum main bodies but it should still be this week.

The Titanium models are done and on stand by, those are ready to ship at any point. In an effort to catch up on a little lost time, I will be finishing up the Backerkit surveys and sending those out as soon as I can. Then once the surveys close I will ship out the Titanium ZDSKs while the Aluminum are in anodizing.

If you all would like me to post an update as soon as I know when the Aluminum models are finished just let me know. If not I will keep the same schedule and post all new information next Wednesday.

Titanium anodizing update: So ALOT of the Titanium backers (and even quite a few of the Aluminum backers that are now interested in a Titanium model) wrote in with interest. I got my anodizing equipment in Monday and immediately started practicing..... at this point EVERYTHING that is Titanium in my house has now been electro-anodized lol. I have a few pictures on my Instagram   #ZeroDaySurvival   I will get my Titanium ZDSK from the machine shop soon and anodize that.. Once I have that done I will have a pricing structure and some demonstration pictures of an anodized ZDSK.

That kind of leads me into my next topic: Instagram... So Ive been a backer on 25 Kickstarter projects now and the growing trend seems to be a shift towards Instagram for faster and more frequent updates.. I'm considering doing a hybrid model where I still maintain weekly or even maybe bi-weekly large updates, but start doing more frequent updates to Instagram followers. I would love to hear your thoughts though.

Now onto picture time! These pics are just a few of the previous Kickstarter projects that I have backed that are Titanium.... and now anodized ;p

 These are the Titanium Pinch. Personally I like the dual tone colors.

 This little Pinch was fresh out of the electro bath when I snapped its photo.

This is the Para TPS by RootDesigns! A benefit to following me on Instagram is that I follow alot of the KS creators.... some of whom are doing giveaways! Follow me and ill tag you in the TPS giveaway, you could win something awesome! ;)

That's all for right now. Hope you all are having a better week than I am,  I have been going frantic with nerves lol. Have a great rest of your week ZDSK Fam!

Landon
ZeroDaySurvival.com

First update of the new year!
over 8 years ago – Wed, Jan 06, 2016 at 10:09:08 PM

Happy New Year ZDSK Fam!! Hopefully everybody is having a wonderful start to their new year. If you've decided on any new year's resolutions I hope they lasted longer than mine lol...

So quick updates on where we stand with Machining of the survival kits; we are at roughly 99% machined. I have been driving back and forth to the machine shop constantly evaluating quality control measures. All small parts have been checked and passed my stringent standards.

Now on to the 1%.. The Main Body of the survival kit (Aluminum variant) had one issue of the internal center bore hole not having a surface finish to my liking. While this is considered by most a purely aesthetic concern that does not hamper functionality at all, the owner shared my opinion that it be brought to my standard immediately. Those are being re-chucked and honed to a polished finish. I am quite sure the machine operator now considers me a "Diva"... but the end result is I will have parts I am proud to send to you all. This has also solidified a remarkably great working rapport between myself and the machine shop! They could have simply said I was being unreasonable, especially seeing as how anything cosmetic gets covered during the anodizing process anyways. Instead, they are going that extra mile to make sure I am completely satisfied.

That concern was limited to the center hole of the main body on the Aluminum variants, the Titanium did not share the same cosmetic concern. The Titanium survival kits are complete, to include the Main Bodies, and are ready for the next step. The Aluminum Main Bodies were already being polished as I left the machine shop earlier today. They are expected to be complete no later than next Monday at which point I will final inspect them again. My initial timeline estimates had the machining phase being done January 1st and starting the Anodizing phase this week.. It may be a little early to say but I might be behind my original "over-achieve" estimates by a few days. Many of you know I have been pushing for early shipping in January, the KS campaign has the shipping between February 1st and February 29th (it's a leap year?? O_o)  Since the final step (shipping) will be quite literally in my hands, I am still confident I will have these shipped this month... barring any other hiccups.

Now a message for the Titanium backers... I have been looking for ways to add customization and something that really stands out, and in that search I found something beautifully awesome! I can Electro-Anodize the Titanium survival kits! The Titanium kits come in "raw machined Titanium" finish.. BUT I will be offering an Anodizing option for any of the Titanium Backers. I have the supplies ordered up and on the way to me. In the meantime Google search the phrase "Titanium Splash Anodize" and click on "images" for some visuals.. Shoot me a message if this looks/sounds like something you would be interested in.

Enjoy the rest of your week ZDSK Fam, and as always if you have any questions or concerns just let me know  :)

Landon
ZeroDaySurvival.com

2nd round of picture time!
over 8 years ago – Wed, Dec 30, 2015 at 06:48:59 PM

Happy Wednesday ZDSK Fam!

So I headed over to the machine shop today to do more final inspections on some parts. Everything is looking good! I also brought my better half with me again so I have some pictures to share as well!! :D

Before I get into the pictures, a few things I want to talk about.

First a quick update on the machining phase; the Main Body of the survival kits are nearly done on the machines. I have an estimated completion of next week. I'm hopeful that all parts will pass my final quality inspection and then it will be surveys then off to the anodizing phase! Anodizing should take roughly a week, give or take. We appear to still be on schedule, I think my nerves will calm down a little once I have final inspection done and I know I will be sending you all the best product possible.

Now on to the first bit of speed bumps. First and foremost, this has nothing to do with the main project of the Zero Day Survival Kit! As mentioned above the survival kits are moving forward as expected.

The prototyping of the add-on stuff, specifically the hobby blade knife adapter, has hit a bit of a "hiccup". My local machine shop that is doing the survival kits got me back a quote on the knife adapters and its not a reasonable enough price... When the owner explained to me the issue, it basically summed up to the small size of the parts, and the complexity of doing the external and internal threading on thin wall material. I have a quote request in at a few other local shops but I anticipate roughly the same responses. Honestly I think viable options would be to have the Hobby Blade Knife Adapters made overseas or make them myself once I have my own machining capabilities. I have large reservations about having the parts made overseas as I wont be able to control the quality aspects but it would be a quick solution.. On the other side of that coin, once I can save up enough to get the proper machinery, I can make the parts and maintain the highest possible quality but it would be roughly March before the parts are available. Either way it will be the same end price to you all, just a matter of time and quality. Let me know what you all would rather and I'll build my plans from there.

Now on to the fun part: Picture Time!! :p

Here we have the Aluminum Fire Plugs.... Anybody want to take a guess on how many there are?

 Here's another shot of the Fire Plugs.. Guess who got to count them...... lol

 Another shot of the fire plugs individually.

 Here's a view of 2 stacked flat endcaps in Titanium.

Here's the flat end caps in Titanium comfortably seated in their box... I, for one, can't wait to take them out of there lol.

This one is a picture of the two different end caps; one flat cap and one tooled cap. These are both Titanium... I am loving the look of the machined Ti!

 This one is a good picture of the differences in color between the Titanium (left) and Aluminum (right).

 Here's a picture of the Aluminum Spool Holders where the Fire Piston rods thread in. The threading on all of the parts is remarkably smooth!

 Another picture highlighting the color difference between the Titanium (left) and Aluminum (right).

 Again, Titanium on the left. You'll notice the Titanium Main Body still needs to be threaded and there are holes that need to be meticulously drilled on that same end.

 Another picture showing the Main Bodys of the survival kit. Titanium is nearly complete as you can see, still needs threading and storage holes.

 Ok.... Admittedly, I REALLY like the look of the Titanium lol..

There's more pictures but they are basically just slightly different iterations of these same pictures sooooo I'll spare you all lol. Hope you enjoyed the pics! Can't wait to get the surveys out, get these anodized and start shipping!

Thank you in advance for your input regarding what you would like to see happen regarding the Hobby Blade Knife Adapter!

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and HAPPY NEW YEAR ZDSK FAM!!!

Landon

ZeroDaySurvival.com