Knucklebone - Grain Theory X Aroundsquare Collab
Knucklebone - Grain Theory X Aroundsquare Collab
The new Grain Theory X Aroundsquare collab Knucklebones are the same original shape you love, but co-branded and brought to you in conjunction with our friends over at Grain Theory. These beautiful kbones feature the GT calliper logo at one end of the middle section, and the AO2 logo at the other end. They're available in three materials:
- Purple Heart Wood is a long running favourite, known for its solid weight, beautiful grains, and unique colours. Weight ~9.3g
- Paudak Wood is a never before available hardwood, with a distinctive brown-orange colour, good heft, and striking grain patterns. Weight ~9.8g
- Dark Water Maple Spectraply is a heavier material, made from layers of dyed maple, glued together in a contrasting pattern which creates a topographic relief on contoured surface of the Knucklebones. Weight ~12g
We're offering these beautiful bones in two finishes, a raw finish, and a conditioned finish. The raw finished units will show the machining and tooling lines, and colour variation associated with the manufacturing process. With use, the raw finish will absorb oils from your hands and will become darker over time; the natural grains will become more pronounced as the tooling marks fade. The conditioned units are lightly treated with a mixture of beeswax and oil, similar to the "kenditioner" used in the kendama community. The conditioning shortcuts the darkening process described for the raw finish, providing a very striking finish straight out of the box. Note that the high contrast of the spectraply material will become less pronounced as the material absorbs oil, as can be seen in the photos of the conditioned units.
Please Note: Due to the manufacturing process of the wooden knucklebones, most pieces have a faint tooling line forward one of the ends. The lines are almost imperceptible to the touch, but can be seen faintly in bright light. The lines are a natural part of the manufacturing process and have been minimized by light sanding and quality control prior to shipping.
General Info
Aroundsquare's wooden Knucklebones are a lightweight, pocket friendly skill toy that can be manipulated to perform tricks or just pass the time. While the wooden kbones have the same size and shape as the metal originals, the lighter weight, combined with the wood grain texture, open up new possibilities for manipulation, using the round end knobs to manipulate, pivot, and stall the kbones during play. Players accustomed to the momentum and gravity effect of the heavier metal versions may take some time to adjust to this style of play, but those interested in tricks and technical play will find this version extremely flexible and entertaining.
The wood grain is visible in this state, but not highly pronounced. They will play very well straight out of the box, and will gradually darken over time as the wood picks up oil and moisture from the player's hands. Those wishing to accelerate this process can rub in a dab of any kitchen oil, beeswax, or other similar non-toxic wood product (see side by side comparison photos). The logos are shallow-etched--they have texture and can be felt, but should not chip or feel uncomfortable. Like the grain of the wood, the logos will darken over time.
Please understand that because these are made from a natural material, they will vary in appearance. Some are darker, some are lighter. Some have more pronounced grain patterns, and others have very little. This is particularly the case with the ebony and purple heart wood pieces, which have a wild range of patterns. Some have very distinct colour patters with sharp contrasts, and some are completely uniform in colour. Please understand the we cannot accommodate special requests in this regard.
In addition, because these are turned on a wood lathe, there may be light markings or lathe lines on the wood--these tend to fade over time as the piece is played, but will not disappear completely. Any kbones with chips or splinters that might affect the feel or playability have been sorted out during our quality control process, but most of the kbones will have some visible discolouration or blemishes on close inspection. These are character marks, and if you're using your kbones a lot, they are certainly not going to be the last character marks. If you are uncomfortable with this, or if you want a much more precision-controlled item, we recommend the delrin models as a good alternative to the wood.
The wooden Knucklebones have all the beauty, charm, and the vulnerabilities of wood. When dropped on rough surfaces, or if kept in pockets with sharp items like toothed keys, they may chip or scratch. That said, the wood versions are light enough that when they do drop, the impact is not very hard, and as such, they tend not to do much damage to themselves.
For more information, have a quick watch of our drop preview video.
