Wood Plugs
We specialize in custom made plugs for healed ears and prefer that you (or have us) take measurements of your best fitting pair, as the industry has different tolerances (depending on maker and material). Here is a list of reputable artists we can recommend for styles that are not explored on the Dark Side:
For wood plugs with wood, stone, or resin based inlays:
And the following lapidary artists for high quality stone plugs and body modification jewellery:
Shane Von Ranniger of The Piercing Shop in Las Vegas
Avery Homer of Austin Plug and Tunnel, co in Austin, TX
Jimmy Pops of Plugs on Plugs in Huntsville, AL
Jagger South and Pax of Red Fern Adornments in Portland, Oregon
Storm Fell Cherry
Here you will find a variety of plugs made from storm fell cherry trees, harvested local to south east Pennsylvania. The wood dries for about 18-24 months before shaped into wearable jewellery. Every pair is finished with food safe oils and waxes, and a care/maintenance card is included with your purchase to ensure you keep the limited lifetime warranty for the life of the product.
Cherry Burl traditional flare
Curly Cherry concave
Cherry Burl thick tunnels
Cherry concave
Cherry with chainsaw texture
Cherry with Jade set in copper.
Cherry Burl concave
Cherry concave
Water Based Stains
Here you will find a variety of plugs made from high grade curly maple recycled from guitar manufacturing waste. These plugs are turned like bowls so the figure (striping, tiger's eye, chatoyancy, etc.) is shown clearly. After a few layers of water based stains and a scrutinizing tape off procedure to prevent any stain from bleeding through to the wearable surface, a few layers of CA glue are applied and sanded to provide a glass like look and feel on the faces.
Colour Pallet
Plethora of custom water based stains to choose from. Each pair comes with 2 colours. This gives the client 4 wearable options. You just don't get that option from silicone, acrylic or steel!
Customize
Order custom stains with a personalized box for a very unique gift. Made from scrap lumber, the boxes are designed to hold the plugs with a cloth liner, and hinged with a steel rod and neodymium magnets.
Sirius Black & Castle Black
Smoke
Snozberry
Snozberry
Mr. Pink
Leaf Green
Patronus Gray
Prism Pride
Aqua Man
Mr. Pink
Production order
Prism Pride
Golden Snitch
Leaf Green
Leaf Green
Blood Red
Sirius Black
Violet Beauregarde
Aqua Man
Kokori Forest Green
Solid Pearl Inlay
Here you will find a variety of plugs made from high grade curly maple recycled from guitar manufacturing waste. These plugs are turned like bowls so the figure (striping, tiger's eye, chatoyancy, etc.) is shown clearly. After a few layers of water based stains and a scrutinizing tape off procedure to prevent any stain from bleeding through to the wearable surface, a few layers of CA glue are applied and sanded to provide a glass like look and feel on the faces.
Layout
Solid mother of pearl cut by hand and laid out on a custom order for a traditional flare set of curly koa.
Routing
Channels carefully hollowed out with a dremel and a small rotary bit. The remaining area is chiseled out by hand to make a very clean, seamless inlay. Glued in place with CA glue.
Polishing
These are polished with carnauba wax on the face for durable protection over time. Plugs come with a 1 year warranty on finish and will be buffed for free if sent back during that time.
Shaping
Cutting and filing to desired shape. Any shape can be done in a variety of materials, including wood.
Inspecting
Tilting in the light to inspect the CA glue for flatness. This is a technique to ensure the buffing will produce desired results.
Order
Contact Matt for your custom set of plugs. There are a variety of shell materials as well as exotic woods to choose from.
Custom Order
All plugs are custom ordered through email or in person and you can find a small selection at all of Dark Side craft events. Every stained pair gets two colour choices, making them reversible wear for a different appearance. Exotics available upon request.
Customer Use
Happy customers showing off their plugs. Send photos to Matt or tag @darksideofthewood #darksideofthewood on social media pages to be added to the gallery. We love seeing our products in use, especially in everyday scenarios!