PRACTICAL

What are rontools?

Rontools are robust, lovingly designed wooden toys that are made for little heroes, adventurers, craftsmen and magical fairies. They invite you to creative role play and real experimentation in the children's room as well as in the garden or forest. Ropes, chainsaws and steering wheels make the game an experience. Rontools are not for cuddling. Children from three years of age learn how to use tools in a playful way.

What's the idea behind it?

Knife, fork, scissors, light, hammer, ax, chainsaw, reflex camera, ... do not belong in the hands of children. The fascination with children is there. I remember that I had to watch a forest worker "making wood" with my then 3 year old son for at least 2 hours. The desire for a chainsaw was established and the idea for the first rontool was born. A noisy plastic part from the discounter was out of the question for me. The first thought was to give the children access to the tools that exert incredible fascination without posing any real danger. The tools should be elegant, robust and made of wood. A real business idea was not the first approach at the beginning. I just wanted to make cool toys. Somehow other people found it good and were willing to spend money on it. And so it turned into a small business. The adventure toys and some other fun things like moose dressing rooms and bottle openers were added later. The whole thing is rounded off by the only true really working colored magic wand with glitter.

How are rontools made?

A rontool is created for the first time as a hand sketch on a sheet of paper or a napkin or on a piece of birch bark. If the idea is good then it goes to the computer and the design is created in a 3D program. The first rontools were still painstakingly handcrafted with a jigsaw and file. We now have so much experience that we can skip this step. The shape is clearly defined on the computer and the construction (multi-part components) is developed. The next step is very technical. The blanks are milled out on a computer-controlled milling machine (CNC technology). These blanks come to a Berlin workshop for the disabled. There you will be rounded, sanded, branded with a lot of love and dedication and the surface will be refined and assembled. You can buy the finished products here in our shop.

What are rontools made of?

The basic material for our rontools is wood. In a special case, it is birch multiplex, so-called veneer panels. The panels consist of individual thin layers of wood which are very robust due to their crosswise (grain direction) gluing. This material can hardly crack or splinter and is relatively insensitive to moisture and mechanical influences. It is not for nothing that similar panels are also used for concrete formwork construction. The surface has a very nice wood structure and the edges give an exciting picture with their layered look. The surface is sealed with a natural hard wax oil which complies with all approvals and regulations for the manufacture of toys. Since wood is a natural raw material, irregularities in the structure of the surface or the color of the material can be different. The material also darkens over time. Rontools can be repaired. If a splinter should come off here and there during use or if a wooden ax becomes blunt if used too intensely in the garden, you can simply help yourself with some sandpaper and a wooden file. An oil from the kitchen can simply be used to seal the reworked surfaces.

Who is behind it?

Rontools are designed and distributed by Ronny and Maxi. Ronny is a mechanical engineer, industrial designer and big kid. He turns ideas into products. Maxi is a business economist and takes care of sales and paints our wands with loving devotion. We are parents of 3 children together who are the source of inspiration for many ideas and products. But also simple things from everyday life are inspiration for funny practical things that also have their meaning for adults. We also have a small network of lovable partners, without whom none of this would work. CNC-Comando (milling work), Via workshops (assembly and finish), BERLIN-monster-ART (Webshop development and layout)