Sleep well old friends

                                                                                            

Ever since I started working with metal clay, I've been using a brass brush on my freshly fired pieces; followed by a spin in the tumbler.

No more!  I can't tell you the last time I used my tumbler (my new magnetic tumbler hasn't been used yet either) or my brass brush.  Since I've discovered the polishing capabilities of the Flex-shaft the old tried and trues have been put to bed.  (They would probably come out of hibernation though for a class.)

Guess it's time to pull other new tools from my collection out of hibernation and see what they can do.  "He who dies with the most tools wins" has been my mantra.  Time to see what they can do.

The finishing touch

The Flex Shaft is a great tool (if you use it and I finally am.)

The past May I took a class at The PMC Retreat at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, TN.  It was a short class that gave us an overview of how to use our Flex Shafts.  (Seems I wasn't the only one to own one and not use it.)  Ruth Greening taught the class and made up kits that included rubber wheels, sanding drums and 3-M wheels.   Basically, the class consisted of us trying out the different wheels on a scrap of copper sheet.

My favorite is the 3-M wheels.  They are rather expensive and you don't use just one.  A minimum of three wheels are used on the mandrel that is inserted into the Flex Shaft.  Luckily they last a long time.

The wheels are used progressively from the coarsest (the white) to the finest (the green) to clean and polish the metal.

Another reason I like the 3-M wheels so much is that they don't hurt your fingers if you happen to hit them.  (Unlike the sandpaper wrapped around the split mandrel.)  I'm such a klutz.  

Must be a man

   Now I don't want anyone to think I'm sexist, because I don't believe I am.   Although I know there are some people who would beg to differ with that.  But, I finally got to try out my new jump ringer and flex-shaft.  They do work great.  I love them both.  But, there is one little quirk that is so illogical in the design.  After the wire is wrapped into a coil, the flex-shaft is used to cut them apart.  There is a nifty sleeve that fits over the flex-shaft cylinder (sorry if I'm not using the proper terminology; it is still new to me.)  The directions say to attach the blade to the flex-shaft and then slide the sleeve over the cylinder.  Now that isn't going to happen, because the blade is wider than the sleeve.  No biggy though as it is easy enough to put on after the sleeve is in place.

   The thing that was driving me nuts was the two screws on the sleeve that hold it in place on the cylinder.  One side of the sleeve has an opening that exposes the cutting blade.  This opening fits over a guide, that fits over the coil and has a narrow slit in it.  (Have I lost you yet?)  The narrow slit is used to line up the saw blade in the sleeve.  There is also a mark on the edge of the opening to help with that.  The trouble starts after the blade is lined up.  The screws are to be lightly tightened to hold the sleeve in place, with the blade in the proper position.   But, the darn screws are on the back of the sleeve and I don't know about you, but I can't screw something I can't see.  So I tried to hold the sleeve in the proper position, turn it over to screw it in place and of course the whole thing moves on me.  I'm not sure how many times I kept trying.   (Way too many.)  Finally I tried to line the blade up a little higher than the mark (since it always kept slipping down) and I was finally able to line it up right; so the blade was centered in the narrow slot.  Common sense tells me that if the screws were on the top where the hole was, the whole darn thing would have been a lot easier.  But, then again maybe I'm wrong.

   I could tell you many stories where some men in my life did not do the logical thing, but that is not what this blog is about.  But, I still think a man must have designed this thing.  A woman would have put the screws on the top.

It's Christmas!

   It's Christmas in March!!!!  

     The new Barbara Becker Simon book, "Metal Clay Beads" came today, (a whole month early.)  I only had time to skim through it but it looks like a good one. Unfortunately I am addicted to books.  I keep swearing that I am not going to buy anymore, but I bought two in the past week; a polymer clay book on millefiori techniques by Donna Kato and now this one.  (When will I stop?)

     My new flex-shaft and jump ring maker came today too!!  Wahoo!!!! What a way to help with the after vacation doldrums.  

      I got such a deal on the flex-shaft and jump ring maker.  (saved about $30 by buying both).  Contenti has a special going on right now that saves money if you buy them together.  For once I got lucky and didn't buy them earlier.  The flex shaft is a cheaper model, but Contenti swears it's a good one for the money.  Now I have to learn how to use both of these new tools.  (Darn, I have so many other things to do this month...... guess I'm going to be busy.)

   Oh, I just remembered.... I bought three books this past week.  My third book is "Making the most of your Flex-shaft" by Karen Christians.  Is there an AA for book addicts?