Lots of Toys

We all do it.  We get excited by all the "toys" AKA tools out there.  And of course we think we have to have them all (which we often find out later is not really the case.)

A good example of this is the "measuring sticks" for rolling out the clay.  All people who work with metal clay know that the clay is rolled out between two level surfaces to create the desired thickness.  This results in a slab of clay that is even the whole way across it's surface.  (This is a technique that comes from the ceramic world, although a slab roller works so much better than two sticks.)  In metal clay the depth of the clay is referred to as so many cards thick.  Three cards thick is a typical thickness for earrings and pendants.  Rings and bracelets are usually thicker, around six cards thick.   One can buy many different sets of "measuring sticks" (and I have.)  But for me nothing beats taking the actual cards, gluing them together with a glue stick (make sure the number on the top reflects the thickness of the stack) and cutting them in half.  Cheap and effective.

I do have many tools that are very useful and I couldn't live without them, like my flex-shaft.  (My tumbler hasn't seen the light of day since I started relying on the flex-shaft. )

But my usual method is to buy the tool and wait months (maybe even years) before I try it.  That's exactly what I did with the flex-shaft, even though I had a great book to use as reference.  I know there are still many things yet that I haven't learned about the flex-shaft. (Give me time!)

Yesterday I finally got around to using another "I just have to have this" tool.  That would be my drill press.  I was trying to line up two pieces of metal clay and drill them (in the exact same place) so I could sandwich them with rivets.  It didn't happen.  My sense of direction in the world and on the golf course is bad.  It's no better when it comes to drilling.  Keep the drill straight?  Yeah, right.  Needless to say that piece did not work out.  Hence the need for the drill press.

Since this takes me into a whole other story I'm going to stop talking and save that one for tomorrow night's post.

Stay tuned!

New Toys

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was going to recycle some of my silver by sending it into Rio Grande to be reclaimed. If a credit is taken, 75% of it's value is given.  If cash is what you want, 65% of the value is given.

Rio was very quick with getting back to me and within a few days I had my credit.  I used my weight watchers scale to weigh my stash but the weight wasn't right.  It weighed everything in at 16 oz. +.   The actual weight was closer to 11 oz.  (Does this mean I can eat more since my scale is weighing heavy?  Guess I'd better check first.)  Since they wanted troy ounces, I used the converter on my computer which was accurate.  It was just my initial weight that was wrong.  I received $339 dollars credit.

Money burns a hole in my pocket so I used my credit about a week or so later.  There were a few tools I wanted (and if I need supplies I buy them.  Tools would be put off so I opted to buy mostly tools with my money.)

My order came today; some bezel wire, one package of metal clay, a magnetic tumbler and a small drill press.  Just like Christmas and I had a little credit left over.

Both the tumbler and the drill press are made in China.  (As a kid I remember that was a good thing.  These days I'm not so sure.)  The tumbler had no directions of any kind and the drill press might as well not have had any directions.  They were so poorly written by someone who had a limited understanding of English. (Thank goodness for the pictures!)

The drill press came wrapped up with lots of grease to keep it from rusting, (I presume.)  As I was unwrapping it the grease and oil were literally dripping off it.  I went through quite a few paper towels and was very careful not to get it on my clothes.

I rearranged the room to accommodate my new toys.  Just as I was getting ready to do something else, I thought I'd better test both of them out to make sure they worked; first the drill press, then the tumbler.  Great!  They both worked.

As I was getting ready to leave for the day, I noticed some strange orange stuff on the walls around the drill press.  Yikes, it was more grease.  Guess it was in the drill chuck and during the whirring of the drill it flung the grease everywhere.

My shirt is now soaking with stain remover covering five different grease spots on the front and sides of my shirt.  So much for being careful!