The joy and anguish of my life.
In all its grubby self.
To take my mind off it being in the same room as me I bought it some new friends.
The Optivisor…
I got a 2x and it’s brilliant.
I was a bit doubtful at first, but it really is cool. I have to take it off when I’m soldering because it bumps into the fume extractor, and once or twice I pulled it down over my cheapo target magnifying glasses and had a little vertigo moment, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
Warning!
Don’t buy one if you don’t want to see every single mistake and botch up you’ve made on your jewelry.
It will send you into a funk.
I’m too excited to get the funk right now, but I’m telling you, at any other time I might well have given up making jewelry forever – again.
I also got a pair of half round pliers.
A special little wax stick thing for picking up stones.
A different kind of ring clamp.
Only it wasn’t the different kind of ring clamp I wanted.
I wanted a different kind of different kind of ring clamp.
One that holds the ring on the inside.
I’ll be checking out where to get this little gem later.
I also got a few different sizes of bezel wire to play around with, and some chain.
So that was my excitement for the day.
Here’s the better photograph I told you I’d take of my latest piece.
All finished and up on Etsy.
And a little something else I’m interested in doing.
Remember those charms I made using some of my left over silver.
Well, the left over silver just won’t stop coming.
I’ve a whole bowl of it just hanging around waiting for something to do.
I knew I could send it back to Rio for their recycling programme, but I wanted to do something special with it and the charms seemed perfect, but I also thought the charms needed their own role in life.
I’m happy to say that they have finally found their purpose.
A little school in Kenya 🙂
So while I’ll continue to send the money I make from selling my jewelry to the larger charities, all I make from the charms will go to the Roko 20 Academy.
🙂
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Beautiful pendant, delightful charms, scary O2 tank (even if it’s trying to look all innocent with its Mickey Mouse ears.)
I spent quite a while over-working myself on a volunteer project and a few self-created projects. I got burned out and was finding myself wallowing deeply in my “recovery time”. But instead of viewing it as a well deserved rest I could feel myself turning into unmotivated, slightly self-pitying mush. Which is also why I chose to use the word wallowing in the previous sentence. But once again you’ve been an inspiration. I am happy to say your post and beautiful work have inspired me to get back into action. Off I go!
Thanks! And I hope your scary tank mellows out with his new friends. They look very nice.
I’m really good at wallowing 🙂
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thanks for another informative and entertaining post! i just bought a ‘little torch’ having been usung one of those little butane torches and actually getting pretty comfortable using it-i am afraid to get a mag. visor!my close up photography is scary enough! i do need a good vent system-what do you have?
I finally broke down and got this one
https://coldfeetstudio.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/its-alive-its-alive/
you can find it on Rio here –
http://www.riogrande.com/Product/HAKKO-Fume-Extraction-System-with-Duct-Kit/500102?Pos=8
Your new piece (and especially the [American] robin charm) are almost as lovely as those smiley Kenyan faces.
I love my optivisor…whenever I happen to use it. There are no numbers on it, so it doesn’t scare me. I hope the new ring holder will join yours soon.
Thanks Gale. I sold my first charm yesterday … I’m on a role lol
You are so precious! Jan P
Not really 😉