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Jan. 2nd, 2007 06:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
afmetalsmithIt was, again, good to get back into the studio. Especially since the alternative was the dreaded Housework!
I got a box of tools unpacked that had been languishing since before the holidays. Nothing too thrilling- more hand files, a round bracelet mandrel to give me the ability to make things larger than rings round, and yet another tiny hammer that i'd forgotten I'd ordered before blowing all of $3 each on 2 others. It needs a bit of work, of course, but is a much higher-quality item and so will be pretty fast to get into shape.
I did get my 2 tiny cheapie hammers dressed and ready for action yesterday.
I realized while I was doing it how much my attitude has changed toward such work. I used to really resent the time it would take to get tools ready to use; if I'd spend $X on it, I wanted it to arrive all set to go, not requiring an hour or 2 of work to make it usable! And I still see the point of that... but I also rather enjoy working on my tools, tweaking them to be exactly what I want and have a need for, etc. I like turning a rather coarse piece of mass production into a sensitive and responsive tool that will do exactly what I want.
I'm not at the point where I'm engraving my hammers or anything, but I do like making things work. It's so satisfying!
On the jewelry end, I'm working on a filigree front to a scent/aromatherapy locket. I got the back part made today, and did the filigree and finished the stone setting for the front. I'm hoping to get the front soldered tomorrow, and maybe even get the hinge done...
I also cut the wire lengths for my first argentium filigree project. I want to make at least one more iteration of my first snowflake (in the icon), and experiment with tack welding and/or fusing in its construction.
I got a box of tools unpacked that had been languishing since before the holidays. Nothing too thrilling- more hand files, a round bracelet mandrel to give me the ability to make things larger than rings round, and yet another tiny hammer that i'd forgotten I'd ordered before blowing all of $3 each on 2 others. It needs a bit of work, of course, but is a much higher-quality item and so will be pretty fast to get into shape.
I did get my 2 tiny cheapie hammers dressed and ready for action yesterday.
I realized while I was doing it how much my attitude has changed toward such work. I used to really resent the time it would take to get tools ready to use; if I'd spend $X on it, I wanted it to arrive all set to go, not requiring an hour or 2 of work to make it usable! And I still see the point of that... but I also rather enjoy working on my tools, tweaking them to be exactly what I want and have a need for, etc. I like turning a rather coarse piece of mass production into a sensitive and responsive tool that will do exactly what I want.
I'm not at the point where I'm engraving my hammers or anything, but I do like making things work. It's so satisfying!
On the jewelry end, I'm working on a filigree front to a scent/aromatherapy locket. I got the back part made today, and did the filigree and finished the stone setting for the front. I'm hoping to get the front soldered tomorrow, and maybe even get the hinge done...
I also cut the wire lengths for my first argentium filigree project. I want to make at least one more iteration of my first snowflake (in the icon), and experiment with tack welding and/or fusing in its construction.
