Setting tiny stones

[afmetalsmith]

I swear, this stuff leads to blindness.

Or maybe not; my penchant for reading in dim light may have an impact. :P

Anyway! Today I set a bunch of stones in my first hardened argentium confetti ring. I was hoping to get them all set, but my eyes got really tired, so there's still 2 left to go.

In penance for that FAIL, I processed several photos and actually posted 2 new rings on my site. These are the final 2 in my "engagement etc." ring series of prototypes.

Meanwhile, J has spent inordinate amounts of time trying to get a good picture of Confetti Ring 2, and it's been thwarting him. Neither of us can remember how he got such a brilliant shot of CR1, and so far he hasn't had much luck in replicating it. Woez! because that brilliant shot of CR1 really showed it off accurately, and I want to be able to do that with subsequent ones. Seen in person, they are sparkly and brilliant and colorful- and I really want the pictures to capture at least some of that!

The cold weather we've been having is making me want to resume enameling. Maybe this week....

Comments

[fub.livejournal.com]

I guess it's a good idea to keep a logbook of what J did to produce a certain photo -- and/or make a photo of the setup. That way, you can reproduce your results!

[afmetalsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes. That would be sensible, and efficient, and we even try to do it. And yet- most of the time, it seems, we have not kept records when they would be most useful. Sigh.

[smithing-chick.livejournal.com]

Do you use a magnifying glass or specs at all? I'm told they can help. (I, on the other hand, am insanely near-sighted so I end up not using the magnifier. But I'm also blind without glasses)

Question for you- how much do you charge for private lessons? One of my coworkers told me tonight he'd be willing to pay me to teach him how to solder properly but I have no idea what to charge or how to even begin a price structure for such things.

[afmetalsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. My default is an optivisor #5 (I think), and I use a #7 for stone-setting. I didn't use to, at all- and I don't know if my eyes have gotten worse, or if I've just become more sensible. I suspect some of each. :)

For private lessons- a lot depends on what they're looking to do and/or learn, and what facilities they need. Meaning- for some people a lesson largely means they use my facilities but don't need a lot of hands-on (though I make a point of checking in pretty often), plus are good company- so I can get some stuff done myself, usually, so I charge less. Now, if they need a lot of hands-on, and materials/equipment, etc.- that's more. I'd be happy to discuss it with more details, if you want to share more info- but I think it would better be done in email. :)

[gandryyne.livejournal.com]

Did he bounce the flash off of something perhaps? I know I had trouble getting good pics of it when I posted about it. I'm still in love with my confetti ring. :)