by Laurie Jane Kern on June 30, 2009
Before we move to the topic, first another update on the arm.
It has now been 3+ weeks since the surgery and PT is progressing well. I am still having stretching done and my range of motion is wayyy better. I am now using a counter weight, that I pull down with my ‘other’ arm, to raise (not lift as that would require using the shoulder muscles) the arm. When doing this I can get my right hand over my head! As for the overall range of motion, I can lift my hand, using my shoulder muscles, to pull up my pants! [Hey after three weeks of not being able to do this, it is a big accomplishment!] I can also get my hand just slightly behind my back, at hip level. In another week I will [hopefully] start some weight training to get the strength back.
AND NOW, The Topic…Using a Large (I mean BIG) Zip Lock Bag for a dust hood
When using a ring coil cutter, it is suggested that you cut the coils in a hood of some type, to collect the silver dust and to keep the dust from flying everywhere - including into your lungs.
In lieu of a hood, I use a rather large zip lock bag. It is big enough that I can get the cutting jig, dremel tool with blade and both my hands in it quite easily. After several uses I then use warm soapy (gee I wonder where the soap comes from.. see prior post about soap as a lubricant) water to rinse all the dust down to the bottom. Then I roll back the opening and let the bag dry out so I can reclaim the dust.
That’s it - simple, easy and very inexpensive.
by Laurie Jane Kern on June 23, 2009
This post, and the posts yet to come are what I have converted as a result of making jump rings en-mass.
But before that, a quick update on the shoulder. Ouch!, the PT is now in the third week and with each session I can raise and move my arm more BUT boy does it hurt. I am also very tired so not much silver work yet. I can solder about 3 jump rings and then I have to stop.
And now for the rest of this post….
Using Liquid Soap as a lubricant:
I use the pump of the container to dispensing a thin line of the soap in the groove where the blade meets the coil. All coil cutters need a lubricant as this prevents the saw from binding with the coil and to also dissapate the heat generated during the cutting.
Why do you think you use bee’s wax when using a hand saw. But when using a hand saw, you want the lube to stick to the saw blade and not drip.
When using a coil cutter, the dripping is not as much of an issue. Be warned that the soap will foam a bit which is result of the spinning blade also introducing some air into the mix BUT the soap does trap the silver dust and helps to keep it from flying everywhere as well. Afterwards the soap washes away easily so clean up is faster.
I also use the soap for drawing chains, especially the loop-in-loop and Viking knit, through a sizing draw plate. I use a delrin plate, again from Dave Arnes but this would work in the hard wood draw plate as well. I have not tried this (yet) for pulling wire.
Personally In either case, I like the cucumber fragrance as it is not over powering as some of the florals.
by Laurie Jane Kern on June 17, 2009
Since there is a long discussion going on about bench tips, I thought I would add to the mix with what I have done, since I am a newbie.
I think the engineer in me is finding another outlet - converting household items for use as tools and equipment when I find I don’t have said item. In many of these instances I either need it NOW or I am uncertain about if I will need it long term and don’t want to spend that much money yet.
For example I needed a coil winding mandrel that was about 4.25 mm so the aspect ratio for a chain would be spot on. Some books suggest wrapping paper around a 4 mm mandrel until you get close. My husband suggested I use the end of a drill bit as this was closer to the correct diameter but the coils would be short and I would have to make quite a few of them. I then decided to raid my knitting needle stash! In my prior post “Working on the Chain Gang” I mentioned this briefly.
Here is how I converted a knintting needle to a coil winding mandrel I took the bamboo double pointed needle, cut one point off and then used my saw to cut a groove in the flat end big enough to grab the wire so I could coil wind on it. So far I have supplemented the mandrels that come with the Koil Cutter with about 4 different sizes and oh, by the way dpn’s (double pointed needles) usaully come 5 to the set. You can usually pick these up at your local knitting store (support another small business) or at a large box craft store (these shall remain nameless).
What else I have found to be useful from household items?
Read my next post…soon
by Laurie Jane Kern on June 12, 2009
I have made some great progress documenting my work, during this down time.
I completed taking pictures and printing 2 copies of each.
One will be for a photo album I can show people. The second is for a worksheet I have designed, so I can write up the “making” process. This is more for many of the chains I am making - necklaces, bracelets, earrings, but also for the pendants in case someone wants a similar item.
I have been keeping notes in a design book, but on this worksheet I am writing it all down in one place: the gauge of the silver wire or sheet; the size of the mandrel if I have wound coils; tracings of the stones I used for the sketches. I also write down the weight of the finished piece, before I set the stone, if there is one; and of course the time it takes to make it and lastly, the cost of the stone if there is one! All of this helps in pricing a finished piece.
For the photo album, I have found a nice black glossy album, that has 2 slots per side of the page. I can use the top slot for the photo of the piece. The bottom slot will hold a card with the Name/Description of the piece. If the item is a chain, I will also list if it can be a necklace, bracelet and/or earrrings. If the piece has a stone, I list the stone type and some minor information about that type of stone.
I also bought a second album, so when I sell a one-off piece I can move the picture, from the main album, over to this one. I can then mark it as a “private” piece. I have all ready put in this album, all of the pieces I have made for my self and those I have given to Janda The Fair Maiden of Tran and Elisa of Scotland. ;=))
Speaking of My work, here is a piece I finished a few weeks ago and never posted.
This is a quartz cab with tourmaline needle inclusions, I made a stepped bezel to keep the back open thus letting the light in. I also traced the stone and mirrored it in the bale.
by Laurie Jane Kern on June 10, 2009
…. well almost
It has been two weeks since my shoulder surgery. I only had minor tear in the rotator cuff but a rather large bone spur which the doc removed. The bone really hurts. I can’t do any soldering at the moment, since lifting my arm is rather painful.
My brain is buzzing with ideas but my arm just won’t cooperate.
So what’s a girl to do?
…..Sit in a chair and document all the work I have done over the past few months!
Right before the surgery, I did anticipate this and I took lots of pictures. These are now taped to a worksheet
where I can write out instructions for making the piece in question. Surgery was done on my right arm but I am left handed!
I am writing out gauges, inches and weight of silver used, and the steps to make the item AND in some cases, when I wrote it down, how long it took to make the items.
I start physical therapy this week so it will be back to the saw and torch soon!
