|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 27, 2010 22:47:17 GMT -5
Has anybody posted a ring tutorial here? Seems like I remember there being one, but darned if I can find it!
Thanks,
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 26, 2010 16:15:45 GMT -5
Man, that's some fine work, especially considering how you accomplished it! I never would have guessed to melt silver wires! Very imaginative of you.
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 26, 2010 10:21:59 GMT -5
I wonder if Tom has used an old trick we always used for our new puppies - we would wind up one of the old "Big Ben" alarm clocks that ticked fairly loud, wrap it in an old rag or towel, and put it in the doggie bed with the puppy. The theory was that the ticking of the clock felt like the puppy's Mommy's heartbeat, and the puppy would almost always go right to sleep!
Anyway, I'm glad Toby found a great home to stay in!
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 26, 2010 10:13:01 GMT -5
Ab, that is a beatiful piece! Lovely silver work - I'm guessing you did it with PMC, and shows that you have a real talent for fine design and craftsmanship. Good one.
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 25, 2010 23:25:20 GMT -5
Quite a nice haul, Fran! I think I see 4 or 5 nice turitella chunks in the 4th picture - I'll be looking for pics of the slabs - it should make really fabulous slabs and cabs.
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 25, 2010 23:17:39 GMT -5
Those are all nice, but my faves are the 2nd pic and the next-to-last pic. I have a slab that looks like the sister of that next-to-last one. I'll wait for you to put a name to it, because I forgot some time back!
You know, they told me that as I got older, I'd start losing several functions. One of the first to go is the memory, and then ...... I forget!
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 25, 2010 23:14:08 GMT -5
Wow! Beautiful stone, excellent wrap! I'm really loving how you did the top swirls - very nice!
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 25, 2010 23:09:52 GMT -5
Gosh, Adrian - to me, they look like fresh, highly polished wood, rather than petrified wood! What a great job of craftsmanship on those!
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 25, 2010 23:06:39 GMT -5
Yorgos, sorry for the language mixup - I'm from Texas - perhaps you've heard tales of we Texans and our strange ways and sloppy accents. You guessed right - "purty" is Texan for "pretty". For your info, here are a couple more Texanisms:
"Fixinta" - pronounced "fix-in-ta" - Texan for "I'm about to" (do something)
"Woncha" - Texan for "Won't you"
"Hidy Yall!" Texan for "Hello, how are you?"
Regards,
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 24, 2010 22:43:31 GMT -5
Jo, those are all beautiful pieces. I like the use of the Anraku bails instead of wrapping or smithing - it leaves the stone to stand on its own, and those are some beautiful stones!
Tom
PS - I assume the bails are glued on - do you use some flavor of epoxy, or something different?
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 24, 2010 18:27:33 GMT -5
In the master list of things in this world that are way too cute, the golden retriever puppy is right up there with calves and kittens! From the looks of Tom's place, Toby has pretty much landed in retriever heaven!
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 23, 2010 18:38:08 GMT -5
Since this is the first chance I've had to get the new saw dirty, I thought I'd cut a few preforms. I also thought it would be fun to show the pieces from start to finish. Of course, they ain't finished yet, but I'm halfway there and wanted to do this before I forgot about it. I'll show first the slab, then the preforms and leftovers from it. In a couple cases, I didn't take the slab pics first. Oh, well. First some rosetta lace: the slab and the preforms and leftovers from it (lousy pics!) Imperial jasper: (more lousy pics - one came out pink, the other green. The slab was more green than pink.) I also managed to get some amethyst cuts mixed in with the imperial. Lapis Green IdontKnowite: Lizardite (from Jo) Moonstone from Jo Mariposite Rhodonite (slabbed it on the new saw, also!) Serpentine (from Jo, I think) Tigereye This slab was labelled "sagenite", but I don't have a "before" pic: I probably missed a half-dozen preforms, but you get the general idea .... that is, I LOVE MY NEW SAW! ;D These preforms are all "raw" - I still need to dop them and finish shaping them. Some will then go into the tumbler or vibe, and the softer ones will then get introduced to the expando belts. Thanks for looking! Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 23, 2010 18:09:38 GMT -5
Ken, I think you've got the process of making knives just about figured out. Dang, those are pretty! Oh, maybe "pretty" isn't fitting for a knife - how about "HANDSOME!" Tom
|
|
|
Bugsy
Mar 23, 2010 18:07:20 GMT -5
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 23, 2010 18:07:20 GMT -5
Wow, Nancy! It just gets better and better! What artistry and ingenuity you show in the first piece! It's a lovely tribute to what was obviously a very treasured pet.
And the second - modern art at its finest!
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 23, 2010 11:48:55 GMT -5
Well, Yorgos, it's obvious to me that you'll never have much success with getting a shine on stones unless you get your shop to looking more like a pig sty! It's WAY too clean and purty to have a lapidary activity!! ;D ;D ;D No, really, that is one really neat work area - looks like you must be pretty fastidious. That goes well with tumbling stones - you will no doubt be as fastidious with the grits and slurries and cleaning the barrels properly, etc., resulting in more very nice batches like this one. Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 22, 2010 10:29:20 GMT -5
Dad gum, I missed it too! I'm having to make do with a little butane "micro torch" that just barely gets hot enough to make paste solder flow. It's really slow. This kind of torch would really help. Oh, Well! Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 21, 2010 22:35:22 GMT -5
You found some neat stuff, too, Mel. I handled some of that black and white palm, and considered buying it, but had already busted my budget, so I had to put it back.
Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 21, 2010 10:39:37 GMT -5
Fran, that first green one - it feels very waxy - totally unlike anything else I have. Is that waxiness a symptom of chrysoprase or varisite? It is quite different from the last green one (chrysocolla). I didn't think it was chrysocolla, but that was the only name my feeble brain could come up with! Tom PS - in fact, it feel just like some lapis slices I have .... but I thought lapis was always blue .... ?
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 20, 2010 18:51:32 GMT -5
Spent some time today at the San Antonio Gem & Mineral show. I finally got to meet and talk with John of "jsgems" fame. What a nice guy! Lots and lots of beads and jewelry, not much of it wire-wrapped, took the majority of the space. Several displays of various mineral specimens - the huge cathedral amethysts, etc. Not much in the way of slabs or rough, though. The first thing I noticed as I wandered around was that, compared to the same show last year, a lot of prices for rocks, both rough and slabs, have gone WAY up - in most cases at least double or triple what it was last year. Then I found some spheres. Last year, I bought a 4" pretty orange and white sphere for $18. This years price was $140. (!!!!) I was thinking of getting some middle-sized spheres to cut up into circular cabs, but not at those prices! However, I managed to score some pretty nice slabs while there, plus I won a silent auction for an 8X3" expando wheel. Here is the total haul: Some up-close-and-personals Couple really nice pieces of tigereye, and what I think is some sweet chrysocolla (SOMEBODY please correct me if I'm wrong!) that feels waxy: Chrys up close: A couple of slabs of pretty nice dino: I'm guessing this is chrysocolla. (??) A large square black jade: And a HUGE slice of rhodonite, in which I can see a number of pendant/earring sets: And the 8X3 expando that I won in the silent auction for $30, used but in great condition: Had a great time, drooled a lot, got really tired. A good day. Thanks for looking, Tom
|
|
|
Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 20, 2010 18:03:41 GMT -5
I went to the local Gem & Mineral show today - forgot to take the camera (yep, getting too darn old!), but I did score some really nice slabs, and I got to meet and talk with "jsgems" John. That was a real treat for me - he's such a nice guy, and very helpful!
All in all, a good day!
Tom
|
|