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Post by radio on Feb 14, 2016 11:06:19 GMT -5
Arlen, would your epoxy process work on bots ? Absolutely! I use Devcon plastic steel for backing on everything from Turquoise to the Ammonites. The only reason I didn't back the Bot above was simply due to the hardness of it. I felt confident it wouldn't break, but in hindsight, it would have helped tremendously just to level the back on it. I did the old Navajo trick of using very fine, wet sawdust in the bezel cup to level it and raise it to the best height for rolling the bezel over the edges
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 20:00:03 GMT -5
Next thing you know, we will all have to return any materials collected or face possible fines. Just maybe the Bundy's and Finicum were onto something after all
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 19:31:54 GMT -5
Finished setting the Bot this afternoon. Even though I ground the back somewhat flat and worked the top edges over for a bezel set, this piece gave me some headaches . The Bots are just so wavy and uneven, getting the bezel to lay uniformly around the stone in an eye pleasing manner is tough! This will be going out to James early next week even though he has griped at me and muttered something about "Not a fair trade"
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 18:48:48 GMT -5
Once again, sorry for the crappy cell phone pics., I really need to take a decent camera to the shop and make a light box It came out pretty good, although the unevenness of the Bot made setting a real challenge. If I had it to do over, I would back the Bot with plastic steel to level it, then cab the bevel around it so it would be a uniform height and make bezel setting a lot easier.
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 18:28:52 GMT -5
Finished it this afternoon. Pics in your e mail Sir I'll see if I can get photo bucket to cooperate and post a pic or two
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 14:08:02 GMT -5
If walking up on that bunch... final prayers Sirs ?? Now damn it, you shoulda. That's mantle material. Anybody make some good change ? Very low budget, so locals only got credits. Not sure if it's even completed yet. Almost got the mount done for the bodacious Bot. Ice and sleet forecast for tomorrow and Monday. Taking a couple days off Wed and Thursday, so won't get it done before next weekend
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 13:06:44 GMT -5
Classic (art) That was a scene from the Baldknobbers movie shot here last fall. Eddy had a big part in it and my wife was an extra. I wasn't about to get in front of the camera!
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 9:56:02 GMT -5
Cool stuff! I have seen some gorgeous cabs made from Colla wood!
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 9:13:00 GMT -5
LOL. Lots of artists have not become 'Artist'. The only difference is the price. Maybe if you holster up and attend the art studio tours. Tux and chest holster ? Pants and pink waist belt with two 6 shooters ? LOL! i do have an old west getup I wear when tourist season is in full swing. I have a really old double barrel 12 gauge and a Colt Navy replica in .44 hanging on the wall at the shop. My friend Eddy Wood, alias Rattlesnake Eddy dresses up in full Doc Holiday Garb every day. Check out his Facebook page here www.facebook.com/ashkea1920/The belt he is holding that has "Sho Me Silver" was made for me and I wear it every day as a walking self advertisement . Just a little play on Missouri's nickname of the Sho Me State
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 9:02:55 GMT -5
Hells Bells rockpickerforever . You go to the beach to check out the studly dudes. Ha, my Florida camp is inland 40 miles. ZERO traffic and few humans, oh yea. I never go to the beach. It is always a zoo. They can have it. Now Daytona beach is 50 miles. Too much trouble to get in over there. Especially during bike week in March. It is bike week every week there during warm weather though. Lots of beach adornments too. me too old for that stuff. Never thought about you guys having the snow crowd visit. Maybe you should attend fantasy fest sometime I sure hope we get some of those snowbirds migrating through Branson this weekend! January and February are pretty lean, so one has to have a bit of cushion in the old bank account to get you through. But, like the Swallows to Capistrano, the tourist will return to Branson
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 8:45:41 GMT -5
Very cool piece! sure would be neat to that polished up!
If I lived down that way I would probably build a crude shelter and camp and collect for a month or so at a time!
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Post by radio on Feb 13, 2016 8:42:21 GMT -5
It would help a lot if I had a very fine grit thin kerf steady saw blade to cut these before tumbling. Tile blades shatter the bots. That way the edges would be straighter to ease setting and thicker so that the backs could be ground flat. Or perhaps edge ground to ovals/circles before tumbling. And also would be best to grind the back flat after sawing/shaping before tumbling. Tumbling time in coarse grit is only 2-3 weeks. Pieces should be monitored closely during coarse shaping. As sent to Arlen, it does not lay flat. He ground it flat : Unlike this one, many are 3/8 to 5/8 inch thick. In that case the back should be saw off them or ground. A good vise on a good jeweler's saw would greatly expedite processing this stuff for setting. A few might look good as ovals or circles, but by far the most appealing to me is the free form shape. As you can see comparing this original pic, I reshaped the Bot very little, but it was so concave and uneven that the back and upward turned edges took a fair amount of grinding. The real challenge was polishing the edges where I ground on them. My diamond wheels are 8 inch and presented little problem, but my final polish is a canvas pad on a spin on disc, so the flat pad presented a problem polishing the inward curved part of the cab. I have no firm idea what this one would sell for when completed, but I would put it in in the $250-$300 range. My initials are on the backing, so If I ever become an "Artist", and work in a "Studio" the value could go up dramatically
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 21:51:26 GMT -5
Not sure how this fits in this conversation, but... I have a goal of having 4-5-6 small tiny businesses all making 10-15k per year. What you have/describe seems to follow a similar path. Reptiles Scott, reptiles
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 20:42:50 GMT -5
radio my stuff was much cheaper but i still resented hanging it from a crappy chain. Don't send that thing my way. You sell it. Those bots were not worth that kind of money. They are littered around on a gravel bar or broken off of hollow geodes in fair quantity. I would have a guilt complex on such a trade. Nope, that one is not for sale Guess you'll just have to send me more Bots if you have a guilt complex about accepting it
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 20:31:42 GMT -5
Rio's quality sucks on many items, including most sterling chains. I buy a pretty good amount of chains every year and have found that because a chain is marked "Italy" it is often not made in Italy! The Chinese easily mark their chains this way and small dealers, hobbyists and consumers are deceived thinking they are getting a quality chain. The Italians are the best chain makers in the world surpassing even most American companies in that field. A true Italian made chain is incredibly supple and doesn't kink, bind or scratch the wearer. I keep a couple of Chinese made chains on hand just to demonstrate the difference to customers and show what they are getting at Wal mart. That answered a lot of questions I have had Arlen. Just the fact that they falsely label makes you despise them. Appreciate the chain education. The chain about has to be purchased. Cheap chain on fine handmade piece is awkward in all respects. I was happy when a shop owner asked me to hang from leather since my style was harmonious with it. Even the leather was hard to decide it's origin. I suppose they mark it kangaroo when they have no kangaroos. Greek leather is highly rated. But is that what you are buying ?? I don't use any leather except on Bolo pieces, and I rarely do those except by custom order. I do have one in que that I also have to fabricate sterling and 14K Gold arrowhead tips for. Most of my pendants start at $100+ and I have several in the $500-$600 range, so only the best chains are used
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 20:16:31 GMT -5
If only you could form the metal over the irregular backside in the softest state and stick it the refrigerator to harden it. I got headaches trying to figure a way to set those bots. That's why I sent them to you Arlen. I feel free now. LOL! Bezel setting stones does take a bit of patience and a lot of practice. I took those three in the pic to the 8 inch Cab King and ground away a lot of the uneven material on the back side, then held them against the 200 grit flat lap on the end of the shaft to level them even further. I also worked over the edges to make a somewhat uniform bevel around them so the bezel would lay neatly and evenly. On some of the really uneven ones, I will grind the back a bit, use plastic steel to level them and then bevel the edges. Those Bots are H A R D!
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 19:38:09 GMT -5
Rio's quality sucks on many items, including most sterling chains. I buy a pretty good amount of chains every year and have found that because a chain is marked "Italy" it is often not made in Italy! The Chinese easily mark their chains this way and small dealers, hobbyists and consumers are deceived thinking they are getting a quality chain. The Italians are the best chain makers in the world surpassing even most American companies in that field. A true Italian made chain is incredibly supple and doesn't kink, bind or scratch the wearer. I keep a couple of Chinese made chains on hand just to demonstrate the difference to customers and show what they are getting at Wal mart.
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 17:31:20 GMT -5
Chuck, it would have to be a one or two photo listing with a repetitive description. A mass production process in itself. Totally agree with you. And done thru Etsy type hosting platform where shipping labels could be mass produced. Perhaps a girl Friday or two to help. Anyone fortunate to make that many sales could hire a staff. I think that level of sales is a pipe dream, but it does happen. 218,000 sales, this guy must have a whole factory full of people. He manufactures most/all of his products. His stuff is top notch. www.etsy.com/shop/UnkamenSupplies?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count Everything I saw on there is manufactured in China I suspect. Any of you familiar with Alibaba.com? Thousands and thousands of items made in China available at incredibly cheap prices, but buyer beware! Some sellers have decent quality merchandise, but others are pure junk! The wife and I buy some packaging and supplies on there and have had both good and bad experiences.
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 17:02:16 GMT -5
I like the first one- less to compete with the stone. Had a busy day at the shop, so didn't make much progress on the Bot. I did get the bezel made and the back cut from 22 ga sterling and soldered the two together. Maybe tomorrow I can get the wire and beads soldered on the piece along with the bail. I did choose the design in the first pic
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Post by radio on Feb 12, 2016 9:49:34 GMT -5
Thank you! (blushes, says Aww, shucks, hangs head and kicks at can :-) Maybe in another 10 years or so I will graduate to working in a "studio" instead of a "shop" Nah! On second thought, I'll never get that full of myself! Nothing says a large gun toting avid deer hunter can not be a kick butt jeweler. Large guys can take the recoil of large calibers When my old 7 mm Remington Mag goes off, something in front of it is gonna drop, and usually in it's tracks! Took my first ever deer with a .50 caliber muzzle loader last December. I've had an El Cheapo ML for a few years, but it is so pathetically inaccurate I only hunted with it one time, then set it aside. A guy on a hunting forum I frequent was selling his Knight MK85, so I grabbed it. It is listed as one of the top ten modern muzzle loaders ever made and is as accurate as a good centerfire rifle. As I write this, a very accomplished leather guy is making me a kick @## possibles bag to carry the needed reloading stuff. We are bartering the bag for a Sugilite pendant for his wife. He is very well known and his bags go for $250 to $500. I'll post a pic when he gets it done as I will be very proud of it!
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