My disastrous second try at Bronze Clay

BRONZE CLAY

So…. My second session with BronzClay netted pretty disastrous results. Upon looking at what I fished out of the charcoal, my first thoughts were that everything disintegrated.

What happened, technically, however is much more interesting to me. Without knowing what HAPPENED, I don’t know what to change.

BTW, I am using Rio Grande’s ready to go (not powder) BronzClay.

I guess I’ll try the obvious first… was my holding temp too high? Since my kiln tends to run hot, I went with 1516 (close to Hadar’s 1520 suggestion if you see blistering) rather than the package recommended 1550. I was ramping at 365 per hour. I’ll lower that to 280 for starters.

The backs of my first pieces were definitely bumpy… like the sixth photo here. But then maybe this is what pieces look like if they don’t get high enough heat. Seems like everything could go either way. Ha ha ha!

Anyway, here is a pic of what’s left of experiment #2:


I had a thick piece in there as well as thinner pieces. It broke in half as soon as I lifted it from the charcoal and doesn’t resemble anything metallic.

SRAJD, BronzClay, Jewelry, Friends

SRAJD

Well, I just realized that tomorrow is a holiday for me and the kids and Monday is when I do my SRAJD stuff. I didn’t prepare for this ahead of time. Darn! Will have to do my portion of the processing on Tuesday and hope no one is really bent out of shape that we’re one day behind.


BRONZCLAY

Did another batch of bronze clay attempts. I say “attempts” because I didn’t feel overly confident with the process. The clay was crumbly. I don’t know why. I mean, it was leftover from two weeks ago, but it was wrapped tightly in saran wrap and put in the fridge. Shrug.

Anyway, I dried the pieces and put them in the kiln today. Will let you know the results tomorrow.

I really wanted to do something worthy of joining with the excellent enamel pieces I got from ArtBeads.

Maybe I’ll try silver this weekend.


JEWELRY

I did list some jewelry on eBay and I think I forgot to show you. The first three are on sale for $9.99 starting price. Click on any picture for more details.














QERAT

Thank you for bringing a smile to my face with your memories of Connie. And that is a beautiful chair! I also love the photos in your blog.


Alex… yep, I get the feeling Connie will be missed by many people who were very lucky to know her in one way or another.


ZOYA! Thanks for finding me. Now I can keep tabs on you too! :-)


IN OTHER NEWS…

Gabe’s new team had two games this weekend. They are now 0-3-0. The season may (okay, I know it will because I know what a couple of the other teams are made of) get harder but really… this team looks good. It also looks like a team that has had some really good coaching. Not sure where all the kids are from… it may be a mix.

Monica’s team from last season evidently had their year-end party today. We didn’t go because we didn’t know about it. Apparently the email list that was used didn’t include us so we never knew about the party. If I sound a bit bent out of shape about this, I am. Because of Mon spending time this past season in the hospital and then being on activity restriction for a couple months, it was REALLY hard for Monica to have even a modicum of bonding with her teammates. And now her teammates get to think she snubbed them and blew off the party. Sigh… I realize it was an innocent error, but wow… for a kid on the team to not know about their team’s season-end party. Yikes!

A Friend Passes...

I got an email today from the sister of one of my favorite customers. My friend had passed away. I knew her health was fragile, so it wasn't a shock, but that doesn't seem to make it any less sad for those of us who will miss her.

This morning, as I was walking to work, I was thinking about how I'd love to be the kind of person who inspires others. My friend was that kind of person.

Aside from being generous, down-to-earth, positive, and one of the nicest people I've ever met, she inspired me.

As I look through the pieces of jewelry she purchased from us over the years, I feel I can remember each time we had a conversation, each time we talked about our families or something we were working on (she also made jewelry).

By the way, one of the first purchases this friend made from us was a piece by Monica (who was 11 at the time). It was Mon's first online sale. Looking back at that bracelet… wow… such vivid memories. I remember when Monica was stringing the bracelet and was rushing from the living room to the computer room to show me her design… and how she somehow let go of the wrong end and all the beads fell to the floor. We managed to find them all and she put it back together. And she was SOOO excited when the bracelet sold on eBay. Then the customer asked if we could make a pair of earrings to match the bracelet, and so Monica then had her first commissioned piece. Talk about nerves. Ha! I think she went through about three different variations before deciding on a design. She made the earrings and sent them and was paid too handsomely for them. But this encouragement inspired Monica to continue making jewelry.

This wonderful person also bought jewelry that featured many of my very first (and very pathetic) lampwork beads. Instead of feeling like a kindergartener among creative geniuses, I was made to feel like a worthy artist.

I owe a lot of my creative inspiration to this fantastic woman. I am a better person for having known her.

CS… thank you!

"The record of a generous life runs like a vine around the memory of our dead, and every sweet unselfish act is now a perfumed flower." — Robert G. Ingersoll

Walking, ArtFire, Copper Sale, Books, Metal Clay

WALKING

I was feeling kind of good about all the walking I'm doing these days (about 90 mins per day on the weekdays, maybe 30-60 mins on the weekends)… but then the kids and I were talking about exercise and Gabe informed me that (other than standing) walking is the lowest form of exercise. Hmph! I don't think he meant it quite the way I took it, but geez…

Since my initial 10 pound loss, there haven't been any more pounds missing, but I think my legs are maybe a tad (a very small tad) thinner due to the walking. I actually feel muscles in there these days.


ARTFIRE

I offered my services to the ArtFire admin to assist them with the gemstone category. They acknowledged my email, but I've heard nothing since. There are a lot of items being sold in their supplies category that do not meet FTC regulations.

Truthfully, I wish places like ArtFire and Etsy had NO COMMERCIAL SUPPLIES available anywhere on their websites. Handmade only… what a nice concept.

If someone could come up with financial backing and/or some technical resources (I don't know how to set-up/program a huge selling site), I'd quit my day job and head up such a pipe dream. And I rather miss the auction option… sometimes those are still fun… but not everyone wants to sell on eBay anymore.


QUOTE

I wish this were on every hockey coach's door:

Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me - and I may not forget you
-- William Arthur Ward --


COPPER SALE

ArtBeads is having a 48 hour sale (sorry, I got the email yesterday).


BOOKS

I'm taking stock (again) of my beading and jewelry books. I don't know for sure what I have and I hate buying repeats.


COMMENTS

Thanks Alex. :-)



METAL CLAY

I'm ready (mentally) for another round of metal clay experiments. I picked up some liver of sulfur yesterday, along with some brass rolo chain. At the checkout, though, I actually made two hefty impulse purchases. They had a whole STRAND of Tom Boylan beads. And all their lampwork is currently 40% off. Thank goodness I've been to enough bead shows to know a great price on a TB bead when I see one. I wish I could have gotten more, but I don't want to be greedy. I also picked up a bead from an artist I don't know… I mean, THEY didn't know either. If I take a pic, maybe someone can identify the maker for me. My only guess is Kristan Child.

Anyway, I have some bisque beads on the way and today I just ordered some cork clay. There's no need for me to wait for those, however, since there's still plenty to do and learn and try before they ever get here.

Mostly I want to relocate the kiln and replace the kitty stink fiberglass blanket bit with non-kitty stink fiberglass blanket bit.


NEW LISTINGS

Dang it! I ran out of time. I'll have to show you the new listings tomorrow.

TTYL!

Bear Sleep Gifts Logo Friends Movies Strangers

BEAR

I wonder if Bear knows it’s Saturday, and I’m not really going to work when I leave the apartment today, but instead I’m sneaking off without him.

I’m going to a friend’s house to help her pack for a move and I don’t think it would be good for him to tag along, but I feel like I’m cheating on him.

It’s like when I come home in the evening. Once I’m there, I’m his… I have to take him with me if I go anywhere from that point on until the next morning.

Summer might be rough. Right now, he CAN go most places with me because it’s not so hot he can’t stay in the car while I’m running my errands.



SLEEP

And what am I doing up after having had only five hours of sleep?! I guess I’ll either go to bed really early tonight or I’ll have a… a… a nap? Moi!?!?



GIFTS

Have you ever given someone a gift but you don’t want to be there when they open it ‘cause you’re kind of embarrassed by it? Sigh… I have one of those. About to give a classy lady something very hokey. I hope she’s one of those “It’s the thought that counts” kind of people. Heh.



LOGO

Read an(other) interesting book on color. Decided to finally take the plunge and design one logo for our company and try to stick with it. Will definitely have to contemplate the color scheme some more, though.


FRIENDS

Got to see a lot of my friends today… a LOT. From both the hockey world and the beading world.

There were sad undertones to lunch, but that’s mostly because I’m going to miss my friend who’s moving. Tomorrow is her birthday. Happy Birthday!

Then I went over to Logitech, watched a bit of the championship games, and had a few chats with friends. It’s nice seeing people I haven’t seen in months. And I got to hear about an incredible last-three-minutes come-back by the Oakland Bears Midget team. Great going, boys!


MOVIES

I’m watching Seven Up. This kind of documentary fascinates me.


STRANGERS

Yesterday, at different points in the day, four complete strangers engaged me in very lovely conversation. I was surprised, but it was pleasant. I wonder if the stars were aligned for this kind of thing. It certainly SEEMED out of the ordinary.