Studio clean up, day 3. Floor scrubbed (yes, it looks almost white again), rust removed, moving on to hammer polishing. Then, the supplies closet, photography stuff and books. Finally, I need to sort stones. Yikes;
Wow Beatriz...that is serious studio clean-up. I was happy to have cleaned the bathroom portion of my studio...scrubbed the toilet and mopped the floor. Not sure I would go as far as hammer polishing and stone sorting, lol. I don't want to disrupt the studio gremlins too much. :-)
Managed to get some bezels cut and shaped...and finished up two necklaces last night. I posted a couple of photos on IG.
I was getting seriously annoyed at my stuff. Several tools had rust spots and some hammers are in serious need for attention. I hate it when I pick up a tool and it isn't in good condition but I couldn't find time during the Christmas rush. So, now it is!
I also want to order a couple of shallow drawer units, for tools. The one I like is obviously no longer available. *sigh*
Thanks all for the welcome back. It's been a hard month. Lost several loved ones right before Christmas. Looking forward to a new beginning in 2018.
Studio clean-up...I started but need to finish. I have a harbor freight bench that I need to get my rolling mill and drill press bolted to. I sorted some of my stones but need to finish and I really need to get rid of stuff I'm not using.
So what is the advantage of a magnetic tumbler or a vibratory tumbler? I have a Lortone tumbler, but want to upgrade. Advice?
I have both Gayle and I really like the magnetic tumbler for removing the porosity from metal clay. I usually throw them in the rotary tumbler after that if I want to mirror finish them. I find the magnetic tumbler is a much shorter tumbling cycle and gives an almost matte surface but it can be beautiful,
I use each one of my tumblers for different stuff Gayle- magnetic for things with tiny crevices- it's all pins so can leave an orange peel effect on the outside of your metal, especially sterling- but they are awesome for getting rid of gunk you can't get to and for after firing metal clay, anything with fine detailed crevices (Lorena Angelou is the on who turned me on to it). Vibratory I pretty much use for mass abrasion- when I get stuff back from the caster. If I want a specific finish like with walnut shells. Jen knows lots more than I do about the different abrasives - I am still playing The stainless shot, I use on almost everything silver after taking it down to 1200 grit- I tumble before final polish
Gayle I made myself some tiny porcelain bits that I add to other media in my vibratory tumbler It's good as Pennee says for lots of abrasion, I use it mainly for copper and bronze for some reason. I get a lot of media for it at hunting supply stores as people who load their own shells use that to polish the cartridges b4 filling.
So sorry, Gayle. Losing loved ones around the Holidays is very difficult. I lost my Dad on December 20th 10 years ago. It still doesn't seem quite like Christmas without him.
Wendy...I just saw your new bench set-up on Facebook! It looks great! You will adjust things for awhile to match your work flow! I love the little rolling cart you have next to your bench. I have been thinking about one for my hammers.
Beatriz...I totally get that!!! I have a few hammers I need to polish and I have been feeling the same about my studio. It felt fantastic to get the bathroom cleaned last night. I don't actually use it as a restroom...it has a sink...the shower and toilet get used mostly as storage, lol. I still have some things to organize and clean-up, but having the floor mopped made the whole room feel better. :-)
Today will be our warmest for the next week-2 weeks. I'm gong to ride this evening (if it kills me I'm getting on my horse!!!!). The bottom is suppose to drop out temperature wise here...with windchills below freezing. That's brutal for us. So...I'm sure I will have plenty of time this weekend to clean on the shop and hopefully make some jewelry! :-)
Those rolling carts are interesting. They certainly are affordable! Can you keep a lot of tools in them? I have huge muckin' mechanics tool chests on wheels. Some are not deep enough for me, like the ones my dh subbed for my old black stacking set. I have a mind to reclaim the old ones because I'm running out of space.
