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Post by melhill1659 on Feb 22, 2018 12:35:57 GMT -5
Thank You fernwood. I’ll take advice, constructive criticism, an any other form of help at any time from all of y’all. hummingbirdstones, I purchased a plotter type machine about 4 years ago. It Draws, cuts, engraves and embosses. My computer software I use is Make The Cut. It’s a kindergarten version of Corel Draw (which I have and can’t use well). 😂 Saying that I CAN / Did engrave a mock up bracelet. I have to redo it and flip the design though. Not sure how my cut stencil came out correct but my engraving didn’t. Crap yes I do... I changed several things after attempting the Engraving for the first time. I’m using diamond coated core drill bits for the holes. That’s the ONLY useful information I received from buying Jeff Fulkerson’s useless video 😂😂 gotta admit I do enjoy the tedious design work and fabrication. Tela, I need all the good wishes and faith you can send my way.
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Post by fantastic5 on Feb 23, 2018 9:49:21 GMT -5
fernwood, thank you for writing about your experiences. What a wonderful learning experience that was. I've always appreciated human powered machines. My first pottery wheel was a kick wheel for that very reason. But the older I get the more I appreciate automation. I still try stuff the 'old' way just for the experience. My last go was cheese making. Edible, yes, but in the end not worth the effort. melhill1659 are you selling at the rock show this weekend? Buying? Or both
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 23, 2018 13:05:10 GMT -5
fernwood - Another thank you for sharing your experiences. The detailed description is very helpful to see the process in my mind's eye. melhill1659 - Thanks for the info. I'm kind of a tool freak, so I'm going to have to investigate this aspect of design work!
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Post by melhill1659 on Feb 24, 2018 8:03:45 GMT -5
fantastic5My Group actually puts it on so we aren’t able to sell. Today I will be going between the Juniors Table ( that’s where our juniors help the kids that come to the show make simple Gem trees) and the Cabbing demenstration table. Not going to say I’m not going to buy anything though. I’ll take a few pics today. fernwood, Thank You for the tips and taking us back through some of the younger years when you truly had to have real talent, a mind for design an a steady hand. Did you ever do simple sand casting? I REALLY want to make my own green sand!!
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Post by fernwood on Feb 24, 2018 8:32:52 GMT -5
fantastic5 My Group actually puts it on so we aren’t able to sell. Today I will be going between the Juniors Table ( that’s where our juniors help the kids that come to the show make simple Gem trees) and the Cabbing demenstration table. Not going to say I’m not going to buy anything though. I’ll take a few pics today. fernwood , Thank You for the tips and taking us back through some of the younger years when you truly had to have real talent, a mind for design an a steady hand. Did you ever do simple sand casting? I REALLY want to make my own green sand!! The only sand casting I did is as follows. The Tribal Elders who taught me these skills were very talented. Some were more open to somewhat modern techniques. They showed me how to do two types of sand casting. The more modern one, at the time, was blending very fine sand with plaster of paris. The two were mixed and allowed to partially dry, in two sections, enclosed by a wood frame, which had a semicircle cut out for pouring the metal into. After the mixture of plaster of paris and sand reached a certain consistency, the round piece of metal corresponding to the semicircle on the fram, was lightly coated with oil and placed across the wood frame and the casting material. . When the consistency was correct, the item to be cast would be placed in each frame. They usually had at least two finished pieces of the same item. It would be coated with a thin layer of oil first, for easy removal. The item would stay in the form for at least 24 hours, then carefully removed, by placing a stick with adhesive on it. The stick was stabilized by placing other rigid items on all sides. The stick had to remain untouched for 24 hours, before the stabilizers could be removed. The stick and item to be cast was then removed. Note that each form had an opening for the metal to be poured in. The two pieces of the frame were then secured together. Sorry, never saw this process. Next, the liquid metal, silver, was heated on a fire in a cast iron container. The norm, was a handled, melting pot, with a pouring indent. These were often adapted to have a wood handle, which had some type of heat insulation between the wood and metal. It was always cool to the touch. After the silver was heated to the right temperature, which was determined by how it moved in the pot, it was carefully poured into each opening in the cast. Then it would sit for another 24 hours. I never saw how the two haves of the wood frame were removed from each other. When I arrived, one frame had nothing and the other had beautiful sand casts. Excellent detail. Was allowed to gently tap the frame which had the cast, so the finished products could fall onto wool. Then it was time to polish, once again, either by hand or on the wheel. Any detail lost in polishing, was restored with hand tools. Another polish after that, either with the wheel or by hand. Not just polishing, but also ensuring the back would be a flat surface for mounting. I was told that the mold frames could be used about 4-5 times each, then discarded. The casts were then set aside for future projects. There was no specific formula for mixing the plaster and sand, as it all depended on the consistency of the sand. The Elders, just knew when the consistency was correct. Hope this helps some. Of course, photos were not allowed. All I have is the momories of what I learned and did. Still feel very fortunate to have experienced this.
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Post by beefjello on Feb 25, 2018 12:56:18 GMT -5
This is an ambitious project, I'm looking forward to following your progress!
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