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Post by cpdad on Jun 22, 2006 19:07:32 GMT -5
just thought i would show my crazy attempt at some pendants...after 48 hours...i couldnt pull the glued on peices off...but i didnt try very hard...all peices are sterling findings that i picked up at a michaels store...and then just cut them up to fit on the rock. of course the pics are blurry ;D....need feedback...good ..bad...and ugly...be brutal if you have to ;D clickable.
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Post by Tweetiepy on Jun 22, 2006 19:12:41 GMT -5
I'm not sure but I think you may be using the wrong items as bell caps - the first one is made for stringing on three strands on a necklace and I don't think the others are made for that purpose either - although I really like the use of the item in pics 2 and 3 anyways - but I think the cap in #4 may snag
However, I do love the stones and your attempt at pendants is 150% better than mine...
I also love the ammy!
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Post by rockyraccoon on Jun 22, 2006 19:41:40 GMT -5
cpdad your creative juices are definitely flowing. i like the 1st one.
kim
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Post by LCARS on Jun 22, 2006 20:35:33 GMT -5
Looks like you got the right idea & your shaping is good but it's hard to tell much else from the blurry pics.. What camera were you using? If it has a dedicated macro shooting mode, USE IT. Some cameras have poor autofocus up close in auto mode so it may be necessary to use the optical zoom from further away or set the metering/focus mode to center instead of auto or matrix. In some situations it may even be necessary to lock the focus setting using the "half-shutter" metering feature that most camera have. You get at an angle where auto-focus works well, then press the shutter halfay (you usually get some kind of a lamp or beep indicator that the camera has just metered the shot. While holding at half-shutter, move your camera angle to where you want to take the shot while preserving the subject's DFO (distance from objective) and you should get a clear shot. It looks like your cam was ignoring the foreground and focussed on the scenery behind the subject, so that leads me to believe you were using an "auto-portrait" or "scenic" shooting mode. If you can disable the auto-flash then do it. This makes the camera use ambient light levels to meter the subject and generally gives a better result more true to the actual color & dynamic range of the subject. You really have to mess around with your cam quite a bit to be able to get consistent results shooting with it. I've had my Canon G5 for two & a half years and i'm still not 100% proficient with it. I guess as long as the caps mate with the surface of the rock as closely as possible, you are probably OK. The more bonding in between the surfaces, the weaker & less durable the mount tends to be. Personally, I think you've done well, especially if that's a first attempt. I spent about an hour on my first two attempts to cap a freeform & one turned out great & the other turned out so-so. If you manage to get some sharper close-ups, post some more pics, i'd love to see some more of your work!
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Post by Cher on Jun 22, 2006 21:01:29 GMT -5
Sometimes it's better to try taking the pic a bit further away to get them in focus then crop the background out. I like your ideas Kevin, that first one could easily have a couple little beads hanging from it to enhance the stone. It's a good idea!!
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Post by cpdad on Jun 22, 2006 21:13:46 GMT -5
wanted to put the pics up just get a general idea of what folks thought...ill try to get better ones.
i had problems from the get go...because i didnt use any common sense...or just plain lack of not doing this before...
first of all...the holes in the peices i glued on run left to right..i never even thought about it...then a member...told me i would have to add jump rings to them...which i did...and it worked out real well..so far..if the glued peices dont fall off ;D
the amy peice...the ring ran the correct way...but the dang chain wouldnt go thru the hole...so i actually turned the center ring 90 degrees...and added a jump ring to it also...it looked o.k....cause the outer rings were turned oppisite...wish i had pics of it...but it was given away.
i only tried this because i wanted everything to be sterling.
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beechcomber
spending too much on rocks
Summertime!
Member since March 2006
Posts: 345
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Post by beechcomber on Jun 22, 2006 21:49:34 GMT -5
I think they are very pretty!! I do have one question though. When you put the rope or chain on them, do you have to use another circle of wire to make the pendant stay straight or do you bend the circle that is on there? Probably a stupid question, but I like to learn something new here all the time!!
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Post by joe on Jun 22, 2006 21:50:34 GMT -5
They look cool to me! That first one, maybe glue that cap on with the three holes in the back of the main stone and use thin chain to attach more rocks at different heights. Maybe...
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jun 23, 2006 10:16:18 GMT -5
Nice Start- You have excellent shape and shine on the pendants- the bell caps are a bit unusual but they work- all in all I would say this was a great first attempt
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Shelbeeray
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2006
Posts: 688
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Post by Shelbeeray on Jun 24, 2006 20:51:50 GMT -5
Gawd, isn't it stressful going into a craft store and trying to figure out what everything is for? We have a neat gal at the family-owned store in town who tells me what things are called (I still muss it up sometimes). I finally bought some jewelry magazines and, well, I'm kind of blushing remembering some of the silly questions I asked her. Sweetie that she is, she never let on how STUPID I must have sounded. :-} They don't have a lot of sterling silver, especially not in the findings arena, but that's okay, because I doubt I could afford, or dare , be brave enough, to play with them!
I like using things in a way other than they are intended (MY story and I'm sticking to it!), so I enjoy seeing what you have done. I'm glad you shared. The process is fun, isn't it?
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Post by sandsman1 on Jun 25, 2006 2:22:49 GMT -5
thats a great first try cpdad go forit man if everybody did exactly what they where told we would never have any new ideas i like the first one best --- hey every cab i looked at when i was gettin intrested in shaping was eather domed or they looked like they where just plain tumbled and called designer cabs so i chewed up alotta rock till i decided i liked the way i was doin them and then i tried to get better at what i liked and im still tryin hahaha so whatever you do dont think you cant doit your own way,, hey i had to make up my own name for the kinda cabs i make cause without a dome they cant be called cabochons and then i herd they dont look like designer cabs --- so i just made up a name for them hahaha and that was how the cabojohn was born --- so i wanna see more ----doitup
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