Whale Tails - or maybe fish tails not sure - but pretty ugly all the same

I was trying to make whale tails  but they look more like moustaches or maybe some small fish tails
gotta work on them some more

Back to PMC

Been working with someone privately with PMC  so I've been playing

using glass with PMC 3 and PMC +

making rings again - now to make some dichro to fit 

Make your own ear wires

this is a step by step on making your own ear wires - without the use of jigs or the new ear wire making pliers (which I own) and have yet to use


I try not to have a heavy wire so i try for 20-22 g sterling silver wire

For decoration I like the ball on the end and a bit of a bend to make it easier to put into your ear

1. cut your wire to the length you would like -  I like the longer loop  so that is about 2-1/2" to 2-3/4
once you read through make a mock earring and then stretch it back out to be your master length
I then mark this on my leather piece I use to put things together and it reminds me of sizing on basic items

2. take your pieces - I'll do about 100 at a time -
to make the ball - I use a bottle of Mapp gas and a self igniting torch head

have protective eye wear
work on a fireproof surface in case any metal falls (cause I still do it even after all these years) I'll be paying attention and the "squirrel"....... and poof it drops
to make the ball just start torch hold wire with pliers (cause it gets hot)

 just above the flame and slowly introduce - as wire gets hot it will suddenly ball up - pull up before its too hot and the ball of metal drops- do some test pieces to get the feel of when it balls up before it drips -
place on fire resistant surface to cool - next wire - till you have a good qty ready

3. once you have all your wires balled -  next take a pair of round nose pliers  and curl the end - this is where you would put your display piece- I like right to the very end to give myself space (especially if the thickness is needed)

I will sit and do them all to this stage 

4. I like to use a pen as I always have one around -allkinds of things you can use -   and I make the larger loop - I try to bend about half of the remaining wire over the pen and make a tight loop and there should be a tail a little past your small loop end

this sample came up a bit short but still ok for short earrings - the longer ones will have the longer tail 

5. at the end of the wire I use flat nose pliers to make a crimp end

once complete I go through the ends and use a cup burr tool - if you have never seen one it is really handy to have - it cleans the ends of your wire from sharp burrs and files the end more rounded and smooth - a very handy tool to have -  you can get some that are mounted on handles and others you can get for dremel in sets or just one size - again Rio Grande or Gesswein

Once this is all completed you will notice how yucky they are from torching the ends - so now we want to work harden the wire and to clean it up -  so off to the tumbler - (from rio grande)  I use a mixed "shot" I got from Rio Grande - will last a long time  ( I clean with baking soda and soap then rinse in a metal sive and then lay out and dry and then put away so it does not rust after each use )

 here is a great video on using a tumbler from Art Jewelry:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBa-y3fEjY  

I tumble for a few hours - I check on my wires to see how clean and bright they are - take out rinse and dry
then clean up my tumbler and shot

now I have ear wires -  to put my pieces on the loop just like a jump ring I twist to side put on my piece and twist back to place - voila - you have ear wires -  that I find very comfortable -

Where O Where is my UMPH

so busy at work and when I come home I just want to sit in my comfy chair and sleep

of my 11 items   I can say # 11 -  must be out of my mind thinking I can get this all done and a full time job before august 16 - is the item that is most true 

although - last friday I spent the day teaching PMC and had a lot of fun doing something I have not been doing in a long time 

made more small hearts  in prep for the bracelets but then I'll need the jump rings made so I can make the bracelets to put those hearts on 

supposed to be a wet weekend so it should be cooler and I can stay inside and create -  lets hope something

I may do a step by step on the making of simple ear wires - a lot of us take for granted how easy they are but sometimes you just need to see how they are made 

definitely  will have a give a way for August 

Need to work on making more things for next show

Lets see if I can complete these projects before Aug 16

I will do some videos I think as I go and post them to this blog and you tube

Project 1 :
 to make coils of copper and silver  so I can make jump rings - need some larger sizes and need to make a bunch of silver bracelets  as well as copper

Project 2:
need 1" and 1/2" copper etched  regular patina - coloured patinas (all out of those)

Project 3:
Make some Byzantine and other design bracelets so I can add charms

Project 4:
Make at least 6 large fish

Project 5:
Make a dozen small fish

Project 6:
card the box of dichro cabs with pendant backs (about 200) maybe wait for next batch of dichro and butterfly wings below

Project 7:
cut up more dichro fused pieces (Ihave about 6 sitting)

Project 7A:
fuse the pieces

Project 7B
Put pendant backs on

See Project 6

Project 8
Make butterfly wings -
Part 1- Make the cover clear blanks
Part 2- cut the dichro  for base
Part 3- etch the dichro
Part 4- fuse
Card (Project 6)

Project 9
Make a dozen  goddess beads

Project 10
Make a dozen fat cats (regular coloured ones)

Project 11
must be out of my mind thinking I can get this all done and a full time job before august 16

Made it through the show

It was HOT HOT HOT !  for some reason its always  over 90 degrees when I do this show and sunny and humid .  Almost thought on 2nd day with some rain in the morning it might cool - but it just became more humid

I kept a rod above the table to hang hearts, beads, turtles and fish from 

Hatchlings from Fridays and just before torch session - wiring them up to keep me busy - 

Was a great show - good turnout and had some fun

Next show will be Aug 16  at the Splash Festival at La Salle Park at Jacksons Point - Sutton - just down the road from where I was this last weekend . Looking forward to checking it out and being close to the water - may cool things off !

EEEEK I have a show next weekend

So I have a show on July 12-13  an outdoor one close to home - only 15 minutes away

I have a lot of stuff made in the way of fused glass, copper etche bracelets, large fish , and some other items  but I never seem to make time to make earrings and everyone always asks for some

So this weekend I decided to make some small heart earrings  -  42 pair to be exact

Of course I needed ear wires - that while my first batch of hearts (10 sets Saturday morning - more Saturday night and again more Sunday morning ) were in the kiln I made up my batches  of wires

pulled out the hand torch and made the ball ends, bent them , cleaned the ends with a bur cup and then tossed them into my tumbler to harden and clean up 

and of course I had to use the Cricut to make up the heart shaped cards and use the earring punch to put in the holes

 

and with some of the odd mismatched hearts  started making a bracelet - which I thought - duh - should make up a bunch of these too - so rest of this week I'll make more hearts for bracelets - and I'll have to get out my jump rings and start making some  simple bracelet blanks for them 

For some reason it has taken me till now to really get moving 

Glad I worked on Turtles earlier last month 

JUNE GIVE-A-WAY WINNER IS::::::::

THE JUNE GIVE-A-WAY WINNER IS :  LEE

I will be in touch or if you can email me your mailing address I can get your prize out this week to you
mail to : dread@deborahread.com   and just put   winner in the subject line

I am on the oldest and slowest computer in the house - an old gateway with xp dating back to 2006  I think it took me longer to ype in the winner  than it did to write out all the names by hand and pick one

Stay tuned - I will have another draw for July up shortly

Deb