Getting in Gear !!!!

So planning on 3 things to get done this weekend

1
gong to clean up my basement studio so I can do some lampworking when I want - its warm in the house and I need to just make sure the hoses are ok and I have a full propane tank  and clean up some cobwebs and dustbunnies

2
bringing in the niobium kits so I can make some earring wires and other things and to assemble what I already made  

3
bringing in the  etching solution and stamps as I need to make some earrings
so going to make sure I have all three stamps -to work with - have been  using two of the zentangle to make ceramic plates with


refresher on etching for earrings

if you remember I start with my 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of rubber stamp with my own zentangle images on (available on etsy) 

then I put the staz on white by patting it on - I like the white 

see image of the stamp pad (the pipe is just another thing I was doing at the time ) 

I had copper  blanks (18g) from Metalliferous 

that I cleaned and then pushed downonto the coated rubber stamp 

I did not want them too identical 

then I put them on packing tape and suspended them face down into the etching solution - 

you can fit a good few on each tape but in this case I only did 1 each - if you do put about 4 or 5 you will need to back up the tape with something solid like a nail file or  a tongue depressor to give it support - I find the dollar store files work great 

then after they have etched sufficiently 

take them off the tape and clean them up - I like a metal bursh - and split mandrel with sanpaper

now you can put holes in for earrings or pendants - shape them 

then seal them - I use the  permalac to dip them in 

so hoping to make about 20 pair this weekend