Monday, April 4, 2011

EtsyMetal Blog Carnival 4/4/11

Most coveted tool. Why? How would you utilize it if you got it? 


I didn't know it at first, but it didn't take long to realize that I was doing metalwork and making jewelry so that I could buy tools. Making jewelry is great because you don't have to frame it, it doesn't take up much space, anything you can do big - you can do small. What they didn't tell me was that I would need a whole room just to put the tools in.


I usually spend a lot of time researching and pricing tools that I think I want and wait a little bit to make sure that I really do want them if they cost a lot. I also like to go to Drew's used tools and wander up and down the aisles and stumble on some great find. I have bought tools there that I didn't know what they did, but they looked cool.


I spent last Saturday at a blacksmith's shop. He had tools and metal from the floor to the ceiling. He had to move some stuff to create a path so I could walk in. Then he started showing and demo-ing his tools! He had these 3 swage and dapping blocks, one of them weighed about 275 pounds, yea, I wanted that! Most of his tools he acquired from retiring blacksmiths, garage sales, things he found on the side of the road, and tools he had built himself-an advantage to being a blacksmith!
One of the coolest tools he had that I wanted, was a treadle hammer that he had built himself.
 (This isn't the actual hammer because I forgot to take pictures while I was there.
 It delivered a huge amount of force for stamping and a controlled almost delicate amount of force for shaping metal. (Next cool tool was the forge he built using a hairdryer part from the thrift store.)
What would I do with a treadle hammer? I'd put it in my shop and it would look really cool, then after awhile I might start smashing things with it. Maybe food.


Check out what tools other Etsymetal artists covet:
Beth Cyr - http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
2Roses - http://jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Scott - http://esdesignsjewelry.com/blog
Tosca Teran - http://nanopod.wordpress.com
AdobeSol - http://www.AdobeSol.com/blog
Nodeform - http://nodeform.blogspot.com/
wildflowerdesigns - http://wildflowerdesigns.blogspot.com 

Erin Austin- http://metalmusing.blogspot.com

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Kinetic Ring Challenge

We just had a kinetic ring challenge. I love these challenges because I'll get an idea and can't imagine what else there could be and then I see what everyone else has done! Some truly amazing ideas. I'll be posting them here, 3 or 4 in a posting. Of course, if you want to see these rings in action go to the Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/groups/1661527@N23/pool/ and catch the videos.
So for today...

Here is Kest Schwartzman's Guillotine or Divorce Ring!
Guillotine: or, the Divorce
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vagabondjewelry/
Michele Grady's rattle ring!
RAW52 13/52
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelegradydesigns/
Carole Zakkour's 3D Zoetrope Ring!

3D Zoetrope Ring
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47294570@N06/
And Tinkertown's Dichroic Kinetic Mosaic Ring!
dichroic kinetic .mosaic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinkersue

 Stay tuned, I plan to post all the kinetic rings.