Jar of rocks and stuff.

I’ve been in metalworking for a few years now. Along the way I’ve picked up good base knowledge of lots of useful things. I can cut, I can file, solder, sand, finish, cast, mold make, polish oh lord can I polish etc etc. Lost somewhere in the nuggets of what I’ve learned were the “little things” I should have learned too. Like the previously mentioned systems of measurement. Or how to do basic things with gravers. Or how to use calipers effectively. All of which would have at some point made me a more effective metalsmith.

All of this occurred to me this past week.

And what ive liked my experience thus far to is this simple analogy (follow me if you will):

I am a jar filled with these rocks of knowledge of what I do, and this school, well, they’re pouring sand into my jar filling in all the gaps with the things I did not know and adding more rocks. And it’s the most amazing feeling to have someone turn on those proverbial light bulbs you knew about, but never fully understood.

Anyone with me?

I’m starting to feel a bit of confidence in my craft. Like I’m being issued dangerous ammunition and weapons to fire it at will. In like 22 weeks or so.

Aside from the revelations…..

This week it picked up drastically and the gap between the people that get it and those that don’t is widening. We had 2 quizes this week and I got a 100% on one and a 94% on the other. one conversion question stopped my brain from operating. Have I mentioned I dislike math?

and I managed to stay on schedule with my projects. In the course of one week we went from learning how to fire up a torch to soldering basics to sizing rings up and down and then we wound this week up with pouring ingots of silver for next weeks 3564 projects that will involve rolling out metal on a rolling mill. On top of all of that we’re learning metal chemistry science!!! *shakes fist at sky* and doing counter sketching a boiled down definition: tiny drawings of jewelery pieces for job purposes and having basic stone essentials facets, anatomy of, sizes, shapes blahblahblah thumped at us.

So while I feel good about knowing most of the stuff, there is certainly this pile of information being dumped and left for each of us to sort through and make sense of. No fear my friends, I am surely getting my moneys worth of knowledge and sleepless evenings.

I study:

• on breaks,
• on my lunch,
• in my car before work
• at home
• and anywhere else that can accomodate me and my books.

I have no life. I havent left the general vicinity of north county for like two weeks. I just drive the loop to school, to work, then home. repeat x5.

And I suspect that this will only amplify as the weeks go on.


There is no doubt in my head that I will come out of here a far better jeweler that when I came in.


Speaking of torches and whatnot, I managed to slide by the whole week without burning myself, but I did manage to slice a nice diagonal pattern into my finger late Wednesday with my saw. Oh and stab myself with a paperclip. True story.

This is what happened to my classmates ring on her first soldering attempt. i told her she should mount this ring in a tiny shadow box and hang it on the wall to always remind herself that we all start somewhere. And perhaps years from now when she's a sucessful jewler/artist, she can look back at that ring and see how far she has come.





We all have proverbial mountains to climb.






melty.


Week four sneek peek: 2 quizzes coming up again and thursday is my first bench test! my goal this next week is to make it five days without slicing, stabbing or burning anything attached to my body. i keep my expectations low in that department to avoid letting myself down.

wish me luck!

Be well.