wounds, rivets and other headaches

As I have suspected and expected, the projects just keep getting more challenging and tedious as the weeks climb closer to graduation. We’re on like, project 41 or something now. We have to do 54. So with some simple math you know that in 17 weeks we’ve completed about 2 ½ projects a week. Roughly. So with about 13 left for the duration of the class that’s about 1 ¾ a week. WHICH means they’re not only getting harder, but taking longer to finish.

This week we made the previously mentioned “Zelda Zelinsky” book charm. This was a hinged (cringe) book shaped charm with a catch on it that is supposed to “snap” into place when you close it (mine sort of “thuds” closed) and has four star-set stones the size of my pupil on a bright blinding sunny day. The stones are set in a strip of metal that was also riveted (to the cover) and we were left up to our own devices for a finishing texture.
Star set example:

Project bag contents: one sheet of metal, one tiny metal tube and some wire. And a thousand tiny stones.

It wouldn’t have been so bad to make if I had superhero magna-vision and could zoom in on this with my own eyes, but things being what they were had me eyeballing this project through an optivisor for three days straight and consequently Im certain that I’m going blind. What I’ve decided I need are some magnification goggles that rival the ones the surgeons wear in Grey’s Anatomy.

The project itself was basic construction, so it wasn’t that bad. BUT, Instead of soldering on the decorative strip like the book said, we riveted it on (as previously mentioned) WHICH threw the intructions way out of whack. There were like, 4 pages of instructions for this project and since we eliminated the one section and did it different, it completely changed the course of how we all got this done. It was the first project where we were all sitting there looking at the book like it was written in hieroglyphics. Consequently, almost the entire projects steps of construction were left up to us. Which was fine, since it got us all roaming around the room to see how everyone else was approaching it. It got done, that’s all I can say about it.

The second project we worked on this week was a 7 stone channel set ring. We were given a 14KT ring and 7 stones and a 2.5 nano-second lecture on how to set these. Doug basically said that we have all the tools we need to do this project, and to just do it. We were only shown how to tighten the stones once we set them. Once the 7 stones were in place, we had to get the ring checked and signed off, then we got to step-size the ring down from a 7 ½ to a 5 ¾…. Step sizing is done in roughly half size increments. So you take the ring from 7 ½ to a 7, solder, round out, check stones, then cut it open again, take it down to a 6 ½, solder, round out, check stones, repeat. This process allows you to take a ring with lots of stones down to a certain size without wholly compromising the setting and risking having stones pop out. It wasn’t hard, just annoying. I was lucky to not have any stones clink out, but I did have to retighten a few here and there which I expected.

I received a few projects back this week with great grades. The one I wasn’t surprised about getting back with some pointers was that circle pendant with the 24 stones set in it. Apparently, despite my caution and tiny tiny flame tip, I managed to torch one of the stones. I cooked it, kids. OH and I was so over the project I turned it in with like, three loose stones. SO, to correct this I had to pop a new stone in, and tighten a few others and I got the incomplete grade reversed. It took 10 minutes to do. Lesson learned: if I had taken an additional 10 minutes to relax and check my work before hastily tossing it in the project box, I would have been able to correct this from the get go! My 5th bench test came back a shining star! I got marked off for microscopic tool marks (which I had to hunt for with a loupe up underneath the ring by the way) but still got an E on it. Whew!

I did manage to stab myself a few times with my dividers this week. How? *shrugs* I also smashed the back of my hand on my bench pin. Nothing permanently debilitating, although I did get shit from my 16 year old bench buddy for being so willy-nilly with my tools. Here's why i keep a hand injury tally, folks.

Another bench tip from me to you…. We use acetone for a variety of things, including removing shellac (poop) from our work. We also have a toothbrush we use for cleaning delicate pieces that cannot go into the ultrasonic machine for cleaning. And that toothbrush is meant for the ultrasonic machine specifically. Not the acetone. Why cant we interchange them you ask? Because. Acetone is basically nail polish remover. What does nail polish remover do to plastic items like nail polish and toothbrushes if you leave them in the acetone? They melt. Seriously. This is what I discovered chilling in the acetone jar when I went over to use it.

Ladies and gentlemen I give you our acetoned toothbrush:

Needless to say we got a new one. Which was overdue anyway I suppose. So thank you to which ever bright classmate of mine did this.

Not much else going on out my way this week. We have May 26th off from school so I’m trying to figure out something relatively cool to do for the weekend that doesn’t involve money or gas. Neither of which I have an abundance of to waste. Any ideas?

To all the moms out there: Happy Mothers Day!!!

Until next week my friends, be well.