Speed shopping in the desert: Tucson 2014

A Tucson 2014 haiku:

New stone was desired
Too short time; distant travels
Winter delayed me

For some reason, my area of the country has been cursed as the dumping ground for winter’s fury. I was looking forward to Tucson just to get warm, but even there it was chilly. There was such a short time on the ground when I got there that I power-shopped with the cold efficiency of a leopard pouncing in from the underbrush to make a kill. Boom! Kent’s Tools and the acquisition of stuff for 80 student kits was conquered in less than an hour. One thing I have learned about going to Tucson: a strict budget tied to a well-organized shopping list is king.

Sadly, this year I didn’t have lots of “funny money” to spend — it was all business for me. But, that didn’t stop me from looking — which is one of the last remaining free things left in the world. It felt great to walk around in the midday sun, check out some “new” cutting rough at Electric Park, see some interesting tools (check out my May/June Cool Tools & Hip Tips column for more on that) and catch up with my friends.

Usually, I try to find a “trend” when I get to Tucson, but this year it was too short a time to tell, so I motored through my visit list and did the best I could in the time I had. Getting an extra day because of snow didn’t hurt, either, but there is never enough time it seems.

Here are some photo highlights from my adventure. Enjoy!

I always visit the big tent at Electric Park to see what’s new and amazing at Diamond Pacific Lapidary.

At the new “Rock Show” I saw these recycled steel Javellinas (collared peccaries for you nature geeks). They were so cleverly done — I have yet to see live ones, though.

I can never pass a bookstore without stopping in — and was tickled to see my book, front and center as a “special selection” at the Barnes and Noble on Broadway.

Yes, you can buy a dinosaur in Tucson. Here’s a fine selection of life-sized raptors to choose from — for the garden, maybe?

I had just enough time to visit the “Club Show,” aka The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. The earth makes beautiful things…

Palm Trees and Blue skies: Inn Suites is always a great show for lapidary and mineral collectors.

Teacher chronicles

I have been preparing like mad for several spring teaching engagements, and I have finally gotten my head above the water. With just two weekend days and evenings per week to get ready, it’s been a race to the finish – because my first classes are almost upon me. The last thing I have left is to prep my comprehensive shopping list to take to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows. I’ve got half-packed kits all over the studio, instruction sheets to print, and little boxes and bags of demo pieces all over the place. I love teaching, but it is inevitable that when my mind is sharply focused on what I am soon to teach, something comes up for a student from a class I already taught. Then, I end up juggling questions from students about last year curriculum and questions from organizers about soon-to-come curriculum simultaneously. My brain hurts.

One of those questions came up last week about my “One Hour Rings” video:

“Hello Helen. My name is David. I watched your video (One Hour Rings) and I was left with a few questions. For starters, where can I buy a sanding disk? I can’t find one anywhere. Secondly, you said to quench the metal in water after soldering, can I do that with white gold? Somebody told me that I can’t. I would appreciate it if you could get back to me. Thanks again for such an informative video!!”

And shortly after he replied to say it was OK to answer his question here, David sent me a second email, with a link to a website, picturing a titanium ring:

“Hello. It’s me again. I just had one last question. I have been wanting to make myself a ring for a while now. I finally found one I want to make, but I wouldn’t know how to set the stones like that. It can be viewed here. It is the picture on the left. I was wondering if you had a video or could explain how I could make a ring like that and set the stones like that. I would really appreciate it. Thanks!”

Really, I don’t suggest copying someone elses work, but in this case, the ring pictured was a plain, half-round band with a flush set stone. The only real challenge to fabricating the ring in question was the metal: titanium. But, back to the original question first:

1. Sanding discs (search for brass-center snap-on sanding discs) – my preferred brand is Moore’s. I get mine from either Kent’s tools in Tucson: www.kentstools.com or from Rio Grande: www.riogrande.com. Don’t forget a mandrel for them — they require a square center mandrel for easy switch outs, which is why I love them.

2. Quenching Gold – don’t do it. Especially white gold, because it will cause extreme brittleness in the metal. For hard-wearing jewelry like rings, weak metal is not a good idea. Weak metal is never a good idea, actually. Just let your gold air cool on a steel block. Then, pickle it before proceeding.

3. The ring in question – features plain, ordinary half-round stock and a flush set stone, sometimes called a “Gypsy setting.” I’ve never fabricated Titanium, so I can’t help you on that, but any really good reference on stone setting will give you step by step instructions on how to create a flush setting. However, I am a firm believer in “Show, don’t tell,” so, here is the proverbial picture is worth a thousand words shot…

You’ll notice that a setting bur has virtually the same profile as a standard, round faceted brilliant cut stone. Never bur deeper than the top of the bur.

And here’s an ultra-simplified bullet point process on how to do this:

• Fabricate a band thicker in gauge than the deepest part of the stone – measuring from table to culet.
• Use a drill to start a hole in the band, then switch to a setting bur the same size or slightly smaller in diameter than the stones girdle.
• Cut the seat to the depth that causes the girdle to be just below the surface of the metal.
• Set the stone in the seat, then bouge the metal in and up to the girdle of the stone to set it securely in place.

Fair warning: it’s a lot tougher than it sounds here. It takes a lifetime of practice to set stones professionally, but there is no reason not to try. I’d suggest practice with CZs on brass, and really reading up on stone setting. Again, it’s fun, but it isn’t easy. There are loads of books on the topic out there, as well as Ann Cahoon’s brand-new and fabulous video called Introduction to Gemstone Setting available from IWP. I was at the filming for that video and for her next one, and Ann is a real pro!

And, to my 2013 “Rotary Tools Demystified” students — I finally got your resource list ready.
Email me if I missed you, or if you still need one…

Restoring normalcy

It was great to head out to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Plus Shows just after finishing the heavy lifting of getting most of my book completed — well, virtually completed — because the mental and physical break of being somewhere different allowed me to slip gently back into my “normal” life and routine.
The funny thing is, I feel like a stranger in it.
In Tucson, I made my regular contacts, found some new tools to write about, taught some classes, found some gorgeous new rock to cut into, and met up with friends and colleagues I haven’t seen since, well, last Tucson. But as I went from show to show, I experienced a strange sense of detachment to everything normal — mostly because the huge project that has consumed me for a year is gone now.
It was truly a strange feeling to not have to think about that content anymore, and now that it is gone, I realize just how much of my life it took up. The great thing is, even though I was sleeping in a hotel far from home, I clocked at least 9+ uninterrupted hours per night — something I haven’t done since I started writing the book last winter. I have a habit of waking in the night to deal with whatever is on my plate, and writing a book is like an endless buffet — there are just too many plates. Let me tell you, sleep is a good thing. Because, each day, I felt better, stronger and more “me”.
The experience of writing this book has taught me something valuable about long term projects and what they can do to your “normal” life. I am very proud of the work I did, and as I read some of the in-progress edits of my work, I don’t remember the experience of writing those words so long ago. What I do remember is the constant pull of the content, the desire for it to be good, as perfect as I could make it in the time I had to produce it, the intense focus required of a complex project and the hope that someone out there would value it once it became an actual thing you could hold in your hands.

Some sweet Hornitas Jasper at Tucson Electric Park.

In a way, this book writing experience was like parenthood — you pour lots of effort and hope into something and eventually you must let it go its own way in the world. At that moment, you stand there alone, unburdened, and wondering what you are supposed to do next. So, in Tucson, I bought some rock. I walked around alone and thinking and I made a very simple plan.
I spent this past weekend cutting some stones, and I made some sketches of what I want to make — now that I don’t have an agenda or the expectations of anyone but me for my work again. No agenda is good. Because I can remember this strange state of “normal” once again.

Today’s tip: Use your phone camera to take “notes” when you are at a gem show. I clicked off shots of the names and localities of much of the cutting rough I purchased in Tucson, so I didn’t have to write notes with wet and dirty fingers after grubbing around in slab bins.

Back from Eden: Tucson Gem Shows, 2011

Beadwork at African Art Village

It was freezing in Tucson this year, but I needed to go. Seeing the stone rough, jewelry, gems and goods there helped me get my head on straight, realign myself with my compass and resolve to make some new work. I’ve been blocked for a while now, but thanks to a visit to the bitter and windy cold of the American southwest, the cacti, mountains and open space, I am home once again. I’ve promised myself to write here at least once a week. Hold me to it.

Todays tip: Check your hammer heads every week while your studio heat is on. Soak the wood handles in linseed oil by slathering it on with an artist’s paintbrush near the wedge. Brush on as much as the handle will take. This will keep the hammer heads tight and condition the wood enough to prevent cracking, or worse, losing a hammer-head mid-strike.