Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Copper Etching .... One more
I finished this cuff yesterday and it's my favorite one of the bunch. I have used this stamp many times in my clay work and now it has become a successful etching stamp too.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
More on My Latest Etchings
I finished three of my etched cuff bracelets and am so pleased with them. I used liver of sulfur this time, sanded off the high parts and sprayed the cuffs with the satin metal sealer.
I had another cuff that I had previously etched. It was in the etching solution for one hour. Since the etch was not that deep, the metal patina sanded off most parts and made me very unhappy because I love the design. I decided to dip it into the liver of sulfur too, and WAAALAAA!! I LOVE IT!!
I had another cuff that I had previously etched. It was in the etching solution for one hour. Since the etch was not that deep, the metal patina sanded off most parts and made me very unhappy because I love the design. I decided to dip it into the liver of sulfur too, and WAAALAAA!! I LOVE IT!!
Friday, August 16, 2013
My Quick, Easy, Delicious, Favorite Breakfast!
You have all made "Egg-in-the-Hole" breakfasts, I'm sure. If not, you butter both sides of a slice of bread lightly, cut a center hole about 1-1/2", drop it into a frying pan that is heating on medium. Then break an egg into the center hole. After a minute or so, use a spatula to carefully turn it over. Continue until the egg is to your liking. YUM.
Anyway, that is not what I made this morning ... even though it is also on my Quick-Easy-Delicious-Favorite Breakfast list. My morning's treat was a "Ham and Egg Cup".
I used thin slices of deli ham and made a basket inside of a small custard cup. The smallest Pyrex cup is too small for this, but there's a larger one that's ideal. In my case I used one of the stoneware petal cups that I love to make.
So you have the ham shaped into a basket inside the cup. Now break an egg into it and slightly break it up with a fork. Place the dish into the microwave and be sure to cover with a paper towel (or you'll be sorry --- scrambled eggs all over your microwave walls). I microwave on high for 45-60 seconds, depending on how you like your eggs. You can stop and jiggle the cup along the way to see how it's cooking. Add a little cheese and seasonings and cook another 10 seconds. The dish is very hot, so be careful. Here's how it looks:
I like serving it on a piece of toast. Or you can eat it out of the cup. Here I added a scoop of my home made applesauce.
Doesn't it look good? It was.
Anyway, that is not what I made this morning ... even though it is also on my Quick-Easy-Delicious-Favorite Breakfast list. My morning's treat was a "Ham and Egg Cup".
I used thin slices of deli ham and made a basket inside of a small custard cup. The smallest Pyrex cup is too small for this, but there's a larger one that's ideal. In my case I used one of the stoneware petal cups that I love to make.
So you have the ham shaped into a basket inside the cup. Now break an egg into it and slightly break it up with a fork. Place the dish into the microwave and be sure to cover with a paper towel (or you'll be sorry --- scrambled eggs all over your microwave walls). I microwave on high for 45-60 seconds, depending on how you like your eggs. You can stop and jiggle the cup along the way to see how it's cooking. Add a little cheese and seasonings and cook another 10 seconds. The dish is very hot, so be careful. Here's how it looks:
I like serving it on a piece of toast. Or you can eat it out of the cup. Here I added a scoop of my home made applesauce.
Doesn't it look good? It was.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
My Latest Etching ... Continued
I've had time to shape my bracelet cuffs and apply patina to two of them (brought the hammers and bracelet mandrel to the living room couch so I could watch a movie while I worked). I used "Ranger Patina For All Metals" by Vintaj, applied with a Q-Tip, and then lightly sanded the high parts using those sanding blocks you get from beauty supply shops. The cuff on the left has Jade patina, the right one has Verdigris.
Then I lightly sprayed a couple coats of satin "Clear Guard" Protective Lacquer by Sculpt Nouveau. I think they look pretty nice. I really like the Verdigris. And I love the edge I put around each piece with my Staedtler pen ... it really finishes it.
Here are three more bracelet cuffs ready to be finished. I love liver of sulfur too, so I'm torn between the finishing choices. But more later ....
Then I lightly sprayed a couple coats of satin "Clear Guard" Protective Lacquer by Sculpt Nouveau. I think they look pretty nice. I really like the Verdigris. And I love the edge I put around each piece with my Staedtler pen ... it really finishes it.
Here are three more bracelet cuffs ready to be finished. I love liver of sulfur too, so I'm torn between the finishing choices. But more later ....
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
My Latest Etching Adventure!
My latest etching adventure started by seeing Deborah Read's Etsy shop, https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeborahRead, and reading her blog at http://deborahreadcom.blogspot.com -- a never-ending wealth of information! If you are interested in etching or fusing glass, then you've got to read and subscribe to her blog. I've bought a couple of the Zentangle stamps she offers in her Etsy shop and they were used in my recent etchings.
Here are some copper pieces I cut out and stamped using a StazOn ink pad. They will eventually become bracelet cuffs.
In the next photo, I have drawn a finishing edge around each piece using a Staedtler Permanent pen. I like this edge. Both the pen and StazOn ink pad are great resists. I have used clear packing tape on the back of each piece to keep the metal from etching.
I hang each copper piece with the stamped side down, and keep it from touching the bottom of the dish with more packing tape pieces which are attached to the edge of my glass dish. Each piece needs to be "floating" so the etching solution can get to the stamped side. I think using the tape is the hardest part of the whole process as it is so sticky. So frustrating when pieces of tape stick together. Did you hear me screaming?! After each piece is attached and doesn't touch the bottom, I pour in the etching solution. My square Pyrex dish is just the right size for the quart of etching solution. This solution is ferric chloride and readily available at Radio Shack.
I let the pieces etch for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. With rubber gloves on I carefully poured the solution from the pan back into the ferric chloride bottle using a funnel. Then removed each piece, tore off the tape. I added water and baking soda to the dish for a neutralizing bath. This stops the etching action. Then placed the pieces into the water/baking soda solution. Below are the etched pieces. I scrubbed them with Copper Brite cleanser using a brass brush.
I also did two larger sheets using the StazOn ink pad and etched them the same way. I'll cut some pieces out to use as pendants later. For some reason the piece on the right didn't seem to etch as well as the left one. Maybe too close to the bottom of the dish? I don't know.
My next step is to decide how to finish these pieces. Liver of sulfur, colored patinas? I'll show you what I do in my next post.
Here are some copper pieces I cut out and stamped using a StazOn ink pad. They will eventually become bracelet cuffs.
In the next photo, I have drawn a finishing edge around each piece using a Staedtler Permanent pen. I like this edge. Both the pen and StazOn ink pad are great resists. I have used clear packing tape on the back of each piece to keep the metal from etching.
I hang each copper piece with the stamped side down, and keep it from touching the bottom of the dish with more packing tape pieces which are attached to the edge of my glass dish. Each piece needs to be "floating" so the etching solution can get to the stamped side. I think using the tape is the hardest part of the whole process as it is so sticky. So frustrating when pieces of tape stick together. Did you hear me screaming?! After each piece is attached and doesn't touch the bottom, I pour in the etching solution. My square Pyrex dish is just the right size for the quart of etching solution. This solution is ferric chloride and readily available at Radio Shack.
I let the pieces etch for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. With rubber gloves on I carefully poured the solution from the pan back into the ferric chloride bottle using a funnel. Then removed each piece, tore off the tape. I added water and baking soda to the dish for a neutralizing bath. This stops the etching action. Then placed the pieces into the water/baking soda solution. Below are the etched pieces. I scrubbed them with Copper Brite cleanser using a brass brush.
I also did two larger sheets using the StazOn ink pad and etched them the same way. I'll cut some pieces out to use as pendants later. For some reason the piece on the right didn't seem to etch as well as the left one. Maybe too close to the bottom of the dish? I don't know.
My next step is to decide how to finish these pieces. Liver of sulfur, colored patinas? I'll show you what I do in my next post.
Monday, August 12, 2013
"Invisible Forces" Treasury
I have been very delinquent in posting on my blog. Busy days. But that's better than having boring days, isn't it?! I've been doing some etching the past couple weeks and want to share my photos, process and progress in my next blog post. The Etsy treasury below shows my etched earrings which I made last year. So much fun!
'Invisible forces' by deidrewasenius
Sponsored by send bulk email from excel.
Monday, July 22, 2013
WEATHERING THE LATEST HEAT WAVE!
If it's not one thing .... it's another. Two weeks ago I called my air conditioning service company to come out and do an inspection so I would be prepared for the long hot summer, which is already here. I was told my freon was a little low and needed to be topped off. OH. OH. I knew there was a problem, because freon does not "get low", it leaks. But things seemed to be ok until this past Wednesday afternoon. I had no cool air. Not a hint of cool air. Someone came out the following morning. Great service, by the way. I had options in trying to find and fix the leak, but this unit was many, many, many years old, so I decided to buy a new AC/heating unit. I was told it would take a few days to get, then maybe another week to schedule installation. What choice was there. I could withstand the 84 degree house temperature in the later part of the day and night, couldn't I.
Would you believe the unit was delivered that same afternoon and was running the end of the next day? True. I could hardly believe it myself. There's still inspections and a filtering system to be added, but that needs metal fabrication and should be completed this week.
In the meantime, I received an order through RoseMarysGlassArt.etsy.com for five stained glass boxes. These were bridesmaid gifts .... no hurry as the wedding was months away. I wanted them out of the way and completed them during this AC breakdown and sent a photo saying I was ready to post them. The bride-to-be said she absolutely loved them, but could she have one more? Did you hear me scream that day? I appreciate orders, but the timing was not great. I finished the sixth box over the weekend and today packed the pieces so I could calculate the postage. And just finished listing the boxes in my shop. Hopefully I'm finished and will be taking a trip to the post office in a day or so. Here is a photo of the pieces:
Would you believe the unit was delivered that same afternoon and was running the end of the next day? True. I could hardly believe it myself. There's still inspections and a filtering system to be added, but that needs metal fabrication and should be completed this week.
In the meantime, I received an order through RoseMarysGlassArt.etsy.com for five stained glass boxes. These were bridesmaid gifts .... no hurry as the wedding was months away. I wanted them out of the way and completed them during this AC breakdown and sent a photo saying I was ready to post them. The bride-to-be said she absolutely loved them, but could she have one more? Did you hear me scream that day? I appreciate orders, but the timing was not great. I finished the sixth box over the weekend and today packed the pieces so I could calculate the postage. And just finished listing the boxes in my shop. Hopefully I'm finished and will be taking a trip to the post office in a day or so. Here is a photo of the pieces:
Monday, July 8, 2013
"RED" Treasury
A colorful red Etsy treasury! My cherry red glass votive is included.
'Red' by thesetinytreasures
Sponsored by send bulk email from excel.
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