Recommendations please, tools and IJL

**bustagasket** · 16-08-2009, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by Solunar Silver Studio

Wear really, really comfortable flat shoes...trainers even better...and don't give a damn what you look like. Your feet will hurt more than you can possibly believe!!

Gonna wear my old trainers i think instead of breaking in a new pair

Carry a backpack rather than a hand or shoulder bag with all your stuff in. There is nothing more irritating that having to juggle show maps/guides, your notebook and pen and a bag when all you really want to do is have a good look at something or even pick up a business card!! If you are anything like me - it all ends up on the floor!!

Already been discussing that one with Julie, i always wear a bum bag to anything where there is a lot to look at so that my money is at the front in no mans land area lol, also i said to Julie that i have seen backpacks which convert to trolly bags so i am gonna get one of those so that its on my back for the show but as soon as we are away from the crowds i can get it off and pull it. Just to ease my back.

You will definitely want a notebook if your memory is as bad as you would have us believe!!... It is so easy to think...'Oh I will remember THAT'...be it a name or design idea...but I can guarantee you won't without having some 'aide memoire'.

Trust me is it seriously bad, i can be told something at one end of the room and forget it by the time i get to the other

Carry a bottle of water and a couple of snack bars and some paracetamol. You would rather die of starvation and thirst than leave the floor with all its lovely goodies beckoning...but if you don't want to pass out from hunger/thirst or a searing headache and the shakes it is better to be prepared. (Sorry - I have no answer for how to get round needing the loo...You'll have to leave the floor for that!!...there are LAWS you know!!!)

I will definately have water with me as this diet makes me very thirsty. I will also need some to make up my shake when i want to eat, plus the container to shake it in lol. I will have my painkillers for my back but yes i think i will add paracetomol too.

If you collect a lot of business cards write a quick note on them to remind you of what stall they came from (or cross reference them with the show guide) or you will never remember...they all tend to look the same when you have picked up a good selection!

now thats a brilliant tip, you are right i have a habit of taking a card then i cant for the life of me remember what it was that i liked so much at their stand

Be prepared for total exhaustion!! Make sure that there is a Take Away menu ready for the evening meal and make sure everyone knows not to ask anything of you when you get back because you will not be fit for anything!!!

Nothing new there then :P

Have fun!! Don't expect to do it all - because you never do. And don't expect to remember it all - because you won't! (And it isn't just you being inadequate...it happens to everybody.) Don't worry about the other people...the 'new people' that you haven't met before...they are just as hell bent on looking at the displays as you are...and they are all probably just like the rest of us on here...fun, friendly and human(ish!!) ...nothing to fear at all!!

I do try hun, i will either be extremely quiet or over the top to cover it lol
Thank you for so much brilliant advice, i have made notes lol.

Originally Posted by Petal

Hiya everyone,

A quick break from gardening... The only thing I would add is to check out the prices of some of the stuff on your list before you go to IJL, that way if you see the same thing and know the price of it already, and its cheaper at the show, then you can bag it as a nice bargain! I went to a show last year, saw something I knew I needed, bought it and when I got home realised it was a lot more expensive !

Won't do that again

Jules x

Excellent idea again thank you, yes very easy to get carried away thinking you are getting stuff at show prices not realising they have been bumped up. Looks like some more research is required.

**The Bijou Dragon** · 16-08-2009, 01:26 PM

1.
This project that i want to do, requires me to learn some new techniques, like flush stone setting, and i want to round out one end of the silver sheet. I think this is called Doming, and i have seen various blocks, but i wondered if someone could just tell me what equipment i need to make this dome in the sheet, it will only be small, kinda how you do it? and also if i need to wait til my skills have improved?

You will need a brass doming block and a set of dapping tools along with a sturdy hammer. You could also do it with a sandbag, dapping tools and a hammer. You can get all this stuff in various places but I found the cheapest was from e-bay. I bought a brass block and a 18 piece dapping kit for about £25-ish

3.
I am hoping to get a tumbler at the show, mainly for polishing my silver, is there a particuar make that i should look out for? a good size barrel? i already understand its best to get a rubber barrel with fins, and i believe mixed stainless steel shot is best. Is there anything else that i need apart from shot and water?

Again I bought mine from a guy on e-bay, cost me around £70 as I bought the tumbling machine and barrel separately (but from the same guy). You need a finned barrel some shot and some polishing compound (I use dish soap for polishing compound, cheap and works just as well imho).

We bought a 3lb machine which can hold two small barrels (but we bought one large one) however if we bought two barrels the MAXIMUM that both barrels can weigh together is 3lb or it will damage the motor!

You can of course get a ceramic compound for making things matt instead of shiny or get a smooth sided barrel and get some rocks and polishing grits and make your own tumbled stones as well...

There you go, hope my rambling explanations make sense