Addicted

[Lynn.D]

Hi

I’ve been lurking around here for the last three years fuelling my addiction. I started off using silver clay and had no idea how to use sterling silver but after so many hours of watching youtube videos and reading this forum feel I’ve learnt so many new skills.
I’m only a hobbyist and frankly have spent a lot of money practicing and messed up many times and still do!

There were times I wanted to cry at the money I’d wasted and how stupid I felt but then because of my addiction I got over it pretty quick.
Now I’m in a place where I know my limitations and recently had a jewellery sale at work to raise money for a brain tumour charity offering 15% of my sales and raised £50 in half an hour!

I really only do everyday stuff which sells well with my friends and family but a highlight for me was over a year ago was when I made a pendant and earring set which I sold to a friend for £35. She rang me a few weeks later and said her jeweller had insured the the set for £350!

Might sound mad but it’s not just the jewellery making I seriously have a penchant for the tools and if I can’t afford a new tool every month I tend to get withdrawal systems!

[Dennis]

Welcome Lynn, but dont lurk any more and tell us of your experiences. Some pictures would be good too. Dennis.

[Aurarius]

I made a pendant and earring set which I sold to a friend for £35. She rang me a few weeks later and said her jeweller had insured the the set for £350!

And you're still her friend?
Welcome to the forum, Lynn!

[Patstone]

Welcome from me too, tool addiction is part of it I'm afraid. I tell hubby that I cant do a particular job without a certain tool, but I think he has cottoned on now. I am also a hobbyist, my special joy is pliers, I have about 30 pairs, most of them are slightly different but basically they all do more or less the same.

[metalsmith]

Hi

There were times I wanted to cry at the money I’d wasted and how stupid I felt but then because of my addiction I got over it pretty quick.

Might sound mad but it’s not just the jewellery making I seriously have a penchant for the tools and if I can’t afford a new tool every month I tend to get withdrawal systems!

There's very little waste in jewellery. Perhaps you turned some formed metal into something that required recycling, but that's not too bad. So long as you can afford your priorities, there's little lost - especially if you can turn out £350 jewellery for under £35!

Well there are only two treatments I know of for addiction: 1) cold turkey or 2) treat

One (affordable) tool per month sounds like a perfectly reasonable prescription to me!

Now can anyone help me with my rock-addiction? I can't even afford the metal to set most of them!

[LydiaNiz]

oh man, it *is* addictive! Well done for ceasing to lurk! (And good on you too - my mum has a brain tumour x)

[Lynn.D]

Frankly I don't know how he got to that price. I don't think anyone would have paid more than £50 for it !

I bought a small disc cutter and doming set a few weeks ago and made these simple pendants. I love smacking around with a hammer trouble is I tend to get the silver stuck more often than not in the disc cutter resulting in quite a nasty cut trying to get it out!

[Lynn.D]

oh man, it *is* addictive! Well done for ceasing to lurk! (And good on you too - my mum has a brain tumour x)

Sorry to hear that Lydia. A young friend at work lost her dad last year and is running the London Marathon in aid of the TBC so as I've been on half term this week I've been making a few more things to sell in aid of it. My aim is to make £100 for the charity so (very sore) fingers crossed!

[Dennis]

Very pretty pieces, but I don't understand where the disks could stick, if you bash all the way through over a gap. The punches stick in the remaining metal though, but can also be knocked through with a rod or big nail, over a gap as before.

Example of gap: space between two pieces of wood, hole in wood, partially open vice. Dennis.

[china]

Don't be too concerned about making mistakes (those who have never made a mistake have never made anything), if you don't make mistakes you will have nothing
to melt down and make something new.

Re disk cutter, some disk cutters require a piece of metal placed in the gap opposite the cut you are making, not doing this can cause things to jam up