Kat’s Arts Blog

I’ve just updated the gallery here with a couple of images of my latest copper jewelry creations. (Click the image below to see the whole gallery.) I finally fired up the new flex-shaft tool to cut the jumpring coils made with the Pepe Jumpring Maker described in an earlier posting, and everything worked just fine. Not only did I have no problems with the flex-shaft tool (in spite of its being a cheap knock-off of the Foredom product pros recommend), I think it may be possible to use the foot pedal controller that came with it to control my Dremel 395, since it works inline between the tool and the wall socket. The final verdict will have to await further testing, but I can’t see any reason for it not to work.

Meanwhile, enjoy the new pics. They’re in the album called “Beaded Jewelry” under “Copper” even though they aren’t actually beaded. They are pure copper, though, and today I restocked my wire stash with a trip to the hardware store, so expect to see lots of copper things in the future, especially if it is made from jumprings.

Boy, am I unhappy! Not long ago I bought a tool set I’d been drooling over for months, the Pepe 307 Jump Ring Maker, for jewelry projects. It looks like a really nifty collection of well-made, well-designed components, but I have a problem with it. Instead of being able to use my existing Dremel rotary tool and flex shaft with it (to saw apart the wire coils wound on the mandrels to make them into jump rings), it appears I will have to buy a whole new rotary tool, from Foredom.

It isn’t that the Dremel is incapable of cutting the rings. Actually, my Dremel 395 at 8,000-35,000 RPM is more powerful than the Foredom, which only goes up to 18,000 RPM. The problem is that Dremel’s flex shaft handle is just a smidgen too large to fit into the saw guard, and the drive shaft on the included saw blade holder is just 1/32-inch too big to fit into Dremel’s MultiPro chuck. Also, the Dremel flex tool handle is tapered at both ends, while the saw guard is designed for a completely cylindrical handle (like Foredom’s h.30).

I don’t see any solution other than investing in yet another tool. I don’t want to get rid of the Dremel, since it does a lot more than just drive a bench-top mini-saw, and I have bajillions of accessories for it. I suppose most of the bits and polishing/sanding/cutting wheels, etc. for the Dremel will work with the Foredom as well as the Dremel, but the Foredom isn’t portable like the Dremel, and I have other Dremel accessories like the drill press stand and router table, which won’t accept the Foredom. But I really want to get full use of the Pepe Jump Ring Maker, too. Sigh! It’s a good thing we are planning to have a large workshop in the new house we’re building!

It’s funny how one thing leads to another…

I was just browsing one of the email lists I subscribe to when I came across a mention of a Ning network I hadn’t previously found, Copper Wire Jewelers Magazine. The site founder, Lois Linquist, is also the founder/editor/publisher of the eponymous electronic magazine. Since I enjoy using copper in my jewelry-making, and also have a long-standing interest in electronic publishing, this was a perfect fit. The magazine is published through a site called Issuu – You Publish. If you are interested in either copper jewelry or electronic publishing, you’ll enjoy these links.

This week we’ve been in Tucson for the extravganza centered around the famous Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (TGMS). However, my primary interest is in materials for casual beaded and wirewrapped jewelry, not fine gemstones, lovely as they are. The bead shows and polymer clay (PC) workshops have been totally worth it, even if some of the serious gem merchants may think they are just a side show. To me, they are the main event.

I’ve acquired a good collection of semi-precious stone beads, and a lot of ideas and tips from the PC artists gathered here. Even my husband has gotten interested in the possibilities and fun of polymer clay sculpture after attending a class and make & take PC party. Christie Friesen, the clay sculpture class instructor, was both informative and a whole lot of fun. Her enthusiasm is as inspiring as her originality and skill as an artist and teacher. I have a feeling we will look her up at future events around the country as well as visiting her website and buying her books. She has a chatroom on her site that she says is very active, so once we get our internet connection squared away I will check that out.

As we put our new knowledge to work, and create new things with the skills and supplies obtained here, I’ll post pictures of them in the gallery.