Back on the upswing...

[smithing_chick]

I was good. The electric is paid. Groceries were bought. I even finally got a mop so I don't have to keep trying to wash the kitchen floor with some paper towels & 409. And then I bought a really good but very, very cheap pickle pot. They had the perect thing at Wal-mart, much as I hate them (only place in town where I can get computer paper & denatured alcohol). A small crock pot with white glaze & a glass lid. Even a "Keep Warm" setting. See, in metals, when you heat up the metal, it usually gets firescaled, so you put it in pickle- a mild, warm acid solution & it cleans off the firescale. Official jewelry grade pickle pots are about $80-$100 so at school we use crock pots. We've noticed that some colored glazes will react with the pickle solution. And of course, if you heat it up too much for too long, it boils & releases bad, bad fumes. And plastic lids will warp. The "Keep Warm"setting means I can keep it warm without it boiling. Cost less than $15. Makes me happy. Now I just have to get my work table cleared off enough that I have a place to set it up.

I'm reconsidering the internship with the local jeweler this summer. It'd be worth it but there's two probems-- it'll seriously cut into the time I have to prepare for my show for one & the other is that I'll lose my assistantship. Can't have either work study or an assistantship if doing an internship or student teaching. So I may just take another woodworking class & an art history class instead.

Now I need to get my butt over to the studio so I can get some stuff done- like sale stuff & romandruid's branches. :)