Take a look at all of the frighteningly delicious items you can find on ArtFire this Halloween season.

I’ve never been a big fan of the oh so common red rose, probably due to the fact that it is such a commonplace gift item. What I can not deny is the beauty in the complex structure of the petals of a rose. In honor of the passing of summer I’ve assembled this collection of rose themed products by the talented artisans of ArtFire full of bright and brilliant colors. Believe it or not they even made me like that single red rose.

She is the winner of the fabulous pendant by Cindy @ Fools and Jewels. Angelique please forward your information to contactus@harmonyinmetal.com and I’ll get it to Cindy so she can ship out your prize.

Thanks to all who participated!

Here’s how to enter to win this fabulous prize:

Leave a comment on this blog~ 1 entry

Follow this blog~ 1 entry

Follow Cindy’s blog~ 2 entries Fools and Jewels Blog

Become a fan on Cindy’s Facebook~ 1 entry Fools and Jewels on Facebook

Follow Cindy on Twitter~ 1 entry divapixie25

Tweet about this giveaway ~ 2 entries

Make a purchase from Cindy’s shop ~ 5 entries

Please notify me either in your comments on this blog or by email (tharmon@harmonyinmetal.com) proof that you have done one or more of these things for entries. You can add @HarmonyInMetal to your tweet or post links to your tweets, purchases, comments etc. to provide proof. Comments on this blog are moderated so don’t be discouraged when you don’t see your comment right away I will be checking in multiple times daily to approve comments.

I will assign a number to each entry and use a random number generator to determine the winner.  Good luck!

The deadline for entries will be 6pm CST on Thursday, September 23rd.

It was love at first sight.  She absolutely adored her new fuzzy toy and promptly began carting it all around the house with her.  That was until the carnage began less than 48 hours later.  The poor little sheep just couldn’t stand up to her razor sharp teeth and soon the house was covered in bits of stuffing.  As I would pick up the small parts of the remains she would protect the larger remnant from me so it wouldn’t be thrown away too.

I knew the day was coming when there would be but a shred left and the final tossing would have to happen so I turned to my fellow ArtFire sellers in an attempt to find a replacement that just might hold up to Princess Destructo.  We decided to try out one of the handmade dog toys from Critter Crafts and purchased Scrappy Cat.  The toy is made of two layers of fabric with the inner layer being made from canvas to give it added strength.

Click on picture to go to product page

When Scrappy Cat arrived Bella looked at indifferently at first until my 9 year old son gave it the first squeeze.  It was love at first squeak.  She immediately pulled her new toy from my son’s hands and gave it the first workout.

As you can see she gave it a hardy workout.  She seemed to take some offense to the rope coming out of the front of Scrappy Cat and spent the first evening hard at work until she removed it.  It is now 2 days shy of 2 weeks since she received her new toy and that is the only damage that has been inflicted.

This is her absolute favorite toy and it goes everywhere with her except outside because we don’t allow that (she’s primarily an inside dog anyway).  So she takes it all the way to the door and drops it right next to the door.  As soon as she comes back in she immediately grabs it and takes it back into the living room with her.

Today my husband spotted one of the Hartz Tuff Stuff dog toys made from ultra-durable ballistic nylon while we were shopping so we thought we’d try one of those out.  It’s been 2 hours and Mr. Duck’s wing is shredded.  Needless to say we’ll be returning to Critter Crafts for our next soft toy purchase.  I already have my eye on this one

Click on picture to go to product page

I can not thank Critter Crafts enough for designing such a well made product that makes both Bella and I very happy.  The arrival of Scrappy Cat allowed me to finally get that 2″ piece of sheep in the trash where it belonged.

If you’re like me and crave those gorgeous blooms all year round check out this collection of beautiful artisan created metal flowers. No water needed.

So what do you do? I wish I had a magic answer to the question. I’m trying to learn to brush it off and go with the flow. Just because I want to create doesn’t mean I can snap my fingers and make it happen. Not every brilliant idea I dream up is going to work in the real world and sometimes I just need to accept it instead of beating a dead horse when I know deep down it just isn’t going to happen. The most important being don’t be afraid to put a project away for awhile when you just can’t find the answer to the only thing that isn’t working in an otherwise good idea.

The one good thing that came from that experience is yesterday I went to my happy place with all my shiny tools. When I get really frustrated with a particular project or the muse has taken a vacation I often head out to my jeweler’s bench and make the things I always need – basic toggle clasps, ear wires, jump rings, etc… If I’m really frustrated I can always taking out some of that aggression while texturing some metal with a hammer. As I’m working on these more mundane tasks my brain is free to go wherever it wants and more often than not a good solid idea can be found.

This time I remember the bracelet I started at the beginning of the summer and my brain starts to churn on how to complete it. It’s about an inch wide and a regular toggle or even a focal toggle were not going to work with it so I was completely stumped with how to finish it off. As I was sawing I realized what I needed to do was create a full on sheet metal clasp with a slot and a hook. I pulled out my trusty ruler, pencil and index card and starting work on plotting out the female end of the clasp. I’m not done yet but I have a solid design for at least half of it and so far the metal version is coming along exactly as planned. And you know what, I didn’t create a slew of products like I wanted but I felt a huge sense of accomplishment because I’d actually tackled something that had been hanging out there for awhile even if I didn’t finish it.

Now the other side of that clasp, well that’s going to take some more thinking to get all the clearances just right. Thank goodness there are always more jump rings to saw.

How do you deal with your creative slumps and misses? I’d love to hear about it.

Tool List         

• Jeweler’s Saw (either adjustable or fixed frame)
• Saw Blades (2/0 at the absolute largest but preferably 6/0)
• Bees Wax
• Bench Pin
• Leather or Suede Gloves (for your non-dominant hand)
• Safety Glasses
• Flush Cutters
• Wire (preferably 18 or 20 gauge for starters)
• Mandrels
• Coil Winder or Drill (with a low speed setting)
• Digital Calipers (optional)
• Masking or Painter’s Tape (optional)
• Tumbler and Stainless Steel Shot
• Dawn (the regular blue kind)

We’ll start with the mandrel.  There are lots of things you can use as a mandrel.  The most important requirement is that it is metal.  If you’re planning on doing chainmaille the actual size of the mandrel becomes more important but you can still get by using some cheap alternatives to buying a full set of mandrels.    

For metric sizes you can easily use aluminum knitting needles which come in many different increments.  For english sizes your best bet is a transfer punch set.  If you have a Harbor Freight near you they sell a 28 piece set for $9.99 or it can also be found on their website http://www.harborfreight.com/28-piece-transfer-punch-set-3577.html.  Whether you’re using a purchased mandrel set or an alternative it is always a good idea to use a set of digital calipers to verify the size of the mandrel if you will be using the rings for chainmaille.  Most will be calibrated correctly but by checking first you can save yourself a lot of frustration when dealing with aspect ratio sensitive weaves.Now that you know what size rings you want to make we’re ready to start winding the coil.      

Winding The Coil        

1. Make sure the coil is tightly fastened in the chuck of the coil winder or drill.
2. Put on your safety glasses and gloves (you will really only need the glove on the hand that will be guiding the wire).
3. Place the end of the wire as far in the chuck as it will go (if you’re using a vise make a 90 degree bend and put it in the vise next to the mandrel). 
   

   Figure 1

4. Push the wire forward with your thumb so that it is parallel with the chuck (or vise).  If you’re left handed you may want to pull the wire towards you so that the rings open the opposite direction. 
   

   Figure 2

5. Place your gloved middle finger against the back of the mandrel and hold the wire between your thumb and first two fingers.  This will make the wire pull through your fingers straightening it as you go. (See figures 3 & 4)
6. Rotate the mandrel counterclockwise (clockwise if you pulled the wire backwards in step making sure that the wire runs completely parallel with no slant.  If you are using a drill you want to use the lowest speed setting.  
   

   Figure 3

   

   Figure 4

7. Continue coiling in this manner making sure that each wrap is tight against the previous one.  Any gaps in the coil will make it harder to saw.  If this happens or if the next wrap goes over top of the previous one simply unwind that section and rewind it.
8. Once the coil is the right length snip off the wire close to the mandrel and pull the coil off the mandrel.  Now you have a finished coil. 
   

   Figure 5

Sawing the Coil   

Blade preference is subjective.  A larger blade will cut through the metal faster but will also leave a larger kerf (the area of metal that will be removed by the blade).   A smaller blade will have smaller kerf which is why I generally use a 6/0 blade unless I’m sawing much larger gauges of jump rings.  Regardless of the blade size you use make sure to purchase good quality blades.  Sawing coils introduces several new variables that can increase the stress on the blade.  You will break blades so make sure you have a good supply.   

1. If you have removed your safety glasses put them back on.
2. Place the end of the saw on your bench pin and support the handle with your upper body right below your clavicle. (See figure 1)
3. Place the blade in the top fastener of the saw as far as it will go making sure that the teeth are facing out and pointing down towards the handle of the saw (feel free to start with the bottom fastener of the saw if that works better for you).  Tighten the screw.
4. Place the end of the blade in the bottom fastener (or the top if you chose to start with the bottom in the previous step) and press in on the handle with your upper body.  I use my left hand because I can’t always get enough pressure otherwise.  If you are using a rolling chair wrap your ankle around the leg of your work area to keep from rolling away.  The blade should arch down.  Tighten the screw.
   

   Figure 1

5. Release the pressure and test your blade by plucking it.  You should hear a high pitched tone.
6. If you do not have a sweeps drawer to catch loose rings you may want to run a piece of painter’s or masking tape up the back of the coil to keep the rings in place as you saw.
7. Run your blade across the bees wax to lubricate it.
8. Hold the top of the coil against the corner of the V in your bench pin.
   

   Figure 2

9. With your saw at a roughly 45 degree angle and held loosely in your hand (this is no time for a death grip it’ll only result in broken blades, let the blade do the work) pull the length of your blade down the top ring of the coil to make the first bite in the metal.
   

   Figure 3

   

   Figure 4

10. Continue sawing with your blade at the same angle making sure to use the full length of the blade with each stroke. 
11. Periodically slide any cut rings off the blade by rolling the cut side to the back of the blade and gently pushing on them with your finger.  If you’re using the tape method you’ll want to periodically pull the tape back and remove the cut rings.  Re-lubricate the blade.
12. Once the coil is too small to hold you can finish cutting it by placing it on top of your bench pin.
    

    Figure 5

13. Make sure your blade is freshly lubricated and draw down the side of the coil as you saw.  The tail left from winding the coil can be bent in any way you want to help hold the coil in place as you finish up.
    

    Figure 6

14. Now the rings are ready for tumbling.  You can either throw them in loose or you can gather them up on some pieces of scrap wire (for a 6/0 blade you want to use 18 gauge at the smallest end or the rings can wiggle loose) so you can easily retrieve them. 
    

    Figure 7

    

    Figure 8

15. Add the rings to the tumbler along with stainless steel shot, a couple of drops of Dawn and just enough water to cover the shot.
16. Tumble for at least 30 minutes to remove all the lubricant but preferably longer to remove any burs from the metal.
17. Remove the rings from the tumbler, rinse and then dry. 

These steps are merely a guide to get you started, there is no one right way.  Feel free to experiment and find out what works best for you.  I welcome any comments on anything I may have left out or if you have any questions.  Happy sawing!