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Burnt Bone and the Glitter Beneath
Oct. 23rd, 2003 06:49 pmI think my migraine is dissipating, but I'm not certain, yet. It started to kick in around lunch time, which is pretty much right on schedule. But I took an Advil and it kept me right on the edge of a fullbore confusion attack. I was afraid I'd have to come home, but it wasn't quite that bad. With trepidation, I kept right on working, and then I was relieved to realize I'd put in an entire day of work without needing to stop for more than a lunch break. And I made some beautiful things, too, even if the work was frustrating.
I was doing cuttle fish casting the entire day. The metal studio became a seafood crematorium. Each time I pour molten silver into cuttle bone, the room fills with an appalling odour. It smells something like burning hair. I dunk the silver-filled bone into a bowl of water under a fume hood, and the water makes the smell even stronger. It's kinda like farts in the bathtub. They always seem to smell much worse than "dry" flatulation. I wonder why that is....
Wet, burnt cuttle bone disintegrates readily. Ruined bone collapses into a black, powdery paste, revealing a nugget of silver beneath. It's a good sign the pour didn't work if half of the bone is bobbing up in the water. It means the carved-out portion is filled with air instead of precious metals. If I'm lucky, enough of it did work that I'll have something salvageable.
About 25% of my pours resulted in usable strips. I suspect I'm singlehandedly depleting the world's oceans of squid. Poor little squishy critters. I hope their deaths weren't in vain. The silver strips I got are gorgeously detailed, and very organic in appearance. They look like a cross between snakeskin and wood grain, all on shiny, shiny silver. I need to file down the edges and drill holes so they can be attached to my dance belt, but that's the easy part. I want to go in this weekend and pour some more silver. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to make a silverware set. These strips I'm making would be absolutely gorgeous on a set of cutlery. Someday....
Tonight, I'm feeling well enough to do some homework, but still too mind-trembly to go to kung fu. Oh please let me be able to get back to class next week! I need to get some exercise and stress relief before I waste away to nothingness.
I was doing cuttle fish casting the entire day. The metal studio became a seafood crematorium. Each time I pour molten silver into cuttle bone, the room fills with an appalling odour. It smells something like burning hair. I dunk the silver-filled bone into a bowl of water under a fume hood, and the water makes the smell even stronger. It's kinda like farts in the bathtub. They always seem to smell much worse than "dry" flatulation. I wonder why that is....
Wet, burnt cuttle bone disintegrates readily. Ruined bone collapses into a black, powdery paste, revealing a nugget of silver beneath. It's a good sign the pour didn't work if half of the bone is bobbing up in the water. It means the carved-out portion is filled with air instead of precious metals. If I'm lucky, enough of it did work that I'll have something salvageable.
About 25% of my pours resulted in usable strips. I suspect I'm singlehandedly depleting the world's oceans of squid. Poor little squishy critters. I hope their deaths weren't in vain. The silver strips I got are gorgeously detailed, and very organic in appearance. They look like a cross between snakeskin and wood grain, all on shiny, shiny silver. I need to file down the edges and drill holes so they can be attached to my dance belt, but that's the easy part. I want to go in this weekend and pour some more silver. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to make a silverware set. These strips I'm making would be absolutely gorgeous on a set of cutlery. Someday....
Tonight, I'm feeling well enough to do some homework, but still too mind-trembly to go to kung fu. Oh please let me be able to get back to class next week! I need to get some exercise and stress relief before I waste away to nothingness.
