Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Burn Notice

So this post title is actually a double entendre. It seems like I moved to Portland just in time to die of heat stroke. It's is 104 degrees outside right now, and I have no AC. And I work with torch. It's fantastic!

And this, loyal readers, is photographic evidence of the first burn I have ever received in the course of my work (well, there was this one time that I dripped molten dop wax on my finger, but that doesn't count). This comes from pure foolishness on my part: I had used this thing called a third hand, which is basically a set of tweezers attached to an adjustable weighted base, to prop a ring up for soldering. Instead of picking up the third hand from the cool base part, I used another pair of tweezers (which I will talk about more later) to quench the piece of metal I was working. Then, moments later, I was clearing my workspace for another project when I grabbed the third hand to move it out of the way. With my bare hand. And since it hadn't cooled at all, it burnt the bejesus out of my grasping fingers. This is just the most visible evidence:

Not bad as burns go, but I won't be modeling rings on that hand any time soon.


A pictorial day in the life:

let the pugs out in the morning before the back yard becomes a blazing pit of heat

coffee!

emails, quotes, general questions

figure out what is on the agenda for the day

survey the wreckage of my kitchen table. the larger the horizontal surface the messier it gets.

The supplies cabinet. Which right now is making all of my supplies smell like an 80 year old woman with an addiction to avon perfume and nicotine. hence the can of kilz primer and odor blocker sitting in front of the printer. I love this cabinet, I bought it on craigslist, but the smell was driving me cra----zeee.

Now a little game I like to call find the tweezers, preferably played while you have a live torch in your hand. There are two pairs in there, can you find them?

Recent variations:

gold on gold, citrine and 14kt

ruby, sapphire, silver


My lovely friend Kellie, modeling the new bangles. Of course she got to take that set home for her troubles.

An oldy but a goody.

Multistone rings.

New eternity band shape.


Since the move, I've lost my white windowsill that I used to photograph on, so I got this little decorative piece of ceramics. But I wonder if it is too distracting?


5 comments:

Catherine Chandler said...

You must be melting! Luckily it should cool off the next couple days, and next Tuesday, we get RAIN!!! I will probably run through the streets and get soaked, willingly, as only a Portlander could do :)

Bean said...

Wow, 104?! Goodness gracious! I hope you and the pups hold up till the heat wave passes.

I still think you should model with the burned hand. You will seem more pirate-like, which is always fun, right? :D

FYI--I LOVE YOUR BANGLES! Yes, I do wear my rings every day. :D

P.S. Your friend, Kellie, has a lovely modeling hand (and wrist).

Justine said...

Hi Catherine!

Yes, I was pretty much a big puddle on the floor for most of the day. I guess yesterday was only 100 or so and it felt positively cool. I can't wait for a little bit of rain. :-)

justine

Justine said...

Hey Bean!

I totally did a pirate photo for these rings:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28621499

You can't really see it though, I'm a little disappointed. lol.

It's cooled off a bit, for which I am very thankful. I think the pugs are happy about it too.

I'll pass on the compliment to kellie! She was a little nervous about having her hands photographed, but I agree with you. She does have lovely wrists.

kellie said...

oh my, thanks ladies, for the compliments on the wrists. I never knew. but I do know that I love my bangles, and wear them as often as I can and even sometimes to school. for my "troubles," they're entirely worth it!