
It really has beeen too long between posts! but I have good reason. . . .. . . . . I have been up to my eyeballs in assesments, product testing, shopping for my wedding and getting my own work made! on the plus side, I have some stuff to show you! My new packaging arrived, and I love it, it goes well with all the different types of work that I produce, but Im not dead set on the packaging in or around it. Im considering using grass seed so that all the packaging is bio-degradable and is environmentaly friendly! I have been on a mission to find new resins that are suitable for workshops and I am glad to say that I have found one!!! It is called "Quick Cast" resin from Trylon and it sets rock hard after 2.5-3 minitues post mixing!! seriously! it mixes in two equal parts so it is very user friendly, it cures tack free even when using gell flex, and is ready to sand and polish after 5 minitues!! its amazing! so amazing I have decided to use it fro the conference in two weeks!!! the only downside. . . .. . if you can call it a downside, is that it cures opaque! the bangle above has been made using quick cast resin and roubous tea leaves, and the cream colour is the colour of the cured resin.
The great news however, is that it can be tinted and dyed in hundreds of different colours using the standard pigments for any other resin! this I know because I made another bangle yesterday ( in between assesing!!) using different colours and two type of resin pigments, and the result was a beautiful, pastle bracelet!! I haven't had the chance to photograph it, but I shall finish sanding and polishing it tomorrow and get a picture up for you to see.
I have also bough some silicone rubber, and a resin suitable for flexible moulds, I am testing these because I want to fnd an alternative resin for the students to use next year, as the EMP400 casting resin we have at the moment is definately not suitable for flexible moulds, and since most of my guys make their own moulds, I would like to make their lives a little easier. I have finished my new range of jewellery thus far, and have been busy making, photo's will follow shortly, and I am pleased to announced that my work is finally live of Not on The High Street!! yipppeeeeee!! The cufflinks are first up and can be customised using your own fabrics. I have the conference comming up in just over a week, so I am very busy organising a leeon plan, gatting some samples made and also producing handouts and health and safety sheets, and on top of the, I will also need to get some pices ready to be photographed to go into a book on the same weeked!! Crikey! the book will be the first of its kind for PMC, it will be a how too book that will talk you through step by step of how the pices were made. I think this is fab because many of the books available always keep some techniques secret, where this book tells you everything. two days before the conference I will be doing a masterclass with Mary Ann Devos in The Pmc Studio, and she will be demonstrating a hinged box from PMC! im intrigued as I love making tradiotional hinges, and would like to see how well this translates into PMC! Right, on with the disssertations!