How to Make a Thing out of No-Thing

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I know, it sounds dreadfully complicated and in the end, what have you got? You work and sweat and strain to make a buck to keep food on the table and a roof over the head, and while you’re digging to get out of the hole, all these violent assholes who want to destroy everything around you are filling them back in.

If you understand that it IS a war, and that you ARE the victim, you’ll be able to deal with it enough that you can at least carry on working at your job every day or night or both, while at the same time, skillfully ignoring the growing threat of civil disorder and political unrest.

Like I told them back in 1861, “If you don’t cool down, there’s going to be trouble.”, and sure enough, there was that four-year Unpleasantness that ended up worse than it began, and the same thing happened again back in 1941.

Frankly, I’m tired of warning them, and so I don’t. I make copper chains. That’s what I do, but it isn’t ALL that I do. Continue reading →

ZOOMSHOP – Basic Linking

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.925 modern silver linkage — Medieval Amber, Modern amber rounds & .999 fine Silver Granulation.

Linking is very basic for anything constructed of wire, and you’d be well-advised to master this skill by making many, many links in copper before trying your skill on silver and gold. How you link is, first cut a convenient and easy to handle length of .22 gauge wire, about ten to twelve inches long.

With your flush-cutter, clip off the very end of the wire with the flush side toward the larger piece. Cut off as LITTLE as possible — every bit of weight counts, both with precious gemstones and precious metals.

Using your needlenose pliers, place the tips about 2 inches from one end of the wire, and gently coax the wire into a bend back onto itself, and then deftly turn the wire and wind it around itself, as shown in the illustration below:

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Loop the wire back upon itself and wrap the wire closely together side-by-side to make it look right.

Continue reading →