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Re: [Orchid] Self taught Vs Formal training
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Gary Bourbonais Sunday, February 04, 2007
   
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Hi Melissa, Nanz.....

    Stuff is changing... 

    Took a one day soldering intensive at University of
    Wisconsin-Milwaukee this Summer...out of maybe 18-20 people...there
    was only one other guy......at least that I can remember.....Ages
    were from High School to retired teachers.... I'm kinda an
    inbetween....can't retire quite yet... 

    The instructor, and two assistants, were female.... 

    Now, I don't care if an intructor is male, female, or
    extraterrestial alien.... If they can teach me what I want to
    learn....that's why I'm there.... 

    Amongst the three of them, I learned more in that afternoon than
    years of dinking around on my own.... 

    My point being....if this is any kind of cross-section of what's
    going on in the art and/or craft...... 

    The Ladies are going to *rule*....<G>..... 

    A plug for the GIA here...... 

    I spent a number of years of flopping around when I first became
    interested in the stones.... I got to a point where I had to
    correlate this stuff... 

    The GIA AJP Program (Jewelry Essentials, Diamond Essentials, and
    Colored Stone Essentials) lined stuff up let me see the forest,
    instead of just the trees... 

    Was worth every penny I spent on it.....in allowing me to learn a
    fundamental understanding in a relatively short time... 

    Mind you.....it's a set of knowledge that sorta lets you what
    is.....and doesn't do much of "how do you do it"... 

    But it sure clarified things.... 

    Gary W. Bourbonais
    A.J.P. (GIA)

    OT....turns out that Devcon Two Ton Epoxy colors very nicely with
    Testor's model paints...and if you know a good hobby
    shop.....there's a veritable spectrum of Testor's available.....and
    then some.... 

    You mix the stuff up according to the directions, and then about 45
    seconds into the mixing (1 minute total), use a toothpick to drop a
    tad or two of the paint into it....to give you the color you
    want...can make opaque or transparent... Stuff sets up as hard and as
    adhesive as if it's straight...I always clean where it's going with
    isopropyl...aka rubbng...alcohol... 

    I dunno if you can stone or polish it.....but Sunshine cloth doesn't
    seem to bother it... 

    The cure takes a bit longer than standard....so I always leave it
    sit for an extra day...I also save the mix surface wax paper I
    use....and check it before I mess with the jewelry... 

Finding all *kinds* of use for this.....


 

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