I stumbled on the online learning site called “At The Bench” this
morning and was going to subscribe but it is quite expensive. I was
wondering if any of you are members and how you like it.
I liked the idea that they have videos to watch as that is so much
better than trying to learn something from a book.
Thanks for any advice,
Lona
Lona
That "Atthebench com’ is about $160.00 USF++ per year. why pay for
some notes & video’s if you can *get it for ‘free’ over here? *
Although most of the lessons/video’s start at the beginners stage.
Still loads of money, I tried to check a few vid’s, no luck…‘paying
to view’ on mostly everything…:>(good bye!!! *Gerry *
stumbled on the online learning site called "At The Bench" this morning and was going to subscribe but it is quite expensive.
How about the free benchtube at our ganoksin.com? - Lorraine
Lona, I enjoy Andrew Berry’s way of teaching and can recommend it to
beginners and intermediate level of students. The price is not high
if you compare it to taking classes and workshops. Trudie
U=Tube is the place to be !
I liked the idea that they have videos to watch as that is so much better than trying to learn something from a book
That is interesting to me.
I make tutorials in the PDF format, some on commission and some for
my own website.
Personally, I find video a bit difficult because you have to stop,
go back and skip forward etc.
I like the picture next to the explanation and I include an example
of what I mean, just to show the format I am speaking about…
So my question is: What tutorial do you prefer, video or printable?
[Edit]
Sharing files and pictures with Orchid is easy - Simply attach them
to your Orchid post.
[/Edit]
I’ve been a member for nearly 2 years. I’ve found the resource to be
quite worth the investment. Considering you can also make requests
(he did one request of mine for a cylinder clasp that was worth the
whole year in subscription fees). 3 new videos a week professionally
delivered and clearly filmed to really take advantage of Andrews 20+
years of experience. I’ve been very happy with my investment in At
the bench. I’ve become a more skilled jeweler because of it.
Norm
I like both, hardcopy I can put next to my work, video can show me
how actually work, thank you for all you teachers on Orchid, learned
a lot from you.
Anna from the land of snow.
Mr. Meevis,
I personally prefer tutorials in printed form. That way I am able to
re look and rethink without having to rewind and/or replay a DVD.
I consider video to be the up and coming way of life but as of
today, I look at videos as a good supplement in areas difficult to
describe to a large cross section of people. Some of the items that
come to mind include accelerations, decelerations, rate of feed of
tools into materials and certain descriptions of force or power for
a specific task.
I say this because of the different levels of technical education
provided by schools for different courses of study. Someone who is
taking a general course of study will receive less technical
training / teaching than someone enrolled in a more technical field,
for instance, someone training to be a machinist. I believe that
each person’s ability to learn from one medium vs. the other will
differ considerably. Unfortunately, I only have a personal opinion -
but not the answer you seek.
And lastly Mr. Meevis - your current tutorials are superb! Thank you
for sharing your knowledge.
Bob A. DeMarcki
I also like both, but with me it depends on what I’m trying to
learn. With some techniques I can understand a written description
and others I need to see a demonstration. The one nice thing about a
video is that you can back up and watch a step several times.
Sometimes even reading the same passage several times it is still
clear as mud. One example for me would be when I was first learning
to solder. I had read about the technique but never could really
understand it till I saw it done. Another example would be how to
candle a piece of fire agate to see how much more could be taken off
in the grinding phase.
Just my $0.0002 worth this AM
Charles
I look at videos as a good supplement in areas difficult to describe
For me, you have the right balance. I much prefer material in
printed form, but there are cases where video is useful. As for Hans’
tutorials, and finished work, I can only marvel.
Al Balmer
Hi Hans,
I make tutorials in the PDF format, some on commission and some for my own website. Personally, I find video a bit difficult because you have to stop, go back and skip forward etc. I like the picture next to the explanation and I include an example of what I mean, just to show the format I am speaking about..
I have read a lot of your posts and have always found them to be
excellent. You always give so much and it is easy to
follow what you are teaching. I thank you for being so generous in
sharing with the rest of us. I have tons of jewelry making books and
love them as they are my treasures but I do love watching a video to
see how other people do things. I am a self taught jewelry maker for
the most part and I teach classes. But some of the books that I have
leave much to be desired. I found a book on chain making and bought
one for myself and one for each of my students for Christmas and we
have been working from them. The examples of how to make the chains
are somewhat difficult to understand what they are talking about.
They have obviously left out so much that we are having to fill in
the gaps ourselves. I know that happens sometimes due to limited
space but it is frustrating. So let me answer your question by
saying I would never give up my books, especially the good ones but
I learned much of what I know by watching the videos from Alan
Revere plus I have had instruction at Arrowmont from some of the
best teachers.
Thanks so much to everybody who has responded to my original
question of joining the online study of At The Bench.
Regards to all,
Lona
That "Atthebench com' is about $160.00 USF++ per year. why pay for some notes & video's if you can *get it for 'free' over here? *
Thanks Gerry and the rest of you who replied to my question.
So nice to be a part of this forum.
Lona
Hi
I also like both Cynthia Eid’s Argentium instructions are, for me
best read printed out.
They are very comprehensive and I need to be able to read and
re-read them. Before it all sinks in, that’s how I learn.
Yet with some things a quick video ticks all the boxes.
all the best
Richard
Hello!
For my very first post on the new and improved Orchid website, I wanted to share a resource that I think is fantastic. I first heard about it here on Orchid a while ago, and wanted to give my recommendation as well.
It is called AtTheBench.com (out of the UK)
It is a site for online jewelry making tutorials.
(it is a paid site with a very modest monthly or annual fee)
The main reason I feel compelled to mention this site is because I wish I had known about it when I was first learning how to make jewelry many years ago, and maybe by mentioning it now, someone will benefit from knowing about it.
I am always looking to learn new things, and I scoured my area and took every class and workshop I could find. I bought every book I could get my hands on. I collected tools, set up a workspace, and started to put the mileage in to learning to hand make jewelry. I read Orchid daily.
A hand’s on learning classroom environment is great. As a supplement, these videos are very, very informative, on-demand, so you can watch as many videos as you want, whenever you want, as many times as you want, (without driving anywhere!) (Just like Orchid!)
The projects range from very simple, to quite advanced…from making a simple band, to fabricating a halo ring, and setting all the stones…there are product reviews that show how to use interesting pieces of equipment…and much much more! I learn something new with every project. I love learning new tricks!
I marathon viewed almost all of the 1000+ videos in the video bank, and would like to say that in my humble opinion they are fantastic. There seems to be very little editing in that you see almost everything as it is being done. The video resolution is very good. The video is taken from many angles and very close up so that you can see everything very clearly…you can see the solder run!
I originally saw this site mentioned here, and recommended it to a friend that wanted to learn how to make jewelry. Then, I decided that I should at least join for one month so that I can see what I am recommending. I loved it so much, I signed up for a year.
If you would like to check it out, there are “freeview” videos on the site that can be viewed for free.
The instructors name is Andrew Berry, and free videos can also be found on YouTube.
They also have an affiliate program, where you can earn credits toward future membership fees, when someone clicks in using your affiliate link. (I am not posting mine here, as my intention is not to solicit anything. I just want to share my experience with this wonderful resource.)
Best Regards,
Julie
I have been a subscriber for a few years now to At The Bench and thinks it’s worth every penny.
Hi Carolyn,
I agree with you about At The Bench. It’s worth every penny. I have been watching the videos about 18 months and love them. I made Andrew Berry’s double knot ring and his sail earrings. Have you made any of his projects?
Dale Pavatte
Diamonds For You
Decherd, Tennessee
His website is painfully slow and takes way too long to try to find what you’re looking for. I was going to pay for it but it takes each page almost a full minute to load. He really needs to upgrade his server.
I noticed that as well… as I’m sure he has realized, serving up long-form video content in HD to the entire world at any sort of speed is really expensive. Ganoksin used to “self-host” our videos, and we do so no longer. We use a third party service, which we pay a very pretty penny for (we have almost 1,000 videos in our library).
Anyone can use those videos, for free, anytime they like on Ganoksin.com. If you enjoy them, thank a paying Ganoksin/Orchid member. If you are a paying Ganoksin/Orchid member, it’s your money that pays for them. Thank you.
