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Black Angus on Orchid!

Jewelry Discussion
#1

Hello all! My name is David A. Gregory, known to many around the
world as Black Angus or just Angus if you like. First of all I would
like to say to those who created this site thank you very much! There
is an abundance of talent and here to keep someone like
me in “the loop”! I also enjoy looking at all the great tools,
equipment and workbenches that I cant afford to get! Oh, as I was
saying I am Angus! A medieval and fantasy style blacksmith, jeweler
and leather worker. I mostly work in brass, copperand nickel due to
that is what I can afford at the moment. Although my favorite jewelry
metal to work in is silver. I would post pictures to the sitebut I am
not very good at taking pictures so they would not meet the quality
standards. If you would like to see some of my work go here…

… Warning I am not great at websites either so even though this
has been 2 years in the making there are a lot of blank pages and the
whole thing is a work in process! As am I. At this time I am focused
on etching. The supplies needed are really inexpensive and I can do
it almost anywhere. However I would like to start making the higher
class pieces to show people what I can really do! Repousse, chasing,
casting and pmc work are some of the few I am planning to start on
once I canget the tools. I broke down last summer and bought myself
a new jewelers saw and better quality blades then the $5.00 bulk
pack. Just that made a big difference in speed and frustration. I
also carved an oak form for my Viking brooches and started trying to
figure out my mini torch that has been inthe box untouched for a
couple of years! I purchased a never used $500.00 beaders kiln, a
few weeks ago, to use as a small burn out kiln. I got a very good
deal on that and it will help me get to my goals of casting and pmc
work. Other then that I use a baseball bat as both a bracelet mandrel
andsometimes a hammer when I use my large doming blocks for round
pieces. Most of my files and and other odds and ends jewelry tools
are makeshift itemsand inexpensive Harbor Freight tools. Oh and my
workbench is a bar stool that I c-clamped a piece of plexi-glass to.
I cut a slot into the plexi-glass to use as a bench pin. My tools
and equipment may be sub par but theykeep me making the stuff I love
to make! And I hope keep making my art/craft for many years to come.
Thank you for reading this and I hope to learna bunch from all of
the great craftsmen and women here. Maybe I will also be able to
throw my two cents in once in a while.

Angus

#2 
Hello all! My name is David A. Gregory, known to many around the
world as Black Angus or just Angus if you like.

I was wondering how long it would take you to get here :wink: Yahoo!
lists seem almost like another country these days.

Welcome to the list.

Kindest regards Charles A. (Charles from Oz ;-))

#3

Welcome Angus,

You are off to a great start with your improvised tools. Many of us
started that way, and eventually progressed to better equipment. I
looked over your site on ebay and am impressed with how much you
accomplish with so little.

Years ago, I took a class in tool making, and still use the tools we
made. We were told to get some inexpensive hammers from the local
auto supply store, and then we learned how to grind and resurface
them. I recently took a class in anticlastic raising, and brought one
of my makeshift hammers. It worked so well on what we were doing,
that several asked to borrow it, and decided that it was better than
the expensive ones they had.

Alma

#4

Hi Angus. As an old medievalist(SCA) I’m always happy to see more of
us here on Orchid. I still consider myself a journeyman type and
learn from everyone here. So will you. Take care and have lots of
fun. Sheri

#5

Angus. I think we all started out with little to work with. I
started my career with a hand saw a pr. Of vice grip pliers and a
small vice and a hand drill and $10.00. With a lot of hard work and
focus and good money managementyou will be able to enjoy all those
tools you dream of owing.

We are here to help where ever we can. At age 65 I now have a
complete pewter casting shop, gold smithing/ platinum shop and
bronze work shop. Love my tools and most love what I can make with
them.

Keep dreaming and making more jewelry and art.

#6

Thanks everyone! I am glad to be here with such talented artists. I
love to learn new things…

Sheri - The person that told me about this site is also a very
talented SCA jeweler. We mostly meet up at Pennsic War!

Alma - I have a couple of different sets of auto body hammers. I
haven’t modified them yet. Also being a blacksmith I plan on making
my own stakes and other tools. Of course I have been out of college
for 12+ years now and thought I would be doing much better and be
able to just buy what I needed. That just means I need to step up my
game and show them what I can really do!

Angus

#7

Hi Charles! Yeah, I am part of so many lists that I can’t even keep
up withthem any more. And half of them don’t say anything. It is
nice to see a name I remember though! And thank you. Angus

#8 
Hi Charles! Yeah, I am part of so many lists that I can't even
keep up withthem any more. And half of them don't say anything. It
is nice to see a name I remember though! And thank you. Angus

I just realise the world is getting smaller every day, and if you
lose track of someone, you’ll meet them again :slight_smile:

Regards Charles A.

#9 
I broke down last summer and bought myself a new jewelers saw and
better quality blades then the $5.00 bulk pack. Just that made a
big difference in speed and frustration.

What saw blades are these? I need to make a change myself

thx
brenda

#10 
What saw blades are these? I need to make a change myself

Brenda, I got the Yellow Dagger Blades from
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ho Angus