Brenda,
I have used all types of rolling mills, combination, flat and one
that was powered. The powered one nearly ate my fingers. Good for
heavy duty production fabrication, not good for gently feeding a bit
of sheet that can’t distinguish hard metal from flexible digits. I
have a combination mill and wish I had a flat because my work is
about texture, not rolling wire. However, if there is good
documentation and a case for getting a combination instead of a flat
go for it.
The question remains, “what kind of work do you do?” For me, I don’t
have a fully stocked studio and purchasing preformed wire in small
batches makes sense. I like the flat part of my roller, I like it to
make textures, thin sheet stock, etc. BUT, I’m thrilled that Jay made
a DVD and if I can learn something new that my rolling mill will
provide, hey, I’m all for it.
This by the way is the same kind of question, not to change the
subject but it is relevant, about flex shafts and their handpieces.
Which one is best? The #30 handpiece or the Quickchange. My answer,
both!
A very smart goldsmith, Michael Good said to me once, “purchase only
what you need, purchase the best quality you can and when you outgrow
its limitations, sell it and upgrade.” That makes sense to me,
because my lovely Durston Rolling Mill that I have owned for nearly
14 years works perfectly for me. I get by on the smaller roller size,
so it’s not imperative that I purchase another one.
Saying that however, I am purchasing a new upgraded Canon 10.2 mega
pixel Digital SLR which would cost about the same as a fancy new flat
rolling mill. I’m outgrowing my little Canon SD800 Powershot, which
is an amazing camera, and the need for improved photos is outweighing
the need for a new rolling mill. The price for the rolling mill is
about the same as the mill, but my need for the camera is greater.
The key here is quality. Durston equipment is superb quality. Durston
customer service is unbeatable. Whatever you decide, stay with
Durston. Give Matthew Durston a call or write him an email. Tell him
you are on Orchid. Matthew is a wonderful person, a great supporter
of Orchid and I bet the two of you can work something out. Just ask.
I’m not paid by Durston, just a happy long time customer.
Karen Christians
Cleverwerx