My Beginners Workshop - Noella

Here are a few pictures of my little workshop. I’m lucky to have the space to spread everything out. I built my workbench by combining two old school desks (plus a little more lumber etc) & used the second top to make a new cabbing/pickling table. The bench has lots of drawers to put everything away when not in use which makes it easier for me to keep clean (a little OCD here). The whole thing cost me just under $250. Cdn. Hope you like it!

And this is a bit of my background… My interest in jewellery making started with beading & then moved on to wire-wrapping. Cabbing came next because the commercially available stones were limited in “cool” & designer cabs were expensive. So I bought a Genie, a trim saw, a few beautiful slabs so that I could make better stones to wire. Now I had great stones to wrap & at the same time, fell in love with cabbing. After what seemed like a thousand pendants later I want to learn to spot solder silver so that I could take my wire-wrap to a new level.

The local rock club offered a beginner’s silversmith class so I joined up & took the class. It was probably the biggest mistake of my life. So many doors opened up that I don’t know which ones to walk through first. I don’t know whether to thank or curse my Instructor/Mentor. Although he did turn me onto this website & that’s been a big plus.

My hobby has turned into an obsession. My metalwork skills are slowly improving (with a long way to go) but I can’t believe how much I’m lovin’ it!.

And though it is a small item, I really like my GRS Benchmate Bench Pin kit that works so well for everything and the fact that it just slips off to get out of the way when I’m not using it. GRS® BenchMate® Bench Pin Kit - RioGrande

Also a big thanks to everyone for so generously sharing their knowledge. I learn something here every day!

Noella

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You have a great and very organized start. Keep at it…
Could you show us some of your work too?
Thanks,
Jim

Looks like a great space. Like @JimGrahlDesign said, we would love to see some work.

Thanks so much! As far as my silversmith work goes, there is nothing that I want to show yet. I am just a hobbyist still learning the basics and so far I’m not very happy with my work. My scrap box is getting fuller which will be great when I’m ready to try cuttlebone casting, but for now, if I won’t wear it, I can’t show it. Especially in light of the works I’ve seen posted here. I mean really Jim, I don’t think I’m qualified to sweep the floor in your shop. There are no words to describe your works. Makes me think I should sell my tools & try flipping burgers at McDonalds. I will try to post some pictures of my other stuff (wire-wrap etc) soon but I need to get my technical skills up to par before I show anything else. You have to know that showing my stuff here is like bringing a kindergarten drawing to a Rembrandt show. But I do learn a lot on this forum & a girl can dream…

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Noella
I hope you can help me. I’m a member of the Orchid community and I want to post to the Bench Forum & post pix of my bench. I can’t find the path to post! Can you tell me how you did it? Thanks.
georgia

Here’s the link you can copy & paste.

And follow the directions. Good luck & I hope this helps!
N

Sorry, that didn’t do what I wanted so go to the forum search engine (top right corner)

Search: Bench Exchange Contest
That should take you there.
Better luck!

OK…
Self assessment is healthy, self judgement far less useful.
I sweep my own shop, though I like it better when my son does it, he’s better…
My scrap drawer looks like a refiner’s dream… Lots of mistakes, I mean LOTS…
I have found myself to be my own worst enemy, often disparaging my work when others enjoy it. It can be fun to share mistakes, that’s how I learn. That’s how they learn we’re learning.
I request you embrace and share your failures as well as successes. You will teach us all, I promise.
If you take 1 year to properly form and solder a jump ring, or, I take 50+ to do what I do…neither of us is better than the other because of some aquired skill. It’s who we’re being as humans that counts.
On your team…
Jim

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I like this well put, I’m guilty, I get mad at myself