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reswright
3850
May 22, 2019
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Does solution temperature have an impact?
and have you tried using straight borax powder solution?
Kavik
5531
May 22, 2019
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reswrightI'm afraid I can't really answer that, I haven't tried experimenting with the same solution at different temperatures
And no, haven't tried just borax.
Baking soda is cheap, and i already had it on hand when I started this, so I went straight for the mix of the two. I had heard/read the addition of the baking soda was the key for some people to get the colors they were having trouble reaching with just borax
reswright
3850
May 22, 2019
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KavikSeems reasonable.
The other thing I wonder is whether you could induce patterns with a conductive wrap or copper wire and neodymium magnets applied to the metal.
reswright
3850
May 22, 2019
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reswrightI think about getting into this, and you have an excellent setup and some results that I think it's reasonable to take quite a bit of pride in. If I were to try this setup I think I'll try using a melamine flatware cylinder instead of PVC even if sizing everything else gets difficult, though. I'm way too lazy to drill that many holes in anything.
Kavik
5531
May 22, 2019
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reswrightI probably drilled more holes than was really needed, but, yeah, something pre-made like that would be MUCH easier.
I don't believe you'll want copper anywhere in the bath, got a few reasons:
This process is quite similar to an electroplating setup, but with the polarities reversed. You would likely end up plating your anode over time.
Having it touch the piece directly would cause unpredictable hot spots and draw power away from the gaps (look through the thread, there's one example I posted where a CF inlay cause weird splotchiness, and one example someone else posted where a lockbar insert was left on and it caused a pretty extreme gradient...which, in that case, looked cool as hell, but was by pure chance)
Also, if your wrap was not making contact over 100% of the length of the wire, any gaps would be potential for sparks which could cause pitting on the titanium, or worse, could act like a mini arc welder between the two metals.
For patterns in the bath setup you can use masks (vinyl, tape, etc) or resists (nail polish works well and cleans up easily with acetone)
Or you can do the "painting" technique with sponges, or special brushes that have a wire run to the bristles
I recommend some good electrical gloves for either method, but DEFINITELY for the painting, where it's much easier to accidentally make contact with the piece
reswright
3850
May 22, 2019
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KavikYeah, I figure it'd cause some kind of wild industrial pattern on the metal. Just wondering if, done a certain way, it could be art.
No biggie, I amuse myself by wondering things like this.
reswright
3850
May 22, 2019
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Kavikyeah. that RMA setup is BS. Things like that are why we need a lot more repair shops and maybe not so many dumps. part of it's that things aren't built to last but part of it is that folks don't have a locally accessible option to fix things in the first place, you're pretty much reduced to returning it to the store or paying the cost to ship it back and dealing with runaround after that.
I mean, you can always just pop off the blown capacitor and solder in a fresh one and try it, but unless you are considerably more skilled an electrician than that, you won't know the root cause, or what else got cooked in the event. you'll just know if it turns back on or not. the best case outcome is going to be that you're slightly nervous each time you use it, and I hear tell that's bad for art.
It's just a shame one of your options isn't local, you know? find some old circuit board greybeard with a little shop and see what they make of it. Who knows, maybe that's how you'll end up with a custom rig.
Mad science is the best science.
reswright
3850
May 22, 2019
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Kavikyou know, with all this expensive gear, I see why people turn pro and sell their work: to pay for gear and to deduct the cost of it when doing taxes.
reswright
3850
May 23, 2019
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KavikIt's quite legal to incorporate, write off the cost of the one time expenses, have a yard sale one holiday weekend, put out a sign, record the sales, duly pay the tax, and then decide to go out of business if you don't strike gold. The odds are likely that your business entity will then be deeply in the red, which you write off as a business loss. So long as you don't actually have any creditors, there you are in your workshop, with stuff you paid for and own quite legally and in full accordance with the law.
The difference between the little guy and the big guy is that the little guy thinks this stuff is shady and a hassle and the big guy pays people to do it every day. Me? I'm just kinda lazy. Even this small amount of paperwork seems like a hassle to me, so I think of other things to do instead. But it's how bankers roll.
reswright
3850
May 23, 2019
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Kavik Does selling art for money one weekend a year turn it into work? I guess it's all in how you do it. A lot of artists don't do it for the money, but the money provides a tangible reinforcement that people think their art has value, which is a deeply satisfying sensation to have and helps underpin a lot of other reasons why they persevere at it. That sort of recognition keeps your chin up long after the money has ceased to be of consequence.
Is this thread work to you? One maker to another - I know it isn't. but the effort is there to behold. Labor of love, right? But it's more than that, it's always more than that when an artist shares their work. Art artist and appreciators all become a sort of community, one that's as interesting to us as our very best friends and our favorite pastimes. There is a recognition of things that matter, which are not recognized or observed so readily in the larger culture.
We buy knives because we like them, but we participate in the culture because it's validating.
Me, I generally go out of my way to avoid turning things I do into work. And I'm a creative.
I've been known to clock 110 hour weeks when things are busy, mind you. I've also been known to have hobbies that take intensive optimized effort. They just never seem like work. Neither does the better part of my job.
So, yeah, I agree, definitely don't turn it into work - but that ain't all that hard to avoid, if you ask me. Maybe sometime auction a piece off on the Bay, see what you get. You might be surprised by how much that ends up not feeling like work and starts feeling like art :)
Kavik
5531
May 23, 2019
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reswrightI certainly don't feel like this knife stuff is work yet, but mainly because I don't have other people asking me to do it for them lol
Other creative hobbies have been woodworking/turning, leatherworking, digital artwork / photography / photo editing...but it doesn't take much for me to switch from hobby to work brain.
With the wood stuff, for example, I've spent many many hours making things as gifts, and enjoyed every bit of it.
But the minute i go out and buy a bunch of wood and turning project kits, with no one in particular in mind to make them for, it immediately feels like a chore and i haven't made a single one of them...even though most of the projects are super quick and easy, and would be great practice.
I get your points, and I don't disagree with anything in particular...I'm just weird about this stuff. Most times I'd rather make something and give it away to someone I know than turn around and profit off it from a stranger.
Hell, the one time i did try selling something to a casual friend, i ended up telling him to give the money to a fundraiser he was helping with instead lol
For whatever reason it just didn't seem as appealing once he was ready to hand over the cash.
It was a turned acrylic shaving brush and, cheesy as this sounds, seeing how excited and impressed he was with it was satisfying enough
reswright
3850
May 23, 2019
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KavikLol, well, I’m glad the folks at Two Sun are a little more willing to be validated by cash. But I can dig it. Gotta dance to the beat you hear.
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