Technogypsy

About that Global Warming...

technogypsy — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:27:00 GMT

March 21st in Denton, Texas - We got 1.25 " of the white stuff.

Light posting if any until the Capstone is finished

technogypsy — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:06:00 GMT

I'm heavily involved in the last class for my MBA so unless something really exciting happens posting will be suspended until after it finishes on the 17th of April.

Pittcon in Orlando

technogypsy — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:32:00 GMT

Smaller this year than last, I think. Weather was generally poor but we had one nice day.

Mostly business stuff but I did have one of the worst steaks ever at someplace called the Capital Grill. Coated with dried mushrooms and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, it was amazingly bad. Outside of that, I spent most of my time sitting by my posters, giving talks, or at the round table.

Noah's Projects Update

technogypsy — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:38:00 GMT

Haven't seen the prints yet but he got first place for the Senior Portfolio, second for the bowl, second for the print, and third for a pen and ink at the TAPS competition today.

UPDATE 3-1: Finally called his teacher as Noah isn't talking: 1st in Senior Portfolio, 2nd in printmaking, 3rd in drawing for the pen and ink, 4th in product design for the bowl, and honorable mention in product design for the urn.

More bacon

technogypsy — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:28:00 GMT

Once you get the hang of it and when you find a Vietnamese market that carries pork bellies pre-cut in 2 pound slabs, it's a snap. Same recipe as before. We just skipped the smoking this time because it was wet out there.

Repousse attempts

technogypsy — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:38:00 GMT

The thin gauge stuff on leather and a sand bag is working okay. I finally finished this, added gems to the silver and patina.

Sizing is approximately relative.

Heavier copper, about 14 gauge, not so good. I think some of it is my forge overheats the copper and while that gives a cool affect its not right for work. Also the black pitch I am using is too hard for deep shaping, which isn't a surprise 'cause it from my engraving stuff. So I need to get some red German or northwest pitch in medium...<sigh>

It's about 2 by 3...

Gonna have to put this up for a bit anyway to carve eggs. The big sale is coming and our Matsuka wants some carved wooden eggs.

How to make a printing plate by etching Part 2

technogypsy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:24:00 GMT

The finished plate is then immersed in an 4:1 HCL-HNO3 bath so it's under a 1/4 inch of acid. (The strings are polypropylene to help remove the plate.)

After 3o minutes, the lines were deep enough and we removed the plate, rinsed with water, wash with a baking soda solution, and rinsed again. Lines are about 2 mm deep.

The ground is then removed with laquor thinner and the plate sanded with 600 grit paper to remove any junk.

and finally ready to print

Hopefully, Noah will print tomorrow and remember to bring home a photo of it.

How to make a printing plate by etching - Part 1

technogypsy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:40:00 GMT

First, get a copper plate and coat with asphaltum. We used liquid stuff uncut. I think next time we'll adding some beeswax and rosin. We obtain the copper plate from Rio Grande Jewelry Supply, the asphaltum from Blick's Art Supply, and the brushes locally. It is really important the plate and the asphaltum be warm when you apply it. We heated the latter in a hot water bath and the plate on a hot plate. We then dried it by a space heater. If you don't do this, you get really thick spots and a lump surface which is hard to remove. Coat both sides.

Then transfer your design (or in Noah's case, freehand it) into the asphaltum, using dental tools or scribes. Any spots you accidentally remove need to be re-coated.

After the design is roughed in, Noah's going back and filling it out with flowers and leaves.

Etching Copper

technogypsy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:38:00 GMT

Noah's work on his art portfolio continues and we have been trying to remember how I learned to etch metal from my father. So here's Noah's first pass: the left is an aqua regia etch for 20 minutes and the right is ferric chloride for 12 hours. The latter was polished to remove surface discoloration.

It's cold - time for stew

technogypsy — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:22:00 GMT

The snow has been heavy and damp enough we are seeing branches break off...

So we stayed home and made a version of an Irish stew...

3 pound lamb shoulder
5 pounds buffalo arm roasts
4 chopped onions
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp fish sauce
4 cups water
1 squirt of tomato paste
1 tsp garlic
1 bottle Merlin beer (I'm out of Guinness)
1/4 cup flour
6 large potatoes
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Debone the meat and reserve bones. Cut meat into 2" cubes and then brown in oil in a large dutch oven. Reserve meat and brown onions in dripping until soft and dark. Add garlic and cook 30 secs, then add the flour and stir until the flour is blended in. Add tomato paste, beer, fish sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Add meat, layer bones on top, and place into a 300 F oven for one hour.

Open and add potatoes and carrots. Cook another 90 minutes, mix in parsley, remove bones (steal marrow and eat on toast) and serve. Makes about 16 servings and is great with fresh bread.