Cab Sandwich Update...

From the back - the plate placement.  The rivets are soldered to the front plate and will be riveted in the back plate. I still need to cut tubing to fit the rivets.  They will hold the space steady between the front and the back.

The front of the cab sandwich.  Note the pins are this point are about 3 times they length they need to be and the bezel needs to be cleaned up so it will fit the cab a little better.  When I started it fit - but it doesn't right now....grrrrrr.

 

Here we are all fit together in the stage where I consider what needs to be polished first - what the finish might be (bright/oxidized/ whatever).  I also have dangles that I want to hang on the loose soldered jump ring that is hanging from one of the bottom rungs.  Hmmmmm - what to put there?  I've got to figure out what goes with that heart.  Hearts and flowers? Lost love?  Circus love (I mean it is a triadic color scheme and almost straight red, yellow, blue), so what to do - yikes.

Cabbing

I've been on kind of mission lately...my friend and cohort Susan Lambert having been discussing getting a new round of classes going again.  We've always enjoyed teaching in tandem and we've designed several classes we taught at Beadfest.  Fun stuff - teaching. 

To that end we are both working on glass cabs that we are going to set.  I love making cabs - well, what the heck - I like glass and metal so it's a natural.

So far these are the cabs I've come up with - more are in the works.  These are made off-mandrel so they can be a variety of sizes.  Not a problem when you can set them or put a glass bail on the top when you make them.  Either works great and looks great.  Most of these are medium sized - I didn't want to go to big since my intention is to add silver but I ought to make some large ones too.  They aren't exactly sitting straight yet since I like to punty a rod to the front and replace the steel chop stick I use on the back with a small glass rod I nip off later after I replace glass on the back taken away by the chop.  It's a process and sounds worse than it is.  I like to touch the back to a flat lap machine anyway so this works best for me.

There are lots of different ways to make cabs.  Off mandrel, on a cab mandrel (Zoozi's carries the old Inspiration ones that are wonderful to work on), and also you can work them on the end of a mandrel coated in mandrel release.  I'm sure there are tons of other ways.  I have some brass tools that are for ring tops but I've never tried them yet. 

Tomorrow I hope to head to the studio and do a few more.  I'd like to have a large selection to choose from before I start setting any and the rest will go on Etsy.   Uh, where to find a place to teach in that can handle both glass and metal - well, that might be an issue.

Onward and upward...