so more about the small bit..

Remember how i told you about the dangers of high velocity bits of copper and the polishing mop in the drill...Well i have suffered a 50% reduction in the tiny shoes department. Yes one (the best one too) pinged off, straight down under the bench, a saw the dammed thing land and dove down immediately to retrieve it. Its disappeared, quite honestly i don't know why i bother to look really , a triumph of hope over experience i guess. I saw it land though so i thought it worth some time searching. Had all the junk under the bench out sifted through the sand on the floor....i suspect it's pinged into a different dimension, somewhere there's an inexplicable pile of small copper things, or my shed is infested with shed faeries who even now are clumping round in unsuitable footwear. Anyway here to one surviving shoe all shiny and my hand all grungy too.

Here all the small copper things, now polished up. 50% loss of shoe but surprisingly no attrition on the tiny tutu's..I don't usually use Renaissance Wax on the small bits but a spray of car Dash board polish. Its silicone based. Liquid silicone is incredibly tenacious, to get rid of it i'd have to apply red heat, it seems to bond to the surface. Don't ever use it near anything you might want to paint latter/ever it will ruin the paint for years.

Now for something different. I saw a silver 18th century dog collar on Antiques Road show. And i though i'd have ago at making one. This is "mark one" collar, they often had spikes it seems for fierce demeanour and maybe, it has to be said for dog fights or ratting. Its not all copper, i soldered brass rod on the edges to simulate the proper rolled edges. Copper spikes soldered on through holes in the copper set it off well i think.

This is mark two, which was for a friend who saw mark one and wanted one. A bit more finished and i glued leather inside to save any necks going green. I know its an oddity but everyone i showed it to tried to put it round their own necks....who am i to judge. I think if i made another i'd try to roll the edges properly now i'm more experienced at it, but at the time soldering was easier.