Not going to lie - when there is no bedding or stuff under it, it shows my lack of woodworking experience in terms of some not quite straight sides and corners, but it was fun and it's definitely stable. We basically found a set of instructions on instructables on lofting existing college beds and bastardized them.
@Xaquin Thank you! That mint green is her favorite color, so I was working around that idea mostly. Totally not my usual palette, but I was pretty happy with how it came out!
A couple of years ago, I received a pair of pendants and a chain from my students. Of course, I didn't mark down anywhere where they'd gotten them from. I really want to find another chain with a clasp like it, but I don't know what to call it to even look, and my GooglyFu has failed me. It's a snake chain, and the closure is like a long earring post that slides into a foam-lined cylinder. It's wonderful, and I would really like a couple more. Do any of you know what that kind of closure is called?
lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
I've gotten to the pattern part of my blanket that I'm working on. It's, compicated? Not really? I mean it's just front and back post double crochets. But, man. I am apprehensive about this actually looking right.
Then again, I'm only about 4 rows into the pattern, let's see how we go a bit further in.
On row 50 of 240. I've used 1.75 balls of 8 ply acrylic.
knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
So...it's come to my attention that my main Local Yarn Shop, which has also had a decent online presence in the past, has gone rapidly downhill in the last 6 months. Apparently there was a hostile takeover by one branch of the family, and they kicked out the people who had been running the business for the last 10 years. Now there's issues with inventory, order fulfillment, and general nastiness so don't want to give them my business anymore.
Any suggestions for good online shops? I'm pretty set for yarn, I'm thinking more on the needles and accessories side of things.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
So...it's come to my attention that my main Local Yarn Shop, which has also had a decent online presence in the past, has gone rapidly downhill in the last 6 months. Apparently there was a hostile takeover by one branch of the family, and they kicked out the people who had been running the business for the last 10 years. Now there's issues with inventory, order fulfillment, and general nastiness so don't want to give them my business anymore.
Any suggestions for good online shops? I'm pretty set for yarn, I'm thinking more on the needles and accessories side of things.
I usually go to yarn.com
I dunno how other people feel about them. I shop there because their website is the most conducive for figuring out fiber content of yarn, which is really important for me because I'm allergic to so many different kinds of fiber. (This is also why I exclusively shop online now. Going to a local yarn store is nice, but you have to pick up all the yarn to read the fiber content and that's hard on my fingers.)
Also we finally spent about $100 on stuff to make the cat room into an art/craft room (blurry picture here) which I am hoping will motivate me to use my sewing machine more often and also do some art stuff since our supplies aren't all packed away. You can tell we're two artists that got married because we have an entire drawer that's just sketch pads and notepads with one or two drawings in them and the rest is blank.
ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
Today I learned that 54 treble crochet stitches in size 10 crochet thread with a size 8 hook is a special kind of hell.
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
i found a combo wrench on the side of the road the other day, so i chopped off the ends and forged it out. i don't know exactly what kind of steel it is, but i spark tested it and it appears to be pretty high carbon i had to do more grinding than i'd like to get the bevel right and straighten the whole thing out, but i'm pretty damn pleased with the end result. for normalization it spent about three hours in a ceramics kiln at 1500F, then quenched in a bucket of plain ol' water. tempering was another two hours in the kiln at 525F till it was a nice straw color
the handle is ash, from a tree that got knocked down during hurricane sandy that i cut up for firewood last year. my brother whittled it down with a pocketknife, then sanded it smooth and put three coats of stain on
it isn't 100% done yet, my girlfriend's making a leather sheath for it, we still have to seal the handle and attach it permanently to the blade, and there's some scale still on the blade that needs a good vinegar soak because i wasn't as vigorous as i should've been coating it in soap before the heat treat, but all in all i am tremendously happy with how it turned out. it was our first attempt at making a for-real heat-treated steel tool and the whole process was just incredibly fun.
i thought they were generally only plated in chrome vanadium. i ground down the surface with a respirator before i started heating it up, and during the forging i was outside and it was windy, but should i be careful about fumes if i do this again?
These are the kinds of things (and general "mood") I'm going to be aiming for:
So earthy, mostly delicate...faceted/geometric shapes, some curves...gemstones, crystal, gold, silver, a little brass. Bright + clean. More color than the examples I've given too.
I'm trying to avoid puns and play-on-words kind of names...and trying to avoid anything super generic/hobby-sounding like "JensDesigns". I don't exactly want to use my name, since it's so common, and my last name is pretty generic too.
I'm open to new invented names, but I literally can't think of a damn thing. Initially I was thinking something along the lines of "Earth & Sand", or "EarthsEdge" but that's also hella generic, but perhaps it gives you an idea of what I'm aiming for.
Any ideas?! Or any places I can look to help give me ideas? I won't actually need it for another month (I need to make some things and photograph 'em before I HAVE to name my shop to open it)...but I'm stuck. Everything I think of sounds too generic or playful/amateur...or it sounds badass but WAY too "dark" of a mood. No "NightDragon'sDeathJewelzz" or anything. :P
Those (quartz, I'm guessing) earrings are really beautiful.
I'm partial to stealing art history language/vocab for stuff like this. The words sound pretty (like chiaroscuro, sfumato, unione, cangiante, pietra dura, curvilinear, veristic, interplay, plasticity, modeling, etc) and they describe cool things. Also, artsy people love those words so they make you seem more appealing.
Those (quartz, I'm guessing) earrings are really beautiful.
I'm partial to stealing art history language/vocab for stuff like this. The words sound pretty (like chiaroscuro, sfumato, unione, cangiante, pietra dura, curvilinear, veristic, interplay, plasticity, modeling, etc) and they describe cool things. Also, artsy people love those words so they make you seem more appealing.
Not sure if that's too generic, though.
I actually really like how those roll off the tongue. Thanks!
Now I'm looking up the latin roots behind nature-y words and getting some cool ideas...
+2
Options
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Anyone have advice on giving estimates?
A friend wants a somewhat extensive project done. I think I have a rough estimate of how much the project is going to cost me to make, but I'm not sure how much to increase it for labor and commission.
0
Options
knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
What kind of project?
My rule of thumb for knitting is (my cost)x3 because in most cases if I add in a per hour labor cost it would be prohibitively expensive for the buyer.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I'm making a large (roughly 26"x26") wood jewelry box, with 144, suede lined, spaces and a display window.
0
Options
knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
Things to consider:
Your cost in materials: at the very least the amount you get for the piece should be double this.
The value of your time: you are being paid in part for your skill. It is up to you to determine this. As I said before, I tend to not consider this part. Let's say I charge $15 or more an hour in labor for a project that takes several hours. If I add to this the cost of materials the result will likely be a well-made product that the client nevertheless deems too expensive.
What the client is willing to pay: you may not know this until after your first estimate. Sometimes you can feel this out, other times you just have to flat out ask "how much do you expect to pay?" And then figure out if you can do it for that number before agreeing to do it.
What similar items sell for: Etsy can help you with this, although IMHO many sellers on etsy have inflated prices.
And so I use (my cost)x3 as a baseline, with the caveat that I've only sold a few things and they all took only a few hours of work to complete. If it took longer than 3-4 hours I might adjust that higher.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Your cost in materials: at the very least the amount you get for the piece should be double this.
The value of your time: you are being paid in part for your skill. It is up to you to determine this. As I said before, I tend to not consider this part. Let's say I charge $15 or more an hour in labor for a project that takes several hours. If I add to this the cost of materials the result will likely be a well-made product that the client nevertheless deems too expensive.
What the client is willing to pay: you may not know this until after your first estimate. Sometimes you can feel this out, other times you just have to flat out ask "how much do you expect to pay?" And then figure out if you can do it for that number before agreeing to do it.
What similar items sell for: Etsy can help you with this, although IMHO many sellers on etsy have inflated prices.
And so I use (my cost)x3 as a baseline, with the caveat that I've only sold a few things and they all took only a few hours of work to complete. If it took longer than 3-4 hours I might adjust that higher.
Re: Etsy
I've actually had more problems with people undervaluing rather than overvaluing, but that's me
Costx3 is usually my baseline for commissions, and usually I quote higher if it's not for a friend, but that's more because I have too much fuckin' work to do and not enough time to do it. I also occasionally knit per diem on items like caps and scarves, and I usually go a bit lower on that because of volume (but also because I'm a freak who can knit an entire hat or a scarf in the movie theater in the dark so it's basically like paying me to go to the movies.)
I'm making a large (roughly 26"x26") wood jewelry box, with 144, suede lined, spaces and a display window.
Ok, this sounds like whole hella work. I guess you're looking at... 22 insert pieces of wood that need to be cut to fit, and how is the suede lining being applied-- just to the bottom? So you need to itemize each component of this, IMO, first things first, and slightly overestimate (unless these are materials you already have in hand?)
I'm making a large (roughly 26"x26") wood jewelry box, with 144, suede lined, spaces and a display window.
Ok, this sounds like whole hella work. I guess you're looking at... 22 insert pieces of wood that need to be cut to fit, and how is the suede lining being applied-- just to the bottom? So you need to itemize each component of this, IMO, first things first, and slightly overestimate (unless these are materials you already have in hand?)
The general idea I was given was this
but bigger and with a window on top. The spaces will be laid out 12x12, and need to be anywhere from 1.5"^3 to 2"^3.
The spacers will be slats, with the suede like it is in the pictured one (long strips front to back, and the slats running parallel to that will be covered).
0
Options
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
I'm making a large (roughly 26"x26") wood jewelry box, with 144, suede lined, spaces and a display window.
Ok, this sounds like whole hella work. I guess you're looking at... 22 insert pieces of wood that need to be cut to fit, and how is the suede lining being applied-- just to the bottom? So you need to itemize each component of this, IMO, first things first, and slightly overestimate (unless these are materials you already have in hand?)
The general idea I was given was this
but bigger and with a window on top. The spaces will be laid out 12x12, and need to be anywhere from 1.5"^3 to 2"^3.
The spacers will be slats, with the suede like it is in the pictured one (long strips front to back, and the slats running parallel to that will be covered).
At least $1000. If they balk, encourage them to go get quotes from someone else, and come back to you afterwards.
Edit: Friend discount, it come with the caveat of "something I haven't done before in wood", it is going to be stained wood, not laminate, and the minimum aesthetic is "doesn't look like butts". Similar sized boxes cost about $280.
Also, if I do this, I know I can and I have a better idea of how much time the whole thing takes. I'm going to double up on the project and sell the best one to my friend for the commission and the other is either going to be for me or something to sell based on the quality. The $70 will cover the cost of both.
Doing two at once gives me room to make up for any mistakes and isn't significantly harder than doing one.
I would make sure that the friend knows that that is a one-time price, and that it is low-balling it hardcore.
You don't want to feel locked/guilted into that price in the future, either with him again or other friends, or friends' friends if they see it and love it and want their own for under a hundo.
Posts
Not going to lie - when there is no bedding or stuff under it, it shows my lack of woodworking experience in terms of some not quite straight sides and corners, but it was fun and it's definitely stable. We basically found a set of instructions on instructables on lofting existing college beds and bastardized them.
I haven't ordered the wire yet but fuuuuuuuu I'm going to need to up my initial amount, I think.
Also, damn, chain is expensive.
I wish I could crochet. They're pretty badass. I've also been using them as pin holders.
A couple of years ago, I received a pair of pendants and a chain from my students. Of course, I didn't mark down anywhere where they'd gotten them from. I really want to find another chain with a clasp like it, but I don't know what to call it to even look, and my GooglyFu has failed me. It's a snake chain, and the closure is like a long earring post that slides into a foam-lined cylinder. It's wonderful, and I would really like a couple more. Do any of you know what that kind of closure is called?
wish list
Steam wishlist
Etsy wishlist
Then again, I'm only about 4 rows into the pattern, let's see how we go a bit further in.
On row 50 of 240. I've used 1.75 balls of 8 ply acrylic.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
Any suggestions for good online shops? I'm pretty set for yarn, I'm thinking more on the needles and accessories side of things.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
wish list
Steam wishlist
Etsy wishlist
I usually go to yarn.com
I dunno how other people feel about them. I shop there because their website is the most conducive for figuring out fiber content of yarn, which is really important for me because I'm allergic to so many different kinds of fiber. (This is also why I exclusively shop online now. Going to a local yarn store is nice, but you have to pick up all the yarn to read the fiber content and that's hard on my fingers.)
Also we finally spent about $100 on stuff to make the cat room into an art/craft room (blurry picture here) which I am hoping will motivate me to use my sewing machine more often and also do some art stuff since our supplies aren't all packed away. You can tell we're two artists that got married because we have an entire drawer that's just sketch pads and notepads with one or two drawings in them and the rest is blank.
It looks like this
wish list
Steam wishlist
Etsy wishlist
i found a combo wrench on the side of the road the other day, so i chopped off the ends and forged it out. i don't know exactly what kind of steel it is, but i spark tested it and it appears to be pretty high carbon i had to do more grinding than i'd like to get the bevel right and straighten the whole thing out, but i'm pretty damn pleased with the end result. for normalization it spent about three hours in a ceramics kiln at 1500F, then quenched in a bucket of plain ol' water. tempering was another two hours in the kiln at 525F till it was a nice straw color
the handle is ash, from a tree that got knocked down during hurricane sandy that i cut up for firewood last year. my brother whittled it down with a pocketknife, then sanded it smooth and put three coats of stain on
it isn't 100% done yet, my girlfriend's making a leather sheath for it, we still have to seal the handle and attach it permanently to the blade, and there's some scale still on the blade that needs a good vinegar soak because i wasn't as vigorous as i should've been coating it in soap before the heat treat, but all in all i am tremendously happy with how it turned out. it was our first attempt at making a for-real heat-treated steel tool and the whole process was just incredibly fun.
hitting hot metal with hammers
i thought they were generally only plated in chrome vanadium. i ground down the surface with a respirator before i started heating it up, and during the forging i was outside and it was windy, but should i be careful about fumes if i do this again?
hitting hot metal with hammers
These are the kinds of things (and general "mood") I'm going to be aiming for:
So earthy, mostly delicate...faceted/geometric shapes, some curves...gemstones, crystal, gold, silver, a little brass. Bright + clean. More color than the examples I've given too.
I'm trying to avoid puns and play-on-words kind of names...and trying to avoid anything super generic/hobby-sounding like "JensDesigns". I don't exactly want to use my name, since it's so common, and my last name is pretty generic too.
I'm open to new invented names, but I literally can't think of a damn thing. Initially I was thinking something along the lines of "Earth & Sand", or "EarthsEdge" but that's also hella generic, but perhaps it gives you an idea of what I'm aiming for.
Any ideas?! Or any places I can look to help give me ideas? I won't actually need it for another month (I need to make some things and photograph 'em before I HAVE to name my shop to open it)...but I'm stuck. Everything I think of sounds too generic or playful/amateur...or it sounds badass but WAY too "dark" of a mood. No "NightDragon'sDeathJewelzz" or anything. :P
I'm partial to stealing art history language/vocab for stuff like this. The words sound pretty (like chiaroscuro, sfumato, unione, cangiante, pietra dura, curvilinear, veristic, interplay, plasticity, modeling, etc) and they describe cool things. Also, artsy people love those words so they make you seem more appealing.
Not sure if that's too generic, though.
I actually really like how those roll off the tongue. Thanks!
Now I'm looking up the latin roots behind nature-y words and getting some cool ideas...
Jewellery You'll Really
The Rural Juror
I love the multilayer look. Reminds me of Wind chimes and waterfalls.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
A friend wants a somewhat extensive project done. I think I have a rough estimate of how much the project is going to cost me to make, but I'm not sure how much to increase it for labor and commission.
My rule of thumb for knitting is (my cost)x3 because in most cases if I add in a per hour labor cost it would be prohibitively expensive for the buyer.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Your cost in materials: at the very least the amount you get for the piece should be double this.
The value of your time: you are being paid in part for your skill. It is up to you to determine this. As I said before, I tend to not consider this part. Let's say I charge $15 or more an hour in labor for a project that takes several hours. If I add to this the cost of materials the result will likely be a well-made product that the client nevertheless deems too expensive.
What the client is willing to pay: you may not know this until after your first estimate. Sometimes you can feel this out, other times you just have to flat out ask "how much do you expect to pay?" And then figure out if you can do it for that number before agreeing to do it.
What similar items sell for: Etsy can help you with this, although IMHO many sellers on etsy have inflated prices.
And so I use (my cost)x3 as a baseline, with the caveat that I've only sold a few things and they all took only a few hours of work to complete. If it took longer than 3-4 hours I might adjust that higher.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Re: Etsy
I've actually had more problems with people undervaluing rather than overvaluing, but that's me
Costx3 is usually my baseline for commissions, and usually I quote higher if it's not for a friend, but that's more because I have too much fuckin' work to do and not enough time to do it. I also occasionally knit per diem on items like caps and scarves, and I usually go a bit lower on that because of volume (but also because I'm a freak who can knit an entire hat or a scarf in the movie theater in the dark so it's basically like paying me to go to the movies.)
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
Ok, this sounds like whole hella work. I guess you're looking at... 22 insert pieces of wood that need to be cut to fit, and how is the suede lining being applied-- just to the bottom? So you need to itemize each component of this, IMO, first things first, and slightly overestimate (unless these are materials you already have in hand?)
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
The general idea I was given was this
but bigger and with a window on top. The spaces will be laid out 12x12, and need to be anywhere from 1.5"^3 to 2"^3.
The spacers will be slats, with the suede like it is in the pictured one (long strips front to back, and the slats running parallel to that will be covered).
At least $1000. If they balk, encourage them to go get quotes from someone else, and come back to you afterwards.
Edit: Friend discount, it come with the caveat of "something I haven't done before in wood", it is going to be stained wood, not laminate, and the minimum aesthetic is "doesn't look like butts". Similar sized boxes cost about $280.
Also, if I do this, I know I can and I have a better idea of how much time the whole thing takes. I'm going to double up on the project and sell the best one to my friend for the commission and the other is either going to be for me or something to sell based on the quality. The $70 will cover the cost of both.
Doing two at once gives me room to make up for any mistakes and isn't significantly harder than doing one.
You don't want to feel locked/guilted into that price in the future, either with him again or other friends, or friends' friends if they see it and love it and want their own for under a hundo.