(Part 3) Best beading & jewelry making crafts according to redditors

There are Military Locking Pin Backs as one style

Or what disney and such pin collectors use

Shop around for the allen wrench style, it's going to be one of the most commonly stolen items from Disney theme parks and then dumped out there for resale

edit: changed the allen wrench one to a 50 piece set. Might be even larger ones out there

Here's a copy-paste I put together that might be useful.

Equipment Essentials

• A pro honed razor at your side. You need to compare the sharpness of the razor you're working on, with the sharpness of a razor that is shave ready. This will decrease your learning curve considerably. You're working blind otherwise.
  
  

• DMT flattening stone. Your hones don't ship flat, and you must even them out to ensure a smooth edge. Flattening before every use is a good idea. If you don't want to buy the DMT, use 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and atop piece of marble/glass.
  
  
• Norton 4K/8K A popular choice for general honing, and can perform a laborious restoration/bevel set (if you do more than a few razors, get the 1k below to set a bevel).
  
  
• A jewelers loop to see what happens to the blade as you hone, polish, stop and shave. I feel watching the scratch patterns of a straight razor bevel change is a critical educational step in straight razor bevel maintenance.
  
  
• Chromium Oxide on a strop for final polish, or a diamond pasted strop.
  
  
  Honing Supplies for Restoring a Few Straights
  
  
• If you end up honing a few razor from antique stores or ebay, it's good to have a stone dedicated to bevel setting. This stage is 50% of the sharpening process, so it pays to have quality gear at this level King 1000 K For bevel setting on a budget (beware, it's a slow cutter). Or a nice bevel setter like this Chosera.
  
  
  
• Niawa 12K For a nice final polishing of your razor. 8K is fine, but this puts a great edge on your blade.
  
  To hone:
  
  First, you need to flatten your stone, making sure you've removed the top 1/64th or so of stone material to reach the true grits (the top is a bit rough on Nortons especially).Make sure your stone is perfectly flat. Use the DMT or the sandpaper I described above for this.
  
  Next, clean your SR in soap/warm water. Dry it, and put a piece of electrical tape along the spine and fold it over (like a book binding) if you'd like (not necessary, and I don't do this, but some prefer the look of the end product).
  
  I like to clear the edge of possible errand burs before I hone, so I drag the shaving edge against my thumbnail or a glass bottle. These burs can cause issues, and may make for a rough feeling edge. I've found that this is a good way to remove them. It may be unnecessary for some/most blades, but it's part of my bevel setting routine, and by doing this, I've notice good things and increased consistency when I hone.
  
  Now, to hone. You're going to get your razor sharp in these stages:
  
  

• Set the bevel (establish the sharp edge shape)
  
• Polish the bevel (polish the shape you created earlier)
  
• True the bevel (strop the bevel to make sure the edge is very uniform)
  
  Setting the bevel:
  
  While all steps are important, this step is foundational. Place your razor on your bevel setting stone, keeping the razor spine and edge completely flat on the surface togehter. Do tiny circle strokes (circular motion down the hone) so you do about 30-40 tiny circles as you move own the bottom hone. Repeat on the other side of the razor, moving up the hone in the opposite direction (and counter-wise circle direction). Now do 15 x strokes. This is a set.
  
  Repeat doing these sets until you can shave hair on your arm or leg by very slowly grazing over the tops of the hair - it should catch and cut with a bit of a tug.
  
  It will take many many of these sets with a 4k stone, and less with a 1K.
  
  Once you can shave hair on your arm or leg all along the bevel (toe to heel) with uniform sharpness and cutting, you may be set. Do another 10 or so x-strokes, very lightly, very perfectly as a final sharpening for your bevel. See if this helps your edge.
  
  Once you're happy with your bevel, strop it and shave. If it's painful, it's likely your bevel isn't set. If it's decent, you're ready to move on.
  
  Polishing the bevel
  
  Now move up to polishing. On the 4K and do 35 light x strokes. Go to the 8K and do 35 light x-strokes. Repeat this back and forth going 4K 30, 8K 30. Now keep this up, decreasing the stroke number by 5. When you're at 10 strokes, just do 25 on the 8K.
  
  Always check for sharpness along the edge by trimming a bit of arm hair. You'll learn a lot from an edge by doing this.
  
  Following the grits up in this fashion should give you a fairly polished bevel. It's best to go higher than 8K with a high grit chinese hone from a woodworking store, or a naninwa 12k, but 8K will do for now.
  
  Truing the edge:
  
  Strop about 30 passes on your chromium oxide, clean the blade, and the perform 200 passes on leather - all spine leading, done very lightly.
  
  The Shave
  
  After all this, you should have a great edge. Give it a test shave and compare it to your pro honed blade.
  
  While honing, you'll likely get frustrated, but keep at it! If you're getting aggressive with the razor, just give it a break, and come back later. If the shave is no good, post back here and we'll help you diagnose.
  
  
  Some thoughts:
  
  I tired to present information that's very searchable. Straight razor place has archived many of the ideas that I just presented. I highly recommend researching on your own and reaching a personal conclusion. What follows are my personal opinions.
  
  This equipment I suggest is not necessarily the best, nor is it bad at all. It's great way to get started and find out what you like in a stone/routine. Some ideas to consider if you upgrade your set:
  
  
• Try a natural stone for a finisher. I use a vintage Thuringian hone called an Barber's Delight Escher.
  
• Upgrade your progression by adding various in-between grits. I really like going from a Chosera 1K, to Shapton Pro (not glass version) 2K, 5K, 8K, 15K, then finish.
  
• Try finishing a blade with a pasted strop, and try without. Some love one over the other.
  
  The back and forth honing I recommend is a honing series called pyramid honing, where you go between two different grit hones to ensure you don't form a wire edge or a bur. I like to recommend this for folks getting into honing since this is one of the most documented methods for get a razor to shave ready from a bevel set. A quick google search on pyramid honing will give you plenty of reading. I don't hone this way any more.
  
  I highly recommend honing your razor as sharp as possible on one stone, strop as I've outlined, and give it a shave. For example, sharpen as much as you can at the 4K stage, and strop it 200 times. If it shaves ok, you're on the right track. If not, you've got more work to do at that level of stone. You'll be amazed that such a low grit can shave so well. If it's painful to shave after your lowest stone.... you're not done, and moving up the stones will not benefit your edge. Repeating this process of shaving up all the stone grits (4K, 8K, 12K) will help you get a feel for what honing at the different levels provide. Shaving off my 1K bevel provided me the biggest leap in edge quality while learning.
  
  Don't limit your techniques. Once you can confidently bring a restored razor to shave with consistency, I'd recommend playing around and experimenting. Though this, I've developed some strokes that are critical to my routine, and used effectively with every blade I sharpen.
  
  

Maybe something like these:

http://www.amazon.com/pack-Almost-Jelly-BeadZ-Rainbow/dp/B008W9IGP2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n24um06e_8Q

Yep! Mine is the same way -- fits great during summer but is annoyingly big during winter. I've thought about buying [these things] (https://www.amazon.com/RING-NOODLE-1-Petite-1-Narrow-Adjuster/dp/B00GUTWY5E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1475253457&sr=8-4&keywords=ring+size+adjuster+for+loose+rings) to help it fit better but haven't bit the bullet yet. Also, congratulations! :-)

I've done both. Here's what I use for chains:

1. Crimps with loops. These go on either end of the chain.
   
   
   
2. Chain. These come in different patterns and widths, so make sure you get the right ones. The width of the crimps needs to be appropriate for the chain.
   
   
   
3. Clasps. There are tons to choose from. Lobster is the most common for chains, but there's also toggle, barrel, magnetic, etc. Just google around until you find what you want.
   
   
   
4. Jump rings, if needed. These might be needed to attach the clasp to the crimps and also to attach your pendants/charms to the chain. Things to note are diameter, thickness, and open vs. closed. Closed is best for hanging onto the chain since there's no gap for the chain to slip through, but closed won't allow you to attach to the pendant unless you're using an open one to go from the pendant to the closed one.
   
   
   
5. Crimper. This is the one I have, but you'll need to make sure whatever you get is the right size for the crimps you're using.
   
   
   
6. Any sort of wire cutter to cut the chain. Scissors don't cut metal. And needle nose pliers to bend the jump rings into place.
   
   
   You're better off getting all these things online. Cheaper and more variety. The links are only examples. Make sure you get what you want!
   
   
   I learned how to do this via how-to videos on YouTube so have a look there. Good luck!
   
   Edit: Saturday morning grammar

heh, diving right in then?

• tines are about 0.08mm apart. Various vendors sell brass sheets, or you can use a feeler-guage. The Pilot Parallel comes with a mylar sheet for flossing tines. I don't actually use this often, but I usually use nice paper that doesn't shed fiber.
  
• magnifier - I like 30x with LED, and use it all the time to check tine alignment, for modifying feeds, etc.
  
• sand paper - woah there. Unless you're grinding nibs you'll want micromesh to do smoothing. I like feedback, but if you want glassy-smooth you can use mylar to put a super-polish on. 12,000 micromesh is probably all you need.

Might be water beads - dry gelatin balls that absorb a bunch of water and turn into, well, gelatin balls you can huck at your siblings.

Paxcoo 1mm Elastic Bracelet String Cord Stretch Bead Cord for Jewelry Making and Bracelet Making https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D4J1MQ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3-gWCb0G331N8

Then channel your inner Boy/Girl Scout.

Awesome !

Get some ring sizers like these and keep them handy. I had a friend who lost quite a bit of weight and before she even thought of it, her ring slipped off her finger and I don't think she ever found it again. https://smile.amazon.com/Adjuster-Invisible-Transparent-Silicone-Tightener/dp/B07G5Z9X4G/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=ring+sizers+for+loose+rings+women&qid=1572872233&s=instant-video&sprefix=ring+sizer&sr=8-7

Sorry for the wall-o-link. I'm not great with reddit formatting yet. I'll get the hang of it eventually. I just don't know where to practice.

Hey! I'm by no means an expert in this, but I figured I could at least try to answer.

First off- Welcome! It's super awesome that you're so interested in bead spriting. Now, onto the answers!

• Fuse, hama, and perler beads are all technically different things!
  
  • Fuse beads - Refers to any/all types of beads used for bead spriting. Sort of like how Crayola and Roseart both make crayons, "fuse" is the type of product all bead-based companies produced. They're beads that are FUSED together through, generally, ironing.
    
  • Perler beads, as far as I can tell, are sort of the U.S standard for fuse beads. They're also the only kind I'm familiar with! "Perler" refers to the brand. Their website is here!
    
  • Hama beads, as far as I can tell, are the U.K standard for fuse beads. They're more or less the same (with slight variation in color, and though I've never used Hama, i'd imagine there's a different melting rate) as perler beads. "Hama", like "Perler", refers to the brand. You can view their website here!
    
    • I'm unfamiliar with the quality of Perler vs Hama. I'd order more based on what's convenient for your location- as a beginner, I can't imagine you're dead-set on figuring out the hyperspecifics of qualities!
      
• If I were you, I'd buy supplies separately. I purchase a lot of my stuff from Joanne in-person, but I'd imagine similar products are available online. My purchasing habits sort of go as follows...
  
  • If I know I need a specific color, I buy a bag of that specific color. For instance, I use black beads a lot for outlining, so I always try to have lots of them on-hand.
    
  • You can't do beading without a pegboard! Because I tend to only do sprite patterns, I don't need any specific shape of board. Perler makes a lot of boards in certain shapes- things like horses or dolls- for kids. These are awesome options to look into, but personally, I use a big, clear, rectangular board.
    
  • You also can't iron your designs (or, at least, shouldn't) without some sort of protection. You can get a roll of ironing paper, though I know there's some alternative ironing methods on this sub.
    
  • This might not be the best tip, but it's how I do/did it. If you're looking for a variety of colors and don't mind sorting, you can buy bulk buckets of various colors of beads. Buckets like this have a wide variety of colors, but you won't get quite as many of any one color, and you have to sort. It's a trade-off; you can get a few of a wide variety, or a lot of one color in bags.
    
  • You might want to consider a case if you're planning on organizing your beads.
    
• There's DEFINITELY better advice than this, but if you want it to have a more melty look, more heat is gonna get that. I'd go for lower heat for longer, rather than ramping up the heat for the same amount of time. Too much heat in any case can be damaging; it can warp the board or you can end up with wrinkles in your design.
  
  ​
  
  hope this helps!

Alright, so to make these you need

• Beads, of course.
  
  I use Hama Beads, they're from Denmark and generally harder to find in the US, but the "standard" ones are Perler Beads. They're a bit smaller than Hama's. I haven't used these but the reviews are good, so you can use them too :D Hama has a bit more colors, but that shouldn't be a problem.
  
  
• Pegboards. ^^kek
  
  These are the plates where you put your beads on to create a nice piece. A normal Pegboard is 29x29, so it can fit 841 beads on it. You can stick the plates together for making a larger piece (i.E. for the Ephixa one I used 3x3 plates, so I had a field of 87x87). These are for Perler and these for Hama.
  
  
• Parchment paper
  
  
• a clothing iron
  
  
  If you have all of that, you
  
  

1. Look for something you wanna create/remake, there a plenty of pictures if you search for "xxx perler bead" on google, or you can look at /r/beadsprites for ideas. If there aren't any available you can convert a photo into a pixelated pattern with some websites or programs, I use this one.
   
   
   
2. Create the image by placing the beads on the boards by hand.
   
   
3. The usual method is to now put the parchment paper on the board and iron it, but this has many disadvantages with larger pieces, so I use this method. It's a lot more convenient and it protects your pegboards.
   
   
4. When you either have it on the pegboard or now on your tape you put parchment paper over it and start to iron it, simply go in circles and take a look after a few seconds, the duration depends on the size of the piece you made.
   
   
5. When you ironed it you put some heavy stuff, like books, on the piece to prevent it from wrapping when it cools down.
   
   Thats basically the progress, looks veeeery heavy but it's easy after you've made your first 1-2 pieces, so if you want to try it out the bitbird logo would be the perfect start, you only need 2 colors and 1 plate. I hope I didn't explain it bad, here are some useful links to help you :)
   
   

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  E: If there are any language mistakes I apologize, as I stated I'm from Germany and explaining stuff is kinda hard sometimes lmao

For those looking, search amazon for metal shaping tools.
for the specific balls on a stick, https://www.amazon.com/Dapping-Doming-Jewelry-Making-Forming/dp/B00FBP2HGO/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1518492859&sr=8-18&keywords=metal+shaping+tools

DMSO is also godly for making transdermal ointments.

One wildly successful experiment of mine was using AVB (already-vaped marijuana) to make a cannabinoid ointment. It was incredibly easy: just take the AVB in a finely ground form, add DMSO, and let sit for a week. The DMSO turns a dark green and is incredibly soothing for sore joints and muscles.

DMSO really stings in its raw form, though! I'm not squeamish, so I just put up with it (you only need a paltry amount to get an effect with the AVB ointment) but I know some people react way worse. It seems that DMSO causes a pretty strong histaminergic reaction at the point of contact. If you are prone to skin problems, it will likely resemble a chemical burn for the first hour after application if you don't dilute it.

I'm not sure, but I bet that the cannabinoid ointment could be diluted. It's just a matter of keeping the compounds in solution when they diffuse across the epithelium. I'll have to try that next time I use it.

Because I was driven to make the best, I got this brand off of Amazon. I didn't check for third-party testing, but unlike the other brands this one comes in a glass bottle, which I like more already. It's worked just fine and, while I have no context for it, it seems to be very pure.

Oh man I need to get that playmat, but for me it was definitely my addon for Food Chain Magnate. It condenses the game from taking up every inch of a large table, to now being playable on an average or possibly even small table. Plus cleanup and setup takes half the time and it's much easier to keep track of who has what powers.

Runner ups include:

• Kemet - Buying these coin cases to hold all of the power tiles. Now it's so much faster setting up the game, I also have enough to give to each player so they can have their own sleeve of powers. Best part is is that for new players they can just grab the sleeve rather than having to glance over at the power tiles from afar.
  
• Pandemic/Dominant Species - I got these containers to hold all of the disease cubes and species cubes for both games and they work perfectly. My only suggestion would be to get a slightly larger container so it is easier to grab the pieces when they are inside, but the negative to that is that they will not fit in the original box as well.
  
  If I can think of anymore upgrades I'll post them

I use [these] (https://smile.amazon.com/Darice-Round-Caddy-Stacks-Count/dp/B006L2UUVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521088347&sr=8-1&keywords=bead+organizer+stackable) stackable bead/pill organizers with about a month of food in them and refrigerate the rest.

2-3 probably, just depends on how you want your trichomes clear/cloudy/amber. She should continue to get fat, mine our. I've bought several different microscopes and this is my favorite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074SJJM32/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_JPh7BbW036QNH

You could use secure pin backs like these!

Yeah it looks like it's these things..Can probably find them cheaper, but this is the first I found. $8 on Amazon for way more it seems.

http://www.amazon.com/pack-Almost-Jelly-BeadZ-Rainbow/dp/B008W9IGP2/ref=pd_bxgy_lg_text_y

EDIT: Or if you want to buy in bulk:

http://www.aliexpress.com/popular/polymer-gel-beads.html

SE - Loupe Set - Dual 10x+20x, 10x, 30x, 3 Pc - MJ361830C https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001C9LG60/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_7l-IwbFE08DGC

Here is the link to the Canadian Amazon, same thing but skips the duty and import fees.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/Exclusive-Wellness-Club-Odorless-99-995/dp/B009L6NW4U

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

https://www.amazon.com/anonymous-Evil-Eye-Charm/dp/B000VIUJZ2

https://www.amazon.com/BENCH-WIZARD-Number-Capital-Letter/dp/B005ESSZNC

Something like this is what I ended up looking at for serialization purposes (I'm going to heat them to press into a polymer lower, but if you're doing aluminum you can just do the hammer punch method they were made for). Gotta make sure the sizing is appropriate but I think they'll work well and aren't insanely expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ESSZNC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As for the handles: yes, epoxy every surface and every hole. I epoxy around the pins too, just to be sure everything gets coated. Keep some rubbing alcohol or acetone and paper towels or q tips around to wipe off excess and squeeze-out. This will save time spent scraping later! Don't clamp too tightly or all the epoxy will get squeezed out.

As for engraving, look up acid etching. I haven't done it myself, but I've seen others do it. Alternatively, I think something like this might work.

Just got this one in the mail, has 30x and 60x. Comes with two of them, so maybe buy with a buddy? Has bright LEDs on each magnifier. Pretty solid overall, definitely recommend.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074SJJM32/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Throw these at them:
https://www.amazon.com/Ounce-Pack-60-Grams-Rainbow/dp/B008W9IGP2

Here is the link to those beads
TI-EDC 5PCS Titanium 11mm Knife/Zipper Pull Jewelry Paracord / Lanyard Beads (Titanium) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L467U70/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_FOVOwb7S89V3R

I use the same one - it's also very easy to hold against your phone's camera and take pictures with.

Same one but a couple bucks more because Prime: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00MMP6VRW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1

Jump ring - your basic ring.

Split ring - basically a mini key ring, and will provide a more secure hold for your key. Both can be found in any craft store, in the jewelry/beading section.

A strop with no compound is really only going to debur your edge, it will do virtually no polishing. A cheap bar of white or green compound, shouldn't cost you more than $5 at a home improvement/hardware store will help.

Something like this, http://www.amazon.com/Green-Rouge-Polishing-Buffing-Compound/dp/B003K7U0J6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1375053829&sr=8-3&keywords=green+compound

Obviously, the finer you can go with your hones, the less work you are going to have to do with the strop. Also, be careful with your technique as careless stropping will polish not only your bevel but your cutting edge and round it off.

Hide and seek! I found you! This is less than $3 and has free shipping.

Awesome contest!

I can totally relate to the frustration of a poorly performing pen. I'd answer that you need to invest a little effort to enjoy an effortless writing experience -- kinda the theme with fountain pens.

Fountain pens are often, if not usually, imperfect out of the box. Maybe there are machining oils still left in the cartridge or feed. Maybe in transit the pen got bumped around and the nib became misaligned. Sometimes you get a bum nib that's just not quite up to snuff. These kinds of problems can result in scratchy nibs and/or inconsistent flow.

The good news is that fountain pens can be tuned -- not only to resolve issues like the above but also to meet your personal preferences (e.g. heavy vs light flow; feedback vs glassy). And in even better news, many of the most common problems can be solved by yourself without needing to send a pen to a nibmeister.

To start, you should buy a loupe, which will help you inspect your nib up close and diagnose what's causing your issues. I like this one. (They also come in single packs, but the two pack is like 50 cents more.)

Next, you should have a look at some of the guides available online that will get you started with tuning your pens. Here are a couple good ones from two of America's best known nibmeisters: (1) John Mottishaw; (2) Richard Binder.

I'd bet that if you get a loupe and use it to inspect the pens that aren't to your liking, you'll see why and figure out how to fix it. It's probably little more than a matter of aligning the tines and flushing with some soapy water.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Thanks, I found some titanium beads on amazon that are similar. In case you want to buy more in the future.

http://www.amazon.com/TI-EDC-Titanium-Jewelry-Parachute-Pendant/dp/B00L467U70/ref=sr_1_16?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1426072782&sr=1-16

I have been using this large (4" - 5" mouth?) graphite crucible that I ordered from Amazon. It has worked perfectly so far, after at least 11 pours, with no sign of degrading:

http://www.amazon.com/Foundry-Graphite-Crucibles-Refining-Aluminum/dp/B00FBG3ROO

If your budget is pretty firm, there are smaller and cheaper, versions that are similar:

http://www.amazon.com/Foundry-Graphite-Crucibles-Refining-Aluminum/dp/B00FBFUB3U

the one i got from amazon works well.

[IF I FITS I SITS] (http://imgur.com/8bBlszc) Spoons loves Amazon boxes!

[Item one: $4.00] (http://www.amazon.com/Perler-80-19018-Bead-Bag-Black/dp/B009XPQ00C/ref=sr_1_7?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1398615583&sr=1-7)
[Item two: $4.46] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001B9I1RS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1GRPFU49N3AAX&coliid=I3MHD9V08PY5S5)

Thanks for the contest!

You're on the right track waiting for summer to make sure your ring is not too tight on hot summer days. Don't rush into resizing it. My fingers change a LOT between summer and winter, and it's better to be too loose than too tight.

Rather than alter the ring just for the season, I wear these in the winter, and they work great.

Once summer rolls around, and you've seen some hot days, bring it into a local jeweler and see what they say. If it's a plain metal band, it should be super easy to resize, and I'd expect it to cost on the order of $100 (or less). If it's got designs carved or stamped into it, or tiny stones, it will be tougher.

Honestly, it depends on how many repeats you have per row. I use small markers like this when I'm knitting lace and they don't get in my way at all. Jump rings also work well, as long as you make sure to get a size big enough to fit your needles.

Once you get used to marking your work, you won't even notice them (except for when you need to), and it will be immediately obvious when one of your repeats is off.

it looks awesome and i love your colours that you used. I wanna do like an opaque coloured one next. I hope my string holds out ive been using this https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07D4J1MQ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$15?! link? if you're paying only $15 for graphite you'll be getting something slightly bigger than a thimble. this is the one I got. $36. the opening is big enough to melt cans. I wish I went bigger. next time.

http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/e1sa0/my_kids_asked_santa_for_a_microscope_for/ Some not bad advice in that thread. Let me second a stereo-microscope. The stereomicroscope in my lab is easily my favorite to play with. I'd start by reading this

I think something like this or something like this which are, as far as I can tell, modified dermatologist scopes, might be good for a 5th grader. (Reviews are pretty good indicators on this, though don't trust zoom numbers most zoom 20-30x and the rest is all digital.) I spent a summer volunteering at a place with something like these, they are fun. Also if you want something that doesn't take pictures but is a pretty neat field scope you should check out, this, this, or this (note, jeweler loupes do not have lights built in). If you want something kind of medium range, most sites recommend Celestron scopes as pretty good. If you really want a compound microscope (and you know how to operate a microscope, I can't emphasize this enough, otherwise it will not work!) this is recommended by the microscope buying guide. (Also as someone else said, you will run out of stuff to look at pretty fast with a compound scope.) Though that site has a number of nice compound microscopes.

Yes! It's so cute. It came a teensie bit tarnished, but it cleaned right up.

Don't waste your money on those expensive magnifiers. This is really all you need. Maybe 40 or 50x but any higher will be too hard to keep stable and at this level you will be able to see all you need to.

For the lazy

yeah i polished them after bending using a felt wheel on an angle grinder and this stuff

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003K7U0J6/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o05\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I do worry about galvanic corrosion a little bit. It looks like stainless won't be nearly as bad as aluminum. I'll just have to keep an eye out for signs of corrosion.

I like this combo skirt, top, blazer maybe with some strappy sandals...

For good luck

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L467U70/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I hear ya - I was trying with just a small charcoal grill and insulating a bit, then heating directly with a small propane torch. It was inefficient, ineffective, and likely more dangerous as I was closer to the fumes.

This is the one I have been using - and very happy with it. I did make some empty camping propane bottles into ones as well but ended up burning through them on the bottom.

Chinese Titanium set of 5 in various colors: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L467U70/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Silver Jump Rings!

destruction is a form of creation

Thanks for the contest!

I have these nifty stackable containers that you can purchase pretty cheaply but they have saved me so much luggage room and will get me through at least 3 weeks of lotions and potions even though they look small. You can stack as few or many as you like. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006L2UUVA/ref=pd_aw_sims_2?pi=SS115&simLd=1&dpPl=1&dpID=31Wyfd0TrzL

In flight I use a moisturising spray, at the moment a DermaE hyuralonic acid spray but I'm keen to try the Mario badescu one mentioned too. If it's a night flight I sneak in a moisturising sheet mask. People are usually sleeping and if anyone sees you who cares, it is worth it to keep your skin flaking off! In daytime make sure you keep on top of sunscreen application because those UV rays can be brutal through the window.

I got mine from PMC Supplies at Amazon. Budget Casting Supply has very good ones as well. They're a bit more costly, but they're also a bit higher quality.

I got the "The Beadery Craft Products Assorted Pony Beads 2300 ct Box" from Walmart. It's a good starter box because it has 6 of the primary colors (purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and pink) and 3 different finishes (translucent, matte, and pearl sheen). Over time I start to notice which colors and finishes I prefer to use then I just purchase those specific ones from BeadTin.com. You should check out their website because their organization makes a lot of sense.

Amazon is the best place for strings that I've found. I only use crystal elastic string and the thicker the better imo. Tying the knot 3-4 times usually does the job. I also like to tuck the knot underneath one of the beads so that it doesn't get exposed.

0.8mm

1mm

1.2mm

From most of the reviews of the knife, it comes with a pretty good edge, not razor sharp though.

Ok, after searching amazon, looks like the green compound is pretty cheap, so I'll get that. 6oz green compound for $3

And if 1000 grit is what I need for a whetstone, looks like you can get cheap ones on amazon too. Here's a double sided 250/1000 grit stone Also, the blade on the knife I'm getting is only 2.8 inches long, so I assume the size of this whetstone should be good enough.

I guess that's only $10 more than what I would have spend on sandpaper. I assume the cheap whetstone and green compound on cardboard would be a better choice? I also read that the back of a coffee cup is almost like a 1000 grit stone, but I assume the actual whetstone will just work a lot better?

Thanks for all the info.

Besides a nylon hammer and a jewellers mandrel (which really should be made out of steel; the less expensive aluminium versions are solely for measuring) I would suggest to invest into a rathburn ring stretcher, a punch & die set from harbor freight will do the job sufficiently and those coin centering cards.

That would be my basic tooling, maybe an dapping block (together with the dapping punches) additionally such as this one.

Necklace would work - or, there's these: http://www.amazon.com/RING-NOODLE-1-Petite-1-Narrow-Adjuster/dp/B00GUTWY5E...

The hair method is pretty unreliable, it varies from strain to strain. Just get one of these 30x jewelers loupes and look at the heads of the trichomes. When they seem at least 50% amber, 50% cloudy is a good time to harvest.

if you are paranoid, you can hammer it down on a stainless sheet for a very cheap fireproof stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Letter-Number-Stamp-Punch/dp/B005ESSZNC/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1419104395&sr=1-3&keywords=punch+number

i can easily see the blue line with one of these, which fit on a keychain

http://www.amazon.com/SE-Loupe-Set-Dual-10x/dp/B001C9LG60/ref=pd_sim_op_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0P8J0B8YSF68S4GM553V

loupes also effective in seeing the blue line in a stack of 100 or so cards very quickly

I use these -- they screw together so you can adjust how tall they are, and there're wide ones and smaller ones for different minis. They're not too expensive and they work pretty well!

https://www.amazon.com/Darice-Round-Caddy-Stacks-Count/dp/B006L2UUVA/

Something like this may work if it's only a small size difference. https://smile.amazon.com/Adjuster-Invisible-Transparent-Silicone-Tightener/dp/B07G5Z9X4G/

Amazon has a ton of nice looking tungsten and titanium rings for super cheap. I can share some of the ones on my list if you'd like.

https://www.amazon.com/Exclusive-Wellness-Club-Odorless-99-995/dp/B009L6NW4U

thats PHARMA grade DMSO, i could fit 1000mg clonazolam into a 30ml vial correct?

Yeah I have two similar to this. Yeah I guess I'm waiting until I hit my goal weight, realistically I probably won't have to because I don't think I can lose much more in my hands. They are the lankiest piece of me right now.

I’m on mobile so I can’t see your whole flair, but if you haven’t reached your goal weight yet I highly recommend getting some ring size adjusters like these: www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5Z9X4G/ in the meantime!

I considered getting my e-ring resized when I was 10lbs away from my goal weight and I’m glad I didn’t because I lose another half-size with those 10lbs!

Not anymore, as I’m a perfectionist, and I didn’t like the way a number of my domes had appeared on previous builds, so I invested in a doming kit like this one on Amazon. I got mine at Harbor Freight.

It’s useful for builds like this, as well as for builds with spherical elements. For example BB-8 or the Death Star. It also helps make the final product look more round versus having sharp corners on seams or inconsistent bends. I’ve got those two builds posted here on r/metalearth and can be found on my profile also if you want to take a look, and maybe you’ll find that you might want one as well.

DMSO is a really tricky one. There's a ton of guys selling it as "natural" and "pure" but basically they're buying industrial drums of the stuff an packaging it down in to smaller bottles for profit. From what I understand that Nature's Gift (the one with the tree) does this and they never list the source and/processing. Given that DMSO has to be handled incredibly carefully, you have to be really careful where you get it from. This one seems to get good reviews, although it is expensive. For our uses (which are tiny amounts), I don't see the price being an issue:
http://www.amazon.com/DMSO-99-98-Pharma-Grade-Liquid/dp/B009L6NW4U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Maybe give these a try?

I live in an area with a big Greek population, and lots of those businesses and shops put up some variation of this kind of charm to protect against the evil eye. (You can also find it as a keychain, if you want it portable.)

I use one of the 30x ones from this set, you could probably find one individually for $6 or so. 30x vs. 40x or 60x may not matter much for you. They're really common and there's nothing particularly special about that set. I already had them because they're also really useful for working with tiny electronics. :) It works to hold it to the lens on my phone, too.

When I started growing cannabis I tried getting one of the adjustable hand microscopes, but I found it much harder to use that the loupes I already had unless I cut buds off the plant and held them flat.

So I've seen a lot of " is this ready" posts and wanted to share my experience.

I bought one of these back in July when I had an auto finishing up and it was great.

Blue Dot Trading 2 in 1 Jewelers Loupe, 30x/60x Magnified Jewlers loupe (jewelers-loupe-30x-60x) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00MMP6VRW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2epFDb8Y7Z4EW

They are super cheap and with the led on you can see the trichs perfectly. I'm still not sure if the trichome colour is the most scientific way to do it, but at 50/50 milky / amber, mine turned out well.

With the loupe you can almost nail it down to the day when to harvest.

Just wanted to share how cheaply and easily you can time your harvest as we approach the end of the season.

Also great for checking out weird growth, diseases and pests if you are unfortunate enough to have them.

Good luck and good growing everyone.

EMTS are awesome!! :)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0098UVTSK/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

I think I've helped enough beginners with that little thing on the side bar....

But whatever, I'll play this game and set him up for immediate success and long term success for when he outgrows the old shitty leather belt strop.

Smiths Coarse and Fine 4" diamond stone for 14 bucks- I will personally attest to the quality of this thing, while the fine side is about 750 grit, it does a fantastic job. I own and use this piece of kit daily, works just fine.

Or this Norton Crystalon or whatever coarse and fine stone for as cheap as 10 bucks-I've used this one too to very good effect.

Green buffing paste 3 bucks-Chromium oxide buffing paste, I use the shit sometimes on my buffing wheels and once upon a time on strops. It works fine.

Paddle strop for 10 bucks-Should work just fine, and it's made to be a strop, the leather is tanned to be a strop, and it'll be better for the dude to learn on equipment appropriate for the task, as that's what it was manufactured for and not ghetto rigged.

Bracelet

Garfield loves lasagna! but no one makes a better one then I do