Glass Etching

Very interesting process to etch glass. I created stencils by using my Cricket which is like a printer, except that it cuts out decorative things out of paper (or in this case vinyl contact paper). I then used those items as a mask on plain glass. I also took some clip art of breads and cut them out of contact paper. So my bread were hand cut but the wheat stalks and the word "pantry" were cut with the Cricket.
I then put those on plate glass and went outside and used the acid etch paste. It worked fairly well, even though the directions said to not use it on large areas. I added some frosted spray paint to even it out. I will now install these etched glass panels in a couple of shutter bifold doors that I cut the shutters out of the upper panels. It was a fairly labor intensive process, but fun to design!
I'll add pictures later.

Working, puttzing around

I'm still working on woodwork, but took a break from that to paint our doors, have wanted to each summer and every summer passes and I haven't done it. It's warm this week and I'm going to do it. I have a cinnamon color for the doors themselves, with gold all around it. The woodwork is getting done, finally have doors on closets. 

Now I'm working on a pantry door, I sawed out the little slats on the upper part of a shutter type bifold and I'm going to order a reeded glass piece to put in instead of the slats on the upper part. Or, I'm going to see if tempered glass will etch, maybe etch the word "pantry" on it. Still thinking on this, will let you know how it turns out. I thought about even doing some stained glass, but just don't feel like re-learning right now, maybe later I will do something.
I ordered some router bits, I'm creating a cabinet in the bathroom and the router bits will be a plain style beveled (like a shaker style) cabinet door. Created a router table out of a table that I sawed shorter and a cabinet that was taking up space above the garage. Got two things out of the garage and made them useful!

I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Frustration but resolution too

Today started out as a frustrating day. I tried for several hours to set up Dave's new computer with a wireless connection to the printer. No luck. Also tried to download some "critical updates" from Microsoft and ended up getting a blue screen. Some of the updates would load, some wouldn't. At one point I got a blue screen and had to go back to restore it to an earlier time. Argh. I finally just wired the printer to the computer and I will use the wireless connection to another computer. That's why we have two printers, right? Still it is so irritating when something isn't working right. It's also quite worrisome that I'm already having problems with this computer. Don't know what is preventing updates...I hope I don't regret not buying locally. Don't know who to turn to for help.

Then I started making grape jelly. Even though I had bought some grapes to go with my own grapes, it still only made six half pints, didn't seem like a lot after all the futzing around, boiling water, boiling grape juice, grape staining the sink etc. But, I was able to get it to set up, something that didn't work real well last year. 

Then I went upstairs and stripped the bed. I've been having so many allergies, waking up congested each morning. Thought I would wash everything. But then the spin cycle didn't spin it almost dry. It was sopping wet. Had to take one item out and spin the other one, finally got them both dry enough to put in the dryer. 

Meanwhile I put together the mortising attachment for the drill press. It had a lot of parts to it and I couldn't quite figure out how a round drill will make a square hole, but lo and behold, I slowly assembled it and was able to get it working! Hooray! The day finally started feeling better.

Then just to work some of the frustration out of my system I walked down to the mailbox with the dogs. It started raining just as I arrived home, it's been raining off and on again. 

Blog beginning

Ok, so blank page, ugh ugh...setting up a blog just to see how it goes. My mind a blank, oh well I can always come back to it.