Shopping Spree - Tools & Supplies

Yes, I am a tool junkie. I admit it. I LOVE tools. I love the feeling of a brand new shiny tool in my hands. I recently discovered I have a 'thing' for hammers. I didn't know this about me. Last weekend my roomie and I went shopping at Princess Auto out in Langley, and at the cash register as he was putting all my new hammers up on the counter he dryly commented "I guess you plan on doing A LOT of hammering eh?" I responded with "Just you nevermind what I do with my hammers! Not the household's hammers...not your hammers, but MY hammers buddy!" Yes, I even like roofer's hammers. Weird looking things that they are.

So here's the list of things I've purchased in the past two weeks:

Hammers (10 of them)

- plannishing (square/round head)
- brass mallet
- dead blow
- 2 ball peins
- german style chasing hammer with pistol handle
- double headed texturing hammer
- rubber/acrylic head
- small brass/acrylic head
- leather mallet

(I still want a couple of riveting hammers)

Other items not related to hammers:

- steel ring mandrel
- metal ring sizer
- dapping set
- silquar board (like a fire brick)
- charcoal block
- 2 ceramic tiles
- digital caliper
- swiss file (4 cut)
- swiss file (2 cut)
- titanium diamond file set (5 pieces)
- jeweler's saw frame
- blades for the above
- bees wax (for the above)
- slicone polishing wheels for my dremel
- 3 new pairs of pliers (another thing I have a 'thing' for)
- tweezers (several pairs - copper, metal, AA, locking, insulated)
- third hand
- bib apron with pockets
- safety glasses
- respirator
- 2 auto dollies (excellent substitude for the typical 4" X 4" steel block)
- emery paper (several grades from 80 to 600 grit)
- solder chips (easy, medium, hard)
- containers for solder chips
- sterling silver sheet
- fine silver bezel wire
- butane micro torch
- PH Down (sodium bisulphate - used as pickling agent)
- mini crock pot (for pickling)
- Dandix flux
- ring clamp
- bench vise
- bench pin
- adjustable C clamp
- metal shears (only 7 inches! Fits perfectly in my tiny hand)
- brass brush
- file card (for cleaning files)
- bezel roller
- burnisher
- center punch
- oak leaf stamp (need more design stamps)
- bead baking tray (for polymer clay)
- Word texture plate (for polymer clay)
- Liquid Liver of Sulphur
- Tim McCreight's Complete Metalsmithing - Professional Edition

Purchased items unrelated to tools:

- 30 ft of 22g sterling silver wire (for wire wrapped pearl rings)
- oxidized copper wire
- oxidized brass wire
- green and brown glass leaves
- strand of 8mm dark green jade rounds
- 15 1/2 inch strand of 9mm turquoise rondelles
- serephrinite cabachon
- turitella cabachon
- turquoise cabachon
- light blue pau shell cabachon
- ammolite cabachon
- jasper cabachon
- 9mm brown, green, and gold faceted glass rondelles
- a whole whack of silver plated and brass balled head pins
- several different styles of toggles
- brass chain
- silver plated chain
- solid brass lobster claws (I love these!)
- 1000 business cards
- and a large custom supply order for one of my customers

Next item to be purchased is my Whale Torch! Yay! I'm so excited I can hardly wait!

Ronnie is the jewelry designer at RadianTrace Jewelry. She's also the graphic artist at Mable's Makings, and the author of Ronnie Unplugged.