Review BeadSmith Liver of Sulfur Patina Oxidizing Gel

Hello, this is Brooke from Sunset & Vine and I hope you are all enjoying the start of 2011! Today I am going to review BeadSmith's Liver of Sulfur oxidizing gel. This is a product that I use quite often in my jewelry designs. Creating jewelry with the oxidized or antiqued look has become quite popular and many suppliers even sell oxidized chain and findings now.



Liver of Sulfur is an agent made with potassium sulfide and turns metals brown or black depending on how long metal is left in the solution. Liver of sulfur usually comes in a rock form which you break into smaller pieces and dissolve in hot water. There are many downsides to using the rock form. It has a very short shelf life, is flammable, and poses inhalation hazards from the dust that is created when breaking the rock form into pieces. There is a more organic method that can be used to oxidize metals but one would need to use quite a few hard boiled eggs and results vary. The egg method requires heating hard boiled eggs and placing them in a bag with the metal. This method can be timely and creates a mess from the egg yolks that would need cleaned off.
Because of the drawbacks of the other methods I decided to use Liver of sulfur in a gel form. With the gel form the shelf life is much longer and there are no risks of flammability or inhalation hazard. The main problem with using the gel is the nasty rotten egg odor that permeates the air when mixed with water. As long as you use the gel in a well ventilated area there shouldn't be too many issues.






To achieve best results with the gel make sure that the metal you are using is cleaned with a method that doesn't leave behind a residue or it will effect the process. If metal isn't clean first sometimes the piece you are oxidizing will have different shades and won't have a uniform patina. You can play around with the formula for lighter or darker oxidizing and with the amount of time you leave your metal pieces in the formula. The gel can also be applied directly to metal.






This product is very reliable and is also very easy to do. The gel makes oxidizing metals very quick and safe. Cleaning up is a breeze and storing the product is effortless because it is not effected by light or air. This product offers users a wide variety of patinas from rainbow to black and can be used on silver, copper, bronze, metal clay and fine silver. I would recommend this product to anyone and I love using it myself.




I am giving BeadSmith Liver of sulfur Patina Oxidizing Gel 5 out of 5 hardhats. Have fun on your next project and hopefully this review helped!

Are you interested in becoming a contributing author like Brooke?  Would you like to join the "Tools Team" ?  Just email Rory for details.

toolsrwomen2@gmail.com

Easy Wood Tool Review Part 4 - The Pen Project

If you thought the walking cane project and the goblet project were nice, wait till you see this one! 

This week's challenge for the  Easy Wood Tools was a little tougher. I had already established that the carbide tips and stainless steel shafts on the EWTs were terrific for wood.  But what about acrylic or even a stone composite, like they use for making exotic pens out of?  Well, only one way to find out.......

Let's make some pens!

I went down to Woodcraft to buy some pen blanks and hardware kits.  I chose a nice pink blank they call Cotton Candy, plus a couple others.  Seeing that the blog is just a little on the pink side, I thought Cotton Candy would fit right in.  Here is part of the blank before I turned it on the lathe....

I really loved the pink and gray mottled looking mix of colors.

Here is a picture of the blank mounted on the lathe after I had used an EWT lathe tool to give it some shape.

For this project I used only 1 basic Easy Wood Tool, the Ci3m Mini Finisher.

It has a round replaceable tip that cut through the acrylic pen blank like soft butter. 

I was amazed at how little pressure I had to use in order to make this tool do it's job on acrylic.  An extremely light touch of the cutting tip is all I needed. 

Here is the end result, boxed and ready to go!

I also tried out the Easy Wood Tool Mini Finisher on a product called Tru-Stone.  Tru-Stone is a composite made up of about 85% natural stone.  I thought that an EWT lathe tool might get slowed down a little trying to cut through this product.  I could not have been more wrong.  The tip cut through the stone easily.  Did I mention that I am still using the same replaceable tip that I started with 3 weeks ago?  Yep!, the same tip that shaped the goblet, made the cane, made the acrylic cotton candy pen, and now made this one.  It still seems to be as sharp as ever, with no noticable difference in how it cuts.  If you are doing production lathe work, you need a tool like this.  It will save you a ton of money, by not having down time due to stopping for sharpening.

After I easily conquered Tru-Stone, I was feeling pretty addicted to the Mini Finisher.  I was just having way too much fun to put it down.  So what did I do?  I chose another pen blank, of course.  See if you like the end results of this one.

This blank is simply called "Tiger".  It has a wonderful swirling of blacks, golds, and browns that are very suggestive of an animal print or tortoise shell. I kinda like this one.  I am not sure which one is my favorite though.  What do you think?

I hope you have all enjoyed my Easy Wood Tools Review over the past few weeks.  It has been great fun.  One of my goals in doing this review was to see if a beginner could use these tools easily, safely, and get great results.  After several weeks of trying them out, the answer is yes, yes, and yes.  Without a doubt, the EWTs are the easiest lathe tools I have ever had the pleasure of using.  Their design makes them many times safer than traditional tools, and the results are amazing.  They performed flawlessly in every task they were given.  I give them (once again), 5 pink hardhats out of a possible 5.

For those of you who are considering making pens as a way of earning extra cash, the EWT line of lathe tools makes all the sense in the world.

For those of you who just want to have fun and maybe make some Christmas presents, they work really well for that too.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Many thanks to Craig Jackson, founder of Easy Wood Tools, who goes out of his way to support women, kids, and families with their woodworking projects.

Easy Wood Tool Review Part 3 - The Cane Project

Here we are in Part 3 of my Easy Wood Tool review.  If you saw my post last week, you read all about the incredible success I had turning a goblet out of "curly" maple with these amazing lathe tools.

This week though, I wanted to try something that required a little more precision than an impromptu wooden wine glass. 

This week's project is a custom cane. And, while this project may look easy (and in some respects it is), it does require near perfect tenons to be cut so that the handle, connectors, and rubber tip will fit properly.

So here we go with 2 of the same basic EWT lathe tools that I used last week, the Mini Easy Rougher and  The Mini Easy Finisher.  That's it this week.  I only used 2 tools to do the whole thing.  For wood I decided to use mahogany. 

The Mini Rougher has a square carbide head, with a stainless steel shaft. 

I used it to turn my 2 square pieces of wood into nice uniform round ones.  The carbide head made quick work out the mahogany.  It cut through it like butter, never missed a beat, and never showed even a slight sign of dulling.  I also used the roughers square head to make a clean precise tenon for the brass cane handle.  Tenons like this take a little skill when using traditional lathe tools, but I think that with the EWTs I could teach someone how to do this in about 5 minutes.  No exaggeration.

For the contoured part of the cane I used the Mini Finisher.  This tool has a round carbide tip which is also mounted on a stainless steel shaft.

The Mini Finisher was effortless to use.  It cut my contours without even taking a deep breath.  Once again, there was no noticeable dulling of the tool throughout the entire project.  I used the same tips on both the rougher and the finisher that I used on the goblet last week, and they performed flawlessly.

Here is a picture of part of the cane shaft showing some of the contours.

Notice how the brass coupler on the end of the shaft fits beautifully.  I had to use a coupler like this because my small lathe would not handle the full length of the cane unless I made it in 2 pieces that screwed together.

Although it is more work to make a 2 piece shaft like this, it has it's advantages.  For one thing, if you are an online seller, it makes it really cheap to ship. 

When it came to fitting the handle the EWTs continued to shine.  

The rubber tip was a piece of cake.

Here are a couple pictures of my completed cane.

So what will I do with it, now that it's finished?  This one will be a  Christmas gift to a very special friend of mine, who fell and broke his hip last year.  Hope he likes it.  By the way, in case you were wondering I used several coats of  lacquer to do the finish and then I polished it with some steel wool and paste wax.

So how do I rate the Mini Easy Wood Tools for doing projects like this cane?

Without any hesitation, I give it 5 pink hardhats out of 5 again.

These tools are pure perfection.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the EWT tools,  they are available through my good friends at Woodcraft.  Woodcraft is the same great company that is sending several thousand Christmas gifts to our overseas soldiers again this year.  Please give this generous company a call.

Easy Wood Tools Review Part 2 - The Goblet Project

Last week in Part 1 of my Easy Wood Tools review, I told you I was going to give these lathe tools a real workout.  I wanted to see if these lathe tools were everything I have been told they are.


Right out of the box I was impressed.  They come in plastic resealable tubes, unlike other brands that are often packaged more cheaply.  The handles are made of maple and the shafts on these guys are out of solid stainless steel.


And even better.........


The tips are made of carbide!  This means that they NEVER need to be sharpened.  When a tip gets dull you can rotate it to a fresh cutting surface and it cuts like new again.  When the tip is completely worn out, you just replace it.  Carbide is somewhere around 10 times as hard as high speed steel so a sharp edge lasts quite a while compared to other tools.  I talked with Craig Jackson who founded EWT and he says a carbide tip on an Easy Roughing Tool will last through about 20 hours of cutting when using it on hard maple.  That's pretty amazing, and it means that the tips are a huge money saver for beginning turners.  Because the tips are replaceable you don't have to buy any sharpening equipment that can cost hundreds of dollars. You just wont be needing things like electric grinders, files, special jigs, and sharpening stones.  It also means that your time in your shop is spent making items for you and your online store, instead of sharpening tools every 20 minutes.  Can you say efficient?  So before I even started cutting wood I was pretty impressed.


But now for the test.  This weeks project is a goblet.  I had seen a video of Craig making a goblet using his tools and he made it look and sound really easy.  I would soon find out just how easy it really is.

  I decided to make my  little goblet out of hard, "curly" maple.  This special wood was donated by Paul and Brenda who own the local Woodcraft store here in Greenville, South Carolina.  It is the same kind of wood that is famous for  making butcher's blocks out of , and also for dulling ordinary tools very quickly. This would be a good test.

Here is the goblet I ended up making on my very first try using the EWTs.

How do you think it turned out?

Okay,  I am a professional woodworker.  That much is true.  But I decided that using these tools has such a small learning curve that I could teach people how to make a goblet like this, that had never even turned on a lathe before.  It was that incredibly easy.  The tools cut beautifully and they are still razor sharp.

For goblet making I have no choice but to give these tools 5 pink hardhats out of 5. 

They were a pleasure to use, don't require sharpening, are incredibly tough, and gave me beautiful results.  In short, I couldn't find a fault with them. 

So what will I do with my goblet?

I am thinking of making a matching set and breaking them in on Christmas Eve.

By the way, if you want to buy EWT lathe tools my friends at Woodcraft carry them.  Those of you who are thinking of getting into turning need to put these on your Christmas list.

Next week I will be testing the EWTs on another project.  I am far from done having fun with these, so check back next week and see the results.

Do you need your tool or product tested and reviewed?  If so, contact me for details.

toolsr4women2@gmail.com

Easy Wood Tools Review - A Potential Money Maker - Post #1 Of The Series

This is the first post of a series reviewing Easy Wood Tools for lathe working.   Along with the review will be some ideas on how you can possibly put these tools to use and make some extra spending money.

Easy Wood Tools was founded by a man named Craig Jackson.  He and I met at a local woodworking show and I found him to be a friendly and terrific guy.  He loves working with kids, teaching woodturning safety, and he thinks that women and family are an important element in the whole woodworking scheme of things.  When I told him that I wrote a blog dedicated to helping women with their projects, he immediately wanted to help too.  I wish all tool companies were a little more like EWT and Craig Jackson.  He is a joy to be around. 

Craig's background is that of a machinist and metal fabricator.  Some years ago he started turning wood like alot of us and he quickly realized that the standard tools of the lathe working industry were not all that they could be.  So, he set out to design and make lathe tools that were of a very high quality, were easy to use, had a low learning curve, and were easy to maintain. 

Here is a short video showing some of his tools in action....




I have really been wanting to give EWT a whirl, so I have decided to start by trying out three of their tools.  They are the ....

Ci2m Mini Rougher,

 Ci3m Mini Finisher, and the

 Ci4m Mini Detailer.

Unlike other tool reviews I don't want to find out if these tools are just wonderful for the experienced woodworker.  What I do want to find out is if a total beginner can quickly get the hang of using them, easily, safely, and with great results.  If the answer to these questions is yes, then they could be some real potential money-makers for a large number of crafters and artists out there, that would not of otherwise considered wood turning.

So, over the next couple weeks I am going to try doing a few projects using these tools and really give them a genuine workout.  With each post in the series I will attempt to do something different with the tools.  I am thinking in the lines of possibly a pen, a candlestick, and a bowl or goblet.  The reason I am choosing these projects is that they are all items that are small, lightweight, and can be shipped easily.  Items like these make super canidates to be a part of online store inventory.

So check back with me next week when I post my first project.  It should be great fun, and I can't wait to try this product out.

Wish me luck!

Do you have a product you need reviewed?  Just email me for details.

toolsr4women2@gmail.com

Flexcut Detail Knife And Strop Review - Christmas Gift Idea?

Christmas is on the way and some of you out there are going to be doing a lot of shopping this week.  So, I thought I might do a review on a potential gift for someone.  If you or a loved one has a desire to take up wood carving, this review is for you.

This review is about the Flexcut Detail Carving Knife.  I personally own one and I positively love it.  It comes razor sharp right out of the package.  And when I say razor sharp, I mean it.  The blade is finely polished to a micro edge.

I found the handle comfortable and easy to grip.  It seems the older I get the more stiff my hands get when using tools like this, but I found the handle on this knife to work well for me.

One of the first projects I did with this knife was a Welsh Love Spoon.  Here are a couple pictures of it.

Shown above is the spoon in it's beginning stages along with the 3 main tools I used to make it.  The center tool is the Flexcut Detail Knife.  I used walnut for this project.  Walnut is not easy to carve and a razor sharp knife like this one makes life a lot easier and safer.  It has always been my opinion that more cuts happen from a knife slip, due to a dull blade than any other cause.  When you are using a dull knife you tend to try and force the knife instead of letting it smoothly and easily do it's job.

Below is the finished spoon.

I gave this one away as a birthday gift.

All in all, this knife is a pleasure to use.  Like any carving tool it will need to be sharpened often.  I use a Flexcut Slip Strop Sharpening System like this one.

It's easy to use and was designed specifically for use with Flexcut Knives.  It also won't cost you a fortune. 

If you are out looking at wood carving tools for Christmas, let me give you my best advice about buying them.  What you will find out there is a lot of cheap discount carving that look like great deals.  Sometimes you can get these bargain sets that will include 5 or 6 knives for $20 or less.  It might sound like a great deal, but with tools you generally get what you pay for.  What I tell people is that I would much rather see them buy 1 good knife like a Flexcut, than 6 cheap ones for the same money.

I like this tool.  It did everything it was supposed to do and after doing several projects, it is still in great shape.  I highly recommend it and give it 5 pink hardhats out of 5.

Have fun shopping this week and be safe.

Do you have a company that needs a tool or product reviewed?  You can email me for details at

toolsr4women2@gmail.com

Review JudiKins Diamond Glaze

I hope you are all having a great week and a great humpday! This is Brooke from Sunset & Vine Jewelry and I will be doing my first product review for Tools are for Women Too! JudiKins Diamond Glaze is a product that I have used for jewelry designs as well as various crafting projects.






This product is fun and easy to use and I enjoy the results that are achieved when the glaze is used properly. I have used this glaze to make magnets, pendants and charms for jewelry. For best results I would suggest applying the glaze in thin layers and allowing one layer to dry at a time. This product also has a tendency to get air bubbles and you will need to make sure that they are removed before the glaze dries. The best way to remove the bubbles is to take a small paint brush or tooth pick and tap out the bubbles. Another tip is to ensure you are applying the product in an even coat over the surface and that it doesn't spill over the edges of the pendant or whatever tray you are filling. When following these simple directions you should achieve the desired results and I am sure you will be pleased with the glaze.




JudiKins Diamond Glaze is a water based dimensional adhesive that when dry creates a raised glass-like finish. This product can be used to make personalized items of your choosing by taking your own image and covering it with the glaze. The glaze can be mixed with small amounts of dye ink to create custom colors and it is also a great adhesive for gluing beads and glitter to paper. You can find pendant, charm, and magnet frames for glazes at many of your local bead stores as well as Etsy and internet beading suppliers.





Overall this product delivers on its promise. It gives you a great raised glass finish and is easy to use. First time users will be very happy with the results. It is also safe and easy to clean up so you can have the kids join in on the fun. This product gives you a wide variety of options to create something personal and unique. If you are looking for crystal clear image quality you will probably be slightly disappointed and I would suggest you try the more time consuming resins.

I am giving JudiKins Diamond Glaze 5 out of 5 Hardhats. Have fun on your next project and I hope this review helped!

Do you have a tool or product that needs to be reviewed or featured? Just email Rory for details.

toolsr4women2@gmail.com