Nylon jaw alternative

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Work Room chat:
(I decided to change the Postscripts segment to Work Room chat because I think Postscripts sounds too boring already and also have the segment moved to the top of the post instead of the bottom ala Kennysia’s Short Talk. Tend to forget about this segment when it's at the bottom. So, had better make it the first thing I write about for each post :P)

I cannot NOT mention about Sheela Goh from Eclectica, The Atelier. For one, because she’s a Malaysian and secondly, have you seen her work? Hhhmmm, wonder if she’ll jump into the tutorial bandwagon and then, maybe I can have an opportunity to learn from her. ;)

I just realized that many of the talented Malaysian wire jewellery artists only has probably not more than 3 years experience. Less than 3 years and they can already come up with work like that? Can you imagine how much more experiences down the road will mould their design? Either wire jewellery is a easy to pick up art (so not!) or it’s in the spirit of Malaysia Boleh! LOL I’ld like to take it as the latter. :)

You may want to read more about Sheela Goh here.
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You guys should know by now about the unfavourable review of the nylon jaw plier I got from Findingbeads4u (which is in the midst of closing down).

Now, the funny thing is this.

Nylon jaw pliers, as I understand it are just ordinary pliers but comes with a pair of nylon jaws which is slipped over the steel jaws to act as a barrier between the steel jaws and wire to prevent marring. The nylon jaw will wear over time and all you have to do is just to get a replacement jaw.




Very oddly though, the nylon jaw pliers I got from Findingbeads4u are not only humongous in size but also had the nylon part deadly glued to the steel jaws. Another strange thing is that the presumably nylon part does not even feel like nylon at all! It feels more like plastic. (If it indeed is plastic, won’t plastic mark the wires too? o_O)

Anyway, I didn’t bother to try it out at all because (here’s where I get really annoyed) the furthest I could open the jaw is this.



And this is how when the jaws are closed.



-___________-

Ok, great.

Can somebody tell me how on earth am I supposed to use this ‘thing’? A total WASTE of money if you asked me.

Now, what?

Went online and google for alternative ways on how not to mark you wires, and I stumble upon this.



Performix Plasti Dip.
It is explained in their site as a

“Multi-purpose air dry, synthetic rubber coating that can be easily applied by spraying, brushing or dipping. Plasti Dip resists moisture, acids, abrasion, corrosion, skidding/slipping, and provides a comfortable, controlled grip. It remains flexible, stretchy and will not become brittle or crack in extreme weather conditions”

So, basically, it is a form of synthetic rubber coating which I reckon works like the nylon thingy.

From what I gather from what I’ve read, it is some kind of solution which you spray, brush or dip (it comes packed in a tub or aerosol spray can) your pliers into. Leave it on for a few hours to dry and you get a smooth and rubbery finish at the end, where the thickness of the coating is buildable by dipping into it several times more.

If that’s the case, does it also means that the rubber coating could be tear away when you no longer need the coating and dipped into the solution again if you need a rubber coating again? Dunno. Just wondering.

Eni Oken made a mention of this Plasti Dip in one of the entries in her Jewelry Journal. It goes along the line of not marking your wires. You can read it here.

But then, where am I going to look for Plasti Dip here in Malaysia? It would most probably be sold in a hardware store, that I’m pretty sure of but do the hardware stores here carry this stuff? I doubted that they do. They are most probably going to shrug it off and say they know nothing about it. That I can foresee. -___-

Even if they do, how much do you think it will cost? I saw it being sold in tub form for $12.

So, how?

I think I read about this trick somewhere, that what you can do is to wrap a layer of masking tape around the jaw.

Sounds simple enough and more importantly, cost effective. :P

This is what you do.

Get a roll of masking tape. Those which you can easily find in any stationary shops. Don’t get those too thick or too thin ones. Probably around ¾” will do just fine. Well, you don’t exactly need a roll of ‘em but you get the idea.


Pardon the dirty looking edges, it is after all a very old roll I found stashed at some corner in my house.

Next, get your pliers. I do not recommend you to try this out on your good pliers, the stainless steel ones because I’m worried that the tape might leave some sticky residue on it. So, it’s better that you try this out on your economy range pliers. You can use either a chain nose or flat nose or even your round nose. Just bear in mind that you will be using it for gripping and not forming of wires. I don’t think you can form nicely with the wrapped jaws due to the uneven surface. They are at best good for gripping only.



Cut a strip of masking tape. Not too long. You don’t need that much. Maybe about 1 ½” will do.




Stick them onto the flat surface of one of the jaw and wrapped around it. Do the same for the other side of the jaw.





And what do you get?
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Tad-dah!



Your own DIY ‘nylon’ jaw pliers! Alright, so it’s not exactly nylon but it’s supposed to work like one. I myself have personally tried this trick. I’m not saying it’s a substitute for nylon jaw pliers. I’ve yet to use it long enough to be able to ascertain that but I find that it did in fact reduces the marring of wires. I dare not say it eliminates or prevent marring because same reason, haven’t used this trick long enough to find out for myself. I had only try this out once.

Nevertheless, it might come in handy for that particular moment when you wished you had one to use.

One tip though.



You might want to take the tape off after you’re done using it for the day. I had mine on for a couple of days after I were done using them and the tape turns out to be a bit difficult to be taken off and left some sticky residue. Although the sticky residue can be cleaned off with the appropriate cleaning agent, but we all know what a pain the cleaning process can be.

I didn’t bother cleaning mine because there were only some minor residue and it was one of the budget pliers I got earlier on. Ever since I upgraded my working pliers to the stainless steel ones, I hardly use them anymore.

One more thing, unlike nylon which is more durable, masking tape is thinner. Depending on the amount of pressure that you exert, the tape is susceptible to tear, even while being stuck onto the jaws. So, you might want to keep that in mind as well.

Happy trying ‘em out and if you like, share how it worked for you or not in the comment box! :D

p/s: I'm doing Jenny a favour here. Her blogshop, JPBeads is giving away 3 virtual gift certificates worth RM32 each. All you have to do is to join their email subscription list and leave a comment here about your favorite item in their blogshop. Pretty sweet deal, ain’t it? ;)

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I'm not quitting.....EVER

And you thought that I might just have, given my temporary hiatus. No, I did not stop making jewellery. Have not, did not and will not.

Just that there have been some unforeseen interruption with what has always been the ‘my ordinary course of life’. The way I see it is this. Sometimes, shit happens in life and when it does, you just have to deal with it. Make the most out of the situation that you were put into and learn what you got to learn from it. Some people however, have just got the knack of slinging their shit around for other people to clean up. Bottom line is, face up to your own shit. Excuse me for my crudeness but I really can't think of a more forthright explanation than this.

So much so that I have resorted to solitary confinement in order to actually get any work done at all. I haven’t been able to update as often as I would like to and neither have I been able to start on the revamping work to the Atelier. Hopefully, updates can be more regular by end of October. *fingers crossed*

Well, that aside, it sure didn't stop me from another bead haul. :)



The haul this time is only a modest one compared to what I used to buy. Had to control myself cuz my bead stock has been piling up and the rate I'm exhausting them does not commensurate with my stock taking. Bead shopping can be so addictive! (well, at least it seems to be so for me :P)

This haul was from Marinacraft. They have two sites actually, one Malaysian and one international. So, Malaysian beaders would want to visit their Malaysian site for price quotation in RM.

This site was introduced to me by my friend, my (ahem) brethren beader so to speak, Jenny. She text me one day asking me if I knew where to buy Czech glass beads. I told her that the only online store that I know of that sells these are no longer in service and even I myself am searching for it.

She text me much later that day about Marinacraft. One can't help but to love Google. :)

I was very tempted to buy from them after seeing the range of beads that they carry but tried very hard to not give in to temptation because it is bad to be buying and buying without making. ;) But, I kinda got bored with my existing stock of materials and wanted a 'visual' change and so I used the coming Raya hols as an excuse to be working on more new pieces. New pieces from new supply. :) (Fact is, I have a few pieces done already. I just need to take pictures of it and will be listing and uploading it to the Atelier soon)

Anyway, this is my first time buying from them and I must say the buying experience was the best one I've had so far. I'll tell you why.

1. Speed of delivery
I made my order on early Monday (29.9.2008) morning and paid for my order right after. And then I just remembered about the Raya holidays and was worried if delivery might clash with the holidays and worst still, risk loosing my parcel in the post! Efficient sellers will be prompt in delivery when you are efficient in making payment. :) By afternoon, I got a mail in my mailbox informing me that my order has been shipped, much to my delight! =D

I received my orders the very next day!

2. Packaging
I believed most of you who has done bead shopping would have experienced this. You know how it is that sellers usually wrapped your stuffs in layers and layers of bubble wrap with strips and strips of sticky tape. And some, not before layers and layers of newspapers? I don't know about you but to me that sort of packaging can be quite annoying.

I do appreciate sellers effort in making sure the stuffs arrive in one piece (although I at times find myself questioning the necessity for the extra effort when parcel will arrive next day and especially if it is by courier) but to go through layer and layers of wrappings before I actually get to see the product, especially when I am already jumping in excitement when the parcel arrived, is a pain. And don't even get me started on the sticky tape. Unwrapping the parcel almost always results in a mess of newspapers, bubble wraps, boxes and sticky tapes and you end up overloading the trash bin. It takes just as much effort in unwrapping them just as much as it is needed to pack them. Difference being, it’s much more messier unwrapping than wrapping up. It's no fun, really.

I was rather taken aback when the parcel from Marinacraft arrived by Pos Ekspress but ........



............. in a box! I never knew Pos Ekspress also comes in boxes. I was actually expecting it to arrive by Pos Laju or other courier as it has been with all my bead parcel before this. Sure enough, it was stated during checkout that the parcel would be send by Pos Ekspress but I brushed them off as a mere technical term connoting speedier delivery. All this while, I only know about Pos Ekspress as envelopes for next day delivery.

Now, digressing a bit, for those of you who are unaware of the difference between Pos Laju and Pos Ekspress. Both offer next day delivery but Pos Ekspress is subjected to locality and time of posting.

Pos Laju is the national courier service and Pos Ekspress is the national postal service. While you can pack your stuffs any way you want with a courier service, Pos Ekspress requires that you post your stuffs in their stipulated envelopes (I only know about the Pos Ekspress box recently).

While Pos Laju rate is calculated based on weight, Pos Ekspress charges are based on the size of envelopes. With a particular size of envelope, presumably, it would be around the guesstimated weight. Due to the availability of the different sizes of envelopes, the minimum charge for Pos Ekspress would undoubtedly be lower than Pos Laju.

Now, here’s the catch.

Pos Laju being a courier service will be hand delivered but Pos Ekspress, being a postal service will only be dropped into your post box. So you see, in terms of securing acceptance of delivery, Pos Laju is safer because there need to be someone to signed acceptance of the parcel and thus, most favoured by sellers.

I’ve had bad experience with Pos Ekspress envelopes where it took one whole week to arrive despite within the area eligible for next day delivery. So much for ‘dijamin sampai esok’! I’ve also heard stories that sometimes it even got lost in post! That is why I never favoured Pos Ekspress despite being a cheaper alternative for next day delivery for smaller packages.

So, as I was saying. I wasn’t expecting my package to arrive by Pos Ekspress despite being informed that it will. Nevertheless, the package arrived safe and sound. And I do have to mention though that the postage charge was RM6.60 for 500 grams and below when Beading.com.my only charges RM5 for shipping via private courier service and irrespective of weight (if I’m not mistaken)!

But I guess I Marinacraft’s choice with Pos Ekspress may be due to it’s packaging issue. The Post Ekspress box, unlike your ordinary carton boxes, is made from what I reckon to be much more thicker material and therefore much much more sturdier than your ordinary boxes. So, somehow, risk of damage to the parcel is probably reduced. In other words, I dare say that it is quite safe to pack stuffs into it without making any extra effort in packaging.

Marinacraft probably share my sentiment and what I found packed inside the box is the most straightforward packaging I’ve ever seen in any of my bead haul. Not to mention, the neatest and fuss-free one too!

And presumably if this was the mode of shipping that they had been using, it should not be good enough because they have been around since 2003.

All my stuffs came packed in a folded opaque plastic bag secured only by a staple. Can you imagine how simple a job unwrapping was? The plastic bag was however made from a thicker material. The kind that’s even suitable to store piping hot liquid in them. Like those probably used in the old coffee shops for you to take away your coffee.




Next up, the content. I bought a string of pearls, glass beads and some charms. The pearls were just sealed in a clear plastic bag and so were the rest of the charms. But as for the glass beads, it came in a small container. Those which food vendor normally used to pack sauces. The same kind where KFC uses to pack their mashed potatoes or coleslaw.

I bought one of their mixes which comes in about 100 beads, When I first caught glimpse of the container from outside the plastic bag and was kinda expecting there to be sticky tape taped around the edges (which I really dreaded) but when I took a closer look at it, there was none at all! Much to my surprise!



When I opened to container, the beads was secured within with a layer of bubble wrap. Only one! A small one at that! But suffice for the size of the container. So you see, in these circumstances being just sufficient is better than being extra.




The beads were also very safe because it was all compressed into the container, which means less empty space between them and in this, I dare say zero space. This way reduces friction if there are any movements and hence reduces or even to the extent of eliminating the risk of damage.




I totally like their packaging! The best way my bead parcel could arrive! *two thumbs up*

But wait, I was in for another surprise!


=D

It was stated in their site that there would be free gift for purchases RM50 and above but mine didn’t even reach that amount, although it was close to. So, the extra tiny bag was much to my delight!

The charms were all very pretty but as for the pearls and glass beads, well let’s just say that I’ve seen prettier ones. Maybe it’s the selection that I’ve made. I dunno. Either way, I’ve no qualms to buy from them again. Price range is rather reasonable too I reckon.

3. Conclusion
Highly recommended! Need I say more? ;)

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