2013 - Year in
Review
This is the year I quit smoking by
discovering Vaping!!
 What is vaping? In a
nutshell, it's 'smoking' diluted nicotine in water vapor using
various personal vaping devices, also known as E-cigarettes. The
reason I don't like using the term 'e-cigarette', is that people
think they are the little cigarette replacements you buy at 7-11.
Technically, they are called the same thing. But what I use are
much larger units that I directly add 'juice' to.
Juice is diluted nicotine in
vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol. No, not the stuff in
anti-freeze, the stuff used as a dilutant in perscription asthma
inhalers. I mix my own 'juice', so I know exactly what's in
it. It contains nicotine extract, diluted in vegetable glycerin,
water, and baking flavors (the kind you use to make desserts and
food). That's it!
You put your juice into a 'tank' to store it for
use. In the center of the tank, there is a metal tube called a
'cartomizer' or 'atomizer', which holds wicking material (like a
cotton batting), and a metal wire coil. The cartomizer heats the
'juice' in the tank. The tank is attached to a small battery, known
as an APV, which sends current to the coiled wire in the
cartomizer, which turns your juice into vapor. Thus the term
'vaping'. The process is very similar to what a fog machine does.
Makes steam. It's genius in its simplicity.
And, just like that, NO MORE TAR for my lungs, and
I am away from the other 499 toxic chemicals in a cigarette, while
still getting the nicotine I am addicted to, and which helps my
brain function better.
Well, with my new enthusiasm for vaping, and my
great need to personalize my equipment because I can, I started
making tanks and drip tips (this is the tip you suck through...
what's cleaner than glass?).
The above is an example of n APV, comprising of the
battery, the atomizer, the tip. In the photo above, instead of
decorating the tank, I decorated the inside of the tank with small
pressed murrini. Some closeups of the above decorated tanks.
I progressed to making my own cartomizer tanks...
which look like this:
More Tanks:
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Tank 1
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tank 2
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tank 3
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tank 4
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tank 5
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tank 6
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I'm still working on new tanks and tank types, and
will update as I go. I'm really excited about what I plan to do
with this in 2014!!
Bead and Button Bead Dreams
2013
This year, I entered the Bead and
Button Bead Dreams Competition for the first time since 2009. My
marble set was called "Silver Vortex" and explored the different
colors that you could bring out in silvered glass. Apparently, the
liked my marbles (am a bit embarassed by my novice wire-wraps),
because they put them in the Bead and Button show as top 10!
Click here to go to Bead and Button's site
One of the Show people was nice enough to help take
photos of my entry in the Exhibit Hall at the Show because I
couldn't attend. Yes, my marbles are the teeny things next to the
gigantic blue ribbon winner - which was pretty amazing looking!!
:
Collaborations with Master
Silversmith Steve Ferenz
In 2013, I made some collaborations
with master Arizona Silversmith Steve Ferenz. I sent Steve some
marbles and glass Cabochons, and he made what he thought would work
with them in his signature silver. Wow! I cannot take photos that
show how beautiful they turned out, just STUNNING!!
If you want something incredibly
special for someone, Steve will happily work a custom piece for
you. Let me know!!
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