resin success and the adventure continues

Despite a bout of the flu this last week, I still got several hours of studio time in.  And I managed to get a bubble free resin layer on top of a print that went all the way to the edges.  Third try is the charm apparently.

Spiral Dance #1 on a 6x6 painted wooden panel looks pretty good with the resin topcoat.  It's hard to see the resin because it's so clear and shiny but that's what is causing the reflections on the surface.

What helped me get this lovely bubble free coating is my new LED headlamp with optional magnifying lenses.  The light is tightly focused in front as these are meant for close work and they perform beautifully. 

MagniPros

In addition to doing the print, I tried some experiments in using small mandalas on scrabble tiles and attempted a couple of five pointed stars.  The big red one is a 3d printed outline that my son printed for me and the little yellow muffin silicone was used for the smaller star.

The mandalas came out perfectly, nice and domed on top of the transparency.  But the 3d printed mold didn't work as the resin leaked all over and basically turned the whole thing into a winter holiday ornament.  Maybe I'll paint it gold...  The muffin mold worked, altho it needs a little trimming around the edges, but I don't really like the raised outline.  So, more work in my future getting the star pendant I want.

Still doing pretty well on trying things out with the resin and next up is making a silicone mold of a 3d printed five pointed star and marbling using the non-liquid coloring things I have.

healing from CFS progress report

I am very happy that I can report my energy level is increasing significantly.  I continue to improve as I implement the supplement regime given in Dr. Myhill's book (covered in the last CFS post) and this post is intended to give some detail about what I've done and what I plan to do next.

My miracle energy boost

Here's a timeline of what I've done so far.

5/11  Started D-ribose in 850 mg capsules because of a research link given in the CFS FB group.  The article recommended both D-Ribose (at 5-6g/day) and one of a list of adaptogens.  I've had problems with the adaptogens so I just started the D-Ribose with some improvement in energy but not enough to make me happy.

5/16 Started Ancestral Supplements beef organs.  I had problems taking the 6 a day they recommend so I did 3.  After a few days, I noticed my nails were stronger.  (My nails have always split easily so this was a noticeable improvement.)  Within a couple of weeks, I noticed my hair & nails were both growing much faster and seemed stronger.  There were also some surrealistic dreams which is related to this supplement being a natural antidepressant according to a friend of mine who deals with depression meds regularly.

 I bought Dr. Myhill's book on July 4.  I switch back and forth between the book and her webpage/wiki because the book is organized and the wiki not so much.  This got me taking All One vitamin & mineral supplement again.  It's in a powder form which I find appealing because I already take a large number of pills a day, mostly supplements of various types.  I ordered it via Amazon because our local food coop doesn't carry it and all the ones they do carry have foods in them that I am allergic to.  *sigh*  I also ordered powdered D-Ribose (see picture above) so I could up my dosage to 10-15g a day.

7/13  Started bigger dose of D-Ribose so switched to powder form.  Ordered a different, less expensive brand of ribose.
7/14  Started the All One rice base vitamins.  Libido woke with a roar!  Which made Jeff very happy.

7/14 - 31 Added other supplements given in Dr. Myhill's book.  Here's the list of things she thinks everyone should take plus a smaller list for CFS sufferers.  Still sort of simmering along and switched brands of ribose after finishing the first batch.


August:  At this point, I can do something every day but still wear out by dinnertime.  This is a big improvement over doing something every other day which is where I was in July.  I spent the month reading and doing small things, giving myself time to heal.

9/3 Finished the alternate brand of d-ribose and started the Dr's Best again.  Wow, what a rush!  Within 2 days, I was surging with energy, able to do 3-4 hours of studio work per day instead of 1-2.  And going out without being exhausted.  All on a lower dose of ribose so I'm sticking with this brand from now on.  Other effects I'm noticing include total absence of carb cravings and lower blood sugar readings in the morning.  I've also had enough energy to go on a couple of short birding trips.

Today:  While I'd like to be an energizer bunny again, I could live happily at this level.  I'm working in the studio 3-4 hours a day easily and waking energetic and early every day.  I still need to take breaks and put my feet up a couple of times a day but that's tolerable.  And I still run out of energy after dinner, especially on days when I'm up before 5am.  How do those morning people do this?

After a couple of weeks of the higher energy level, I'm feeling confident that I can maintain this.  At this point, it's time to add in the rest of Myhill's supplements, specifically the iodine, and increase my gentle exercise.  In 4-6 weeks, I'll post about how those things work out.

Resin play or learning to fail better

I started  using resin to finish prints of my fabric pieces because it gives a nice shiny finish without the cost and fuss of matting and framing.  But once I had the resin, I started thinking of other things I could do with it.  And ways to do really teeny little prints.  Like in a pendant.  So my resin adventure is moving along and here's the latest attempt at both prints and jewelry.

The prints had some minor problems but both are fixable with some small effort and I learned some important things about brushing resin and being sure the surface is level when pouring it.  So failing better than I did with the first piece which was a non fixable failure.  I'll have to do some rough sanding and pour another layer of resin but I expect both of these will be good enough to sell.

I learned some other things about doing the jewelry.  The moon pendants (altho they look like a pair of earrings when they're next to each other like that, don't they?) had some very minor things to be finished with some sandpaper so I consider them successes at this point.  The pendant with the print was an epic fail as the resin leaked out all over the place even though I used the same tape on the back as I did the moon on the left.  I did the top of the tape below the loop at the top, however, and this was apparently a fatal error.  And the attempt to use one of the stamps I don't use was also an epic fail.  So, on the small pieces, 50% fail rate.  I'm sure that will improve quickly with practice which is what I'll be doing this week.

One of the best things I did this week was find the Resin Obsession website.  The blog posts are just full of tutorials and ideas which is where the stamp idea came from.  I'll be trying out a couple of ideas this next week using transparencies and mixing in colors.  Fun times ahead!

Side note, I did 12 hours in my studio this week which is the first time I've gone over 10 hours since the CFS hit.  I think the combo of the supplements and the new work space is working well for me and I look forward to feeling productive again.