EWCarman

That looks great. I've been learning to work with leather - still a lot to learn, but a lot of fun. I need to get some pictures. Did some leather armor, a belt for my granddaughter, a knife sheath, and a few other odds and ends. I need to retire so I have more time to play with my hobbies.

It looks more like 4-1 to me. I took the image into gimp to try and get a closer look. Perhaps someone with younger eyes could chime in as well. Also curious how easy it would be to walk around with just the opening in the front. Good luck! Pictures as you make progress, please.

Here you go.

Since there are two gauge systems, there are always two answers to the question "what is 16g" - however.... When you purchase rings here, the 16g rings refer to the SWG gauge system. You can see that here: http://theringlord.com/cart/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=29&cat=Machine+Cut+Stainless+Steel+Jump+Rings If you scroll down to the 16g selection, you'll see the following Stainless Steel 16g Wire Dia.: 0.0625" (1.59mm = 16g SWG = 14g AWG) Other useful info which you may have already found: http://theringlord.com/cart/shopcontent.asp?type=WireGauge http://theringlord.com/cart/shopcontent.asp?type=wiregaugetable HTH

That is an amazing piece. Congratulations on completing it.

Have you considered wire-wrapping? It may not match you design aesthetic, but could be done so the wire creates your attachment points. It would take some creativity, to be sure, but something else to consider.

I've made some Sterling and Blackened Niobium earrings which I just tumbled using a vibratory tumbler and crushed corn cob media. I tumbled them for about three hours and the Sterling is shiny and the Niobium does not appear to be any the worse for wear. I know the blackening is a different process than anodizing but thought I'd share.

I'm doing the same thing for my daughter's wedding. I'll be making necklaces and earrings for the bride's maids and my daughter. While we haven't figured out what I'll be making my daughter, she has decided that we will be using 18 5/32 sterling and niobium rings for a byz necklace and earrings. We'll also be adding in some Swarovski pearls and crystal hearts as accents. The 18 5/32 doesn't seem too bulky, but the will of the bride is paramount. I don't have any pictures yet as all I've done on it so far is a test chain with multiple elements so she could see what they looked like and make some decisions. One thing we are doing is including this: http://www.artbeads.com/psa-msend009.html We are using it more as a part of the focal from which to hang the crystal heart. It sort of helps to downplay the size of the chain. Best of luck!

I use Picasa (free from Google) to organize most of my photos and you can export a picture(s) to a folder. When doing so, you have the option to re-size it. I've done this for the last several photos I've posted here. Good size reduction and quality of resulting photo. HTH

I've got a bag of the large stainless scales that I ordered a couple of months ago (August, I believe). They have a brushed look, certainly not scratched.

Mine should be here on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to trying them with stainless. The ones I use for stainless now cause my hands to fatigue and blister after a short time - even with gloves. With any luck these will fit a lot better. Also, I use a smaller pair dipped in Tool-Dip when I'm working with larger anodized aluminum rings. These look like they'll disperse the pressure enough that I can use them without modification and won't scratch the coating off the rings. If they work well in either of these cases I'll be happy.