This time last year....
by MaryAnn Carroll
I really wanted to own a Swanstrom disc cutter. The issue was..... buying it without charging it. I've been working very hard the past couple of years to not pull out a credit card. If I don't have the money, I usually refrain from buying it. So.... back in September I decided to do something unique for me and save money. Bill gave me what I was unable to save as an early Christmas gift, so this year I was able to buy my new disc cutter.
I read many reviews on this and others before deciding that I wanted this one. I made the right choice.... as far as I know since it works like a charm. The price was up there, but I'm anticipating that I will be able to make up for that next year by creating components, etc. for others to purchase. Bill has decided to retire this June when the school year is over and, although we have been working on how we will make extra money after retirement, it seems to have come a little more suddenly. That's okay.... I'm a risk taker at heart so I'm sure that this risk is something that we will do okay with. I'll write more about that as we get closer. I'm hoping that he builds a gas kiln to help the "in between wood-firings" and I'll be able to get beads into those firings as well.
So.... This is just how my new cutter looked when I took it out of the box.... (top pictures from Riogrande)....
I figured I might as well purchase the die set too.... as this point... cha-ching... it was already adding up....
I'm a messy artist.... I did clean before starting this project the other day.....
I really wanted to own a Swanstrom disc cutter. The issue was..... buying it without charging it. I've been working very hard the past couple of years to not pull out a credit card. If I don't have the money, I usually refrain from buying it. So.... back in September I decided to do something unique for me and save money. Bill gave me what I was unable to save as an early Christmas gift, so this year I was able to buy my new disc cutter.
I read many reviews on this and others before deciding that I wanted this one. I made the right choice.... as far as I know since it works like a charm. The price was up there, but I'm anticipating that I will be able to make up for that next year by creating components, etc. for others to purchase. Bill has decided to retire this June when the school year is over and, although we have been working on how we will make extra money after retirement, it seems to have come a little more suddenly. That's okay.... I'm a risk taker at heart so I'm sure that this risk is something that we will do okay with. I'll write more about that as we get closer. I'm hoping that he builds a gas kiln to help the "in between wood-firings" and I'll be able to get beads into those firings as well.
So.... This is just how my new cutter looked when I took it out of the box.... (top pictures from Riogrande)....
I figured I might as well purchase the die set too.... as this point... cha-ching... it was already adding up....
And here is how it looked last night while I scramble to get my Christmas gifts made. I'm hoping to finish the components for everything tonight.... Theme: Keep it Simple :o)
And, I LOVE IT!!!! I'm still experimenting with my enamels and a few other techniques, but that is the fun of it for me. If you do decide to purchase this, remember that you will need some other items that you might not have. In my case, I had none of the below....
brass hammer
urethane mat
lubricant
My advice would be to watch the two short videos at on the Riogrande site before making your decision. The total cost (with everything I purchased for this) came to over $400. I was searching for coupon codes. I called the company and there aren't any for this product.
So, I'm hoping that I will have some beautiful creations to share in the near future.
Thank-you for supporting those who create handmade with handmade.
MaryAnn
Category Article disc, hammer, macarroll beads, swanstrom
