Ameland for a short break.

No Pewter Casting this time. 

We wanted a short break on a "subtropical island". So we went to Ameland !! A Dutch island !

We didn't travel by plane but by car and ferry boat. 

It was possible to walk to the island because it was low tide but but we chose the ferry.

Boarding !!

We saw a seal. They're very shy. You don't see them very often.

Sandbanks in the Wadden Sea.

Fishing with trawls.

Goose traveling south.

Almost at Ameland.

Playing with hermit crabs on the beach.

Impressions from the beach.

Tracks in the sand.

Beached jellyfish.

Walk around Nes. 

Marram grass on the dunes.

The weather changed the next day. 

The lighthouse in Hollum.

Piece of a rainbow in Nes. 

The weather was good for kite surfing. That's not my cup of tea. 

I went to the beach with a tea-strainer. To search for little shells. We saw a lot of shells but no little ones for the dollhouse. 

Enjoy your weekend !!!

Working with pewter next episode.

Pewter casting is easy but working with the material is easy and tricky.

I used tin for electronics. This is pewter with resin core. During melting it smells unpleasant and I don't know if that's healthy! I used this because that was in our garage for recycling.

My first mistake. It's a very small object and I had to file it in shape. There was only the pouring hole I could use for handling the blade during file operatio. So next time I have to create  a new mold. The pouring hole has to be a bit smaller at the blade side and the blade should be little longer so I can handle it better.

I had to file my nails so I start to file the blade.

Pewter is a very soft material so during file it gets hotter. The blade became soft and started to bend.
You have to cool it down during file. It is a very small item so heat spread easily.

Because pewter is soft you can cut it easily. I used this nippers to let it look very professional but you can use a pair of scissors.

Before cutting the pouring hole I had to decide which razor I would use. With the pouring hole still present I can handle the little thing. Should the razor be a bead from http://www.bindelsornaments.nl or one of wood. I decided that the bead was perfect.
Next problem. I should have made the blade longer. There is a too small part to glue the bead.

The glue has to dry for 24 hours. I put the knife into oasis to dry.

After drying I cut off the pouring hole. I could use the razor to file the part of the pouring hole.

Pffff......Jezus......You already guess ???

Yes during this process the blade decided to take another position and the razor decided to leave the blade.

Prototype.

End result.

My son came over and I proudly presented my knife. He put on his most serious face and said : "What is the difference between an iron wire and pewter?"
ROFL.

Okay I have to make a new mold and start all over again. Now I know how the material reacts. I also learned from the mistakes I made so maybe next time I can present a perfect knife.

So I'm off to make a new mold and melt the used pewter again. This time the pewter won't smell as terrible as the first time because the resin is evaporated ???? I wonder.

Have a nice weekend with a lot of fun.