Vert
@vertanir.bsky.social
Hobbyist silversmith and stonecutter, I play with fire and metal and rocks
Taken at face value, this headline implies that all six people died while straddling the border of three separate states.
Though now I think on it, with modern medicine, I suppose one person might have passed, and been revived repeatedly, on a gut-churning cross-country roadtrip
Though now I think on it, with modern medicine, I suppose one person might have passed, and been revived repeatedly, on a gut-churning cross-country roadtrip
November 4, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Taken at face value, this headline implies that all six people died while straddling the border of three separate states.
Though now I think on it, with modern medicine, I suppose one person might have passed, and been revived repeatedly, on a gut-churning cross-country roadtrip
Though now I think on it, with modern medicine, I suppose one person might have passed, and been revived repeatedly, on a gut-churning cross-country roadtrip
Attempting the traditional 3-day recipe for candied chestnuts, because the Redwall books lodged them in my childhood mind as a mythical treat, and sometimes it’s nice to have a little slice of fantasy brought to life.
November 3, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Attempting the traditional 3-day recipe for candied chestnuts, because the Redwall books lodged them in my childhood mind as a mythical treat, and sometimes it’s nice to have a little slice of fantasy brought to life.
It’s too early for Christmas trees, it’s not even Halloween
October 20, 2025 at 1:07 AM
It’s too early for Christmas trees, it’s not even Halloween
Plum cake! With pomegranate photobombing. I don’t think I’ve made this recipe in nearly 12 years. It’s an old family recipe, and reminds me of home
October 7, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Plum cake! With pomegranate photobombing. I don’t think I’ve made this recipe in nearly 12 years. It’s an old family recipe, and reminds me of home
Fourteen and a half(ish) pounds of hand-shucked pomegranate seeds, plus four pounds of pomegranate honey. Just a few more supplies and we can get brewing…
October 3, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Fourteen and a half(ish) pounds of hand-shucked pomegranate seeds, plus four pounds of pomegranate honey. Just a few more supplies and we can get brewing…
This greenish stone is called fuchsite, and the pinkish inclusions are mineral ruby, which fluoresce under longwave UV. Fuchsite was named after Johan Nepomuk von Fuchs, a German mineralogist.
“Fuchs” is German for “fox,” so I present to you, with some translational liberties, “Fox Stone”
“Fuchs” is German for “fox,” so I present to you, with some translational liberties, “Fox Stone”
September 30, 2025 at 8:34 PM
This greenish stone is called fuchsite, and the pinkish inclusions are mineral ruby, which fluoresce under longwave UV. Fuchsite was named after Johan Nepomuk von Fuchs, a German mineralogist.
“Fuchs” is German for “fox,” so I present to you, with some translational liberties, “Fox Stone”
“Fuchs” is German for “fox,” so I present to you, with some translational liberties, “Fox Stone”
Found on an excursion to locate pomegranate blossom honey
September 21, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Found on an excursion to locate pomegranate blossom honey
It’s remarkable just how many skills used in gunpla translate to carving wax models. Today, it’s cleaning up a duplicate of the Auryn, from The Neverending Story, and there’s oh-so-much flashing and trimming removal to do.
September 14, 2025 at 4:54 AM
It’s remarkable just how many skills used in gunpla translate to carving wax models. Today, it’s cleaning up a duplicate of the Auryn, from The Neverending Story, and there’s oh-so-much flashing and trimming removal to do.
There’s a cabinet I’m refurbishing, which came with a lock but no key. I found one key at an antique fair that sorta works, left, and one I could cut to better fit, on the right. Instead of destroying an antique, I’ll cast a brand new one and cut that, and have dupes just in case.
September 1, 2025 at 3:07 AM
There’s a cabinet I’m refurbishing, which came with a lock but no key. I found one key at an antique fair that sorta works, left, and one I could cut to better fit, on the right. Instead of destroying an antique, I’ll cast a brand new one and cut that, and have dupes just in case.
The results of today’s experiments in homemade silicone mold wax injection, a small army of key duplicates, and a varyingly-successful selection of tiny acorns on twigs. Everything is going to need to be cleaned up, edges removed and bubbles polished, but not bad for a plastic water syringe.
September 1, 2025 at 1:19 AM
The results of today’s experiments in homemade silicone mold wax injection, a small army of key duplicates, and a varyingly-successful selection of tiny acorns on twigs. Everything is going to need to be cleaned up, edges removed and bubbles polished, but not bad for a plastic water syringe.
Bwaaaaahahahahahaha I can make KEYS. Beautiful, carved keys in whatever style I want!
Playing around with injection wax duplication for Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) Silicone Rubber molds. God this is so cool, I’m gonna make one of these in silver, and another in brass.
Playing around with injection wax duplication for Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) Silicone Rubber molds. God this is so cool, I’m gonna make one of these in silver, and another in brass.
August 31, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Bwaaaaahahahahahaha I can make KEYS. Beautiful, carved keys in whatever style I want!
Playing around with injection wax duplication for Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) Silicone Rubber molds. God this is so cool, I’m gonna make one of these in silver, and another in brass.
Playing around with injection wax duplication for Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) Silicone Rubber molds. God this is so cool, I’m gonna make one of these in silver, and another in brass.
From a wordle last week, a tale in three words:
August 17, 2025 at 7:06 AM
From a wordle last week, a tale in three words:
Did a bit of silver casting this weekend, using acorns collected last summer. The original plan was to make a mold of the acorns in silicone rubber, use the mold to create wax copies, then cast those copies, but instead just cast them directly. It was mostly successful? Some bubbles, some pits.
August 11, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Did a bit of silver casting this weekend, using acorns collected last summer. The original plan was to make a mold of the acorns in silicone rubber, use the mold to create wax copies, then cast those copies, but instead just cast them directly. It was mostly successful? Some bubbles, some pits.
Getting ready to do some real casting, this time to make a mold for injection wax casting. This is another step towards a goal I’ve had quietly waiting on a back burner for almost eight years, and it’s such a satisfying step.
August 8, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Getting ready to do some real casting, this time to make a mold for injection wax casting. This is another step towards a goal I’ve had quietly waiting on a back burner for almost eight years, and it’s such a satisfying step.
It’s finished, after more months of work than I can remember, this pendant is finally done. Original design by @darkwhitecomic.bsky.social, the citrine and ametrine were cut by Joe Dempsey of the SFGMS, by hand and by eye.
August 3, 2025 at 8:12 AM
It’s finished, after more months of work than I can remember, this pendant is finally done. Original design by @darkwhitecomic.bsky.social, the citrine and ametrine were cut by Joe Dempsey of the SFGMS, by hand and by eye.
“I’m gonna finish this pendant by the next weekend!” I said on Sunday, forgetting just how much sanding I had left to do, and polishing, and mitering these tabs… 🫠
July 30, 2025 at 4:17 AM
“I’m gonna finish this pendant by the next weekend!” I said on Sunday, forgetting just how much sanding I had left to do, and polishing, and mitering these tabs… 🫠
Spent an enormous part of today soldering the square basket to the back plate of this pendant. All the individual pieces are fabricated, now it’s just a question of soldering them down and securing the stones. Not enough time today, so here’s a mockup of the final piece.
June 22, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Spent an enormous part of today soldering the square basket to the back plate of this pendant. All the individual pieces are fabricated, now it’s just a question of soldering them down and securing the stones. Not enough time today, so here’s a mockup of the final piece.
Had a wonderfully productive weekend in the workshop, building v-prong baskets for an ametrine pendant. Baskets finished, next up is deciding the shape of the backplate, the bale tube, and eventually soldering the stones.
Design sketch by @darkwhitecomic.bsky.social
Design sketch by @darkwhitecomic.bsky.social
May 21, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Had a wonderfully productive weekend in the workshop, building v-prong baskets for an ametrine pendant. Baskets finished, next up is deciding the shape of the backplate, the bale tube, and eventually soldering the stones.
Design sketch by @darkwhitecomic.bsky.social
Design sketch by @darkwhitecomic.bsky.social
V-prong basket setting on reticulated silver! Stone is a square citrine.
May 18, 2025 at 3:29 AM
V-prong basket setting on reticulated silver! Stone is a square citrine.
Today’s intrusive thought:
“Oatmeal but coffee????!”
“Oatmeal but coffee????!”
May 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Today’s intrusive thought:
“Oatmeal but coffee????!”
“Oatmeal but coffee????!”
The way this game affected my speech patterns in a wholly unexpected context
April 28, 2025 at 7:54 PM
The way this game affected my speech patterns in a wholly unexpected context
Some of the work that came out of the workshop today, a hammer-texture ring for @pebble.bsky.social, and a bit of silver with a reticulated texture and sulfur blacking. We poured silver dust on the molten surface of the silver, blackened it with iron and sulfur, and did a light polish.
March 30, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Some of the work that came out of the workshop today, a hammer-texture ring for @pebble.bsky.social, and a bit of silver with a reticulated texture and sulfur blacking. We poured silver dust on the molten surface of the silver, blackened it with iron and sulfur, and did a light polish.
The Santa Clara Gem & Mineral Show is pretty darn big!
March 15, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The Santa Clara Gem & Mineral Show is pretty darn big!
A tragedy in two parts:
January 16, 2025 at 4:37 AM
A tragedy in two parts: