This our temporary front cover shot from last month. The photographer is from somewhere in Japan, excellent work. Loved the look of this bike. It makes me think of the late Indian Larry one of the most prolific bike builders of all time. I always loved his use of twisted steel. Our Twisted bracelet and the link option in the MotorHead Bracelet are a tribute in our own subtle way to his many great design elements over the years. May peace be with you Indian Larry.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
BW Photography - tip
Shooting Color, Converting to
Black and White
Black and White
Hey, always shoot in color at you maximum resolution. You never know what you might want to do with an image down the road. If your handy with photoshop work though the channel mixer with these settings as start. Never convert to black and white using monochrome. You loose too much critical digital information. Need help write Rob at LuckyBoy Studio.
Image > adjustment > channel mixer
or go to the bottom of the layers palettes
( the one half black and half white )
( the one half black and half white )
click on that and choose channel mixer.
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Grace
On a very sad note Grace a truly special dog passed away this week. She was one of those special companions that looked into your eyes to greet you and meant it. If she liked you she would sit on your feet like she knew you a lifetime. I will missed her.
Especially For Bikers
Especially For Bikers
Luckyboy Studio Bracelet Locks
I’m one of those designers who does like other peoples work, no ego. Anything that looks and feels like someone put some thought into I’m rollin with. So I bought a very expensive bracelet from from the
“special” one. I’m out on my bike, back country road, thinking about nothing and hit a little somethin
g in the road and I’m airborne. Fortunately Harley Fat Boy’s are forgiving, but off goes the bracelet at 50 miles an hour. So in my 35 years of biking, never a ounce of road rash, the bracelet takes the hit. So now my mind is thinking about the “clasp” even before I turn around to find what’s left of it. So at this point I’m sure someone will add insult to injury and run over it, a double kill. Long story short I did find it digging through the weeds. So after a bit of work on the bench I restored it and modified the lock best I could. So I called my partner in crime and said we need to make a lock for all our bracelets that we guarantee will never come off riding. So here it is, double locking clasp. Even if one side fails the other latch will ever let go.
Luckyboy Studio
guarantees for as long as you own your bracelet.
we will replace/repair the bracelet for free.
Our only condition: if one side should fail, you send it back.
Ride Safe
Luckyboy Studio Bracelet Locks
I’m one of those designers who does like other peoples work, no ego. Anything that looks and feels like someone put some thought into I’m rollin with. So I bought a very expensive bracelet from from the
“special” one. I’m out on my bike, back country road, thinking about nothing and hit a little something in the road and I’m airborne. Fortunately Harley Fat Boy’s are forgiving, but off goes the bracelet at 50 miles an hour. So in my 35 years of biking, never a ounce of road rash, the bracelet takes the hit. So now my mind is thinking about the “clasp” even before I turn around to find what’s left of it. So at this point I’m sure someone will add insult to injury and run over it, a double kill. Long story short I did find it digging through the weeds. So after a bit of work on the bench I restored it and modified the lock best I could. So I called my partner in crime and said we need to make a lock for all our bracelets that we guarantee will never come off riding. So here it is, double locking clasp. Even if one side fails the other latch will ever let go.Luckyboy Studio
guarantees for as long as you own your bracelet.
we will replace/repair the bracelet for free.
Our only condition: if one side should fail, you send it back.
Ride Safe
Welcome to the Luckyboy Studio Story!
Welcome to the
Luckyboy Studio Story!
Limited Edition Jewelry Designed For Special People!
We are so excited to introduce the start of our new jewelry line for our riding friends all over the world. If you like our work you will not believe the feel and quality of our 925 sterling pieces. Nothing is lightweight hollowed out crap. My partner and I been working like crazy for the past 9 months to bring you something special that makes a personal statement of who you are. Call the style what you will but I guarantee people will notice what you’re wearing. In the coming weeks we will be introducing 15 new pieces which may be sneak previewed on the “Coming Soon” page. So drop back and look for our new sketches which will appear one week before it’s available on our Luckyboy Studio site.
A little about us. Through a very unusual sequence of events the two of us met at Barnes & Noble one Sunday afternoon via Craigs List. Who reads Craigslist? The interesting thing was the difference between our cultural backgrounds. So one from the Russia and the other a transplanted Michigan boy in New Jersey. Our creative collaboration has driven hundreds of ideas. The challenge has been what to do next with so many designs. The first thing we did was agreed to never produce a piece of crap just to make a dollar. With that in mind we said something was missing. Literally our focus group consists of friends, the street and morning coffee at Starbucks. It’s really amazing to leave the emails behind and actually hand a prototype piece to someone and feel the response. You’ll really love each piece!
The devil in the details: Most companies are producing work offshore. My partner and I made our second pact to use a local caster. The economy is in the pit so lets keep the work at home. The hunt took months to find someone with the same passion. And again by accident we tripped over another artist/designer with 40 years of casting experience that really cared. So finally with the team in place here is the birth of Luckyboy Studio. More coming! Luckyboy Motors our second unborn company, will be introducing a very modest shirt line to compliment the jewelry in the Spring of 2010.
We will update this weekly, thanks to everyone. November 16, 2009
We have had a number of requests to add some solid gold detailing to a few pieces. With the price of gold reaching over $1100 an ounce last week we said what the hell it’s only money. The first piece being blessed with a bit of 14K gold will be the crosses on the side of the Smoking Head Ring. The first sample with images will be posted on the website by next week.
We are adding website pages next week showing how to wear our stuff layering with combinations of pieces. Call it our “how to make it all work” section!
Rocker, Industrial, Biker, Retro, Vintage Jewelry for serious fun.
Sterling Silver Finishing Process
About the Sterling Silver Finishing Process
A contemporary approach to finishing sterling silver. This method is much less hazardous to your health and the environment. Once the molten silver has cooled and the investment is removed from the sprew tree the jewelry is steamed and pressure washed. At this point it's bathed in a mild acid to remove any extra leftover material and prepare for the next step. Each cast piece is removed from the sprew tree and cleaned up with hand tools, files, fine sandpaper and the like. If any soldering or assembly is required, it would be the next step. Once everything is prepared we move to final finishing.
This is the part where some magic happens. Over the the years new technology has come to this 5000 year old process call 'vibrating centrifugal magnetic finishing". Imagine thousands of smooth tiny stainless steel pins and beads pounding the surface of your jewelry. Depending on the texture and detail of the jewelry surface will determine the size of the finishing material. It comes in many sizes and shapes which will require some experimentation to perfect. Another interesting thing is the process will not remove any silver from the surface. These tiny hammers are burnishing the surface the same as using a polished steel burnisher and rubbing it against the surface. The media reach into the smallest crevices and channels, easily reaching places impossible through hand polishing. The result is that the surface becomes bright, shiny and work-hardened.
The hammer effect of these tiny metal shapes actually hardens the surface realigning the molecules making the surface more durable. The jewelry will go through this process two or three cycles very from 30 to 90 minutes. With the correct media the process will polish the finest detailed pieces to a brilliant finish. Each time the media is moved, washed and returned with the jewelry to the processor. We use a cola wash the media between cycles. "Coke the Real Thing" a whole new market! Go green with less dust and health issues or at the very least minimize the exposure.
A contemporary approach to finishing sterling silver. This method is much less hazardous to your health and the environment. Once the molten silver has cooled and the investment is removed from the sprew tree the jewelry is steamed and pressure washed. At this point it's bathed in a mild acid to remove any extra leftover material and prepare for the next step. Each cast piece is removed from the sprew tree and cleaned up with hand tools, files, fine sandpaper and the like. If any soldering or assembly is required, it would be the next step. Once everything is prepared we move to final finishing.
This is the part where some magic happens. Over the the years new technology has come to this 5000 year old process call 'vibrating centrifugal magnetic finishing". Imagine thousands of smooth tiny stainless steel pins and beads pounding the surface of your jewelry. Depending on the texture and detail of the jewelry surface will determine the size of the finishing material. It comes in many sizes and shapes which will require some experimentation to perfect. Another interesting thing is the process will not remove any silver from the surface. These tiny hammers are burnishing the surface the same as using a polished steel burnisher and rubbing it against the surface. The media reach into the smallest crevices and channels, easily reaching places impossible through hand polishing. The result is that the surface becomes bright, shiny and work-hardened.
The hammer effect of these tiny metal shapes actually hardens the surface realigning the molecules making the surface more durable. The jewelry will go through this process two or three cycles very from 30 to 90 minutes. With the correct media the process will polish the finest detailed pieces to a brilliant finish. Each time the media is moved, washed and returned with the jewelry to the processor. We use a cola wash the media between cycles. "Coke the Real Thing" a whole new market! Go green with less dust and health issues or at the very least minimize the exposure.
Rob McKee Luckyboy Studio Designer |
Our New Smoking Head Ring w/14K Gold Crosses
SmokingHead
Here it is....18K and Sterling Silver. Also available in all solid 925 Sterling Silver.
Looks great done the right way. Available in size 10, 11 and 12.
Luckyboy Silver Finishing
About the
Luckyboy Studio Finishing Process
For all of you who may have some interest beyond our history page in the “Our Commitment” section here is a little detail. Once the silver has cooled and the investment removed from the casting process, the jewelry is steamed and bathed in a mild acidic to remove any extra investment junk. From here each piece is removed from it’s sprew tree and cleaned up with hand tools, files, fine sandpaper and the like. If any soldering or assembly is required, it’s the next step. Once everything is very clean we move another step to final finishing. This is the part where some magic happens. Over the the years new technology has come to this 5000 year old process call ‘vibrating centrifugal magnetic finishing”. Imagine thousands of smooth tiny stainless steel pins and beads pounding the surface of your jewelry. (the pieces on the left are shown very large) These tiny hammers are burnishing the surface the same as using polished steel burnisher and rubbing it against the surface. These tiny hammers reach into the smallest crevices and channels, easily reaching places almost impossible through hand polishing. The result is that the surface becomes bright, shiny and work-hardened. The hammer effect of these tiny metal shapes actually hardens the surface realigning the molecules making the surface more durable. All part of Luckyboy quality.
Luckyboy Studio Finishing Process
For all of you who may have some interest beyond our history page in the “Our Commitment” section here is a little detail. Once the silver has cooled and the investment removed from the casting process, the jewelry is steamed and bathed in a mild acidic to remove any extra investment junk. From here each piece is removed from it’s sprew tree and cleaned up with hand tools, files, fine sandpaper and the like. If any soldering or assembly is required, it’s the next step. Once everything is very clean we move another step to final finishing. This is the part where some magic happens. Over the the years new technology has come to this 5000 year old process call ‘vibrating centrifugal magnetic finishing”. Imagine thousands of smooth tiny stainless steel pins and beads pounding the surface of your jewelry. (the pieces on the left are shown very large) These tiny hammers are burnishing the surface the same as using polished steel burnisher and rubbing it against the surface. These tiny hammers reach into the smallest crevices and channels, easily reaching places almost impossible through hand polishing. The result is that the surface becomes bright, shiny and work-hardened. The hammer effect of these tiny metal shapes actually hardens the surface realigning the molecules making the surface more durable. All part of Luckyboy quality.
Sterling Silver Road Gambler Bracelet
Nothing but luck with our Road Gambler Bracelet.
Solid Sterling Silver weighing about
156 Grams of pure 925 Sterling Silver
Middle section 2 1/2 x 1
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
New Iron Angel Collection
Open Iron Angel Pendant
This is our new Iron Angel Cross. This new pendant has an open center with engraved textures. The top bail is especially made for this pendant. As with all our pieces it's 52 grams of 925 Sterling Silver with a new custom bail. Dimensions: 3 1/4 x 1 7/8 inches. As with all of our collection you'll feel the weight.
Luckyboy Visit us often, new things weekly!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Jewelry CAD Design vs Old School Hand Carved Models
Both my partner and I come from an old school approach to making jewelry models. He was very traditionally trained in Russia as an Master Engraver. I come from a graphics background which is driven by computer based software tools. We do not design slick engineered pieces typically sold to the retail jewelry market. For 5000 years or so the basic method of casting anything has remained the same. Most of the techniques have be tweaked and improved but the process has changed very little. This brings us to a discussion about jewelry CAD programs, drawing and the two processes of producing molds for casting.
The creative process of taking a drawing is very organic. I find I never draw the same thing the same twice. Each time some element changes during the creative process. Other ideas are born with some things hitting the floor. Because my partner and I collaborate on designs at different stages this moves in many directions. There is a point where you let it go and just make it, a prototype. Usually I draw at a larger scale then the finished piece will be produced. It can be a little tricky. The overall detail once reduced can change the entire feel of the piece. It's best to do a dummy check as your progressing. Note we are still designing/drawing by hand for this discussion. From my experience drawing, detailed things become very small and lost overall once reduced. Not to misunderstand, the very smallest detail can be reproduced it's just a matter of design expectation. One important thing worth noting is if you work in silver and oxidize be instinctively aware of what's polished and what's black during the creative process. I can make or break a great design.
Once the design is "finalized" we cut a wax model, by hand. Moving from 2D to 3D can make or break the concept. The wax itself has it's own detail limitations. For our work an hand cut lends character. Where we loose too much we go back and work the sterling metal by hand, engraving more detail. Summary- 2D drawing, wax model cut, cast in sterling, engrave the casting and make the final mold. The process can be painstakingly long when your in the creative moment. Patience!
Jewelry and CAD. Coming from years of computer graphics which changed the face of commercial art here are some thoughts. CAD can be an terrific tool. It's pluses can also be it's downside depending on your design taste. If you work with complex stone settings it's and incredible tool. You can accomplish the seemingly impossible in very little time. The limitations are almost nonexistent. For me it's too exact at times. Perfect symmetry can look too "machine" made. We do very little with CAD but when we do we will rework the metal to take it back to the hand feel. CAD is great for link bracelet designs. It is easier to generate variations of designs from one concept. Some programs will generate extremely accurate renderings in near photographic quality.Moldel are "printed" and "machined". Printing is done with a 3D wax imager. Usually take hours but is extremely accurate to the finest detail. "Machine" or CNC is tool cut by computer.
Truly amazing technology.
Summary: Keep your arms around both. It's always good to change guitars every now and then. As for a recommendation on CAD software, there is nothing cheap that works well. If you're contemplating a leap into CAD consider it an investment in your career. Look at the companies history, financial condition, yearly upgrade cost and what release they are on. Dig! I've seen so many "good" software companies come and go leaving their clients behind.
| Rob McKee Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_McKee |  |
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