A classically minted coin, hand detailed, to represent your most meaningful date. Great as a gift or a personal reminder!
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Both coins spent the same amount of time in the brine, one copper and one brass. Original stainless and the lower quality steel. It's a major pain because of all the coins I have to pull them out of now. I'm going to see if the electro magnet on the local campus will pull them out quicker.
Just a quick update from work as I take my lunch.
I have two major hangups at the moment. The engraving detail work is killing me. I'm fighting and fighting to get the programming done to allow for clean cuts and not break bits every single time the machine starts to move. I'm doing my best to get it done, but it's killing me. I haven't actually trying any engraving on the coins yet, because I don't have the extra coinage to practice on.
The other major issue I've run into is that the steel balls for the basic coins are the wrong alloy of steel. As I went about the chemical baths to darken the coins the steel rusted. The oxidization though neat looking poses a real problem of causing the balls to fall out later on and render the coin rather pointless. I've ordered the new balls and will have them the beginning of next week. The downside is that all the coins I had built with the incorrect steel, I have to give a bath in solution to get the balls back out. I've found that a bath in sulfur will add to the patina of the coin and allow for the steel to be eaten away and allow me to replace the steel for the stainless alloy.
I'll have pictures of that later tonight.
As it pertains to the engraving, if you know someone who knows the Nomad 883 by Carbide 3D, have them get hold of me and help expedite this process.
My apologies for the delays folks. Thanks for your patience. I'm working as hard as I can. I'll be in touch again tonight and weekly, like I promised.
Jordan
I got a little behind on showing off what's being mailed out, thanks to a funeral, but we're good to go for this week! These are what I have gotten done in the last two days, with more to do the rest of this week. I will be working on the antiquing process this evening as well, I'll be dropping some pictures of that when one done. Sorry it's taken so long, but we're making great progress. One of two final ingredients showed up a couple days ago, the 14k gold took some time but they're now in stock and can install those. I'll get some professional verification done up for you folks to insure my word that they are 14k, and in like manner, the silver as well.
The last ingredient, the snap pouches for your coins will be here in 2 days. Nothing left after that, other than me sitting down every evening and dedicating my time to finishing this up as quickly as possible. I'm sure you feel like you've waited long enough, and I agree. Thank you for that patience, you're going to love these. I still carry a prototype around in my pocket to remind me of my duty to you fine folks.
Until Saturday,
Jordan.
Apologies.
First and foremost, let me extend to you all my deepest apologies for my lack of updates and communication. There has been a great deal of situations that have prohibited my activities, but communicating shouldn't have been one that would have been limited. I know that there are a large number of folks wanting to hear from me and get a heads up on what's going on with their pledge. Over the next week I will be contacting all of you who've reached out and discuss the situation with you all individually.
Brief explanation of delay. After the last post school started to kick me in the brain, hard, with multi-variable calculus, field trips regarding my major work in Geology and my feeble attempts to finish replacing a motor in our only car. Studying for school consumed the vast majority of my time. My semester ended two weeks ago. The week after was my anniversary with my wife, and having focused on school figured a week of family time was in order to ease tensions there. Last week we moved so that I could have an office to work in and focus on the finishing of your orders. I'm no longer working at the kitchen table with a CNC machine to work the engraving and all the other tools I use to put these together.
As further dedication to you fine folks and to have a greater sense of accountability to you, I will be doing weekly updates on progress, where everything is and will be shipping weekly the Vestige that are finished. Tracking numbers will be provided on every order so that you can know for certain that your item is coming. They are handmade and they take me a little time to ensure their finishing on them.
Forgive me the delays and for the silence. From here on out, every Saturday evening will contain an update, who's coins have gone out that week and who's are on deck for the next week. I am not in school again until this fall, though I don't expect to take anywhere near that long to get them all done. Should be quite quick from here on out.
As an added bonus I have a blank Vestige round made of Mokume, which is a layered blend of copper and nickel silver(in this case), which I will be choosing one of you at random, using random.org to receive free of charge. The planets will be synthetic opals for Earth and Mars, and the rest whatever other material the winner desires. For the rest of you fine folks, I'm working on another penitence for my silence and a couple options are being considered, if you happen to have any ideas, I'd be more than happy to entertain them should you like to leave them as comments below.
Regards,
Jordan