Archive for August, 2008

Squidoo: Swarovski Crystal Beads

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

The Swarovski Company was founded in the late 19th Century when Daniel Swarovski invented an automatic cutting machine Used Swarovski Binoculars crystal, and in 1895 established a crystal cutting factory in Austria. The birthplace of the factory was Wattens, which was chosen because local hydroelectricity made the energy-intensive process involved more cost-effective. …

This old time foundry refractory mix for crucible or cupola
furnaces was adopted by financially strapped foundry owners during the great depression, everyone suffered financial hardships during those days, so there was a lot of improvisation going on, now the backyard founder can save money making a home brew just like the old timers did.

First off, you need Jewellery Crystals make up a mixture of grog, i.e. slag free old broken firebricks, break them up into 50%-pea size & 50 % Walnut size. Place the grog mix in a large Crystal Jewelry Swarkovski or drum, and fill the drum with water until the grog is well covered; leave to soak until there is no sign of air bubbles.

Follow the next few steps carefully, as the amounts are made up by volume& not weight.

Take “three volumes” of the now very wet 50/50-grog mix and add “two volumes” of good fire clay. (The measuring volumes can be made up of anything from a small tin to a large bucket, depending on the quantity you may need) Mix thoroughly and temper Swarkoski Crystals like moulding sand with a water glass mix of 50% water glass & 50% water. Water glass is the old name given for sodium silicate.

The final grog and fireclay mix should have about 6% moisture, it should easily form into a ball in your hands, if it’s crumbly, it is too dry, and you may need to add more water. But watch carefully as you don’t want to let it become like mud. Finally put your mix under plastic, and let it sweat & age for about 72 hours, or about three days. Now comes the part where you can actually begin to install the mixture in your cupola or gas fired furnace.

With the inner metal or wooden former in place, the mix can now be placed around the furnace wall cavity and gently rammed into place until the lining is complete. Smooth it of on top and then leave to air dry for a day or so.

Before you start ramming the mixture, to help drainage and ventilation later on when you cure the refractory, drill a series of 1/4″ holes through the outer shell to help vent any moisture when the mixture is drying out. After a couple of days, you can light a small fire in the furnace and start to slowly dry & cure the refractory lining.

The drying stage is about the most important part of the whole process, and it needs to be printed bold. IF YOU DRY THE REFRACTORY OUT TOO FAST, IT WILL CRACK & SPALL, and ruin all your good work.

When the steam ceases from the vent holes, build a bigger fire up to where the melting bed or zone is. (10″ to 14″ from the bottom of the cupola Furnace) Turn the blower on, this will increase the heat and vitrify or glaze the rammed mix into a solid lining.

It is advisable to not use Borax while glazing the lining, borax is a flux and will have the effect of dissolving the lining, and you don’t want that to happen. Swarovski Evening Hand Bag home brew refractory lining you’ve made and installed in your furnace should never need replacing, except for the area around where the melting zone takes place. In which you may have to replace a small ring after every melt session is complete.
In a gas fired furnace it will last for many, many years.

Good Luck.

Col Croucher.

To find out more about hobby metal crafts and how you can employ the methods & techniques to build & create your own unique projects, visit our web site http://www.myhomefoundry.com to download a free ebook to begin your understanding of metal craft.

Turn News Into eBay Profits

Friday, August 29th, 2008

If you are quick enough, sometimes news items can turn into healthy profits for you on eBay. People collect just about everything, and during election years, political junkies and historical enthusiasts are ready to dish out cold hard cash for what they perceive will be a collectible or a historically worthy item down the road.

A great example of a news story becoming worth more than the initial investment is the 1948 Presidential Election gaffe. Some of you may not be old enough to remember the 1948 blunder by the Chicago Daily Tribune, but it was an election year and President Truman was in the political battle of his life against Republican opponent Thomas Dewey. For several reasons, the national press, Republican Party, and even many Democrats did not expect Truman to be re-elected.

Since the election was supposedly a landslide for Dewey, in the early hours of November 3, 1948 the Chicago Daily Tribune prepared its presses for what almost everyone expected to be the outcome of the day’s election and went to press with the headline: “Dewey Defeats Truman”.

When later in the morning it became clear that Truman had in fact won the election, the Chicago Daily Tribune did everything possible to retrieve all delivered copies, but with limited success. As a result, today a copy of this infamous edition goes for around $600. One eBay seller attempted an ambitious auction for $1,750 but received no bids. However, with each passing year, a good copy of this news article fetches higher and higher prices. The 5 cents originally invested in buying the newspaper has a return of (at least) 12,000%!

The most recent case of news making money is the July 6, 2004 cover of the NY Post stating that Democratic Presidential Candidate, John Kerry, had picked Dick Gephardt as his running mate (instead of Senator John Edwards). Within minutes of the paper hitting the streets, quick and clever eBay sellers had copies of this journalistic error up for auction.

Amazingly, copies of the 25-cent paper were selling easily for as low as $6.00 with a few early “Buy It Now” options going for over $50.00. One early auction topped out at $76.00 after 22 bids!

Even a few years after this now famous faux pas, this issue of the NY Post is selling for several dollars on eBay. Not bad considering it is still a contemporary article and had a 25-cent initial investment. As time goes on the article will continue to sky rocket in price, especially if special circumstances or events happen to Kerry or Gephardt in the future.

When scouring your newspapers, keep in mind that articles about major events (such as the aforementioned Presidential Elections), untimely deaths, historical articles (articles about wars usually appreciate in value as time goes on, for example) severe celebrity mishaps, or major life changing discoveries (theoretical examples include articles about life on another planet, cure for cancer, etc) make great fodder for potential cash.

If you decide to store articles, keep them in a dry, covered place away from direct sunlight (it fades the paper). Try not to rip, tear, shred, or fold the article in any way - when it comes time to sell, the more pristine and untouched the article, the greater price you can command!

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Natural Acne Skin Care Tips

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Your skin is the largest organ of the body, so it only makes sense to take good care of it. This means keeping it clean and healthy on a regular basis, in order to prevent acne, aging, and other skin problems from occurring. The best way to keep your skin healthy is to use natural acne skin care products, since they naturally work to maintain skin health.

Over-The-Counter Products

Even though there are a wide variety of great skin care products on the market, many of them contain harsh chemicals that can actually irritate the skin. Instead, you should use natural acne skin care products, since they contain natural ingredients that actually mimic the properties of your skin. You should avoid purchasing anything with ingredients that you cannot pronounce, because most likely they are manufactured and can cause irritation to your skin.

Natural Acne Skin Care Remedies

You can actually save money by treating your acne from home, rather than purchasing something from your local drug store. You can use natural ingredients right from your kitchen, and they work just as well if not better than something you would purchase. Natural fruit juices, oatmeal, and even some spices can work wonders on your skin, and the only side effect is clear, healthy looking skin.

One remedy that works great on swollen pimples is toothpaste. Dab a small amount on any inflamed pimples before you go to bed, and when you wake up they will appear much smaller than the night before. The toothpaste works to dry out the oils causing the pimple, and also helps to reduce swelling and redness overnight.

The natural acidity found in lemons, limes, and even oranges can also be beneficial, since it can actually kill the bacteria that are causing the acne. Squeeze a fresh piece and apply over the affected area, and the pimple should fade away in only a few days. The juice can also help to balance the PH in your skin, which will make it appear even and healthy when used on a regular basis.

Vinegar is commonly used as an antibacterial agent, and it works just as well on your skin. Mix a little salt with some white vinegar, and apply to your entire face like a mask. Leave on for a few minutes, and rinse off with warm water. Your face will be acne free in only a few days, and this mixture can keep new pimples from occurring when used once a day.

Freshly ground nutmeg mixed with milk makes an amazing repairing mask, since they two ingredients actually work to heal and sooth your skin. You can apply it to your entire face, and rinse off after it has had a few minutes to soak in. When applied every morning, your acne will disappear without leaving any scars or blemishes behind.

Why Use Home Remedies?

Because acne is caused by clogged pores, the best way to get rid of it is by unclogging the pores and preventing them from getting clogged again. By using all natural ingredients, your pores can become unclogged without suffering from many of the side effects that over-the-counter products have. Natural ingredients will not cause scarring, irritation, or any type of reaction, but instead will soothe, repair, and heal your skin.

Discover more about Home Remedies For Stopping Acne, Natural Acne Skin Care and Acne Cream Treatment at my dedicated Acne Tips Blog.

Dr.Eswararamanan VR is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in this article must be active and complete.

How to Dropship for Your Retail Business

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

For those looking to start a home business, or increase their products in an existing retail business, dropshipping may be the best option. Dropshipping can save retailers both time and money. Learn how this process works and how it can work for you.

How Does Dropshipping Work?

Basically, drop shipping delivers merchandise directly from the supplier to a retail store’s customer. This process eliminates the retailer’s need to store inventory and the need to use bubble wrap and packing tape. In other words, it saves the retailer time and money. By minimizing administrative costs and overhead, the supplier has access to a new market of products and more time to market them.

Who Can Use Dropshipping?

Dropshipping is suited for anyone looking to be a retailer, particularly startup companies and existing businesses looking to expand. Dropshipping can help smaller businesses have more access to wholesale distributors that they otherwise may not be able to work with. They can also save them money because they don’t have to hold large capital to buy inventory or explore other markets. This gives startup retailers, as well as experienced retailers, the chance to explore the markets and find their niche market in which they want to market to customers. They more time to explore their competition and develop a marketing plan with a dropshipper, without the fear of losing money. Since retailers can list products without purchasing them unless they sell, they neither lose money nor do are they required have the money upfront to start their business.

How Do I Use Dropshipping?

Dropshipping is easy to use and only requires five steps. First, choose a product. Second, advertise your product on your site and other places. Third, sell the product and collect the payment. Fourth, place the order with the supplier. Finally, the customer receives the order and the process is complete. You have now gained a profit, and hopefully a loyal customer too. Repeat the process to keep making profits from your business.

Now that you know how dropshipping works, you can begin researching for a dropship company to sign up with. After signing up, you are on the path to starting or expanding your retail business into a profitable enterprise.

Mom’s New Car

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Between her bridge-playing club and her early-morning water aerobics classes with the other widows in the active adult living center, my mother has little time to take care of the important things - like getting a new car.

We (including me and my three brothers) had decided a long time ago that mom’s old vehicle just wasn’t living up to our standards of safety and we were tired of taking her to the repair shop every couple of months. But unfortunately, the idea of shopping around for a new car seemed like too much of a hassle to my mother. However, after the breaks needed fixing for the 2nd time this year, my foot was officially down and I took it upon myself to take mom to the local Harrisburg Pennsylvania Buick dealership.

So one Saturday morning I invited myself over, sat my mother down at the computer we had gotten her for Christmas and checked out Buickhotbuys.com to find the closest Harrisburg Buick dealerships. Once we had found the nearest dealership and checked out the online vehicle selection, we headed over to take a test drive.

The entire way to the dealership I kept hearing “but John, the car I have is just fine” and “why are we driving such a long way for a new car I don’t need?” Though the moment we pulled into the dealership (ten minutes later) there was nothing but complete silence as she gazed at all the perfectly-parked new vehicles.

Now, I know quite a bit about Buicks and have even owned a few in my life, but these 2008 models were even more impressive than the cars I’ve driven in the past. After meeting with some Harrisburg Buick dealers and perusing the selection, mom decided to get behind the wheel of a 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super. I have to admit I was proud of her picking out such a sophisticated-looking car for her first test drive. Not only was the LaCrosse Super a high-performance car, but it was sturdy and had a bit more of an edge than any other Buick’s I’ve ever owned.

Though the LaCrosse Super had modern styling and a more distinctive-looking grill, it still had that traditional look and feel of the Buick brand. Mom really enjoyed driving it around Harrisburg and she was especially impressed with the dark wood trim and leather interior. Though we test drove a couple more cars, the Lacrosse Super was by far our favorite and before I knew it, mom was signing the ownership papers.

It’s been almost a month and my mother has become a driving fanatic! She’s visited family and friends all around Pennsylvania just to show off her new Buick. She’s even becoming an expert on using OnStarĀ® and absolutely loves cruising around listening to her XM Satellite radio. But the best part is that all of her sons have complete peace of mind knowing she’s taken care of on the road.

So for those of you out there who have trouble getting your parents to write a technology-related to-do-list, whether it’s getting them to buy a new car, a computer or just upgrading to something a bit more modern, sometimes all they need is a little push and you could be surprised at the positive response!

About the author: John Specter is a graphic designer and family man who writes online articles in his spare time. Having come from a large family, John enjoys writing a variety of articles about family life both past and present. For more information about the LaCrosse Super visit buickhotbuys.com

Overnight Wart Remedies

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Why should you wear a bandage around all day if you don’t have to? It is not uncommon to wear a bandage after freezing your warts, but in this article I will share an easy overnight remedy for warts that only requires you to wear a bandage while you sleep!

Here’s what you will need:

Soap and water
Cotton balls
Rubbing alcohol
Bandages or medical tape
Apple cider vinegar

Step 1: Wash the area where your wart is thoroughly with soap and water.

Step 2: Take a cotton ball and dip it into the Apple Cider Vinegar.

Step 3: Place the saturated side of the cotton ball directly against your wart and seal it in place with either a bandage or medical tape.

Step 4: Go to sleep!

Step 5: In the morning, remove the bandage/cotton ball and throw it away to prevent any possible contamination.

Step 6: Clean the area on your skin with rubbing alcohol.

Step 7: Repeat this for 7-14 days and the wart will fall off!

Many wart sufferers enjoy this remedy because it allows you to only wear the bandage while you sleep. If used consistently, this remedy will remove most warts within two weeks!

Similar results have been reported by wart patients who replace the cotton ball/vinegar with a clove of garlic! You can use this method in the exact same way as you would with vinegar. Make sure that you cut a piece of garlic that is about the size of your wart and somewhat thin. Doing this will help it to stay in the correct place all night while your skin is being treated.

Are you looking for a quicker remedy? Check out my blog http://Remove-Warts.blogspot.com for the hottest product that wart sufferers are wishing they had 20 years ago! 100% success rate achieved with a 90 Day money back guarantee. No more embarrassment or pain for you!

Good luck,

Santiago Gutierrez http://Remove-Warts.blogspot.com

Jealousy - Bad News or Just What the Doctor Ordered?

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

What is Jealousy?

There appear to be two types of jealousy - romantic and possessive. Romantic jealousy is triggered when you experience the unpleasant suspicion that your man or woman is being or may be unfaithful. When other people demonstrate by their admiration how attractive your partner is, you feel it should be a compliment; but you may also suspect the presence of a rival and fear losing out.

The green-eyed romantic jealousy monster is scary and we’ve all experienced its stomach churning power at some point in our lives. Taking the logical approach, we “discuss” our fear and anxiety with friends. We may maturely ask our partner for more attention or verbally express our anxiety about the relationship. We may also choose pride and refuse to allow ourselves to “feel stupid” over feelings of jealousy.

Possessive jealousy is the stuff of murder/suicides. This type of jealousy is controlling, angry and absolutely frightening. Our experience with possessive jealousy may include stalking, being cussed and screamed at, and unwarranted suspicion about everything you do or say. Your partner feels ownership of your body, heart, mind and soul, and demands complete loyalty and obedience. He or she manipulates things to control your behavior and thus feel more secure.

Conventional literature ties jealousy to low self-esteem. Some psychologists describe it as a paranoid distrust of others or ones partner. There is nothing inherently unnatural about feeling jealous, but crazy jealousy can interfere with and even destroy your relationships.

Crazy jealousy tends to develop along one of the following patterns:

  • Those of you that are obsessed with your loved one;

  • Those of you who constantly suspect a partner of being unfaithful with no supporting evidence; or

  • Those of you who totally overreact to the slightest incident involving the opposite sex and your mate.

There are some of you that LIKE your partner to exhibit jealousy however. I’ve come across many men and women that are flattered if their partner exhibits signs of jealousy. You may do things to set your partner up to intentionally make them jealous. You then sit back and gauge their reaction as a measuring stick of their love for you.

This is a dangerous game that can often backfire. You may end up feeling silly or rejected when you don’t get the reaction you wanted. For instance, instead of a jealous reaction that brings you warmth you instead get an icy stare from your partner as he or she exits the room and sometimes the relationship!

Unchecked jealousy is one of the leading causes of domestic violence and murder around the world. Jealousy is NOT fun, and even in its lightest form causes feelings of anger and frustration in your relationship. Don’t play with your partners feelings by intentionally making him or her feel insecure and jealous. And for those of you that are jealous about everything remember this: repeatedly behaving in an out of control fashion will destroy the trust and comfort of your partner. Your jealousy will quickly erode your relationship.

Hopefully this article will help you do some serious thinking about why you feel insecure about your relationship, or why you lash out at your partner with accusations of cheating that you know have no basis in fact. Love cannot exist simultaneously in an environment of distrust. Those of you that behave in a jealous, controlling way in an effort to maintain your relationship will most likely bring about the very thing you are most afraid of — losing your lover or spouse.

(c) 2008 Deborrah Cooper. Deborrah has been involved in the relationships field for close to 20 years. She’s authored dozens of relationship articles and writes a weekly advice column using the pen name “Ms. HeartBeat.” Her works appear on the website AskHeartBeat.Com, which focuses on modern dating issues and relationships for both teens and adults. Her book: Sucka Free Love - How to Avoid Dating The Dumb, The Deceitful, The Dastardly, The Dysfunctional and The Deranged! provides witty, street-smart and hilarious insight into the toughest issues facing singles today.

New Inventions

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

Do you ever think about to create ideas for new innovations or new invention? The simplest technique is that if you have a product then understand the basic ideas of that product and use those ideas in new areas. That means evaluate that product and its technology from top to base. If you go deeper and deeper you will get more information from that about that invention.

New inventions are taking place in every field. Whatever things are here in the world in each minute a news invention or new technology is developing. Now a day everything becomes automatic. For example the washing machines, car locking system, TV sleep system. In washing machines we can give the time limit if the time limit reaches it automatically stops. Same as in TV, we can adjust the sleep time and can turn off and turn on the TV when we want.

The best example for the new invention or technology is the mobile we all are using. How fast the technology is developing. I think mobile is the best example for the technology development. In each day a new technology mobile is introducing in markets.

The other best example is computers and monitors. We can see the monitor changing from our old model to the new LCD monitors. They are using less power than the old one and getting more comfortable to our eyes, the other change is pc to laptop. So we can see the hand of new invention in every field like gifts, gadgets, electronic medias everywhere.

Also read about New innovations, Innovative Products, and Future Products

Liverpool given more time to sign Barry

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

Read full story for latest details.

Deciding to buy a used guitar pedals online can potentially save you a lot of money, but you also want to be careful; used pedals can be defective or even missing parts sometimes. Unfortunately, there are also scammers online who deal in deception. In this article, we’ll outline how to reduce your chances of getting ripped off when buying used guitar pedals online.

One of the best ways to buy used pedals cheap is through auction sites. Obviously, eBay is one popular choice, but there are also many other auction sites online, some of which focus exclusively on guitar gear. But before you bid on a guitar pedal up for auction, there are a few points to keep in mind.

ALWAYS investigate the reputation of the seller before deciding to bid. Most auction sites have a feedback and ratings system. This will allow you to see what kind of experiences others have had purchasing items from a particular seller. While it is practically impossible for a seller to have 100% positive feedback rating (after all, some people will complain about anything), you do want to make sure that the percentage of happy buyers is very high. A 98% or higher positive rating is preferable.

You also want to consider how many items the seller has sold at auction. If their positive feedback is 100%, but they’ve only sold two items, you can’t be really sure what kind of seller they are. On the other hand, if you see thousands of successful auctions, and a 98% positive rating, it’s a pretty safe bet that the seller is a straight shooter and is not out to rip anyone off.

It’s also important to thoroughly investigate the condition of the used guitar pedals being offered. Most pedals sold on online auctions will include a photo, so you can get a good sense of the condition of the unit. You can also e-mail the seller with any questions you may have, and this is actually a good technique to find out how responsive the seller is to customer service. After all, if they do not respond promptly to questions before you buy the pedal, they probably will not respond promptly to problems after the sale.

Guitar pedals are made to be stepped on, so by definition they are usually quite tough. However, if you’re purchasing older used guitar pedals it pays to ask questions about the condition the unit is in — especially if the pedal is being offered at a really cheap price. Remember the old saying, “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

In particular, you should ensure that the input and output jacks on the pedal are solid and noise-free. Often, quarter-inch jacks on the sides of used guitar pedals become loose, and can cause random annoying “clicking” sounds. Don’t hesitate to ask the seller directly if the input and output jacks feel solid to the touch and are quiet.

You’ll also want to make sure the pedal has a reliable AC plug. In the case of some older guitar pedals, buying a “wall wart” AC plug will cost nearly as much as the pedal itsel. So you definitely want to be sure it is included in the sale.

Finally, consider your gut instinct before bidding on any used guitar pedal, especially a cheap one. Does the seller provide adequate information about the pedal? Is there a clear color photo of the unit? Sometimes an auction will just seem somehow “fishy,” and you’re not even sure why. In these cases, it’s better to hold back and listen to your gut instinct — it will usually be right.

You can buy all kinds of used guitar pedals at online auctions, and prices are normally cheaper than you will find in music stores or pawn shops; however, always take your time and thoroughly investigate both the guitar pedal and the seller before making a bid.

Bid on cheap guitar pedals at Soundsfat.com.

Buy used guitar pedals online.