I've done lots of reading about protecting Copper over the last few months. It amounts to the fact that Copper is going to turn no matter what is put on it. It will not last forever. So if I put a permanent finish on the light, what happens when that finish peels or the Copper turns under it? The light is useless (as far as I am concerned), so..... I think that in the long run, it's easier to polish, then use MAAS, then use Caranuba wax. No it will not last, but when it tarnishes, it can be cleaned easily again with MAAS and Caranuba. Might take a few minutes to do, but it can be done. If I use a clearcoat, then who wants to strip that off in 6 months to a year? It's either that, or use a Clear Acrylic and then paint over that with a black, so no one knows it is Copper.
Anyhow, I'm not too worried about just using MAAS and Caranuba on it.
Most of the time I don't have any patience. Especially since the stroke. I get upset at everything, but somehow when I sit down to do this stuff, I calm down and I can sit with it for hours. I guess it's therapy of some sort, or more likely it makes me feel like I'm productive, like I used to be, in the old days.
As far as skills, I don't know if it is skills. I have always been a fix it. When I was very little, I learned that since we had no money, we either did without or we made it ourselves. I call that Old School. The lost art of doing sometihng with nothing. I always fixed my own cars, furniture, appliances, etc. I guess it was second nature and it really is not skill, it is common sense. That's all it amounts to. Being able to look at something and see how it works or visualize how it could work. I never made a switch before, but I have taken apart light switches in lamps and the rotary principle is the same. High and low spots when the switch is turned.
I do not think of myself as skilled. My skill was in Injection molded plastics, 26+ years worth of that. This is just looking at something and figuring out how it works. That's why I have so much of a problem with electronics, like circuit boards. I simply for the life of me cannot figure out how they work. The math and the science is beyond me. I graduated High School with 1yr of Basic Math and 1yr of basic science. More than that wasn't required and I didn't want to do it, so I didn't take it. Instead I took 3yrs of shop classes. Hey, it was a farm community. We didn't need all that to fix cars and tractors.
I've always had a short fuse, ever since I was born. I'm the same way-building a light can be very meditative for me and I work in long stretches. Cheap therapy. I've always had excellent fine motor skills with small stuff. But don't ask me to work on cars or do woodwork, both of which I hate. One slip of a wrench or skin a knuckle and I'm screaming and cussing. No thanks.
I was trying to fix a stool last night-working with white glue and clamps-two more holes in the wall and stool smashed to bits. Never again.
Wow! I have to say that's awesome work on that switch. I had a hard time visualizing what you had in mind, but when I saw the video, I saw the genius of the design. Very nice work!
I'm actually going to be in Tyler tonight... I have to take my wife's necklace to the mall for it's routine warranty inspection.