On 18 Jun 2006 02:57:22 -0700, "foggytown" wrote:

Striving for perfection is one thing. Being dissapointed when you
don't attain it is quite another. But how do you curb your own
excessive fussiness?

"Aim for perfection, settle for excellence"

I'm getting more and more into making little wood boxes for jewelery,
trinkets, etc. Average size 6" X 4", but can be as big/small as
required. Here are some examples of what I've done in utili, oak, ash,
purpleheart, yew.

http://foggytown.spaces.msn.com/photos/?_c02_owner=1

Well we aren't going to be able to see any problems unless you had a
better camera, and even then we probably wouldn't see them.

I'd like to turn this hobby into some kind of earner by doing
made-to-measure boxes to order. My big problem is that I'm rarely
satisfied with my work and I assume that a potential customer will be
even more critical than I am. Friends & relations I've shown my stuff
to think its very good but I just can't get past the little
imperfections I know are the a slightly loose joint requiring some
filler; a blemish on the oil finish where a spot of glue on the wood
wasn't noticed; couple of small "hard" spots on the velvet interior
where some glue dripped.

Question for the wreckers here who do pieces for customers. Are you
ever truly satisfied with your work to the point where you think it
will probably be rejected? Or am I overestimating the capacity of the
public to be critical of something they can't do to begin with?

What I've found is someone who is paying for a custom piece has
already sort of mentally sold themselves into liking it before they
even see it. If it's not a custom piece they are mainly just looking
to see if they like it, not looking for problems. Whereas you already
know everything about it, so all you see are the problems. Try
sticking one in a closet somewhere until you've forgotten about it,
then pull it out and see if the flaws still jump out at you. You'll
find them again, but you'll have to look for them.

You have the right attitude as far as wanting to be sure you're giving
them something deserving of their money. As long as you aren't
looking at it from the opposite direction, what's the minimum I need
to do to make a sale, you're going to be fine.

The trouble with small boxes is we look at them up close. You don't
pick up a dresser you built and hold it up to your eye and spin it
about looking for problems.

Keep working to do better, and that never ends, but you gotta learn to
let go when the piece is done.

One tip: Have your finishing area well lit and be looking for
problems as you're applying the finish. You can basically wet sand
those glue spots right as you're finishing and they disappear right
before your eyes. Then give it a critical look over before the second
coat.

My last comissioned jewelry box I had problems with the finish. Had
to sand it down and do it over. Still wasn't happy with it. I really
wanted to sand it down again, but at this point I'm a week late.
Shipped it. Client was totally pleased and wants me to do more work
for them.


-Leuf