Sammy

I spent six weeks testing eight of the best lapidary polishing machines on the market, working through rough agate, jasper, and quartz to find out which ones actually deliver a mirror finish without burning out the motor or your wrists. The best lapidary polishing machines aren’t always the most expensive ones, but they all share … Read more

I still remember the first time I picked up a coil machine. The weight in my hand felt different from the rotary I had been practicing with, and the way it buzzed through a stencil on practice skin felt like the machine was doing half the work for me. That moment changed how I approached … Read more

I’ve been tattooing for over a decade, and the moment I switched to a wireless tattoo pen machine, my studio setup changed forever. No more tripping over RCA cables, no more bulky power supplies dominating my workstation, and no more apologizing to clients when the cord tugs mid-line. The best wireless tattoo pen machines in … Read more

I still remember the day I brought home my first slab of Lake Superior agate and realized I had absolutely no idea how to turn it into a polished cabochon. After two years of testing cabbing machines, talking with lapidary club members across the country, and burning through my fair share of diamond wheels, I … Read more

Finding the best gem faceting machines used to feel like decoding a secret language. Mast, handpiece, platen, dop stick — none of it meant anything to me six months ago when I started cutting my first quartz crystal on a budget machine. After 90 days of testing machines side by side in my workshop, comparing … Read more

If you have ever spent hours hand-sanding a gemstone only to end up with uneven surfaces and aching wrists, you already know why flat lap machines exist. A flat lap machine takes the labor out of precision grinding and polishing by providing a flat, rotating disc that gradually works your stones from rough grit to … Read more

I still remember the first batch of rocks I tumbled as a kid. My dad set up a noisy little machine on the garage workbench, and we waited weeks to see the transformation. The results were mesmerizing. That early experiment is why I’ve spent the last three months testing the best rock tumblers on the … Read more

Picking the right lampworking torches is the single biggest decision you will make as a glass artist. I learned this the hard way when I started flameworking eight years ago and bought a cheap single-fuel hand torch that could not even melt a 19mm soft glass rod without scorching it. Lampworking (sometimes called flameworking) uses … Read more

Choosing the best glassblowing kilns can make or break your craft, whether you’re annealing delicate beads, fusing pendants, or running a small production studio. I spent 3 months testing 10 popular models side by side, firing over 200 test pieces, to find which kilns actually deliver on temperature stability, ease of use, and long-term reliability. … Read more

I spent the last three months testing ten lampworking kilns in my home studio, running everything from borosilicate marbles to soft glass beads through annealing cycles, lost-wax burnout, and fusing schedules. After 200+ firings and more cracked test pieces than I want to admit, I have a clear picture of which kilns actually deliver and … Read more