Amazing what one finds in a glass shop last used at a time when one expected to be back in half an hour, but it's been two years.  (or three?)  I mentioned elsewhere the hakko 456 that had been left plugged in on high for a month.  The tip is "burnt umber" color and the shaft looks like my solder used to when I didn't know how to wash off the flux.  I suppose I should ask someone older and wiser if it might be repairable anyway.  Ernie?  Tony?  Dale?  Shit.  Please tell me Vic and Graham are still kicking.  And Paul and Rebecca and all the rest.  Angel is still feisty, I can see that from the blog, which needs updating — the world was supposed to end yesterday, too.

UPDATE – I took the hakko 456 apart for the first time ever, is the tip 3 inches long, in which case maybe all I need is a new tip, or is it about 1.5 inches long?  I thought tips are short but I never looked at the hakko tip before.

Do I remember how to do stained glass?  If I plug in the old weller 80 will I remember?  Flux.  Vague memory of using one I don't like as well on the last project because I had run out.  Look around.  There's an empty novacane flux bottle on the floor, some glasstar flux in a bottle on the workbench, three fluxes I never heard of on the shelf – I must have bought a bottle of each from some store to see what I thought of them.

A film cannister – are they still made? – inside the cover for a bug spray can – the bug sprays I buy now don't have lids.  Most have been somene's brilliant suggestion on one of the boards for holding flux.  If it won't wash out easily, my aunt's sherry glass is about the right size and stable. 

On the worktable, lots of pushpins, oh yes, to hold pieces in place while soldering. I've forgotten what the top of the work table is made of, something someone suggested. You can just about push pins into it.

Some small rings from a jewelry parts store, for hanging suncatchers.  A few inches of came.  A short rusty rod, what's that?  Oh, I see a few hairs, it must have been a flux brush! A scrub brush at the side of the work table – oh yes, brush all the dust of glass and solder into the trash.  Wear goggles and mask.  When did the price of solder triple?  I'm tempted to keep all the miscrscopic solder balls, but if I tremember right that just leads to dirty soldering.

Goggles are where they belong, gloves; cleaning up will probably re-acquaint me with all the steps and the many valuable tidbits not in the books that YOU people taught me!  And the ghost of Tony yelling "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain!"  I wonder if heaven (or wherever) has rusty parts just for him to use in art.