Reddit mentions: The best dental instruments

No clay is perfect--each has their own strengths and weaknesses. Which is best for you will depend on exactly what you're doing and your own preferences (both positive and negative). And which you can easily find. This article might be helpful.
Personally, I like Kato. It's tough when baked, doesn't discolor easily during baking, and comes in pure colors for easy mixing. It's also really, really firm so it holds detail well. On the other hand: it's way harder than most people enjoy working with, the color selection is small (you really need to mix it to prevent the "I only have eight crayons to color with" look), and it has a stronger odor than most other kinds. It's great for me, maybe not for you.


As Diane pointed out, what tools will be useful to you depends on what you're making. "Small charms" could mean chibi animals, faux gemstones, caning, etc. All are going to have slightly different ideal tools. I can tell you what I use the most, though. I mostly sculpt little cutesy little animal figurines, and keeping that in mind, I think these are my most used tools:


-Aluminum foil. You can sculpt on top of it, then put it into the oven to bake without trying to peel it off. Making a little tent out of it can help prevent discoloring of the clay from spikes in temperature. It can be used to bulk out armatures if you try making figurines. Even when making something small, a ball of it inside a sculpt can save clay, make it lighter (which makes it less likely to break when dropped), and keep the clay thinner to make baking quicker and easier. The one potential problem is that air expands when heated, so air pockets left in the foil could make the clay bulge in places when baked. Because of that, I like to cover the foil ball in a thin sheet of clay, bake it, and then add more clay to sculpt on top.

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-Plastic baggies for clay storage. I use gallon-sized freezer bags, then inside those small bags with individual colors. Keeping all the blocks in one bag together results in them getting smeared on each other and stuck together. Ew.

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-An X-acto or other sharp blade. I also like to keep a dull knife around--the sharp blade to cut the clay cleanly without denting or deforming it (such as for trimming the bottom of a figurine flat), the dull one to make rounded-off cuts and dents (such as adding a mouth or putting texture on locks of hair).

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-Needle tools. You can buy them, but if you're trying to keep costs down, here's a tutorial on making your own. Good for making holes, but also creases and long dents (such as around pumpkins or the neck of a teddy bear). The ones she shows are all straight, but I like using curved ones sometimes, too. I have some cheap dental tools that work like that, but you can get curved needles or just use a bent piece of wire.


-Ball stylus. Good for making soft rounded dents (inside ears, eye sockets, pretty much anywhere you want to add a depression that isn't just gouged out). You could probably make your own using the needle tool tutorial, but instead of keeping a needle in the handle, you'd glue the pointy end of a pin into the handle's hole after baking it. If you decide you like the hobby, it would probably be worth purchasing sturdier metal ones eventually. There's a good chance that clay could break down the pin's plastic over time, and besides, it's helpful to have a wider range of sizes than you can easily find in pinheads.

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-Dental spatula. Like this one or this one here. I know don't know anything about either of those companies, but those spatulas look like they have my preferred shape to the ends. Mine probably spends more time in my hands than any other tool, because it's good at both cutting and smoothing. There are other tools out there that are probably better at each, but I like the versatility. Not having to stop and a find a different tool is nice.

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-An oven thermometer (noticing a trend with these? lol).

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-Some sort of roller/rod for making flat sheets and mixing/conditioning clay. The upgrade to this would be a pasta machine, but they're more expensive. And unless you're rolling out a lot of clay, they can take longer to clean than simply making the sheet with a low-tech roller would.


-If you start making larger objects, you'll want to look into making armatures. Wire and foil are the main supplies you would need for that. Which wire will depend on your project, though.

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Looking around for free potential tools is a good idea. Along with purchased tools, my kit contains all kinds of random junk...bits of wire, toothpicks (some with ends trimmed to certain shapes), a broken paint brush handle, something intended to do something to nail cuticles, etc. I might not use them often, but if they're free, why not?

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It's hard to say what is useless, because most tools are useful if you're making just the right things. I rarely use my clay extruder or mini cookie cutters, for example, but some people seem to get a lot of use out of theirs. Very little is absolutely necessary, though, even when it is helpful. My first tools were just a toothpick and an old beat up paring knife, and those (plus a ball stylus or my rounded-off broken paintbrush handle) would still be sufficient for just about anything I could want to sculpt. You can spend a ton of money on this hobby, but there's very little you must buy. Everything else is just "Ooooo, that would make this project so much easier!" And you'll know when that happens.

This may help. I copied and pasted a comment I made a while ago.

I read a trick on here the I'm going to use when I get my front facing CBB- they took the cotton part off of one of those qtips with the plastic tube and applied a tiny bit of Mounting Putty to the end and stuck the threaded end to it. Then you line it up and spin the tube in your fingers to tighten. You'll have to hand tighten, but it gets it started.

Instead of a qtip, I'm just going to use the back of one of these. I already use these to clean around my paired nostril ends and the back end with no fiber will work for the mounting putty. :)

Alas, I'll be waiting a few months for my front facing CBB. I hope the method works for me. I just thought I'd share.

Edit- is your ring titanium or gold? It kind of looks rose gold, so I'm wondering if it's anodized titanium or rose gold or some other color entirely. :)

Try to see if your current orthodontist will take the brace off. If you have an outstanding balance for the braces, he may want to have you pay in full before removing. You may be charged by a general dentist to get the braces removed as well. If a dental professional removes them, they will also remove the composite/cement to glue them on. If you can't afford either of these, do not leave the braces on for years, or you will have all sorts of issues unless you are diligently brushing and flossing. If you want to remove them yourself, I'm not saying you should do this, but this is the device we use to remove them and it seems to be fairly cheap on amazon. The pointy part goes under the bracket or band and the rubber part pushes against the tooth when you squeeze it. May need help from a friend. We normally do not numb the mouth for this. Only negative is that you will still have bumpy pieces of glue on the fronts of your teeth, but at least you can brush/floss more easily.

To be fair, it’s only shorter by .4mm, which is 10% less than Cherry, etc. I would not have expected that to be noticeable, but if I’m right, my fingers are noticing.

If you decide to remove the lube from the leaves inside the switch, you might try these.

I hope you decide to pick up some Cherry housings for them, because i think you’ll like them.

Keep playing, and let me know if you come up with anything good!

My set:

1. Flush wire clippers. The use is obvious.
   
   
2. Safety glasses (the impact rated kind). Also should be obvious. When trying to break or clip something off pieces often go flying. And we all know how we like to lean in to get a better view.
   
   
3. A flexible rectangular scraper that looks like a bench / dough scraper - it's much shorter than those regular paint scrapers and much more flexible. I find it easier to handle.
   
   
4. Masking tape and glue (stick or PVA liquid). My home printer doesn't have a heated bed so...
   
   
5. Steel guitar string. For cleaning, forget those fragile drill bits and acupuncture needles.
   
   
6. A filament filter. A must have.
   
   
7. A low-temp (200-250 C) soldering iron with custom made heads. I use it to weld parts together. You can also spend (twice as?) more for a Modifi3D which is still a soldering iron. If you are feeling extra blingy you can go for an electric wax carver.
   
   
8. A fire blanket and a fire extinguisher. Never used those, thankfully.
   
   
9. And the best tool of them all - common sense.

Ordered the 80gb iPod Video 5.5, for about $50 on eBay. It arrived in phenomenal condition with all OEM parts. Ordered 4x 256gb micro sd cards during Amazon Prime day (they were on sale for $30 each).

Below are some quick tips I have:

• Search eBay for new listings. Set alerts on your phone for new listings (i.e. "iPod Video 5.5", "iPod Video Wolfson", "iPod Video Enhanced"). People tend to find an old iPod they haven't used in years locked away in some drawer, and end up listing it for a cheap buy-it-now price not knowing what it's worth.
  
  
• If you get a good condition iPod Video, practice repairing lesser condition ones before you upgrade your nicer one. A lot can go wrong during the process (I accidentally broke two iPod Videos before working on this one). BE CAREFUL WITH THE BATTERY RIBBON CONNECTOR! It breaks off the logic board extremely easily.
  
  
• If you break the battery ribbon connector during the repair / upgrade process, look into buying a new logic board. They're about $20 - $30 on eBay. iFixit also has these available, and they're a phenomenal company if you're looking for parts / tools.
  
  
• Consider getting a metal dental pick. In my experience, these help immensely with handling the ribbon connectors throughout the iPod.
  
  
• Have multiple opening tools readily available and take your time when opening up the iPod.
  
  
• Consider replacing the battery as you're working inside the iPod. iFixit has these readily available with or without tools for affordable prices (and they're safety certified which is great).
  
  
• Read guides beforehand, and during the process

Any will work! Right now I'm using a Lamy Safari pen. You can buy green ink cartridges or you can get converters to refill with any ink you'd wish. Lamy sells their own green ink but there are plenty of other options on amazon.

ALTERNATIVELY: I find that the converters don't hold enough ink, so once I've used up the default cartridge that comes with the pen, I wash it out and refill ink myself with a narrow-nosed syringe. Any kind will work as long as the tip is smaller than the opening of the ink cartridge opening, though you may spill some ink on your hands. I use this because no pokey-bleedy.


just remembered UK... so:
Lamy safari - amazon UK
green ink cartridges
converter
Green ink (Waterman, not Lamy, works fine)
syringe

Happy hunting!

Dude, don't use that knife anymore.

Go on amazon and get this small set of dental tools for $4.35 shipped.

Trust me. So much easier to manage, and clean.

I recently had an abscess on my gum. I went to the dentist for it, and he told me to do a salt water rise and gave me a little plastic syringe with a curved tip to use. They might sell something like it at a drugstore, but I'm not sure. I've been doing the rinse 4 times a day (filling the syringe 3 times each session) and concentrating the solution on the affected area. My gums look significantly better with the abscess gone, but the area is still a little red.

However, I'm sure that a dental abscess is different than one affecting solely the gums, so I don't know if the salt water rinse will work as well. Certainly though, I doubt it'll hurt while you're finding an insurance solution.

Here's a link to the type of syringe I was given. 8 Pack Disposable 12cc Dental Syringe Dental Irrigation Syringe with Curved Tip, Tonsil Stone Squirt Mouthwash Cleaner（with Measurement） https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078K8SVMN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_arfvDb9D4DN14

How about...

https://www.amazon.com/EXELint-Disposable-Syringe-Sterile-Catheter/dp/B010BWOOXA

60ml = 2oz

Or maybe this one with a tube:

https://www.amazon.com/Momok-31-5inch-dispensing-injection-filtration/dp/B072Z7WVR6

You could have three or so and when you're done clean them. One for the chemical, surfactant, and marker. (Though the latter two I just glub glub into my mix. 😊)

Yup. To avoid dry sockets, it’s important to keep the area free and clear of food buildup. These help with that

It sounds like you're entirely starting new, so I can give you some pointers I hope will be helpful. I also run a Breville Infuser, but I have a Ceado E6P.

• Maintenance and cleanliness. (More of general kitchen tip, but applies doubly here)
  
  When was the last time the grinder was cleaned? When was the last time the machine was descaled and back flushed? Consider this to be like brushing your teeth: you do it regularly so you don't get cavities and dental disease. You do not want to wait until things get funky. I clean my stuff about once a month. I also descale once a month because I have hard water; but I used to live somewhere where I only needed to descale once every 6 months.
  
  On cleaning your grinder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVVsTAUzVzM
  
  Grindz tablets: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0014J7FUY
  
  Descale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq1TiwoJbWA
  
  Our machines do not have a descale mode, but that doesn't matter, you can follow the steps anyway. Also, just buy citric acid, you don't need Breville's stuff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GNBHPAS/ I always backflush after I descale, so I stop following this guide at roughly the 2 minute mark.
  
  Backflush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1N8HLoW6ew
  
  Cafiza: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004L8RTEM/
  
  
• Beans:
  
  You need fresh beans. There's no two ways around this. You can play with this if you like. Old beans are monumentally difficult to dial in, and often it's impossible. I find beans last nearly a month after the roast date, but there's a noticeable drop off after the second week. There's a lot of room for experimenting here, I recommend you do. Also note, that some beans cannot be dialed in. I don't understand the roasting and processing factors, but there is a lot of variation here.
  
  
• About the Infuser:
  
  Our machine can be programmed such that it will dispense a fairly precise volume of water with the press of a single button. My 1 cup button is programmed to purge the group head, and my 2 cup button is programmed for a regular pull. I want you to know that this a really a good approximation, but Breville has a "smart" feature where it will try to "save" the shot if it thinks the pressure is too high. This has ruined a few cups for me, so I only have this programmed for those bad mornings, but otherwise I don't use it.
  
  Edit: I'm an idiot. If your pressure gauge is "bouncing" or fluctuating during a shot, most likely your pump is going bad. You can try to service it or replace it, I bought one of these off amazon and it is working: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMNA138/. I got this because it arrived the same day. This is the actual pump: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077ZRP3GD.
  
  I only use the 2 shot single walled basket, and I have also modified my portafilter to be bottomless. I generally find a good shot is just after the second screw in the pressure gauge, but that gauge is not very helpful.
  
  
• 
  
  I bought a few toys to help me out. These are not necessary, and in fact some people will tell you that you don't need them at all. Those people are probably right, but I like my toys anyway.
  
  A funnel: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N693YSS/ A cut yogurt cup can work. It doesn't need to be fancy, I just wanted something fancy.
  
  A pick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E48EWA/ A toothpick or anything pointy can totally suffice. Again, just wanted to be fancy.
  
  A leveling tool. I have a 51mm because that's what I could find cheaply at the time, but it looks like 53mm are also available now. 51mm: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BTN1S2C/ 53mm: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S4Q179B/
  
  A tamp: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUXN53U/ This tamp has a spring inside it. I only bought this because I had a nasty habit of over tamping.
  
  I found this video that I like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMldWhQVMQA I would not tap the filter after the distribution (where he's stirring the grounds), and I tamp gently. I don't twist or turn the tamp.
  
  
• 
  
  Dialing in is a trial and error type deal. In general, you want ~16 grams in the portafilter, and want to pull ~32 grams of espresso in ~30 seconds. These aren't hard and fast rules, and there's a lot of wiggle room here.
  
  Find a coin like a nickel or penny and clean it. After you've tamped your portafilter, place the coin directly on top of the grounds, then lock the portafilter in the machine. Remove the portafilter and then carefully remove the coin from the grounds. (Do not pull a shot with the coin in there)
  
  Is there an indentation in the grounds? If so, then you have overfilled the portafilter. If not, you might be good, or the portafilter might be underfilled. A scale will really help here.
  
  To pull a shot, I have my portafilter locked in, and place my mug on top of my scale underneath the portafilter. I will hold down the 2 shot button (doesn't matter, you can hold down the 1 shot button), and keep it depressed for roughly 10 seconds. This is the preinfusion stage. Low pressure water is being introduced to the grounds. I chose 10 seconds because this is when I first start to see espresso appear at the bottom of my basket. You can experiment here. I then release the button to allow the full extraction. I press the button again at ~30 grams to stop the extraction.
  
  I want to emphasize that these are rough guidelines. You may find something entirely different that works. I apologize if I came off as rude or condescending, I'm a bit of a turd by nature. Please ask if you have any questions.

Like these?

She wears glasses/contacts. I'll have to investigate. Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/Dental-Surgical-Loupes-working-distance/dp/B0049K5SQS/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=dental+loupes&qid=1558562305&s=gateway&sr=8-17

https://www.amazon.com/Surgical-Binocular-Loupes-HeadLight-Aluminum/dp/B00HEVYELO/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=dental+loupes&qid=1558562378&s=gateway&sr=8-7

Ok thanks for the info. Just a few more questions.

• This is the correct camera?
  
  
• Does it shoot 1080p24?
  
  
• Lastly im in pretty deep on Canon Lenses for the camera i currently use would this be the thing i need in order to use them on this camera? and how do adapter effect image quality?
  
  EDIT: that adapter is a bit cheap i probably would buy a better one but is there anyway to keep the auto focus capabilities?

chain with clasp
embroidery thread/other thread of your choice
Beading needle/yarn needle

Thread needle, Start at one end of the chain(I would recommend starting at the loop end of the chain rather than at the clasp end)... push needle through each loop going around and around (wrap the thread around the metal link) move in a circle starting at the bottom of each loop working 360 degrees around the link, move to next link. repeat untill there are no more links left. once you reach the end, tie off the thread. If you wish you can use some GS hypo cement to secure your end.

For the tassel at the end, gather a bunch of strands of your thread (maybe about 2 inches long?) threadt them all through the last link before the clasp and tie off.

Voila!

Oral syringes work great for filling carts in my experience. I can't imagine the terpenes would be able to melt anything when they're that diluted, though. Was the wax mixture hot?

Edit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078K8SVMN/ref=sspa_dk_detail_6?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B078K8SVMN&pd_rd_wg=HkYmO&pd_rd_r=RAQPR1SZP5E85NYAR0QD&pd_rd_w=6kYF4

I use something similar to this Carver Set

Then go into the details like I was carving them from marble. Picks for the finest detail, scrapers can give a good rounded look

The one I use was intended for giving tiny children medicine. They just have a narrow tube at the end, like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Ezy-Dose-Oral-Syringe-Dosage-Korcs/dp/B00CWJ1ERA/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1495247127&sr=8-2&keywords=medicine%2Bsyringe&th=1

Here's an Amazon link for 3 of those devices. Although, I like the feeling of the lips myself.

I used 40.6 g of decent flower, 6 g of kief, and about 500mg of distillate from an old cart. The flower and kief were decarbed at 240deg Fahrenheit for 40 minutes covered in foil. I used 12 ounces of high quality MCT oil and 1 tablespoon of sunflower lecithin, then added everything to a crockpot on low for 4 hours stirring every 30 minutes or so. Each cap should be roughly 23mg of THC.

edit for links of everything I used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYCIHL1/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (empty capsules used, they have been great so far)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0781D9QYX/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (capsule filler that I literally only use to hold the capsules, would not buy again)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078K8SVMN/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (syringes used to fill the caps)

I melt the canna oil, and then I pull the liquid oil into a syringe. It makes filling capsules relatively easy. My syringes are kind of like these.

Buy a set of dental picks like this, good for just about everything related to getting things out of small places.

I have. You can buy your own if you really like them.

If you found that mildly interesting, you'll find this slightly above mildly interesting.

I purchased a couple of syringes like these, with the curved tip

And then I just started blasting

Those are for sale on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Products-LLC-Cone-Pack/dp/B00FADYTAE

They even come in green if you want.

You could.

Uh

Do it manually yourself.

https://www.amazon.ca/EXELint-50ml-Disposable-Syringe-Single/dp/B010BWOOXA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502925313&sr=8-2&keywords=water+syringe

I use a catheter syringe

https://www.amazon.com/EXELint-Disposable-Syringe-Sterile-Catheter/dp/B010BWOOXA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1491022156&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=catather%2Bsyringe&th=1

Seriously?!

https://www.amazon.com/EXELint-Disposable-Syringe-Sterile-Catheter/dp/B010BWOOXA/ref=sr_1_8_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1473809703&sr=8-8&keywords=Syringe

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FADYTAE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wubbzbE5VFSR9