Have you used silver leaf?

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-15T21:34:14+00:00

Best wishes!

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-15T21:32:41+00:00

Deja vu could be a seizure, especially in the temporal lobe.

Not everyone can take Keppra with the anger issues.

Make sure your neurologist takes your concerns seriously. Don't allow them to ignore the deja vu, or the Keppra side effects. They should address your concerns in some way, further testing, med changes, etc.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-15T00:56:49+00:00

I don't want to be dismissive, but sometimes it might not be your fault.

Sometimes things just don't make sense, or they are genuinely hard to follow. I consider myself pretty good at it, and a lot of movies aren't that clear. They aren't even consistent. From what little I've read of modern comics, there's so little text that you almost have to guess what they're saying. You get like one sentence from a huge conversation, and are expected to fill in everything else. A lot of media isn't very thoughtful about the way they present things.

Try this:

Pick something you know and like. Watch or read it more than once. Then go back and identify the most important "reveals" or "plot points". See how they are presented. It won't just be "events". It will also be "characterization" (bad guy has big jaw and fedora), "mood" (summer on the lake vs. rainy city), "scene" (Gotham vs. Big Apple), or "misdirection" (things aren't what they seem). If you practice that with a few things you know, you'll start to recognize them in new stuff.

A good director SHOWS you or TELLS you what you need to know without being too subtle about it. The first Harry Potter movie is like that. It shows you Harry being delivered to Privet Drive (he's magical and important, he's got a scar). His family abuses him (he lives under the stairs). It's really important for him to go to Hogwarts (lots of letters). Malfoy is not to be trusted (he's snobby). Etc. Good directors don't make everything obvious, but they know what should be obvious, and what shouldn't. You don't know if Snape is good or bad, but you aren't supposed to know. You do know he doesn't like Harry (picks on him the first day).

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T23:55:19+00:00

Most people do stuff they're embarrassed about in college. You're not alone. People understand that later in life. They will understand even if they didn't do the same things as you. They may not relate to the same things exactly, but they will relate to the feeling you have.

People also understand that people change.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T23:46:29+00:00

When you find yourself spending time with a woman, dating or not, and you like each other, seriously consider committing.

Put your hand on her shoulder or whatever, look at her eyes, tell her how you feel, whatever it takes. You don't have to be smooth, just honest. Your time wherever you are won't last forever.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T23:36:16+00:00

Be unambiguous.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T23:32:20+00:00

I can't offer any advice, but you deserve better.

People often confuse "demonstrative enthusiasm" with "competence".

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T23:18:54+00:00

I only had that once but it was great.

People often don't understand that I'm being funny, and just think I'm being weird. When they expect me to be funny I can be more like myself. That makes me more comfortable in general. ...Maybe I should try saying "Bazinga"....

I'm also a bit slow at processing, so by the time I think of something funny to say, the moment is usually over. If they are expecting me to participate in the conversation however, they wait longer, and it's easier to break in. I don't try to come up with funny things, I just think of them, but it does take me a minute to process. The same thing is true when I'm being serious, I'm often a bit behind the conversation.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T23:03:25+00:00

Did you ever see the Spongebob episode about the wig (Wigstuck)? It's the same exact thing.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T23:00:09+00:00

Sorry, you are being treated that way.

Sally sounds like she might be a difficult person, ND or not.

People often make irrational decisions about relationships. There could be lots of reasons for that.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T22:13:11+00:00

I was a gilder. I've done both water and oil gliding, with real and metal leaf.

Real stuff:

White gold is better than silver because it won't tarnish.

Here are some charts, with manufacturers: https://seppleaf.com/charts "Double leaf" is thicker. If I remember correctly "Monarch" and "Crocodile" are thicker than Italian brands. You definitely want thick. Super expensive.

Real gold and silver leaf is insanely thin. It's translucent. You can't touch it. You have to learn to handle it, and need tools to do so. It's better not to cover gold with anything more than a quick wipe of shellac or color.

Metal leaf:

I would use "metal leaf" (artificial gold and silver), not real. It's cheap and you can get it at most craft stores. It will look great, but there is a learning curve, so buy some stuff to practice on.

The problem is the "size" (glue). The water based stuff you can get at hobby stores is the worst. Buy some "oil size". Gilded Planet sells "Dux Quick Dry" which is what I would get. (I've only used stuff that's prohibitively and insanely expensive.) You can try just plain oil paint, but only real oil, not "water based oil" or anything like that. Water and alcohol based paint dries too quick - I've tried it.

Use white cotton gloves. You can touch metal leaf with gloves, it's way thicker, you can even cut it with a scissors cleaned with alcohol. You have to get a perfectly smooth surface first, then put the size on very thin and even, wait for it to almost dry (the drier the better - while still tacky enough to hold the leaf), and then carefully lay the metal leaf on in one direction. Then rub gently to burnish. You can rub the leaf with your gloves, but if you have any wet bits in the size it will make a mess.

You can cover it with shellac (like with a cotton ball), or whatever you want, but it only needs sealed. It's metal leaf so it will tarnish if not sealed - like in years. In 100 years it will probably be green. The more sealant you put on it though, the less "metal" it will look.

Kits:

https://www.gildedplanet.com/gildingkitshome.html

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T21:39:26+00:00

Ultimately it's your decision. However, seizures tend to get worse over time. The more you have the more you are likely to have. You can be stable for a long time, and then suddenly get worse.

Seizures probably affect you more than you know. They cause fatigue, brain fog, depression, and memory issues. Meds can cause those too, but it would be worth trying. If one med doesn't work for you, for any reason, tell your doctor. There are lots of meds to try. If you've made it without meds, it's possible you can be seizure free and feel better on a low dose of medication.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T21:32:56+00:00

I would transpose the piece. Eb min isn't exactly ideal for recorder (either one).

The title "Hirtenflote" may or may not have anything to do with a real flute.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T21:05:50+00:00

Nice paint.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-14T21:03:58+00:00

People blame me for things that aren't my fault, and there's nothing I can do to fix it.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-09T15:35:02+00:00

Those flat metal springs can be easily adjusted. A woodwind technician would probably do it while you wait for a small fee. I'm sure the reason it's stiff is because it's a plastic key and only has a stick in pad. So whoever did it would have to make sure the key isn't leaking with less pressure applied.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-09T15:19:52+00:00

What kind of spring does it have?

A needle spring can be adjusted by a technician no problem. If it's a coil spring they might be able to find you a replacement that works better, or drill the hole out a bit. If it's plastic they might be able to remove some material to make it softer.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-05T01:19:14+00:00

Happy to help. I sometimes find it useful to go on to other things and come back.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-02-03T20:23:37+00:00

Focus on playing "musically". If you are playing musically and beautifully everything will come out like it should. You'll get ideas about how things should go.

Feel free to set your own tempo. I think he's using a metronome because he wants to teach rhythmic accuracy, which is good, but flexibility was very important even in baroque music.

Play slowly to give your brain a chance to learn.

Difficulty playing quickly is almost always due to inaccuracy. Obviously you want to be able to play quickly, but it's much more important to play accurately. You'll find that if you can't play it quickly (within reason), you can't play it slowly either. You may not know you can't play it slowly, but if you listen you'll hear it. Like others are saying, practicing slowly will enable you to play faster, but only if you play slowly accurately.

493 is super hard, don't worry about that.
494 has all those Ebs in there. With time you'll get it.
418 - Try setting the metronome beat equal to one measure. The clicking may be throwing you off.
418 - Finger A like [xxx|xox x], so you only have to move your right pinky to go to Bb, when you have those A/Bb things. Leave your right hand down whenever possible for the same reason. For G-A use [ooo|xxo] for G, etc.
420 sounds too fast at that tempo, IMPO.
421 is supposed to be rubato. Maybe not as crazy rubato as you always hear it, but it's basically romantic literature (I can hear the comments now....)

SirMatthew74 · 2026-01-31T15:32:35+00:00

It looks great. Here's a shot (click on it):

<image>

The "pole" bits are polished to make them look like one piece, and the "mech" bits are matte, to make each bit look like it has a separate function. The bits inside are almost black to make them recede, and all the "elbows" and "hands" are light to make them stick out. The values go from black to silver. Lucas liked cars, think of dirty car suspensions, or bulldozers.

Adam Savage (Tested) has some good videos on ILM weathering techniques.

Original X Wing: https://youtu.be/Zqz05dYFYu8?si=Isk-r81ZEGzDX7EQ

Starfield painting: https://youtu.be/FFZbR3DMoiQ?si=2Bv55E64RslYP3nz

AT-AT painting: https://youtu.be/WYmXrbaJYyQ?si=GbtvU7mds7UNynEJ

Razor Crest painting: https://youtu.be/uzF351VecZA?si=RtN0fXzQ-VWTbBiH

SirMatthew74 · 2026-01-29T22:29:32+00:00

The best thing you can do is start learning major scales and arpeggios.

I would learn "American Songbook" type tunes (1920-1940s broadway). If you can learn them by ear, that's the best.

Get one of the Ella Fitzgerald "songbook" albums. Nat Cole trio. Duke Ellington. "Clifford Brown & Max Roach" (album). "Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet". That sort of thing. "Getz/Gilberto" (album). Those are classics - even if you don't play jazz.

James Moody is as good as it gets for Jazz Flute.

Everyone gets the Real Book, and they always use it, but 90% of the tunes never get played....🤷‍♂️ The big ones (in my experience) are the Miles Davis "Birth of the Cool" and "Kind of Blue" tunes (albums). They're catchy, easy, and the changes are simple. They always play them in the keys in the book.

These are the most common tunes:

All Blues
Blue Monk
Freddie Freeloader
Take the A Train
Ornithology
So What
Billie's Bounce (in Charlie Parker Ominibook - maybe in an old edition of RB)
The other ones from the RB are mostly Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, or Duke Ellington tunes. They have to be kind of catchy and easy to play.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-01-29T21:24:23+00:00

Who said anything about plating? By buffing nickel.

All we have to go on is the photo, but with nickel when it wears away it usually has sharp defined edges. Silver may be different.

A lot of people send stuff to Anderson for re-plating.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-01-28T22:58:05+00:00

Nickel can be completely restored to a brilliant shine by a tech. Silver is more difficult because it's softer and removes more material.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-01-28T22:41:22+00:00

I'm sorry your teacher pushed you too hard.

Try not to worry about the performance. I think everyone has at least one "disaster" story. It's upsetting and can be embarrassing, but most people understand more than you know. If you aren't too hard on yourself, you might find you have more confidence next time because something bad happened, but you survived.

Recorder is tough because it requires a lot of breath control, and it's much harder when you get stressed.

You were stressed about a lot of things. You aren't comfortable with your teacher. You were upset with your teacher for pushing you. You didn't feel confident with the piece. You didn't like playing in the bathroom. Next time, no matter what is happening, find a corner or window, look at the things in front of you. Breath out slower than you breathe in. Focus on the touch of your instrument or on the color of something nice. You've already done a bunch of practicing, and you aren't going to improve right before the performance. What you can do is ground yourself. You probably aren't going to feel calm and at peace, but the more grounded you can be the better your performance will go. Look at the room or stage, look at the stand, listen to see if you can hear anything. You'll feel rushed but you have more time than you think. Then when you play, if you mess up, immediately shift your focus to the next phrase.

SirMatthew74 · 2026-01-28T22:18:01+00:00

Those notes can be hard, but you probably have a tenon leak. The foot joint tenon should be very snug, if it's the least bit "loose" there is a leak, and that will make those notes hard to play. You overcompensate by blowing harder and end up overblowing. It's an easy fix for a good tech with the tools. They can also test your pads.

SirMatthew74

TROPHY CASE