Pass the torchie on the left hand side

Took my first metalsmithing class last night at the Craft Guild of Dallas. Had wayyy too much fun with the torch. Actually, I was scared, and still am. I'll get over it. Our teacher taught us a mneumonic device for remembering how to usethe torch: GOOG. Gas on, Oxygen on, Oxygen off, Gas off. When it was my turn I GOOGed and nothing happened. No fire, no hiss, only the stench of natural gas. "You have to light the torch," my teacher patiently reminded me. Oooooh. Yeah. So I did G then O then - WAIT! "Light the torch after Gas on but before Oxygen on." I rolled my eyes and laughed at myself and said, "Then shouldn't it be GLOOG instead of GOOG?" That got both a good laugh and a flame. I annealed my first piece of copper until it turned a pretty dark color, picked it up with my tweezers and yelled, "Hot metal!" and walked it over to the dousing bowl then put it into the pickle pot. Round of applause for Tefi. I took half a metalsmithing class about four years ago at the Creative Arts Center in East Dallas but got bored with my project and quit. I created a design that was just too dang difficult for a newbie and got fed up when it turned out to be so much work that everyone else had moved on and I was still polishing my piece of dirt pendant. (Note to self: Keep it simple in the beginning.) (Note to teachers: Don't let your big-dreaming students start off with a difficult project.) I really think I'm going to like this class a lot. More reporting will be forthcoming, especially after my first project next week which will be to make a sterling silver ring band. Will I marry me? I do!