Mack,
Apologies if this is more of a critique or more advice than you wanted, your first post seems to invite it.
I selected the first image just because the contrasting background is needed. I didn't like the amount of glare. Putting a cheap white bed sheet between your light source or sources and the item being photographed can diffuse the light and cut a lot of the glare. Light tents are pretty cheap too and are used the same way. Someone was using a folding light tent at the club meeting I attended to shoot the tools and turnings accompanying a demo.
I was seriously into photography a few years back and might be able to help those interested in improving their images. However it should be borne in mind that out of over 100,000 images I never took a perfect one. My standards are pretty high.
Hu