small wheel turning

A small scrap of steel, not sure what it started out as, found on the street, has been a tiny anvil for a while. Since it has a wider portion that makes a steady-ish base, it seemed like the right thing to add a small hemispherical divot in one corner, so as to hold the rounded head of escutcheon pins when using them as rivets. Sometimes Tool Girl makes tools as well as uses them...

I first smoothed out the top surface as best I could, using a range of abrasive wet/dry sandpaper, and then used some of these inexpensive industrial diamond points to grind the place that would serve to hold the rivet head. I have had a set of the diamond bits for a number of years now, and while they are not super-high quality*, they work well for the various odd things needed. Often they come in handy on the rare occasion that some enamel needs modified while in process, or should there be a small bit in the wrong place. The important thing is to remember that these sorts of points must ALWAYS be used underwater, just like when grinding enamel. The water serves to cool and to flush away any of the grinding debris from the abrasive.

* I find Harbor Freight to be a useful source of some small tools, depending on what you need them for. Not the most precise, and highly variable in quality, but the price is notably less, and for many things the tools are perfectly adequate. I have a set of drive hole punches for leather and soft materials that work just fine, as do these little points...

wishful wednesday - or the loss of baby bear's dishes...

I am a flake. I have been looking everywhere for weeks for my feast gear, missing since 12th Night... I found it yesterday. Along with an assortment of former citrus fruit, now green furry compost. My very favorite deep wooden bowl and small trencher were in the bag along with the mold farm. I am certain they cannot be restored to food safety. I am a sad flake, having both foolish attachments to inanimate objects that fulfill specific design niches in ways that made me very happy, and foolish resistance to change. While I may be able to find some other dishes suitable for eventing here at Acorn Cottage, there are none so "just right"...

media Monday and the memory of handswork

...long long ago, when the numbers next to my name were single digits, our plucky heroine was already someone with fingers that liked to learn things...

and one of the things they learned was how to braid four strands into a round cord. Maybe even before learning the more common three strand plait used for hair, since back then my hair was too short for pigtails. But the four strand plait has been a lifelong bit of useful knowledge, being so simple as to be unforgettable, and having a curiously satisfying appearance with the two colors spiraling around each other. A recent realisation, inspired by Norse whipcord braiding with bobbins, was that winding up the unbraided ends into neat weaving butterflies makes the braiding process a lot faster, as there is then no need to spend time untangling the loose ends.

:::

and just because it has been a while since I posted anything just for pretty...