Damaged calm

Time to run!

A few words on the nick that kept bleeding

How many times has this happened! something VERY minor happens and then all of a sudden everything grinds to a halt.

I had just finished putting a sharp edge a small cleaver for a fellow when i simply reached over it to grab a pencil (goldfaber 12212B). in that motion i so ever lightly bumped the knife with my thumb.

When something so minor grinds everything to a halt.
1.1 stub nib for scale.

straight into some sort of blood vessel because damn if that nick didn't just keep volunteering blood. tried to work but had to keep stopping because it would keep opening up. at one point i had a tissue wadded up on the end with about a foot of electricians tape tightly binding it.

finally concerned that my finger was going to turn blue and fall off, i had to stop working

what a waste of time, there was no real pain, no chance of infection and no loss of limb, 

but 

that was that.

for the record i am a very careful worker but even the most careful amongst us will have an accident every now and then.

Chronodex weeks 13 through 17 not as many photos as i would of liked

As much as I hate to see time pass,

i am so pleased that the past two months are over.

i can always depend on my moment of making the chronodex to be the most measurable lengths of rest in the busiest of days. 

3.22.2015 chronodex
"pop-up border chronodex"
pilot prera with calligraphy nib
esterbrook no 20 clip
staedtler 502 sharpener

3.23.2015 chronodex
"pop-up lobed chronodex"
kaweco AL sport
esterbrook no 20 clip
morning glory .38 red
maica hi-tec C red
doane pocket notebook

3.27.2015 chronodex
"partial chronodex"

3.29.2015 chronodex
"spouting chronodex"
Esterbrook with a 2556 nib
prismacolor pc916 canary

3.30 and 3.31.15 chronodex
"glasses on chronodex"
kaweko AL sport
esterbrook 20 clip
charvoz drafting pencil
doane pocket notebook

3.30 and 3.31.2015 chronodex
"glasses off chronodex"
kaweko AL sport
esterbrook 20 clip
charvoz drafting pencil
doane pocket notebook

4.3.2015 chronodex
"pop-up border chronodex"
TWSBI fountain pen
esterbrook 20 clip
doane pocket notebook
winecrate clipboard

4.6.2015 chronodex
"pop-up border chronodex"
waltham fountain pen
esterbrook 20 clip
charvoz drafting pencil

4.12.2015 chronodex
"long tailed star chronodex"
morning glory .38 red
pink radar eraser
esterbrook 20 clip
pentel graphicgear 500 pencil

4.20.2015 chronodex
"ribbon badge chronodex"
doane pocket notebook
esterbrook 20 clip
eagle turquoise drafting pencil

4.21.2015 chronodex
"heart border chronodex"
pilot 78G B
morning glory .38 red
triconderoga triangular pencil
doane pocket notebook

4.26.2015 chronodex
"3 layered chronodex"
pilot 78 G B
Eagle turquoise drafting pencil
morning glory .38 red
Campus 2B eraser
esterbrook 20 clip
doane pocket notebook

 

4.26.2015 chronodex
"Assembled 3 layered chronodex"
pilot 78 G B
Eagle turquoise drafting pencil
morning glory .38 red
Campus 2B eraser
esterbrook 20 clip
doane pocket notebook

Full Extreme Croquet set with Posts

A full set of 6 extreme croquet mallets heading off to Canada.

To hell with cookie cutter sets and tools:

There is always some variety when making each mallet. i absolutely prefer to treat each one as its own unit and although they all have the same 2x2 stripe theme, each one is slightly different in height, girth and weight. on top of that there are three hardwoods represented here in the head: bubinga, paduak and one fish scale oak head.

each striker is as unique as the player controlling them.

 with a set of mallets it is only natural to fullfill the buyers request for a set of posts that reflect their colors.

I am particularly drawn to those century past posts that are decoratively turned.

it this case i had 2 nice oak table legs that had some interesting detail. I simply rasped and sanded into final shape. painted and clear coated a finish. and finally drilled out a hole in the top to place a flag if the game director so desires.

individually wrapped and tied firmly together with some remnants from a quilt a family member made for me. after this photo i attached the walls and the top of the crate, packed in more bubble wrap and then fit into a large box.

there is a reward in finishing any project

but

i must admit a full set is something special!

non-newtonian jig

Working on my dance moves:

The youngest son had a "science" themed gift that i may sort of took over.

Wine cork pen rest

This is as simple as it gets 

but 

DAMN if it isn't a well functioning solution.

i keep a LARGE bag of wine corks next to a 36" bench top grinder. every now and then i just pull one out and make a cork pen rest. the entire process takes a few minutes and the final result ends up being more refined then one might think. I appreciate many aesthetics but when it come to a pen rest i personally prefer a bit more of a clean look. after all in a way it is acting as a pedestal for a fine writing instrument.

the process is 4 simple steps:

1.   i flatten the bottom of the cork. i remove as much cork as i want the overall height of the final rest.

2.  i square up the sides. this removes the chewed up marks from the corkscrew and can remove wine stains if desired.

3.  with a dremel rotary tool and a small sanding drum i gouge out a notch for the rest. i do try to keep the marks i make crisp. because a cork is so curved i like the contrasting hard edges.

4.  i give it a quick spray of helmsmen spray. i like the clear coat slightly wet look. cork is so textured and this treatment makes variance more dramatic. 

different style of corks work equally well. for the more sparkling type corks i do not worry about squaring off the top and sometimes i don't square of either side.

Chronodex week 9,10 and 11 not always time for a photo

Taking that final photo of an image is my way of punctuating the chronodex making process.

however

as the past few weeks have shown that can not always be done.

upon review of this post i sort of feel as if i have failed at this endeavor. only 8 images to show for 19 working days. although photos do not take long to produce they are still an additional element that can consume just enough time during those periods when time is too precious. 

chronodex 2.23.2015
"star dangling chronodex"
doane pocket notebook
nock co dot dash index cards
twsbi mini
esterbrook no 20 clip
esterbrook cord clip
stainless steel sharpie

chronodex 2.26.2015
"three border fold chronodex"
doane pocket notebook
nock co dot dash index cards
esterbrook lj 

chronodex 2.27.2015
"magnified chronodex"
waltham fountain pen
morning glory red
doane pocket notebook
esterbrook clip

chrono 3.1.2015
"windowed border chronodex"
doane pocket notebook
esterbrook no 20 clip
sharpie stainless steel
esterbrook lj
eagle turquoise drafting pencil

chronodex 3.3.2015
"point of the page chronodex"
doane pocket notebook
nock co dot dash index card
chavoz drafting pencil
twsbi mini
esterbrook no 20 clip
wine crate clipboard

chronodex 3.6.2015
"highlighted stripes chronodex"
doane pocket notebook
morning glory red

chronodex 3.12 and 3.13.2015
"simple chronodex"
kaweko skyline
eagle turquoise drafting pencil
esterbrook no 20 clip
doane pocket notebook

chronodex 3.15.2015
"fenix lit chronodex"
fenix
hl human pelican clip
doane pocket notebook
nock co dot dash index card
kaweco al fountain pen
chavoz drafting pencil
esterbrook no 20 clip

in fact, i am quite sure that there is a direct relationship with how many photos of chronodex i have and the ridiculous demands of my job at times.