First contemporary post

There are some big changes going on here.

First of all, this is the first post to be wholly written on the day it's marked at the bottom. Quite a breakthrough, if you overlook the fact that this is actually the first day this blog has ever existed.

Second: you may be asking yourself about the new background and contemplating its meaning. Since you press me, I admit I can't explain it, but it's pretty damn aesthetically pleasing if you ask me.


TO BUSINESS:

I'm feeling pangs of shame that my only bladesmithing experience thus far has been with 1018 mild steel; fairly equivalent to lower-end viking-age steel alloys but still useless as far as holding a cutting edge or withstanding any sort of heat-treat to allow for differential hardness-to-flexibility ratios throughout the blade.

I'm also feeling pangs of trepidation considering the considerable flaws in my craftsmanship: uneven hammer marks in thinning the edge of the blade, resulting in a slightly wavy edge, exacerbated by a poor handling of edge filing and grinding. What the trepidation is all about is fear that these mistakes indicate that I'm not cut out for bladesmithing and that I should save myself the shame and give up now.

So it's true. Craftsmanship is heartbreaking.

I'm afraid of the next step: working with high-carbon steel in the form of a railroad spike. But it's the only way to go on. I realize that my mistakes aren't failures, but I consider what I produce to be a tangible definition of me and literally the only exact the measure of my skill, and every mistake I make is a reason to get it right next time.

Or at least to pay attention, because I don't have ignorance as an excuse anymore.