Nerves of Steel, Part I

Far be it from me to suggest our workshop is a doubt-free workplace, especially with Seamus (another post for another time) lurking about, planning his next shenanigan, and generally pursuing his goal of slowly driving us insane, but on occasion even I'm surprised by just how wrong a simple step - a VERY simple step - can fall. 

(fun fact: fountain pen nibs remind me of ballerina feet)

Earlier this year we picked up one (or possibly more) of David Broadwell's gorgeous Nouveau Sceptre fountain pens and a gorgeous White & Gold Matrix TruStone blank to go with it. I tend to prefer juxtaposition to simple harmony, and after looking at the stone blank, I decided to go with a Black Titanium finish for the pen's hardware. Chrome would have been gorgeous, but there's something about the Black Titanium that makes the Gold Matrix pop and gives the pen a little bit of edge.

I just *knew* this pen was going to be a favorite. How could it possibly go wrong? What could possibly knock me off my cloud of absolute certainty? I'm an adult with multiple college degrees and a boatload of skills, right?

Yes, yes I am!

And absolutely NO spatial awareness. Could I have paid more attention while using the drill press? Sure. I COULD have paid more attention, but I like to live on the edge and turn a simple job into a delicate job. It's not easy being me, but it sure is fun.

At this point, with any other material, it's possible I would've started over with another blank; however, TruStone isn't a material you just walk away from. It's also extremely sensitive: it cracks, it chips, and if you aren't careful, it's blows out. I was far too distracted by the fear of blowout when I drilled this one and spent too much time worrying about the bottom of the blank, rather than centering it at the top. Lesson learned, my friends. 

So...believing Seamus (the studio poltergeist) was satisfied with the amount of chaos I was going through trying to turn a blank that was as far off center as one could get, I forged ahead. I have steady hands and nerves of steel, right? I can still save this. 

Right? 

I'll tell you what happened next, in Nerves of Steel, Part II (coming later this week!)