PROUDLY WAVING TINY TOOLS AROUND

Greatly to my surprise I have discovered that there is too much sandpaper. And I vaguely recall that the solution to all of life's problems has often involved buying more of it. Several different grits, rough to silky.
No, I have never thought of myself as a "handy" man.
Like most book-bound neurotics, I 'putz'.
There is no toolkit in the apartment.
A few wrenches here and there.
As well as a hammer or two.

AND A VERY FINE AWL

Lordy the Japanese make lovely awls! Stunning and sensuous. I have no actual use for an awl -- though at some point it will probably prove worth having around the house, if I can find it at the time -- but this one was just too nice to pass up. It is a very elegant object. I was thinking of drawing two little googoo eyes on the handle to make it look like the head of a beaky insectivorous fantasy critter, but that would have lessened its sleek-formed beauty.

An awl, as I understand it, is a tool to poke leather.
There are no sheets of leather that require poking in this apartment.
No, I shall not purchase any. My very tolerant apartment mate would be convinced that I had gone off the deep end if I did, and truth be told it is doubtful that I would make a good leather-worker.

Though my digits are useful in other ways.

I've done some book-binding, and I'm extremely familiar with printing and graphic design. Etching and engraving, dark rooms, and offset presses. Used to be more involved with type-faces and layout. As well as minor woodworking, the restoration of collectible tobacco pipes, and carving Chinese seals using an ancient script.

Plumbing is not entirely a mystery -- the concepts are quite clear -- but there have been NO attempts to perform anything in that field. Nor any electric experiments with wiring, or rewiring; the closest I've come to that is screwing in lightbulbs. Caulking, priming, painting...... been there, done that, adhered to lines and boundaries, and haven't spattered or spilled.
I paint a mean rectangular wall-area, and am exceptionally good (neurotic) at colour matching.
But, as you can see, I do not represent the acme of mechanical problem fixer, repair chore expert, machinery taker-aparter, or general household improvement specialist.
Hence probably not suitable husband material.
Make-do and jury-rig as necessary.

The world is held together by three things: duct tape, binder clips, and big rubber bands.

Multiple sets of tiny screwdrivers. For tiny screws.
High quality draughting equipment.
Several seal-carving knives.
Needle-nosed pliers.
Sandpapers.
Awl.


Awl.



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