Projects & Plans

I am still getting the Waystation sorted out. Randiromar is a mess, yet things always get worse before they get better. That seems to be the way of things.

I have my Elven hunting knife out....I am sanding the blade with very fine sand paper. I never did put a seriously bright finish on it, and I probably won't this time, yet it needs work and I will pretty it up some. I still have to put the new grip and its metal furniture on it as well. Then build the sheath.

I also have my DelTin sword out. This was their unlicensed version of Glamdring from way back in the mid-80s. A fine blade it is too, and one of my favorites. Certainly my favorite longsword...as in single had sword, not hand and a half, not two-hand, just an ordinary, single hand sword. The blade has a slight leaf shape to it, the quillions are lovely, and the pommel piece is simply awesome. :) In any case, she too will get some work done on the blade, and she is getting a new scabbard..this one wood core, leather wrapped, with metal locket and chape. A new belt will be made as well. I personally prefer the double-wrap sort, although this one may not be one of those. I will do tooling on it, as on the scabbard.

I am hoping, at some point, to have them with me on a good ramble, preferably multi-day, along with the bow I always carry. Some camp photos and video would be good, I think. :)

A new quiver is up for construction. I am thinking this one will have an integral 'sleeve' at the top such that I can draw it up and cover the flights of the arrows, protecting them for travel purposes. I may add bone 'separators' at the mouth, I am not certain yet. A proper three point harness, some tooling, some utility pouches I can add or remove at will, that should see things done well.

New clothing, to include hoods, is up as well. I have integral hoods on most of my cloaks...yet I am leaning more toward a simple hoodless cloak and a separate mantled hood. A little more flexibility I think. The one can get wrapped into the bedroll, or around it, and the other can be worn on its own, much as I wear the green hood I currently have.

I am finally getting around to filing edges onto many of my medieval type arrowheads. At the moment, the swallow tails, two sizes of them. I cannot hunt with them here since barbed arrows are a no-no, yet I will have them anyway, just as I have bodkins, and standard, points. I do have hunting broadheads, mind. So yes, new arrows are coming soon to photos on this blog. Along with the rest of it.

Also up; spare bowstrings. I am a fan of spare strings, yes indeed.

Finally, once I get the bowyers' bench set up, I'll turn out some more bows. I should get some worth something if I keep at it long enough. ;)

Alassë Celebrindal
(Ningaeareth)

Podcast & Waystation

A fellow Ranger, and friend, alerted me to a new podcast; The Prancing Pony Podcast'. This began in February this year. I have just begun listening and I am enjoying it immensely! Soon they will begin reading the Silmarillion, one chapter at a time, followed by The Hobbit, and after..The Lord of the Rings. I am so looking forward to this! I do love the discussions of Tolkiens' other works, the Masters' opinions on his works, etc. I highly recommend it for those who, like myself, live in Middle Earth as well as this mundane one, who spend far more time than most folk in their secondary reality.

More clearing of the Waystation. It has been empty and idle for too long. Soon it will be a proper Waystation once again, with supplies and gear as might be needed by Rangers operating in the area. Since there is only myself at the moment, this is easily done. ;)

Two hickory bowstaves to turn into bows. Ranger bows, in particular. I have a specific design in mind for the bows used by the Forandiri. Arrows too. Since I can crest them now, I shall be exploring various designs suitable for our Rangers here.

Leather work too. I am also (finally) building the box bellows I need for a very small forge with which I hope to make my own arrowheads.

Other wood working; flutes, lyres, harps, that sort of thing. Good instruments for a Ranger, aye.

If ever I have the space I shall be working on a kind of wood strip 'canoe'/boat for our Ranger use.

Finally, I am having a flag made of the Northern Rangers icon. A full 3'x5' nylon silk-screened flag. Other, smaller kinds, we'll paint silk for. It is just this first one that will be made of modern materials.

Considering the forge...I may be able to make spearheads with it....perhaps some Gondorian or Numenorean types. That would be shiny indeed. It depends on the size I make the firebrick forge. I shall be using a piece of railroad track as an anvil, and that will have something to do with it as well.

Busy Ranger here. Randiromar in Nandalad will be up and running by Cerveth!

Alassë Celebrindal
(Ningaeareth)

News and Projects

I have changed the name and url again...Randiromar/randiromar.blogspot.com.

With a bit of a nudge, and a little guidance, I have set about restructuring and narrowing my (rather scattered) focus. Since I have completed my Colonial projects, as well as a variety of other sort, I find I am disinterested in adding projects that are not primarily archery, Tolkien, or hunting in nature to the list. Too, the making of arrows and bows seems to be a path I ought to follow as I find I am quite good at these without having to work too terribly hard to get there. A gift, perhaps. The nudge and guidance come from....outside...as it were. I can pick up hints pretty well, although these weren't so much hints as directives of a gentle sort. There is nothing at all wrong with being directed down a path dealing with things one is already partial to and enjoys. :)

As a result I am packing away hordes of books I do not use or read any longer, packing away games I do not play and probably will not play for a goodly bit of time, selling what I can of this stuff, and in their place the bookshelves will contain a narrower selection of items, much of it to do with making, building, and research. There will also be more space for the organization of tools, not to mention space to erect the bowyers' bench so I can work on bows without having to melt or be eaten alive out of doors.

The place really is becoming a Ranger Waystation, and I am fine with that. Surely I do keep my flutes and harps here...I am a Ranger-Bard after all...and I am building those too. Primarily, however, I shall be making arrows and bows, and photos will be taken and placed on my pages and I shall make them available for purchase should anyone want them. For barter as well, I may add.

I shall start making my own arrow shafts as well. Rather than purchasing them, I might well be able to split and round my own, such that I can make any diameter shaft necessary. My bowyer and fletcher tools are nearly complete now. All that remains is the sharpening of my skills. I have already begun exploring the carving and shaping of bone and antler for nocks and other pieces. I have a specific kind of bow in mind for Rangers, especially for future Forandiri.

Making strings I am still new to, yet that skill is growing swiftly. The leather items that go along with this pursuit are also things I can easily make, yet am developing my own styles in. I also wish to sort out quivers that can serve as both mounted and dismounted carriers. Some already exist, of course, yet I have my own designs in mind.

I have the froe and my axes, so making billets for bows is no problem at all. When I clear enough space in here, I shall even make a few shelves for the seasoning of some of these. In the future lies the attempt to build composite bows...and horsebows.

Here soon I shall be sorting a small (very small) clay forge for the purpose of forging my own arrowheads. Once I master that I will at last be able to make them to suit any shafting and in the quantities I need without having to break the bank to do it.

At sixty Summers, I am finally finding a civilian pursuit for which my peculiar skills and nature are well suited. Success for me won't be determined by selling, rather it will be determined (for me) by the quality of things I make. Selling would be nice, at least to some degree, though it will not ever be the measure of my success.

These are things in store for the immediate future of Randiromar in Nandalad.

Be well. May the Valar smile upon you and yours.

Alassë Celebrindal

Fun with Names & Update

I did finally finish, essentially, the lyre. I have not painted it, simply stained and put a coat of sealant on it....painting it is still an option, if ever I can decide on a design. I have not made the case as of yet either, although that is not far off.

I have been playing the Native American flutes of late. I found the instructions for the kit, finally, so I can decide on the key and drill the holes for it. I also have a drone kit (key of G), which needs finishing and polishing. These are very simple instruments for a Ranger to carry about, a very nifty thing.

Soon I shall be working on more arrows, bows, and leather kit to go with them. I have been busy clearing the decks of various projects and those are now coming to a close.

The Ranger knapsack will be one of the first things up for completion. An extensive project, I need to replace the web straps with leather, add leather reinforcing panels and protective panels, etc. I also need to sink it in the walnut hull dye for a while.

I found a name generator that takes your real name and turns out a name in Sindarin. Two different generators in fact.

The first one gave me Alassë Oronrá, no meaning given.

The second one gave me Ningaeareth, meaning 'Tears of the Sea'.

I like both of them, to be honest. The first is easy, of course, flows smoothly. The second is a bit more complicated, yet once mastered, also flows fairly smoothly...and I do like the added meaning for it.

I suppose I do not really need to replace 'Eledhwen', although I have been a touch uncomfortable with it as it means 'Elf Shine' or 'Elf Beauty', and I am neither. Too, it is the name of a character in the Silmarillion....Morwen, mother of Turin Tarambar. I've often tried to come up with a new name, yet none of them felt right. The two above do feel acceptable...although the first is the more likely choice as I'd have to constantly instruct people on pronouncing it properly. Still, I adore the meaning of it.

Both generators will give the same result for the same name input, although the second one will vary depending on choices like gender, marital status, age, etc. If I specify married, I get Dringol; Wise Hammerer. If I specify no attachment, I get Ningaeareth; Tears of the Sea. Both of those derive from my name yet change based on the age/attachment function. If I instead choose a random name over one derived from my own, I get; Noruives; Sunny Wife/Married Woman, or I get Melenil; Yellow Female/Yellow Woman. Melenil is actually rather nice.

The first generator offers no meaning....and it never changes unless you change your name input. Alasse Oronra. Not bad, really. If I substitute my middle name 'Anne' for my last name, I still get Alasse, but the surname, such as it is, changes to Celebrindal. Interesting, really.

Yes, having fun with Elvish...again. ;)

Nandolad has been quiet, and as a result, Nandaromar has also been quiet. Pleasantly so.

More pics and things to come in the not distant future.

Alassë Oronrá (Ningaeareth)