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
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