My storage cleanup unearthed the book press I started with.

Its heft tells a story new gadgets can't match.

4 comments

4 Comments

That weight you're talking about, it's not just the metal, is it. Does holding it now bring back the specific feel of those first projects, the mistakes and the lessons you only learn by doing something physically? I wonder if using tools with that kind of history changes how you approach your work today, compared to just tapping on a screen.

paul8726d agoTop Commenter

lol maybe but sometimes a heavy pan is just a heavy pan, you know?

margaret7361mo ago

Yeah, it's not even really about my memories. That worn down spot on the handle? It's the tool's own story. It got that way from being used, a lot, by someone before me. My grandpa's old mallet is all beat up, and holding it makes me think about the work it did, not just the guy who did it. It makes the work feel bigger than just me, like I'm part of a longer job.

theas281mo ago

My buddy Mike found his grandpa's old cast iron skillet buried in a shed. He said the second he lifted it, he could smell Sunday breakfasts from twenty years ago, bacon and pancakes. That pan has a groove worn into it from a million eggs. Now when he cooks with it, he says he's not just making food, he's adding another layer to something that already has a full life. Makes you wonder what our stuff will say about us someday, right?