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First coat of oil on the hall table. The ribbon figure from part 2 just turned to smoke under the finish. This is the moment that pays for all the sanding.

Squad done. Ten models, six weeks, one NMM recipe stretched across every pauldron. The client wanted 'parade ground' — I heard 'cabinet grade' and nobody complained.

Kiln unloading day. The ash glaze broke amber on exactly four of twelve — the kiln gives and the kiln takes. Those four are going straight to the shop before I get attached.

Oak tan card wallets are back. Six per batch because each one is seven hundred stitches and I have one pair of hands.

Friday night forge session. Two blades drawn out, one elbow surviving. The file steel is moving like butter tonight — century-old carbon has moods and tonight it's generous.

Twelve text blocks in the press overnight. The nipping press is older than my grandmother and still pulls a truer squeeze than anything made this century.