#material showcase

[the-uncrafting-table]

Pearl

beautiful, beautiful pearls. made from calcium carbonate (mainly aragonite and calcite in crystal form) they are made by shelled mollusks as a response to irritants within the body.

Any shelled mollusk is capable of creating them, it's not just clams! Like take this beautiful melo melo pearl, made by the Indian Volute or Bailer Shell snail. They are extremely rare and expensive, selling for $20,000 for just one.

If you wanna see the biggest pearl ever found, look no further than this 61 lb. monstrosity valued at 100 million dollars!

Remember how I mentioned that pearls are formed to cover and soothe foreign irritants in the shell? Well that normally comes from regular old sand, but it can also be other things, like uhh... live fish mayhaps?

it's even intentionally cultivated sometimes, as with these buddha-shaped pearls made by placing tiny metal figurine against a pearl oyster's soft tissues

While mostly used for jewelry, pearl powder is also found in some skincare products, as well as being a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient, used to treat convulsions and skin diseases. I don't really know how effective the first medicinal claim is, but from what I hear, the antioxidant properties work great!

lastly of course, there's honorary mention of Dragon Pearls, which contrary to popular myth are not technically real pearls, but bezoars typically formed from the bones and gastroliths in a dragon's stomach. Believed to have lucky properties, their over-collection has threatened native dragon populations to the point that sales of them are now banned in most countries. We here at Uncraft hold a firm belief in that rule too, so don't go asking for any of those!

well, that's all my pearls of wisdom for today! We'll see you tomorrow!

[the-uncrafting-table]

Fabric pt. 3- Use Cases

Sorry about the long wait for updates friends! Merv's been on a multi-month trade trip, gathering up a bunch of fascinating new materials for the store! Our leporine friend should be coming back soon though, and while he does let's look at a new notable examples of fabric craftsmanship!

Fabrics such as the tartans showcased above, as well as these traditional Kente cloths from Ghana and this Keffiyeh from Palestine, hold great significance in their patterns and colors. Histories, family names- whole stories are written into the shape of this fabric.

And speaking of writing, that's something also done throughout history on many pieces of fabric, such as these mummy wrappings from Ancient Egypt.

of course I must mention the ubiquitous canvas painting- some of my personal favorites being the works of Rothko and De Chirico.

of course fabric art isn't just done by painting on it! take this quilt called "Colorful Japan" by Pat Holly, or this incredible aerial view embroidery by Victoria Rose Richards.

And you know what the distinctive padded texture of quilting reminds me of? Traditional armor padding, there to provide extra layers of stab-proofiness and keep one's metal armor from chafing the body.

In the event that you do find yourself sustaining injury, you're in good luck because fabric can help there too, with bandages and suture thread soaking up the excess bleeding and holding those pesky open wounds shut to prevent infection or worse.

and speaking of threads again, I can't not mention the absolute mastery that goes into using lace-making bobbins. can you even imagine keeping track of this many little sticks all dancing around?

if lace isn't your thing, and you're more of the practical (and nautical) type, you may find yourself in close proximity to fishing nets, canvas sails, and ropes often made of hemp, cotton or sisal fibers.

back at home and in the kitchen, two cloths that have seen their use over the years are cheese cloth (used for straining and firming its namesake) and flour sacks, which during the Great Depression began to be produced in many beautiful designs as their manufacturers rose to meet demands of those who couldn't afford a more expensive dress-making fabric.

if you do want the fancy stuff though, I can point you in the right direction there- the famous and once-lost technique of Dhaka muslin, so fine you can pull a whole saree through a wedding ring, and precious metal threads like those in the coronation dress of Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of Russia (1855-1880).

lastly, I'll mention a beloved favorite the worlds over, always there to bring joy and love- the plushie.

That's all for now! Hopefully our next showcase doesn't take quite as long, but until then I hope you have a lovely day.

[the-uncrafting-table]

Shell

we sell seashells by the seashore this sunny Sunday, folks. seashells come in many beautiful and varied designs, such as the infamously iridescent abalone, the starlike long spined limpet, and this rose nautilus shell that almost looks too good to be real

this is the largest snail shell in the world, belonging to the Syrinx Auranus or False Trumpet snail. These behemoths can weigh up to 40 lbs.!

of course the biggest, as we all know, are giant clams, weighing in at a whopping 440!

I also can't not mention the ingenious design of the violet sea snail (Janthina Janthina) which uses clear chitin air bubbles in its shell to float about harmlessly on the water's surface.

in terms of uses nowadays, you'll mostly find shells in jewelry or kitschy decorations

as well as the rare and expensive modern use of handmade mother of pearl inlay

but, as with all the previous materials, shells have their historic uses as well, for things like early axes, shovels, scrapers, fishhooks, and even oil lamps. And of course, the shell trumpet.

I bet you can't guess what the windowpane oyster was historically used for

shells have been used for buttons for many years too! works like a charm!

of course there are the luxury nonsensities, as there always are. Like this nautilus cup from 1600s Netherlands

shells were even used as currency themselves at one point, like the quahog clamshell wampum of the Iroquois, or cowrie shells traded all over Africa and Asia

of course, it's not just seashells that were used. We know how much of an impact the popularity of real turtleshell goods had on wild populations. With our new 30th century tools though, such cruelties are a thing of the distant past, being able to recreate authentic hawksbill shell down to the molecular level! Don't you just love modern technology?

Oh, here's another thing shells are good for! the calcium carbonate in them can be burned and crushed down to make a kind of quicklime for concrete. Maybe you'll see the return of that later for our cement showcasing, eh?

lastly, I feel it necessary to mention at least one tale of caution in working with shells. Gillian Genser made this beautiful sculpture of Adam, the first man, from blue mussel shells. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to her at the time, the filter-feeding of bivalves like the mussels she worked with cause an accumulation of heavy metals in the shells, the fine dust of which was inhaled by her over time and led to lifelong disability from poisoning. We love to say that artists suffer for their work, but in this case that's a suffering I'd rather you avoid if you know you should!

My beautiful death - Toronto Life

I spent 15 years sanding and grinding mussel shells to create my sculptures. I had no idea they were slowly killing me

well that's all for now! I'll shelve the shells for another day, and see you tomorrow!

[the-uncrafting-table]

Horn

ah the humble horn. made of keratin (or bone in the case of antlers), horns are typically found on ungulate creatures such as cows, sheep, antelope, deer and unicorn. they can have quite impressive shapes sometimes, such as in the curling spirals of markhor goats or the temperature-regulating satellite dishes of watusi cattle

in cows and deer, the loss of horn isn't typically too much of an issue, being naturally shed by the latter every year and in the former capable of trimming as one would a fingernail. We don't typically use them much nowadays outside of hobbyist artworks, but at one point in history they were vital

Did you know that before baking soda became popular, bakers used a material called hartshorn, which was made by the drying and distillation of red deer antlers?

there's also the famous viking drinking horns, and the traditional Jewish shofar, still used in ceremonies to this day

before we had widespread usage of plastic and glass, hollow cow's horns would be cut into sections, unrolled and polished to a level of transparency/translucency that made them useful as window panes or for children's hornbooks used to teach reading

And of course, I couldn't make a list of horns without mentioning those of the unicorn and dragon, used for ages in all manner of magic and medicine

That's all for now! see you again next time!

[the-uncrafting-table]

Fabrics Pt. 1- Natural Fibers

Thus far we've discussed the types of fabric which can be derived from animals, but there are just as many if not more to be found in plants as well.

Perhaps the most well-known is cotton. Sturdy, comfy, and versatile, it's a plant around which much of history and agriculture is based.

There's also linen, most famous for its usage in the wrappings of Egyptian mummies. Linen's use goes far beyond just that though in space and time, being still quite commonly used to this day. It dries faster than cotton, making it an excellent fabric to be used in hot weather, but the process of extraction and processing also makes it a more expensive and less ubiquitous form of fiber.

Of course plenty have heard of hemp, strong, comfy and easy to work with, perhaps only uncommon because of the plant's other most common use (which you can legally get here too- more on that later)

Speaking of non-fabric uses for these plants, I'll take a slight detour to point out the seeds and oils of flax and cotton, used often in cooking (and not full of evil mystery chemicals, despite what some may tell you)

Moving back to the fabrics, there's a decent amount to be found in the trees. The most well known is probably barkcloth, a traditional artform of Africa and Austronesia made by beating strips of fibrous inner bark into flexible sheets. In the Pacific Northwest of America, native peoples like the Tlingit used a similar process to shred, plait and weave cedar bark into cloth.

regenerated cellulose, a byproduct of the lumber industry, is used often in synthetic fibers like rayon, being easy to manufacture and use.

less well known or used are the fibers of banana peel and kapok tree seed pods, though the resulting fabrics are no less strong and soft.

bamboo, while not being a tree, deserves mention here as well for finding use in both sturdy strong structures and soft & supple settings.

Coir, made from the hair of coconut shells, is quite coarse and thus unused in clothing, though it is quite efficient for things like holding the soil of garden beds in a way that encourages the plants to flourish.

in the Philippines, the fibrous leaves of the pineapple plant are turned into a delicate and luxurious fabric known as Piña.

and in the Americas, agave plants have their fibers extracted to make a strong and sturdy cloth, as well things like rope.

plants like the stinging nettle have been used since the Late Neolithic to make yarn, proving to be one of the earliest known examples of spun and woven fiber! what a blast from the past!

of course, I also can't forget to mention that old classic, the golden threads made of Gretel Straw (Triticum Fanticauris). Absolutely exhausting to make so I'm told, but oh so worth it.

lastly, while it isn't plant based I should like to point out the existence of Qmilch, a rather unique fiber made via the chemical treatment of milk proteins, producing a lovely silk-like thread and making good use of spoiled product that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Well I'll wrap this up here! apologies for the wait on our latest showcase, managerial work and structural maintenance issues keep us sew busy these days. Hopefully the next will be out much sooner though! Until then, take care!

[the-uncrafting-table]

Metals pt. 1- Standard Metal

Metal's not just for music! That ever-incredible shiny mineral substance forms the basis of so many things in our everyday lives, from buildings and vehicles to tiny computer parts and priceless medical equipment. Today, we'll look at a few of the most well-known examples.

of course there's everyone's favorite, the stuff nations fought over and alchemists spent their lives trying to create- gold. Its relative rarity on a global scale is what generally gives gold its agreed-upon value (enough so as to form the basic standard for most economies still operating to this day) but what I personally find interesting about it are its practical properties- namely, the gold leafing of illuminated manuscripts, and the many electronics which rely on its electric-conducting and chemical-resisting properties to work.

Moving along to silver, this metal is less rare than its yellow counterpart but still considered highly valuable, and equally employed for use in jewelry and money as well as fine drink ware like this antique tea set. Considered a holy metal, its historical utilization in the backing of mirrors and chemical development of photos is what gave rise to the myth of invisible vampires (and relatedly, the werewolf's silver bullet) though we all know these to be simply untrue. Vampires are invisible for other reasons.

I should also like to make note of the antimicrobial properties of silver, which allow it to be used effectively in antiseptic treatments.

also known for its sanitizing properties is copper, that ever-steady workhorse of the electronics and construction industries. you can rest assured that all copper sold here at Uncraft is of the highest quality of course- we've heard tales of the sort who would swindle you with low-quality ingots, but none of us would ever stoop so low!

Anyway, aside from kettles, cables, and coins, copper is also quite often used in plumbing, which makes a nice replacement to...

Lead. If it's lead you're dead, I've heard it said. For quite a few centuries humanity failed to grasp the dangers of a metal like that, seeing only its usefulness as a soft and highly malleable substance, ever ready to contort itself as needed. Lead acetate was used as artificial sweetener, its carbonate a brilliant white that found homes in the makeup and paint industries. As tetraethyl it powered cars and breathed its toxic dragon smoke into the atmosphere, and as pipes it carried water to every child and adult the world over. Nowadays we know much better, and understand its slow metastasizing disease that builds up over constant exposure.

ahem ...moving to less depressing subject matter, let's talk about iron! One of the first metals ever sculpted by human hands, which set the gears turning on a steady climb to where we are today. Abundant as it is, its metallic state actually comes from meteorites which strike the earth's surface, and it was these which allowed early humans to discover its properties. How cool is that!

In modern times, much of the iron used is smelted into steel (which we'll talk about later). But before the industrial revolution made that possible, iron reigned supreme in construction, being used to make everything from swords and armor to this beautiful wrought monastery door. Such is still the case in places such as the meat-planet Deus, where Blood Iron (necessary for red blood cells to carry oxygen, but normally in miniscule unworkable amounts) is strained and processed from the bountiful oceans of the Mother World.

Pivoting to a less highly regarded but still useful material: tin is most commonly known for its use in canned goods, to the point of the words themselves being interchangeable when describing the packaging method. Tin can also be found in the soldering wires of electronics (a real medley of metals those are!) and on occasion in the form of a roof.

Lastly for today- aluminum. Or aluminium, depending on where you live. The inappropriately named "tinfoil" owes its existence to this stuff, for which home chefs, model sculptors, and UFO-brainwave-warriors can all be very grateful. Further stealing from tin's thunder, aluminum cans dominate the drink market, their colorful decorated shells being usually coated with a thin film of plastic to reduce the metallic taste.

I'll have to sign off for now- ironically, our shop's been in need of its own replacement metal parts, and they've just arrived! Hopefully those repairs won't take too long, but in the meantime, stay safe and stay cool.

[the-uncrafting-table]

Leather

one of the earliest clothing components, leather has found its place one way or another in almost every culture to ever exist. Properly cared for, a leather bag or jacket can last you for years and years, being supple and stylish the entire time.

while typically made of cows, horses and deer, as shown above,

there are quite a few others, such as fish skin, alligator/crocodile, and even the invasive cane toad (depoisoned, of course).

did you know you can make leather out of intestines? the examples I have here for you are an Inuit parka made from bear intestine, and treated cow rumen (or stomach lining). it's certainly an interesting texture, but one I find quite pleasing.

there's even translucent leathers, made by treating the stuff with oils and glycerin. Or by getting it from ghost cows, either way.

and of course, there's that old staple, parchment (or vellum if we're being fancy). The stuff every book was made of until paper came along, but nothing's stopping you from continuing to use it now.

There's a lot of use that can come from a skin- in fact, you're using one right now! (presumably. I won't judge if you're not.) be sure to keep yours soft and supple both on and off the body- that way it'll last!

[the-uncrafting-table]

Bone

Since this is a shop for materials of all kinds, what better place to show off some interesting examples of the many things our world is made of! I'll be posting one a day (or whenever I remember to, won't put myself under any stress of a deadline) starting off with the foundational building blocks of you- the bones!

First forming around 550 million years ago in the form of teeth & exoskeleton-like structures of Cambrian era fish, bones nowadays provide support, soft tissue protection, anchor points for the muscles, & their marrow is makes your blood cells (more on them later).

As a material it isn't widely used on Earth, being largely relegated to jewelry, decorative inlays, and as a cooking ingredient. This is mostly due to the lack of True Megafauna whose bones are big enough to provide proper building components.

Let's look at some others of my favorite boney materials!

first off, we'll get through the rest of the regular bones and teeth with some sauropod femur and mammoth ivory! sourced from dig sites and bogs which do allow resale, and still in excellent quality after all these years.

for those in the jewelry business, you might like some bone pearls! don't worry, all of ours are from medical donations and never intentionally cultivated.

speaking of medical, we have synthetic bone structures and calcium-matrix bone cement for your ortho-surgical needs.

back on the crafting side, we have that staple of necroartifice, the bone gears, along with sheep's bone glue pellets and bone bricks made from SkyWhale and Tower Beast.

standard bone powder of every type, useful in potions bone pastes coven baking or as a garden fertilizer.

bone black paint for the artists

finally, in the food category we have roast marrow, bakery bone bread (guaranteed to have no shards), bone-in sausage, broth, and the delicacy of raw tuna spinal jelly- the finest taste in the sea!

be sure to take good care of your bones friends, and we'll see you next time!