the-uncrafting-table

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: genuine old-strain Sumerian grain (einkorn, barley, & teff) 35 lb. bulk bucket

With the existence of certain websites I have the power at my fingertips to buy 30 pounds of frozen strawberries.

I shouldn’t do that. I could though.

[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]

Material: can of . Refreshing!

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: various ancient-style recreation glass beads. The real deal is of course now a finite resource, but it's not hard to find a good glassmaker who'll do it again

Ancient glass bead PNGs

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: Nuclear Pasta. It's out of this world!

[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]

Material: Nazca needle-knitted fabric! The details are truly something else

#TextileTuesday:

“Border fragment of wool with a continuous band of #hummingbirds and fringelike appendages representing beans. Early Nasca [Nazca, Peru, c.1-450 CE]. Pollination of bean plants by birds may be suggested here. Border was formed using a needle-knit stemstitch.”

On display at American Museum of Natural History [41.2/6321]

[the-uncrafting-table]

Materials: dirt from the Mysterious Orb and Protection Poop Soap

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: artificial blood. Science really is incredible

"Japan is the first country to begin clinical trials of artificial blood, a medical innovation which if proven successful, would solve one of the largest hospital challenges of our age.

Beginning back in March, a clinical trial organized by Nara Medical University will look to build on the success of an early-stage trial in 2022 of hemoglobin vesicles, small artificial blood cells that were confirmed to be safe and capable of delivering oxygen as normal.

The trial will administer 100 to 400 milliliters of the artificial blood cells to further test safety before moving onto broader performance and efficacy targets, all in the hopes that by 2030, the artificial blood could enter clinical use.

Whether high-income or low-income, every country has challenges meeting the necessity necessary amounts of stockpiled blood donations for emergency medical procedures.

In high-income countries where the 90% of blood stockpiles comes from voluntary donors, the challenge is getting enough of these donations, and crucially, enough from those with rare blood types.

In low-income countries where only 40% of needs are met with donations, the challenge lies in importation from abroad when donated blood packs are only safe for use for a few months. A useful proxy to understanding this shortfall is that of 175 countries included in a survey of blood donation and use practices by the World Health Organization, 106 countries report that all blood plasma-derived products are imported. These include things like immunoglobulins and coagulation factors which are needed to prevent and treat a variety of serious conditions.

Japan has a different challenge. The WHO found that the use of donated blood varied with income levels, reporting that high-income countries used more blood donations to treat those aged 65 and older, while lower-income countries used it to treat those aged 5 and under.

Japan has recognized that its long-since-collapsed replacement birth rate coupled with long life-expectancy will place a likely unsustainable burden of blood donation on a shrinking working-age population, making artificial blood a priority innovation.

Professor Hiromi Sakai at Nara Medical University has pioneered one method for its synthesis. Using hemoglobin—the oxygen carrying molecule inside red blood cells—from expired donations and encasing them in protective shells, removing the need of matching blood type for administration.

Another method comes from Chuo University where the hemoglobin is encased in an albumin-family protein, which has been used in animal studies to stabilize blood pressure and treat conditions like hemorrhage and stroke.

Either way, the necessity is there and it’s urgent for Japan and the world. If the country’s researchers succeed in this innovation, it will be a medical milestone of epic proportions."

-via Good News Network, May 28, 2025

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: Baffling Papples. Why? Why not?

me: if only there was a fruit that looks like an apple but is actually a pear

the baffling papple:

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: fossil bog wood. Somehow looks exactly the way I'd've imagined it would

8.6" Gary Green Jasper (Larsonite) Bog Wood Slab - Oregon

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: Strawberry Peach Bin Juice. Will grant some kind of status effect on consumption. Can't tell you what that effect is, but it'll sure as hell grant it

If you are in Chicago for combo breaker make sure you get your cup of booze from a plastic bin

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: the suprisingly gourmet canned cheese. I don't blame you for wanting to devour this stuff, I'd've probably done the same

my sister hath sent me. Canned Cheese.

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: Water-Glassed Eggs. Gotta love when a really old traditional method for something endures to the present, simply because it works well enough that there's no reason to stop 🥚

@uncle-jingo

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: friendship. Hello!

once your post reaches a certain number of notes you will be exposed to gimmick blogs beyond your wildest imaginings

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: Mayan Blue, back from the dead!

How wonderful that we as a species and we as we are today seek out the secrets of every vibrant blue we can find.

[the-uncrafting-table]

Material: shredded human meat for your people salad sandwiches

So apparently Tumblr ate my original post about this but:

A couple weeks ago I’m going to get lunch and as I open the fridge, my mother attempts to communicate to me that any chicken currently in the fridge is ok for people to eat, because the chicken that was intended for the dog to eat has been used up.

What she actually says is, “That’s human chicken.”

After taking a minute to process all horrible implications of the phrase “human chicken”, I decide to go a different route and hold the tupperware of chicken out to my sister, saying, “Behold, a man!”

This was evidently the wrong choice, as it meant I had to explain to my parents who Diogenes was, thereby cementing the incident in their minds and leading to me, just now, opening the fridge to see the following incredibly cursed image: