Research

The Repair & Restoration Directory
A growing directory of services and supplies for the repair and restoration of apparel, footwear, and gear.
The Repair & Restoration Directory
A growing directory of services and supplies for the repair and restoration of apparel, footwear, and gear.
READ MORE
Small Big Things 2024
Old or new, exciting or mundane, joyous or sad, small or big. Here are some things that stood out to me this past year. Some of them make perfect sense,...
Small Big Things 2024
Old or new, exciting or mundane, joyous or sad, small or big. Here are some things that stood out to me this past year. Some of them make perfect sense,...
READ MORE
My 301A
Evan Gleason loves to make things. He particularly loves to sew. I don't know anyone who finds more joy in making things. Evan and I worked together at Best Made,...

Portfolio: Forging Old Gold
Snapshots from my visits to Nathan Brandt at Coal Iron and the making of Old Gold No. 1.
Portfolio: Forging Old Gold
Snapshots from my visits to Nathan Brandt at Coal Iron and the making of Old Gold No. 1.
READ MORE
Making Old Gold No. 1
Relaunching Best Made raised many questions, chiefly: where to begin? The axe wasn't a guaranteed starting point until I met Nathan Brandt. After announcing the reacquisition, I received an email...
Making Old Gold No. 1
Relaunching Best Made raised many questions, chiefly: where to begin? The axe wasn't a guaranteed starting point until I met Nathan Brandt. After announcing the reacquisition, I received an email...
READ MORE
The Viking Valgblyant Election Pencil
Like an axe, I love the sharpening ritual, with each turn it's like fashioning a brand-new tool. Enter my favorite pencil: the Viking Valgblyant.
The Viking Valgblyant Election Pencil
Like an axe, I love the sharpening ritual, with each turn it's like fashioning a brand-new tool. Enter my favorite pencil: the Viking Valgblyant.
READ MORE
A Field Guide to Words
Of all the tools I own, the most useful might be my 1976 three-volume edition of Webster's Dictionary: a field guide to words. My dictionary is a permanent fixture on...
A Field Guide to Words
Of all the tools I own, the most useful might be my 1976 three-volume edition of Webster's Dictionary: a field guide to words. My dictionary is a permanent fixture on...
READ MORE
A Work in Process
Last week I drove 721 miles to visit a new manufacturing partner in the Midwest. While I was there I managed to snap this photo (above) of a 4-pound 9-ounce...
A Work in Process
Last week I drove 721 miles to visit a new manufacturing partner in the Midwest. While I was there I managed to snap this photo (above) of a 4-pound 9-ounce...
READ MORE
The Most Durable Tool Ever Made
Late last year, after almost 50 years of clear communications, a memory chip inside NASA's Voyager 1 failed, garbling its messages back to Earth. Working 15.3 billion miles away, engineers...
The Most Durable Tool Ever Made
Late last year, after almost 50 years of clear communications, a memory chip inside NASA's Voyager 1 failed, garbling its messages back to Earth. Working 15.3 billion miles away, engineers...
READ MORE