Materials

Materials tell time. Leather darkens, steel rusts, wood grays. The way something ages reveals what it’s made of.

Cast iron seasons. Brass door handles polish where hands grip and patina where they don’t. These materials get better with use. The first mark on oiled leather starts a story. The first scratch on plastic starts decay.

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I keep buying the cheap version of things and regretting it.

The veneer peels, the finish flakes, the fabric pills. Year three, year ten — that’s when the truth comes out. New, almost everything looks fine. The difference shows up later.

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Heavy ceramic cups slow you down. Light aluminum pans punish inattention — they heat fast, cool fast. Dense hardwood cutting boards dull knives; end-grain boards reward them.

The material participates.

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Quality materials repair well. Leather can be conditioned, stitching replaced, soles resoled. Cast iron reseasons. Solid wood sands and refinishes.

The cheap version often can’t be repaired because there’s nothing underneath. The surface was the whole thing.

Related: wabi sabi, patina, craft, sharpening