The first letter I cut in one of the potatoes was “F.” I cut the letter in the correct direction (as if you were looking at the potato) and not backwards. This meant when I pressed the potato into the paper the end result would be a backwards F. Luckily, I realized this before I applied paint and redid the letter. So I sacrificed an additional potato for the assignment. I learnt my lesson and carved the rest of the letters backwards while not having to worry about the “U.” I think this might be the most common mistake for individuals completing the assignment. In my option, the next most challenging part is achieving consistent results. With a potato, I think this came down to a consistent amount of ink, accurate placement, and steady pressure. Otherwise, I would consider this assignment more enjoyable, relaxing and satisfying compared to challenging. 

It took roughly forty five minutes to create the stamps. Obviously, the process is slow compared to our modern ways of producing text. The slow process was discussed very well during the podcast “From the Vault: Invention of the Book, Part 1 – Stuff To Blow Your Mind” hosted by Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick (2020). For me, the podcast really hammered home how slow the process was by not only talking about how the scroll was created, but also the time involved in scroll identification. Different civilizations used different “tags” attached to scrolls to help overcome this issue. Otherwise all rolled up scrolls looked similar. When hearing this, my view of the scroll’s process went from slow to very slow.

I am not surprised that I enjoyed the process of making the stamps. I have found joy in performing traditional woodworking processes that are not commonly used today in the manufacturing of furniture. I also enjoy hand drafting just as much as using a computer aided design (CAD) program. This is one of the reasons I became a shop teacher. I want to share the rewarding feeling of taking your time and using your hands to produce an item that will stand the test of time with students.

R. Lamb, J. McCormick. (2020, May 26). From the Vault: Invention of the Book, Part 1 – Stuff To Blow Your Mind. iHeartRadio.