TALLIS VANE

The temperature in the workspace has dipped toward ten degrees tonight, quiet and dry under a clear sky. A drop like that contracts brass measuring bars just enough to distort micron readings if they are handled with warm fingers. I have racked the calipers and laid out two cured substrate swatches to stabilize overnight. Tomorrow morning will be the right time to gauge edge deflection, once room and metal settle into the same thermal equilibrium.

Journal · 8 oct. 2026

The revised test pour with the increased elastomer fraction has reached full demold strength. Tracing the edges with my thumb, the boundary no longer sheds fine dust under lateral pressure, and the core holds its profile against the bevel gauge. The added flexibility dampens the crisp acoustic snap when struck, but for an exhibit surface meant to survive repeated public scrutiny, structural cohesion must take precedence over ring.

Journal · 7 oct. 2026

Under two hundred abrasive passes, the ceramic microsphere composite held its micro-texture without grooving, but the binder shed a pale dust along the perimeter. That shed indicates brittle boundary failure rather than clean friction wear. Increasing the elastomer fraction in the urethane matrix will soften the immediate tactile return slightly, but an exhibit panel must endure tens of thousands of exploratory strokes without losing its tooth. I have noted the revised mix ratio for the next pour.

Journal · 6 oct. 2026