Research Methodology & Sourcing Principles

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Documented the sourcing methodology guiding all tool and material decisions, establishing accuracy, longevity, affordability, and availability as the core evaluation filter. Outlined a local-to-national-to-international search sequence and emphasized thorough documentation of suppliers to maintain transparency and repeatable research standards.

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Date: Tuesday October 21, 2025

Classification: Week 4 Day 2 | Admin Day

33.33–45 percent of my time is spent purely researching, just researching. Sure, there are tons of options out there… at first glance. There’s also no shortage of practitioners offering varying models of knowledge-share.

The right path for me

I’ve had several principles firmly in mind defining the path ahead and what direction it takes. In short, there are no resource glitches in the analog world. In turn, with anything I commit myself to, I do so knowing that one must leave adequate tolerance for discovery and mistake while, where appropriate, prioritizing accuracy and longevity.

Identifying tool and material makers that strike a balance between those basic principles; now that is really something to find.

Methodology

Each decision runs through the same filter:

Accuracy | Longevity | Affordability | Availability.

Over and over again.

Step 1 – Local | Step 2 – National | Step 3 – International

This applies to distributors as well. Though I try my damnedest to search Amazon last, so many niche makers and suppliers use this platform making more direct means otherwise uneconomical, chronologically and financially.

Maybe another time I’ll deep-dive into the material-sourcing labyrinth; for now, I’ll proceed assuming you already understand the complexity, nuance, or outright madness we find ourselves steeped in this, the year of our lord 2025.

My goal with the list below is simple: to document my sources thoroughly, both as a personal record and a public record. Of the many practitioners who share their knowledge, the ones who freely and without expectation provide their links, lists, and resources are truly golden. Even fewer manage to do so without attaching some form of affiliate-marketing model.

I’ve wrestled with this thought often and don’t yet know the final answer for myself on the matter of monetization through sharing. For now and for the foreseeable future, you can click with confidence that this knowledge remains completely free. The only personal gain is the quiet satisfaction of taking part in a time-honored tradition. Sharing without expectation or outright gain... there’s something to that.

I hope all or any part assists you on your own path.