Collapsible Sewing Frame for Bookbinding

This past Saturday, I was able to spend some time on a project I've been thinking about making for awhile now, a collapsible sewing frame for bookbinding. 

It's made out of red oak, using modern power tools, and finished using danish oil.

All taken apart.

Assembled.

Assembled, another view.

De Clarea Wooden Whisk

The other evening I attempted to make a few wooden whisks based on Thompson's translation of the De Clarea manuscript fragment. I used apple branches cut that day for my flexible wood, and their was three that bent without breaking. I did tie the bent end down while the wood dried. After letting them sit for a few days, I untied the wood and two of the whisks look to be useable, while the third splintered a bit around the curve. I might be able to trim it up some.

One bent wooden whisk

Copy of the drawing from De Clarea (about middle right side of the paper)

I've also picked up a sea sponge and working on getting a scrap piece of wool cloth.  Once I get the cloth, I'm planning on making glair using the various tools and compare the results myself.  The Author of De Clarea says glair made using the whisk is the best while the pressed (wool cloth or sponge) is brittle and not good.  Should make for an interesting afternoon or evening.

Something new: Waxed Tablets

I've been doing a lot of calligraphy on Owen's project lately.  I've also been picking up the tools I'll need to eventually bind all that calligraphy into a book.  I spent the afternoon using the new tools to make a waxed tablet.

Carving out the bed for the wax.

Close up.

Uncolored beeswax for the stain, and beeswax colored with carbon black for the writing surface.

Leather lace ties. Stylus by Randy Asplund.

Terick's Hammer

I was asked to produce an award certificate to honor a teen. A fire happened at his home and he perished in it. The young man was special to the various SCA groups in the Oklahoma area, so after some brainstorming, an extra special award certificate was requested. The follow pictures document the process of creating Terick's Scroll. The Scroll was given out at Wiesenfeuer Baronial 2014. The size is 10 in x 13 in and from start to finish, time spent working was spread over 4 days. Materials include parchment, 23kt gold leaf, ink and paints created with period recipes.

Practice calligraphy

Inked Illumination layout

Layout and drawing completed using a lead-tin stylus.

Calligraphy finished.  Used a carbon ink for the black text and real vermilion for the red text.

Minor Initials and boxes for line fillers added

23kt gold leaf being added

Gold leafing finished.

While modern tests have reviled that azurite was used instead of ultramarine on the Macclesfield Psalter, I used ultramarine pigment for my blue as I don't have any azurite currently.

Red Lead paint being added. 

Added the second red, instead of a plant based pigment that would fade with time being exposed, I used vermilion.

Last of the base colors added. A green and lead white on the figures clothes.

Details added to the figures and black lines started to be painted.

Detail image of one of the figures.

Black lines finished on both pages.

White work done with lead white. Finished picture - no flash.

Finished with flash on.