From: tip@lead.aichem.arizona.edu (Tom Perigrin)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: William's mention of authentic equipment
Date: 5 Jan 93 07:10:43 GMT
Distribution: world, na, usa
Organization: University of Arizona UNIX Users Group

When people want to disparage authenticity, they often trot out long
lists of what is neccesary, with the implication that it is essentially
impossible.   It's NOT!  It just takes  a lot of spare hours (I go home after
a 10 - 14 hour day, and then work in the shop for 4 hours, and fall ionto
bed exhuasted.  But I'm happy!).   For example -

In article <9301020052.aa23699@mc.lcs.mit.edu> SAUNDRSG@qucdn.queensu.ca (Graydon) writes:
>This got me thinking; what exactly would I need to have *really*
>authentic archery equipment?
>
>A furnace to refine iron ore in by a period technique.
>Some iron ore of the appropriate type.

I've done it at Ljere, and made a bronze furnace in Santa Cruz. Actually,
this is pretty easy.  Thats why they could do it in the iron age (tounge
in cheek).

>The smithing skills to make that iron into:
>a froe, an ax, some splitting wedges, a saw (I hope!), some plane
>blades, a wood rasp, a drawknife, and a selection of files - one
>large flat file, a small flat file, and a small round file.  Oh -
>and a knife and a largish chisel and maybe a small ax.

Well, I haevn't made a file or a drawknife YET.  But I have made
all the rest, although, not from the iron we made in step one.
But hypothetically I could have...

>
>A yew tree (preferably one big enough to cut a whole stave from),
>or an ash or a wych elm.
>
>A section of tree, free from knots, at least a foot in diameter
>and 30 inches long.  (30 cm by 75 cm)
>

I bought my chunk of yew.   But I have felled other types of trees
with my own axes, and split billets out with my own froe, so this is
mostly a matter of "it ain't available around here".


>The wooden planes and jigs to split that section of tree (from a
>good arrow wood species) into shakes, plane them flat, dry them,
>split them into stele blanks and make them into finished steles.

You don't plane something only to split it later.  You would use a froe
to make the shakes, and then the stele blanks, and the drawknife them to
final shape.   No planes, no jigs needed.

>The first one of these planes I get to make with just the drawknife.
>Ick.  I also need a chunk of boxwood or beech to make the planes from.

Um... no apprentice ever had to start without using his masters tools,
although you can be sure that the master paid a lot of attention to make
sure they weren't abused.   By the way, you make planes with chisels
and floats, and use a jointer to plane the bottom true.  Boxwood is
a small shrub, and you don't make plane bodies from it.  You make them of
beech and then "box the sole", using the hard boxwood to resist wear.

>
>A period variety of flax seed, whatever tools I'd need to grow
>it and convert it into linen thread in a period fashion.

I haven't grown flax, altough my wife has bought flax, retted it,
and processed it into linen.  I could use some of hers.  That would
seem fair.  Oh yes,  she did the spinning on spindles and wheels
I made.

>
>A period-fashion beehive, for wax.

You'll get in trouble with the law.  Nowadays such hives are illegal
because they don't allow for easy inspection for disease. Also, you have
to kill the bees to harvest the honey and wax.  But I do have 10 beehives.
Beside, the bowyer probably boguht it from the beekeeper, or the monestary.


>                                        A pine tree and a period
>rosin receipe, and a period pine tar extraction technique.

I did that to make finishes, and for the heck of it.   Go to the woods.
Take a nice day hike, collect resin lumps.  Make rosin from it.   Making
pine tar is real fun.  If you want, I'll post my recipie for that.


>An oil press to make linseed oil (which goes into the gunk that
>holds the points on) from some of the flax seeds.

Never done this.   The gunk also contains litherage, which is lead oxide.
Do you want me to mine lead?  Well, I've gone caving in old lead mines
in Wales, and have a few pounds of specimens. Would that count?  Lead
is also available from Nevada and South Dakota.

>
>A couple dozen period geese (easiest to use wild geese, I think)
>for feathers for the fletching. Period silk thread and some glue.

I have raised geese on my little farmlet.  I do have some pens
made from the quills, but now I am raising ducks and peafowl.
Period silk?  Well, I'll do that just like every European bowyer,
I'll buy it froma  merchant, who bought it from a merchant,
who bought it from a merchant...

Glue?   How about rabbit skin glue?  Take a dead rabbit. Dehair it,
and spread it out to dry. Then add just enough water to cover, and boil 
boil boil until you get glue.   Great antique restoration glue.
I didn't raise the rabbit myself though, nor did I hunt it.

>
>Horn from a period veriety of cattle, for arrow nocks and bow nocks.

Horn is fun to work.  I buy it at Tandy, and make spoons.   I want to
make a horn book.

>
>A hide tanned in a period way from a period variety of cow for
>a bracer, shooting glove, and finger tabs, all to (doubtfully existing)
>period patterns.

Well, if you want to be very annoying about period species, I know
that the Lake Vernwy nature Conservatory (Wales) has period style cattle.  
Maybe you can get them to sell you a hide when one dies.  As to the patterns,
there are a number of Illustated MS.

>
>I'm going to have trouble doing all that. :]

I read posts where fighters talk about reviewing dozens (hundreds?) of hours
of videotape of themselves and opponents.  I know people spend hours and
hours in fighter practice.   The same amount of time spread over a decade
and you can do whatg I have done.   I don't think I am special with regard
to ability...  I have just been far more persistant than the average
person.   Notice that there are a lot of other A&S types who are similarly
authentic in their approach to spinning, music, etc...


>I salute the intention, William, but 'authentic' isn't a boolean
>state.  (I don't want to *know* what a Near Eastern persona would
>have to do!)
>
>Graydon

Okay...  this has not been easy, but it has been FUN!  And I started
as a graduate student with nearly no money.  So it doesn't HAVE to be
expensive.  Also, I make my facilities open to the SCA.  This holidays
I had two people over, and taught them to make froes and axes, and
one made his own wood plane and bowsaw (not the blades).  Heck,
I didn't even charge them for the steel, maple, and coal.  So it
doesn't have to be expensive.  

I have arrainged with another SCA person that he will be over to learn how
to use the lathe to make lace bobbins (a modern lathe, although I do have
a pole lathe, but that would require much mroe skill for a novice).

My point is, even the level of accuracy which is often used as a blunt
instrument to club people over the head with IS attainable.  And if you
can't do it by yourself, there is surely somebody in your neck of the woods
who can help you with almost any of these steps. And if not, come on out
for a month... I have a guest cottage and five acres.  We can build a 
iron blast furnace on the "back 80" and go from there.