mrsbrown | Entries tagged with research

We leave for the US on Tuesday, I have a long list of things I want to do - some for the trip and some for leaving the household in shape to cope without us for 3 weeks.

Having started the "clean the kitchen task", with a side trip into "make bread for lunch", I'm stuffed and having a sit down. I think I'll need to persuade someone to go and get those antibiotics I persuaded the doctor into giving me a prescription for after having a stuffed up nose for more than a week.

Anyway, I made a sloppy bread dough and left it to rise and glutenise (no kneading required). Then 2 hours later I sprinkled some flour on top and used my bread scraper to get the dough off the bowl and turn the ball to cover the entire mass with flour. then I thought, "what am I going to do at Festival when I want to make bread like this?" Did they have medieval dough scrapers?

I have a plastic one, but it looks like you can also get metal ones with wooden handles.

A summary of 19th C sources refers to a dough cutter and dough scraper. There's a lso a picture of a scraper from

Various utensils used by French bakers, late 18th century.

fig. 6. Fire rake
fig. 8. Swabber or scuffle
fig. 10. Wooden peel
fig. 11. Scraper
fig. 12. Iron shovel to draw out coals

(From Diderot, Encyclopédie, I, section on "Boulanger.")

The same source has this description of a dough knife or cutter: Edlin's 1805 Treatise, "usually of the size of a large carver, with a round point and blunt, like a painter's pallet knife.

OMG!!! I found a site that has historical tools catalogued by shape, profession and name.

The dough scrapers they have look really useful when you're dealing with a lot of dough in a dough trough, but aren't the shape I've been finding useful.

Looking a bit further, I find a "dough grater" (the pictures include the link to the page that has a photo of the actual object)

Hmm, You can also get a scraper in what seems to be the "modern" shape in wood;

More to come, saving some random awesome links in the meantime;

A real, 17th century portable oven, with measurements.

A collection o images that look like a recreation/used Tudor kitchen, with a lovely bread oven and possible copper combo.

Normandy kitchen!

Current Mood: snotty
Current Location: couch

Being notes I need to have available so I can write a response to the proposed changes. Feel free to comment.

DEFINITIONS
the Control of Weapons Regulations includes the following definitions wrt equipment used by SCA peeps:

Prohibited weapons
2. "Dagger", being a sharp pointed stabbing instrument (other than an oyster knife), ordinarily capable of being concealed on the person and having—
(a) a flat blade with cutting edges (whether serrated or not serrated) along the length of both sides; or
(b) a needle-like blade, the cross section of which is elliptical or has 3 or more sides, but not including instruments such as swords or bayonets.

Controlled weapons
1. "Crossbow", being a type of bow fixed transversely on a stock grooved to direct a dart, bolt or arrow, other than any type of crossbow listed as a prohibited weapon in Schedule 2.
3. "Baton" or "Cudgel", being a short stout stick made of any material designed as a weapon, including the weapon commonly known as a "police nightstick".
5. "Sword", being a thrusting, striking or cutting weapon with a long blade having 1 or 2 cutting edges and a hilt.

SUMMARY OF REVISED REQUIREMENTS
The requirements for compliance with the exemption are different for different groups. There seem to be three general requirements for the sword exemption with groups slotted into a low, medium and high type risk.

Low risk groups are museums, performing arts companies, scouts, people who have inherited a max of two swords, and people who own swords "immediately prior to the commencement of this order" that have "never had a sharpened edge or edges"

Medium risk groups are Fencers and Historical Fencers, Scottish Highland Dancers and Pipe Bands

High risk groups are collectors, historical reenactment organisations, and martial arts

Low risk people have to store weapons securely and don't need a group for the exemption to apply.
Medium risk groups have to store weapons securely.
High risk groups have to store weapons securely, keep records of members and their location, issue photo id for members. Members can't buy a sword until 6 months after becoming members, and have to keep a record of swords bought and sold.

Crossbows and Daggers are a separate exemption class. Crossbows need to be stored securely, daggers need secure storage and you can't buy a sword (sic) for 6 months after becoming a member of the organisation with the exemption.

DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SCA MEMBERS DO WITH CONTROLLED AND PROHIBITED WEAPONS
Daggers
Daggers within the SCA are never "ordinarily capable of being concealed on the person".
Sometimes carried as part of costume (insert 14C picture of bollocks dagger),for this use they may be sharp. (Is this right?) (Like a drama company)
Used as one of the weapons forms for historical fencing. (But our daggers don't meet the definition)

Crossbow
Used with sharp arrows for target archery
Used with blunted arrows for combat archery against armoured fighters (insert picture)

Baton
Sticks made of rattan are used as part of the armoured fighting re-creation, like historical fencers. (insert picture)

Sword
Swords always have blunted edges.
Sometimes carried as part of costume, particularly for renaissance dancing - like the scottish highland dancers, or a drama company
Used as one of the weapons forms for historical fencing. - like the historical fencers
Used ceremonially - like scouts

CONCLUSION

We should be arguing that the SCA is most like the low-medium risk groups and the additional requirements are an unnecessary impost on a small, family oriented volunteer based cultural organisation.

Yesterday I built a lime mortar based garden retaining wall. Here are my notes;

Last weekend I mixed lime with water. I'm having difficulty with this, because all of the references I read say that you have to use hydraulic lime, not hydrated lime. But somewhere, I've read that you can make hydraulic lime by soaking hydrated lime in water to make lime putty/hydraulic lime.

OTOH the wikipedia article suggests that using hydrated lime to make lime putty results in a mix that's not as strong as lime putty that's never been hydrated lime and gets hard with a different chemical process. (further reading suggests that hydrated lime that's been sitting in water for a while doesn't have this problem)

I used hydrated lime (Calcium hydroxide) + water (H2O) = Lime Putty (Calcium Oxide)

I mixed 2 buckets of sand from Rose's sandpit with 2/3 of a bucket of lime. I was going to make a 2:1 mix but changed my mind and made a 3:1 mix. I need to find a way to exclude more of the water, because it made a very runny mix.

Then I started laying my wall. This article says that you need to keep the mortar wet, including wetting all the surfaces, covering with wet burlap and wetting 3-7 times per day. I wet my first two layers of bricks, but the mortar mix was so sloppy that I gave up and let the bricks absorb some of the moisture from the mortar.

Most of the mortar appeared dry and hard within a couple of hours. Today the wall seems to be strong enough to stand on. The first mortar I laid is grey and the later mortar (that perhaps dried faster) is white. It wasn't very strong against a sideways kick, but it might be better next week.

Today's reading suggests that a ratio of 6:1 has also been used. Maybe I'll have a play with that later today. When it's stopped raining and I feel better.

Hooray! The best and most definitive and trustworthy for Australian building products article is here. I am now comfortable with my process. Also, really glad that the lime we have in Ballarat has been sitting in water for nearly 12 months.

Notes for next week;
bring eye protection (others should too)
bring waterproof gloves. (others should too)
bring a course brush for wetting bricks with water.
bring stuff for a string line
order clean "sharp" sand
Wear warm clothes

Current Mood: sick
Current Location: the sick couch
Current Music: mr-bassman getting ready for the new music studio

( Draco )

( Winged Windsock )

( Pennon Kite )

( Dragon/rectangular kite )

I'm still looking for the reference quoted below;
In spite of their hostile origins, there is evidence that kites were used for play as well. A German illumination from 1405 shows a young boy riding on horseback while flying a kite. The manuscript itself describes how a kite should be flown, how the strings should be attached, and what it should look like. (Full article here.)

Current Mood: uplifted
Current Location: That place I always get cold feet
Current Music: the silence of the heater turning off

Our hot water service has sprung a leak and we need a new one.

I may be over thinking this process, but I guess I'll be happier in the long run if I do it.
( A long set of options, costs, pros and cons )

The best cheap option seems to be replacing my existing HWS directly, but then I definitely can't add on solar later. If I install an external HWS then solar is reasonably achievable and has a 10 year payback. Every other solar option has a 16 year payback. Solar panels need replacing after about 25 years.

I called both the Origin Energy shop and Reece for prices and estimated the plumbing costs based on my conversation with the Origin person and my own experience. The solar costs include a $1500 rebate from SV.

Running costs for the various options are from a report on the resourcesmart website. I assumed we use about 200L /day of hot water. It seems pretty reasonable when I check it against both our water usage (300L/day) and our gas bill over summer (cooking and hot water = $450/yr)

Current Mood: comfortable
Current Location: in a house with only one other person
Current Music: it sure is windy out there

Rose needs this dress!! There's a close up here

In other Rose related news, I think she's stopped breastfeeding. Either that or she'll be finished in the next few weeks.

I've had a general rule of feeding only after dinner or first thing in the morning so that if she sleeps in or falls asleep she misses out. If she doesn't ask I also don't offer. Due to circumstances and her not asking, I think I last fed her on Monday night and before that it was Saturday afternoon.

She's also gotten more grown up generally since starting at the Steiner Kinder. She's stopped crying and saying, "I need you" as I leave for work. She's more insistant about choosing her clothes and dressing herself, and she won't come to me asking for a "hont" (breastfeed) to go to sleep at night. She's also doing more planning and keeping track of days - asking her Oma to have a sleepover visit, she told me she wants to go to the Farm, stuff like that.

I'm feeling a bit torn on the BF'ing front. I believe that she should be able to feed until she's ready to stop,(as long as it's convenient for me) but she's my last child and I"ll never have that sort of relationship again.

My boobs are tingling just talking about it.

On the plus side, I won't be wearing my 4 year old overstretched bras for very much longer!

Current Mood: tingly
Current Location: work
Current Music: Have I already told you how loud our air conditioning is?

I'm not working on Tuesdays. I need to sort out tokens for Midwinter. I'm going to try my hand at pewter casting.

I'm inspired by these collections of pictures;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/litlnemo/300704664/
http://asstudents.unco.edu/faculty/tbredehoft/UNCclasses/ENG238/238bust.htm
http://www.billyandcharlie.com/ooch.html

I've had a read of these articles;

http://aelflaed.homemail.com.au/doco/pewter.html
http://aelflaed.homemail.com.au/doco/pewterhorse.html
http://guillaume.garrigues.net/Pewterersguild/Introduction_to_Basic_Pewter_Casting.pdf
http://ladybethany.tripod.com/CASTING.HTM
http://www.naergilien.info/tutorials/jewelrypewter.htm
http://www.themouldinfo.com/2009/02/pewter-casting-in-stone-moulds.html
http://www.florilegium.org/files/CRAFTS/casting-msg.rtf
http://www.sca.org.au/st_florians/gallery/2007/articles/pewterbadges.pdf
http://pewterersguild.org/Main/HomePage, including http://guillaume.garrigues.net/Pewterersguild/Introduction_to_Basic_Pewter_Casting.pdf

And now I'm an expert.

Tomorrow, I'll run around like a mad arse flea buying stuff - molding plaster (for practising before I persuade Sneetch to give me back the soapstone I bought him at Festival), an asian grocery steel ladle and possibly some lino carving tools, if i can't find the ones I bought 20 years ago and have never used.

I'll use some of the pewter crap we have lying around the house. It might have lead in it, but it's only for tokens and I'll hold my breath as I pour it.

Current Mood: excited
Current Location: my couch, freezing my tits off
Current Music: its quiet 'cos I should be in bed

Maybe we could make it big enough to load bricks onto.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: the couch, under MsNotaGoth's cloak
Current Music: Rose enjoying mrbassman's computer - nearly time for her own

Tonight

dellascala posted a picture of a woman wearing black tippets.

It looks to me like that picture has been redrawn for the engraving in the book, which means that the tippets are in danger of having been misinterpreted by the modern artist.

So I tried to find a copy of the original manuscript online. Turns out that lots of people wrote about Willehalm de Orange, including Wolfram von Eschenbach in 1270. I don't think it's the right manuscript, but there are some very nice pictures.

There's also this nice one from 1420

This one's a child in a plaid houppelande and here's that kid again and someone in a particoloured houppelande I'm up to page 142

I found the manuscript I should be looking for, it's described here but I haven't been able to find it using my favourite manuscript search site

Here's an original picture from the manuscript, and it shows tippets!

Current Mood: overtired
Current Location: the couch
Current Music: clock ticking 'cos I threw a tanty and made Rose go to bed

I've done the research, cut out the fabric and then stalled because I needed to look at the research again to convince myself that what I cut out will work the way I want to.

Here are the pictures I'm using;

So I'm using rectangles to make the body, with a bit of shaping for the sleeve cap. It looks like the skirt is fuller in the back than the front.

The red coat fastens at the top and the waist, the skirt looks fuller at the front The grey one looks like it fastens at the side and isn't as full. I need to make Rose a nice warm flat cap.

I think this is a warmer time of year and the full skirts are the under dresses. The brown tops might be jackets.

I'm a bit worried about the collar. These close ups suggest that the body continues into the collar, but I didn't include that when I cut it out. I still need to make Rose a nice warm flat cap.

I went shopping this morning and bought some really nice green wool and some other stuff I won't tell you about 'cos it will just make you jealous. I also bought some whitework machine embroidered linen which I think I'll use for Sneetch's shirts.

You might like to check out Brunswick Fabrics. They had the linen and the wool. The wool was $10.80/m and included the nice navy cashmere stuff I've used to make hoods of warmth. No black there sadly. Another shop had 2 different sorts of black wool for $18/m and yet another had a beautiful black cashmere for $28/m.

btw. For Midwinter we should produce a google map of fabric shops with hours of opening and things to look for. Southron Gaard have this - http://sg.sca.org.nz/docs/FabricShopping.doc and it was very useful!!

Current Mood: optimistic
Current Location: The kitchen table until I clear it to sew
Current Music: Spooky Men

( I made a pattern for my new houppelande )

( and a mess )

Current Mood: nearly bed ready
Current Location: at my new desk, in a vaguely cleanish study. Except for the boxes on the couch.
Current Music: OMG I'm the only person awake in the house!

( Today I found this picture and then pasted a whole bunch more so now I'm putting them behind a cut... )

Current Mood: intrigued
Current Location: home, like the whole of the rest of my day, but I don't feel sick now.

Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY

astemudfoot!!!

Secondly, I've spent some time researching toilets and I'll try to put it behind a cut but I'm at work and don't have a client.

( more about composting toilets than you want to know, but not me )

Current Mood: ok
Current Location: work
Current Music: the boys finishing their pool game

More links:

http://www.wealddown.co.uk/charlwood-wagon-shed-construction-progress.htm

http://www.burg-eltz.de/e_burgf_kueche.html

Planning/legal stuff:

I had another read of the stuff Robyn has prepared on getting council approval of a structure. I think we are talking about "ancillary or incidental development" and we just need to know which zone crossroads is in Residential 2(a) and Village 2(v) OR Zones 1(a), 1(b), 1(c), 1(c1), 1(c2). If we actually make an application to Council, we should be able to get approval within 7 days - provided that we comply with their stated requirements. Based on http://www.yass.nsw.gov.au/files/3289/File/Exemptandcomplyingpart3sch2.pdf , the following requirements affect us:

• Proposed structures shall have a maximum area of 30m2 or 60m2 depending on the zone crossroads is in,
• The distance between the floor level and eaves is no more than 2.5m or 2.7m
• Roof pitch is no greater than 40degrees
• Floor level at any point is no more than 1 m above natural ground level (residential or village)
• Structures with slab on ground construction shall not exceed a maximum cut and fill of 1 m measured vertically above the natural ground level 1.m outside the perimeter of the external walls of the building.
• Comply with the deemed-to-satisfy requirements of the BCA.
• Comply with deemed-to-satisfy BCA requirements with reference to Bushfire risk/hazards if in Zones 1(a), 1(b), 1(c), 1(c1), 1(c2)

None of the plans we have discussed have any difficulty with these except for the roof pitch requirement. The drawings in my last post had a roof pitch of 45 degrees.

The existing planning approval that Crossroads appears to have includes "the use of the land for a replica medieval village and associated tourist facilities". From Schedule 1 of the Yass Local Environmental Plan 1987. - http://tinyurl.com/yjowgo:

( full text )

We have to get a building permit if the "fair and reasonable cost" ie if we paid someone to do it for us, is more than $5000. I think we need a building permit.

Current Mood: hot
Current Location: my house, that has now reached ambient air temperature.
Current Music: fan hum

Cypress sizes from http://www.walkerbros.com.au - 100x100, 150x150, 75x50, 100x50, 125x50, 150x50

article on termite resistant construction - http://www.timber.org.au/resources/Revised%20Datafile%20P5%2072dpi.pdf

Info on commercially available poles - http://www.hyne.com.au/pagefiles/hynepoles.htm OTOH, the safety data sheet for their poles, makes me cringe - http://www.hyne.com.au/downloads/pdf/MSDS/ccaaushwd.pdf. I'd rather use cypress pine, it's naturally termite resistant and doesn't require treatment.

This mob make frames in their factory. Depending on cost, maybe they could do the design for us. The cottage they made is a similar shape to what we've talked about.

These are the people who designed and built the Crossroads Guildhall. They now use an alternative jointing system that says it's stronger than just pegged mortise and tenon, but can't be seen - http://www.timberlinx.com

I've done some drawings of just the frame, it helps to work out what else we need to decide like; foundations, lengths of timber to minimise wastage, offsetting joints.

Here they are:

The roof is at 45degrees, we could go shallower, but I understand that a steeper roof has less suction forces on it.

Current Mood: glummish
Current Location: home, still
Current Music: new years eve concert from europe on ABC2

http://www.wealddown.co.uk/winkhurst-reconstruction-completed-interior.htm

Look at the next few pages too, particularly wattle and daub - http://www.wealddown.co.uk/winkhurst-reconstruction-dismantling.htm

http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/dom_arch.asp - This is really good for it's description of firehoods and the fire-window. I want one!

cruck frame -http://www.wpltree.ca/picture_library/mark,frank.jpg

http://www.wpltree.ca/gallery/tools/ourbarn2.jpg

weatherboard cladding - http://www.wealddown.co.uk/bayleaf-16th-century-timber-framed-barn.htm

A cool looking book

An alternative framing technique - http://www.bedesworld.co.uk/site_2003-05-10/building/thlbld3.jpg
http://www.bedesworld.co.uk/site_2003-05-10/building/thlwest.jpg

Both of these from - http://www.bedesworld.co.uk/site_2003-05-10/building/thlconst.htm

I need to look through this site and it's links - http://www.tfguild.org/

I found an article on types of trusses - http://www.tfguild.org/publications/historictrusses.html

Also, we need to look harder at these - http://stores.ebay.com.au/The-Barrel-House

On the weekend, I commented to

mr_bassman that it would be nice to replace the water jug we use at SCA events with something nicer and more period. He replied that we should wait until our current jug broke.

Then, as I picked it up to pack it after Monthly Bash it broke. I wasn't trying.

Anyway, now I want a new one and I'd really like such a thing for christmas. I'm looking for the sort I want and I've also found a few nifty sites while I'm at it. They're at the bottom.

I'm looking for a 15th century style jug, like these ones

On the other hand, unbreakable would be good and only € 99.00

Contiuing with the unbreakable theme; take a look at the jug in the background of this painting , I like the sticky out bits.
There are some jugs in the background here too and Salome's dinner presentation of St John's head has some too, but I need to look at the picture in my book for that one, the ones on the web are crap.

Aren't these nifty, they're/it's from Memling's painting, "Virgin and Child Enthroned" and "Flower Still-life"

And there are some more metallic jugs in "January" by the Limbourg Brothers

Here's the stuff I found while looking for jugs.

This site sells real medieval stuff, including broken pottery

So does this one, the key word seems to be "antiquities". I like this jug, but I don't think I'd ever be game to use it.

sjkasabi, Is this the sort of cooking pot you've been talking about? Also, I think this would look great in the middle of the Abbotsford campsite.

I also found a thesis which includes a chapter of medieval clay floor tiles

You could spend a very long time looking at pottery stuff here, It's the Museum of London ceramics and glass collection

Current Mood: determined to stay up past my bed time
Current Location: not in bed.......zzzzz
Current Music: mr-bassman being too tired to go to bed

Everytime I go to the page I found these at for too long, it starts some script that takes me to "errorsafe.com" Dodgy....

The page they're from is - http://sca-garb.freeservers.com/articles/plaidcote.html

( picture links that aren't currently working )

Current Location: home - not at work

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Entries tagged with research

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It's the little things

changes to weapons legislation

kitchen building - lime mortar experiment

This would be cool!

(no subject)

I think I'm in love!

I don't have enough hobbies

Rose needs one of these

messing around on the internet

Rose's Bruegal Coat

What I did tonight

Testing a theory, what do you think?

happy birthday and...toilets

some kitchen stuff

more kitchen research

kitchen research

another item for my wishlist

I'm putting these here so I don't lose them.