A Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

A Little 12V Elbow Grease.

As steward for the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael, I have to, on occasion fix things. The Hael has a number of kitchen related items and sometimes you find something that the Barony can use but aren't up to snuff.

My predecessor, the late Joe the Just, had acquired these four fry pans. They were rusty but, potentially, usable. Fixing them has been on my list of things to do for a while and I finally got around to it, tonight. 

The pans are high carbon steel and just needed a bit of scrubby-scrubby. I attached a wire brush to my cordless drill and went to town on the rust. A good ten minutes on each pan and the rust went away. 

Once the rust had been removed, I hand washed each pan and then coated in a thin layer of canola oil. Then I heated each pan until the oil started to smoke and burn.

Once they cooled off, I applied another thin coat of oil. Now they are slightly cured and ready to be used. As long as they are not put away wet, they shouldn't rust up, again. And, as they are used, they will develop and better and stronger cure. 

Not bad for an hour's work. I feel good that they cleaned up so well. I think Joe spent $5 for all four because of the rust. A good investment.

Weird things you find in medieval manuscripts

Weird things you find in medieval manuscripts.

I was looking through the Luttrell Psalter and found this sexy lady. This is British Library Add MS 42130 f81r and it is not the most unusual grotesque from the manuscript. 

f153r

f58v

Most of the manuscript contains similar figures They look like LSD induced hallucinations. Was the illuminator just told to go hog-wild and make whatever strange creatures he thought of? Was he smoking hemp and saying, "Dude, dude dude." Only, it was probably a monk, so it would have been in Latin: "Dudus, dudus, dudus. Quid facies puella equo? Et ad aures alas."

Or, perhaps it was something more outlandish?

The birth of New Jersey

What a nice birth certificate.

I was watching a video on who owns the statue of liberty and this Grant was featured. I tracked down a good image of it and, wa-la.

THIS INDENTURE made the four and twentieth day of June, in the sixteenth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord, Charles the Second, by the grace of God of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, King Defender of the Faith, &c., Annoq. Domini, 1664. Between His Royal Highness, James Duke of York, and Albany, Earl of Ulster, Lord High Admiral of England, and Ireland, Constable of Dover Castle, Lord Warden of the Cinque ports, and Governor of Portsmouth, of the one part: John Lord Berkeley, Baron of Stratton, and one of His Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council, and Sir, George Carteret of Saltrum, in the County of Devon, Knight and one of His Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council of the other part: Whereas his said Majesty King Charles the Second, by his Letters Patents under the Great Seal of England, bearing date on or about the twelfth day of March, in the sixteenth year of his said Majesty’s reign, did for the consideration therein mentioned, give and grant unto his said Royal Highness James, Duke of York, his heirs and assigns, all that part of the main land of New England, beginning at a certain place called or known by the name of St. Croix next adjoining to New Scotland in America;

See here for the full text.

The text is wonderful, but I am most impressed by the pen work on the charter. Look at that 'T'. I could trace it, but my skill with holding a calligraphy pen at a consistent angle isn't very good. I'm going to try it on some scrap paper using my glass dip pen. Maybe it will turn out nice. Maybe it won't. I'll just have to try it. I am going to have to hunt through the British charters of the colonies and see what I can find. Perhaps I can find some more excellent examples of calligraphy that can be used for SCA purposes. I mean, this charter isn't that far out of period.