From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V2 #1789 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Thursday, August 24 2000 Volume 02 : Number 1789 ======================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with unsubscribe scribes-digets in the body of the message. Leave the subject line blank. Do not include any additional text. [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V2 #1788 [scribes]: Welcome Jackie RE: [scribes]: Gilding [scribes]: Indoor-venting dryers, was Gilding RE: [scribes]: Gilding [scribes]: Quill/Reed Knives [scribes]: Illumination Project ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 16:20:00 GMT From: "Elyse Boucher" Subject: [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V2 #1788 Oh, okay, M. Johannes; I didn't think about that point. I knew I meant split-nib pens, and so I just assumed everyone could read my mind. Yah, I know, stupid to expect. That attitude does sometimes cause problems between me and my Lord, who frequently fails to read my mind as I expect him to. ;-) TTFN, Merouda - ------------ Merouda Pendray: Caer Anterth, Northshield, Middle. (Elyse C. Boucher: West Allis, Wisconsin, USA) Per pale sable and Or, a gryphon segreant countorney within an orle of feathers counterchanged. "Semper ubi sub ubi" http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/merouda ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 13:23:49 -0500 From: "Helen Schultz" Subject: [scribes]: Welcome Jackie Greetings Jackie: Welcome to the list and the shared love of Medieval calligraphy and illumination. I don't reside in Europe, but I can tell you this much... the only SCA Kingdom there is Drachenwald. This other kingdom you speak about might be a British reenactment group of some sort. Only those living in the UK can tell you that for sure though, and I would guess you have already had a few private missives. I know there are several SCA groups in the UK, which should allow you some few contacts. Yes, we do "pride" ourselves on our knowledge base. We have some really well-informed "hobbyists" here in the SCA. You could almost say some of us take it more seriously than others. I would love to be as knowledgeable as RanthulfR about period pigments, but alas, I am rather lazy in my research. I do turn out a pretty good illumination and calligraphy attempt from time to time, though. My big thing is to gather as many books on Medieval C&I as I can into my own personal library... so far, I have made a rather good showing with this . But, I know what you mean about the challenge of it all. Thank you for the info on the computer fonts. I think most of us will agree with you about the preference of doing our own calligraphy, but also, sometimes it is good to have computer fonts to build web sites, newsletters, event flyers, etc. Meisterin Katarina Helene von Schoenborn, OL (Meisterin means Mistress in German) Shire of Narrental, Middle Kingdom (that is Peru, Indiana, USA) =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 14:59:12 -0600 From: "UnruhBays, Melanie A" Subject: RE: [scribes]: Gilding Unto Mistress Aidan, and all of the rest of us here in the arid West - Of course it's been a bit dryer than usual out here this year - at least up here in Denver - although I don't know how it's been down your direction. I discovered, somewhat by accident, that a scroll left in the same room as a clothes dryer which does not vent outdoors provides a fine environment for gold-leafing. I would highly recommend this process to arid-land scribes. I now have two drawing desks - the one in the den, and the one in the basement that doubles as a clothes-folding table when not otherwise engaged. One caveat - the lint can build up, so don't leave your work in this environment when you're not working on it. As we are in the process of buying a house in Denver soon, I have already made plans to set up the scriptorium next to the washing machine and clothes dryer, and to install one of those thingies that redirect hot, wet dryer air back into the house, ostensibly to help warm a cold house in the winter. I believe that those contraptions can be had from places like Real Goods, due to the energy conservation feature. They also seem to have a filter to help control the lint. I tried to set up shop in the bathroom, but couldn't figure out how to get a writing/guilding surface in there! Maredudd, Caerthe (Denver, CO.) (who is really looking forward to getting back to scrollwork after we're finally moved!) > -----Original Message----- > From: Holly Cochran [mailto:ulfnaidan@uswest.net] > Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2000 7:19 PM > To: Scribes List > Subject: [scribes]: Gilding > > > What I've learned from C&I this summer.... > > 5. New Mexico is very dry, which makes it hard to do good > gilding. > > Ms. Aidan > (thinking about installing a gilding table in the shower...) > > =================================================================== > To unsubscribe from this list, send email to > with a blank Subject: line and > unsubscribe scribes > in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in > the body. > =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 16:37:30 -0500 (CDT) From: Eloise Beltz-Decker Subject: [scribes]: Indoor-venting dryers, was Gilding On Thu, 24 Aug 2000, UnruhBays, Melanie A wrote: > Unto Mistress Aidan, and all of the rest of us here in the arid West - > > Of course it's been a bit dryer than usual out here this year - at least up > here in Denver - although I don't know how it's been down your direction. > > I discovered, somewhat by accident, that a scroll left in the same room as a > clothes dryer which does not vent outdoors provides a fine environment for > gold-leafing. I would highly recommend this process to arid-land scribes. I > now have two drawing desks - the one in the den, and the one in the basement > that doubles as a clothes-folding table when not otherwise engaged. One > caveat - the lint can build up, so don't leave your work in this environment > when you're not working on it. An old nylon over the end of the flexi-vent tube is a wondrous lint-catcher. Runs and holes aren't a problem - just tie a knot in the weak/holey spot and you're good. When it starts to get full, take it off and use another; or you can turn it inside out, scrape out the mass, turn it back right side out, and replace (they're usually good for three or four uses this way). Eloise of Tree-Girt-Sea, whose mother is frugal to a fault. - -- Eloise Beltz-Decker eloise@ripco.com http://pages.ripco.com/~eloise/ "Ginny! Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that thinks for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain!" - Arthur Weasley to his daughter =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 15:09:20 -0700 From: Carolyn_Richardson@cch.com Subject: RE: [scribes]: Gilding I think I'd be worried about venting a dryer inside - from what I hear on some of the fix-it shows, it's not particularly safe to do so, particularly with a gas dryer (possible CO buildup). A safer bet might be to just buy a warm mist humidifier and run that for a while in a closed room before attempting to gild. That's what I do and it works pretty good, although I sometimes have to run it for a few hours before gilding. Tetchubah of Greenlake, Caid =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 18:34:46 -0500 From: scribesb@interport.net (Susan Bondurant) Subject: [scribes]: Quill/Reed Knives Dear Scribes: I have been searching every SCA knife vendor for a knife for scribes to no avail...if you would like to purchase such a knife to cut your quills and reeds, please contact the gentleman below: From: T Moran To: Susan Bondurant Subject: Re: Quill Knives I see no problem with making what you want. Only selling it. If the Guild of Limners would want to sell them I would make them and sell them whole sale 1/2 doz at a time. Tw "Oh bother" said the Borg Queen, "we assimilated Pooh" Susan, Brooklyn, NY www.medievalarts.com =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 15:57:18 -0700 From: "Julie C. Sparks" Subject: [scribes]: Illumination Project Well, everyone, I am done with my grant project, "The Painted Word"-- I made two illuminated manuscripts (one in Latin and one in Greek) using various medieval techniques, most of which I learned from listening in on you folks and benefitting from your vast and various knowledge of the scribal arts. I cut my own quill pens, made egg tempera paints and glair paints, and made my own gum ammoniac and gesso; and I am quite pleased with the results. I have put many images of my processes and finished products up online, and would be very interested in your opinions of my work. http://www.willamette.edu/~jcford/Carson/ Feel free to respond publicly or privately. I value your opinions highly, and hope one day soon (maybe after my senior year at WU) to be able to take an active part in the SCA as a scribe. Thanks a million! Julie Sparks =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V2 #1789 ******************************