From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V4 #26 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Tuesday, October 24 2000 Volume 04 : Number 026 ======================================================================== 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]: period vs. entertainment [scribes]: Re: Fw: making of gold dust of real gold ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 08:53:29 -0400 (EDT) From: Stacey Jill Wahrman Subject: [scribes]: period vs. entertainment Baron Andreas, Master Johannes, and my fellow scribes: Last night at scriptorium I was asked a related scribal question by a new scribes. She wanted to know whether it was acceptable to change the design she was working on in order to reflect her different color choices (limited palatte). Across the table someone esle wanted to know whether she could insert drolleries that looked like the recipient and other friends. Another newcomer wanted to know whether it was okay for him to start out tracing designs in Celtic knotwork until he got more confident about drawing them. My answer to all of these questions was another question, one which I think is relevant at this point: What are you planning to do with it? Is your purpose to create something that will delight the recipient, in which case you might well decide to be more whimsical based on the recipient's taste, or is your purpose to create something that will stand up to critical judgement by others? What do you want to get out of the experience of creating this scroll: pleasure in creation or a period learning experience? There are, as far as I am concerned, no right or wrong answers to these questions, just differences of opinion. It is interesting to note, however, that around the same table we had one person practicing calligraphy with a hand-carved quill, one person experimenting with gold leaf, several people attempting to draw period designs based on pictures from books, and one person using a portable light table to practice tracing. We are all scribes. We all become scribes for different reasons, and I don't think we can make judgements as to what the "correct" attitude is, nor do I think we should restrict our imaginations when it comes to *creative* anachronism. There is no right or wrong way to create a scroll, and one of the things I have always appreciated about the scribes list is the opportunity for people with different opinions and attitudes to share them, and occasionally cause me to rethink my own positions. I hope that this will continue to be that sort of an open forum, without fear that you will be told you are doing something wrong or inappropriate. After long silence, Anastasia da Firenze Lochmere, Atlantia =================================================================== 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: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 09:19:00 EDT From: RenScribe@aol.com Subject: [scribes]: Re: Fw: making of gold dust of real gold In a message dated 10/23/00 9:13:44 PM, meistern@netusa1.net writes: >Pour some honey into a cup and lay a leaf or two on top; stir it up >with a wet stick to break the gold leaf and let it settle. The next >day pour in some warm water to dissolve the honey and let the gold >fragments settle. If you use a dry stick, some of the gold leaf will >adhere to the stick. > >Then pour off the upper, liquid honey and add more warm/hot water and >continue dissolving the honey. Do this until you have only water with >gold leaf fragments in. Dry it out and dip your brush in when you need >some gold leaf. > >Jack C. Thompson >Thompson Conservation Lab. >7549 N. Fenwick >Portland, Oregon 97217 >USA A few years ago someone posted to this list about making shell gold. Whoever it was - Thanks :-) I had tried it once before getting the instructions and succeeded in making a glob of gold in my mortar ;-( I now save all of my scraps from gilding, mix them with honey and salt and grind away. (It really does look like mustard) When it is well ground, fill the mortar with water. The gold quickly settles to the bottom. Draw off the water with a dropper. Add more water, stir, allow the gold to settle, draw off the water and repeat until there is no salty or sweet taste to the water. Transfer the gold sludge to a shell and mix it with gum arabic. Allow it to dry. That's it!! :-) It sure beats the $21 Paper and Ink sells a small tablet of shell gold for. Eibhlin ni Chaoimh AEthelmearc =================================================================== 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 V4 #26 ****************************