From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V7 #79 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Sunday, February 17 2002 Volume 07 : Number 079 ======================================================================== 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]: Don't forget your masks this weekend!!!! [scribes]: exemplars posted [scribes]: Looking for scribe [scribes]: cutting a quill Re: [scribes]: cutting a quill Re: [scribes]: cutting a quill Re: [scribes]: cutting a quill [scribes]: Wonderful Magazine [scribes]: Walnut Ink [scribes]: Gottingen Model Book for sale ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 12:30:56 -0500 From: Linda Carey Subject: [scribes]: Don't forget your masks this weekend!!!! - --------------85998DDA38809A0ED0FB108C Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Romance Beneath the Stars! Spring Crown Lyst - Saturday 2/16/02 9:00 p.m.- until your feet can't dance anymore! Come celebrate Valentine's weekend with Dragon's Den as we host a Masked Ball after feast Saturday evening in the pavilion directly across from the feast hall, next to the basketball court. We will have live music, dancing, masks for those who don't have one, refreshments and desserts, flowers, cloven fruit and much more! Look for the white and blue christmas lights decorating the pavilion! Join us in celebrating courtly love! We hope to see you all there! - --------------85998DDA38809A0ED0FB108C Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit        Romance Beneath the Stars!
       Spring Crown Lyst - Saturday 2/16/02
9:00 p.m.- until your feet can't dance anymore!

Come celebrate Valentine's weekend with Dragon's Den as we host a Masked Ball after feast Saturday evening in the pavilion directly across from the feast hall, next to the basketball court.  We will have live music, dancing, masks for those who don't have one, refreshments and desserts, flowers, cloven fruit and much more!  Look for the white and blue christmas lights decorating the pavilion!  Join us in celebrating courtly love!  We hope to see you all there! - --------------85998DDA38809A0ED0FB108C-- =================================================================== 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: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 13:55:53 -0800 (PST) From: Hrefna in heppna Subject: [scribes]: exemplars posted Greetings! For those of you with an interest in Italian Rotunda or batardes, there are new exemplars posted at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~hrefna/. Just follow the links. There is an article accompanying the rotunda but not the batarde. Sorry, not enough hours in the day. :) Hrefna in heppna __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Got something to say? Say it better with Yahoo! Video Mail http://mail.yahoo.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: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:17:07 -0800 From: "Tammy L. Williams" Subject: [scribes]: Looking for scribe Greeting unto the Scribes, I have an opportunity that might be of interest to some of you. Baroness Saewynn is seeking a scribe to calligraph a song written in her honor. Part of the "terms" will include a significant length of card woven trim (Saewynn is known for her card weaving trim, it is often given as tourney prizes). If you are interested please contact her directly with a CC to me. Thank you,, Dame Tamlyn > ***** ***** ***** ***** > Good Scribes of An Tir -- > I come before you with an unusual request. A few days ago, a filk was > composed in my (dubious) honor and was posted on the An Tir Steps. I was > deeply flattered and would like the text of the song calligraphed onto a > scroll. Anyone willing to scribe this for me, please contact me *off list* so that we can negotiate terms. Hopefully awaiting a response, I remain > In service > Saewynn Silfrhrafn > Herald at Large > Baroness, An Tir > bookworm@u.washington.edu > > =================================================================== 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: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 05:38:34 -0800 (PST) From: Anandashankar Mazumdar Subject: [scribes]: cutting a quill Thank you very much to Cindy Baker for her shipment of quills, which arrived this week. I'm all set now. I've got my quills and my Exacto knife. Only, I've already ruined one quill. I tried the boiling method (forgoing the sand) and when I went to make the second cut to make the split in the nib, it didn't work right. The two tines of the nib are now spread apart and curving away from each other like the tines of a fork. What did I do wrong? I also wanted to review the tempering methods to check to see if I've got it right -- 1. Soak the quill overnight in water. 2. a. Curing with sand Heat the sand in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. Or heat the sand on an electric skillet. Or heat a cup of sand in the microwave. Stick the quill in the hot sand for 30 seconds 2. b. Curing without sand Press the quill against a hot iron, turning to heat evenly Or Put the quill in boiling water __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games http://sports.yahoo.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: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 16:06:22 -0500 From: "Kara Westfall" Subject: Re: [scribes]: cutting a quill > Press the quill against a hot iron, turning to > heat evenly IIRC, according to the Patricia Lovett book that discusses this method, she uses a brass cup hook that is straightened and sharpened a bit, heated up on the iron, and inserted into the end of the quill as you press the quill on the iron, thus heating inside and outside of the quill. I'm sure there are other tools that would work as well, it probably just needs to conduct heat and fit into the quill shaft. I've never tried this, I'm just remembering (I think) what the book said. Chiara da Ravenna Stonemarche, East (NH) =================================================================== 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: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 16:33:09 -0500 (EST) From: "Lyle H. Gray" Subject: Re: [scribes]: cutting a quill > I tried the boiling method (forgoing the sand) and when I > went to make the second cut to make the split in the nib, it > didn't work right. The two tines of the nib are now spread > apart and curving away from each other like the tines of a > fork. What did I do wrong? Whenever I split the nib of a quill, I place the nib upside-down on a hard surface, place the blade of the knife against the inside surface of the nib along the line that you want to split, and then press down. It will split the nib with an audible "click", without spreading the ends as much as will happen with you press the blade into the end of the nib. I've never figured out why the other method doesn't work very well -- it's the one that's described in many old (19th-century) texts on cutting your own quills. Regards, Lyle FitzWilliam =================================================================== 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: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 16:07:08 -0800 From: "Cystennin" Subject: Re: [scribes]: cutting a quill I have to agree with the method below. Turn it up side down then press down on the last 0.5mm of the quill with your knife. I've gotten my quills pre-tempered, so I am not sure how to advise you on this. But I will say that if the quill is not tempered properly then it will split and shatter like crazy and cause you to be very frustrated with your quill cutting efforts. Finally, I have built a pen-knife according to the instructions in the calligraphers handbook. I had another one made as well, out of Ball-Bearing steel stock, and these work very well, a lot better than an exacto. If you know a knife maker, I suggest getting one made. It shouldn't cost you more than $75-$150 to make. The good oI made has a Macume' bolster. I am making another one as well. This one is a reproduction of a period design out the "Knives and Scabbards" book from the Museum of London Series. (It's #305 in the book). An interesting thing is that is has a cruved blade and is flat ground on both sides, instead of the lat blade with convex grinding on the anterior side, like in the Calligraphers hand book. I have surmised that the curve in the blade helps to make the split in the end, because it will act more like a Scissors blade when rocking across the end of the quill. Cystennin Sends. - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lyle H. Gray" To: "Anandashankar Mazumdar" Cc: Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2002 1:33 PM Subject: Re: [scribes]: cutting a quill > > I tried the boiling method (forgoing the sand) and when I > > went to make the second cut to make the split in the nib, it > > didn't work right. The two tines of the nib are now spread > > apart and curving away from each other like the tines of a > > fork. What did I do wrong? > > Whenever I split the nib of a quill, I place the nib upside-down > on a hard surface, place the blade of the knife against the > inside surface of the nib along the line that you want to split, > and then press down. It will split the nib with an audible > "click", without spreading the ends as much as will happen with > you press the blade into the end of the nib. > > I've never figured out why the other method doesn't work very > well -- it's the one that's described in many old (19th-century) > texts on cutting your own quills. > > Regards, > Lyle FitzWilliam > > =================================================================== > 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: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 19:25:30 -0500 From: "Helen Schultz" Subject: [scribes]: Wonderful Magazine Greetings All: Again, sorry for the cross posting, but I know several people who are not on both lists who might be interested in this magazine. I am a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and they send out what they call a "Bulletin" but is really a wonderful informational publication. One I got shortly after I joined the Met was on Medieval blown glass... really cool. However, today I got one that is all about a Spanish 12th century Apocalypse. The photos are really top quality, and the information is most scholarly. If you are interested in seeing this publication, I think you can get it from the Met on-line (but I'm not sure). This publication does a comparison of illumination techniques between the Apocalypse at the Met and the Morgan Beatus in the Pierpont Library. Meisterin Katarina Helene von Schoenborn (KHvS), OL Shire of Narrental (Peru, Indiana) Middle Kingdom http://ww1.comteck.com/~meisterin =================================================================== 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: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 23:18:32 EST From: KMcWhyte@aol.com Subject: [scribes]: Walnut Ink - --part1_154.919ede0.29a08918_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Greetings, all... Following an event in Ostgardr tonight, a friend of mine posed a question to me after I had asked her about the possibility of creating inkpots (she's a potter). The question was whether or not I knew of any scribes who created their own walnut ink. Responding that the subject was recently brought up here, she elaborated that she has a pair of old black walnut trees in her backyard that constantly drop the fruit all over the ground. When I asked her what the harvest count might be, the answer was approximately 200, before the squirrels get to them. :) So... if anyone is interested, please let me know and I'll get in touch with my friend over here. Thank you, Lady Kayleigh McWhyte, "Mercenary Scribe" (East) E.Frank, Long Island NY - --part1_154.919ede0.29a08918_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Greetings, all...

Following an event in Ostgardr tonight, a friend of mine posed a question to me after I had asked her about the possibility of creating inkpots (she's a potter). The question was whether or not I knew of any scribes who created their own walnut ink. Responding that the subject was recently brought up here, she elaborated that she has a pair of old black walnut trees in her backyard that constantly drop the fruit all over the ground. When I asked her what the harvest count might be, the answer was approximately 200, before the squirrels get to them. :)

So... if anyone is interested, please let me know and I'll get in touch with my friend over here.

Thank you,

Lady Kayleigh McWhyte, "Mercenary Scribe" (East)
E.Frank, Long Island NY - --part1_154.919ede0.29a08918_boundary-- =================================================================== 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: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 16:00:45 -0800 From: Karen Williams Subject: [scribes]: Gottingen Model Book for sale From ABE Books: Your Want:# A5447110 Title: gottingen model book; Has been matched with the following book(s): To update or delete this want click here: http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/WantMaintDelete?wantId=5447110 1. The Gottingen Model Book by Lehmann-Haupt, Hellmut Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1972 Decorative Cloth. A FACSIMILE Edition And Translations Of A Fifteenth-Century Illuminators' Manual Edited, With Commentary By Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt Based In Part On The Studies Of The Late Dr. Edmund Will. Columbia, MO: University Of Missouri Press, 1972. "This Model Book is the only surviving manuscript of its kind and provides detailed instruction for marginal illumination and the production of initial letters." The book's boards are slightly warped. The book's dust jacket has some light rubs and light soil. Otherwise, the book is tightly bound, very clean, and in VERY GOOD+ condition. The price of the book is US$ 50.00 Please reference the seller's book # 000122 when ordering. To order this book click here: http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/BookDetails?ph=1&bi=114827408 The seller is Baldwin's Book Barn 865 Lenape Road , West Chester, PA, U.S.A., 19382. Ph: 610-696-0816 Fax: 610-696-0672 Terms of sale: We accept all major credit cards. Shipping cost is $4.00 for first book and $1.00 for each additional book. 10 day return policy. =================================================================== 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 V7 #79 ****************************