LivingHistory.co.uk

And here's a little 'montage' I did with a pie made using the 4" dolly. Once filled and cooked, they actually come out around 5"+ in diameter (and, of course, taste lovely...!).

"I'm moderately surprised at that - sycamore or beech are (nigh) universal for food use." In my research for making these, I never found an antique original dolly made from either beech or sycamore. All were from fruitwoods. I'm sure there are examples that aren't fruitwood, but they don't appear to...

Here's a bit of period kitchenalia I've just completed - the pie-eaters amongst you should recognise them as Pie Dollies for making pork pies. They were traditionally turned from fruitwood - I've used apple - and these are sized to make 4" and 6" diameter pies. I'll be using them later in the week.....

I've been busy again!

This one matches the one posted above, in sycamore again, but this time with a more heraldic theme - the English Rose and the French Fleur-de-Lys. No biscuits made with this one (yet) but I'm hoping to try it out sometime soon.....

Joolz

Sold pending payment......

or, more correctly, a Three Quarter Skirt Mexican Double Loop Holster (and belt). Made from top quality dark brown (chocolate?) saddle leather (sorry colours are a bit washed out on photos), a smidge under 4mm thick, single ply, with all edges dressed and sealed, stitched and riveted belt, 18 bullet...

It stands to reason that if you have a long, narrow thrusting blade (such as a tuck/estoc or the later rapier), possibly hollow-ground, if you fullered it, it would then become very floppy. So instead you give it a central ridge (or a diamond cross-section) for rigidity.....

Joolz

Cheers Ewelina - I try my best!

Joolz

Here are a couple more 18thC style trade/hunting knives, resurrected from old carbon steel kitchen knives I find in junk shops. They are then cleaned up and de-rusted, re-shaped and re-hilted. Try it - it's a good way to get practice in cutlering and gives a new lease of life to an old knife..... Th...

I got a load of Cold Steel tomahawks in for the HEMA/WMA salle I run - most will be blunted and used in class, but I thought I would work on my tan this weekend and play around with one in the sun....to see if I can make it a little 'prettier' with a bit of honest graft..... First, off comes the har...

And here's the chain shot, 3" solid steel balls (for a 4lb cannon). I'm ever-so-tempted to make bar or star shot next......

John, that seems an awfully complicated and expensive way of making grenados, particularly as you can buy the steel balls, already dressed and pre-drilled, for pennies. They just require cleaning up, a couple of coats of paint, and a bung. Let me know next time you need some and I will sort you out....

Yeah, it's only when you hold one of these in your hands that you realise just what those poor b*stards marching in line on the field of a Napoleonic/Crimean/Civil War battle had to face. And also just how brave they were, and how well disciplined. And these aren't even as big as some of the more co...

This evening, I just finished stringing some grapeshot (below), the scourge of both cavalry and infantry on the 18thC battlefield. I've made up some 2" and some 3" - the 2" version has a dozen steel balls of 16mm diameter, and the 3" version has 18 balls of 1" (25mm) diameter. I used a braided cord ...

Cheers guys, I have added to my collection of explosive ordnance - I've made some more grenados, but I've also been making 18thC mortar shells. The ones below are 6", all steel (except for fuse, of course) and I have some 8" ones in the pipeline (these are bigger than a human head!!). Notice how I r...

.....as the saying goes. Back in the days before KP were around to tempt you to nibble on their nuts, if you had spent the day imbibing down your local tavern and needed something to soak up the ale before mounting your steed and trotting back to the missus, you cornered the serving wench, crossed h...

I have spent an excellent weekend doing two things that are close to my heart (and stomach!) - woodcarving and baking.... Here are the results - a period kitchenalia classic - the carved biscuit mould. This particular one I hand carved from sycamore, a traditional 'kitchen' wood because of its stren...

I usually go to Chester Jefferies when I want bespoke gloves. However, they're not really set up for doing 'period' gloves; for those I guess it comes back down to Karl.

http://www.chesterjefferies.co.uk/scripts/default.asp

Joolz

An interesting mini-discussion on the MyArmoury forum about carrying axes in your belt (and the naffness of axe-rings) brought up this little illustration of a leather loop on the belt of a handgonner carrying a spiked axe. Sorry if you guys already knew about this, I just thought I would put it 'ou...

@Steve, I'm sure I posted some simple ones on another thread. I'm working on some with fancy guards (possibly shells, too) for the New Year.... @AndyandHelen, The carving only extends for around 3 feet or so (not 6'). I've been woodcarving for long enough that it didn't take an age to do, you just h...

Well, I finally finished my Boar Spear. I carved the ash shaft with 67 quatrefoil paterae in a diaper pattern that covers just over half of the shaft. It greatly improves the grip you have on the spear, but also looks fantastic and really makes it look like a weapon fit for a 16th century monarch! T...

Keith, I tend to get inspiration from stuff I've seen on the Contemporary Makers blogspot and the Traditional Muzzleloading Forum in the States. Although some of the designs are commonly seen (usually the simpler ones, after all, it's just a piece of wood with some holes bored in) I like to experime...

To continue meandering off topic, my current FEO is a WWII re-enactor himself, and also makes arms and armour, and is a member of one of my clubs. Needless to say, I've not had any issues with him (quite the opposite!). My last one nearly had apoplexy when going through all my 'toys' (and not just t...

Just to give you guys the heads up, I was in my local gunshop/militaria dealers yesterday (Barbican Armoury, Brancepeth Castle - look it up), and amongst all the really interesting stuff he has, there were a pair of 1915 dated British cavalry lances, bamboo, with red/white pennons, cord wrap grip an...

And to continue the hunting theme, here's the start of the companion piece to the Boar Sword - a Boar Spear! The head is finished, I just have to mount it. I have the ash pole, but I think I will carve the haft, as most of these had something to improve the grip (usually a criss-cross of leather tho...

Why not normal mild steel sheet? It's just as inauthentic as any other material currently available, it's inexpensive, and easy to work. I would suggest going to the Armour Archive. The answers to all your armouring questions will be found there..... http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/index.php ...

Brand makes a good point: too many people who would like to get into shooting think that a Firearms Certificate is a 'golden ticket' that they can use to just walk into a gun shop and buy whatever they fancy. In fact, you technically have to justify each and every one of your firearms to your Chief ...

And the last page, with a particularly poor photo of a storage box. I make my own.

Well, to start that one off (and I know it doesn't answer your specific questions), here's the storage guidelines supplied by my local force, when I renewed last month. My licence came with the RCA document incorporated, also co-terminus with my FAC and SGC.

Good advice, I suppose (I'm a member myself) except not everyone who uses blank firers does WWII (or even 20thC....). From what I know of the relevant act, an (unlicenced) blank firer needs to have a permanent drill-resistant blockage incorporated into the barrel, and the gases from combustion of th...