Book Review –“The Craftsman’s Handbook / Il Libro dell’Arte”
Book Review – “The Craftsman’s Handbook / Il Libro dell’Arte” – Cennino d’Andrea Cennini, translated by Daniel V. Thompson, Jr. On a recent trip to Edinburgh, I looked at some of the 2nd hand bookshops...
View ArticleHandbooks & treatises – a brief history of metalworking texts
If you are reading this, you already have access to the internet, and a vast pool of technical information. Not all of it is free, or accessible to the public, but clever use of a search engine can...
View ArticleA Recipe for Verdigris
74. Preparation of Verdigris for Emerald Clean a well-made sheet of Cyprian copper by means of pumice stone and water, dry, and smear it very lightly with a very little oil. Spread it out and tie a...
View ArticleBrass & Bronze in Theophilus – Understanding Medieval Copper Alloys
Note: This article is based on Smith & Hawthorne’s translation of On Divers Arts, and the references are written [Book-Chapter], so that [III-10] would be Book 3, Chapter 10. Hendrie’s translation...
View ArticleChoosing Metalworking Fluxes – Medieval Experimental Archaeology
Experimental archaeology presents a number of problems to the practitioner. Modern anachronisms undermine the validity of the experiments, but the cost of fully authentic equipment and feedstocks can...
View ArticleArchive: Old title page #2
NOTE: This post is an archive copy of the old title page, and is here mostly for sentimental reasons. The aim of the Primitive Method blog is to share information relating to my research into medieval...
View ArticleBook Review – “The Pirotechnia of Vannoccio Biringuccio”
Book Review – “The Pirotechnia of Vannoccio Biringuccio” – translated by C. S. Smith and M. T. Gnudi This is a translation of the first known printed book on metallurgy. Written a century after the...
View ArticleBook Review – Art of the Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith
Book Review – “The Art of the Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith” – E. Coatsworth & M. Pinder Despite the wealth of art history and archaeology books out there, it’s rare to find something that is useful to the...
View ArticleSalt Green
Salt Green is a name used in some medieval manuscripts to describe green copper compounds, which can be used as pigments or reagents. Unsurprisingly, salt is an important part of these recipes, but...
View ArticleBook Review – “Mappae Clavicula, A little key to the world of medieval...
Book Review – “Mappae Clavicula, A little key to the world of medieval techniques” – translated by C. S. Smith and J. G. Hawthorne Mappae Clavicula is part of a thread that runs through the history of...
View ArticleClay & Ceramics in “On Divers Arts”– Medieval Crucibles Part 1
Ceramics are important for the metalworker, and for other high-temperature crafts. This was no less true in the middle ages than it is today; clay was an essential natural product that was found in...
View ArticleDescriptions of Brass and Zinc in Mappae Clavicula
This post was meant to be a list of descriptions of brass production in medieval texts, but as soon as I opened Mappae Claviculai, it became clear that each text will need it’s own post. The history of...
View ArticleA Recipe for Verdigris
74. Preparation of Verdigris for Emerald Clean a well-made sheet of Cyprian copper by means of pumice stone and water, dry, and smear it very lightly with a very little oil. Spread it out and tie a...
View ArticleBrass & Bronze in Theophilus – Understanding Medieval Copper Alloys
Note: This article is based on Smith & Hawthorne’s translation of On Divers Arts, and the references are written [Book-Chapter], so that [III-10] would be Book 3, Chapter 10. Hendrie’s translation...
View ArticleChoosing Metalworking Fluxes – Medieval Experimental Archaeology
Experimental archaeology presents a number of problems to the practitioner. Modern anachronisms undermine the validity of the experiments, but the cost of fully authentic equipment and feedstocks can...
View ArticleArchive: Old title page #2
NOTE: This post is an archive copy of the old title page, and is here mostly for sentimental reasons. The aim of the Primitive Method blog is to share information relating to my research into medieval...
View ArticleBook Review – “The Pirotechnia of Vannoccio Biringuccio”
Book Review – “The Pirotechnia of Vannoccio Biringuccio” – translated by C. S. Smith and M. T. Gnudi This is a translation of the first known printed book on metallurgy. Written a century after the...
View ArticleBook Review – Art of the Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith
Book Review – “The Art of the Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith” – E. Coatsworth & M. Pinder Despite the wealth of art history and archaeology books out there, it’s rare to find something that is useful to the...
View ArticleSalt Green
Salt Green is a name used in some medieval manuscripts to describe green copper compounds, which can be used as pigments or reagents. Unsurprisingly, salt is an important part of these recipes, but...
View ArticleBook Review – “Mappae Clavicula, A little key to the world of medieval...
Book Review – “Mappae Clavicula, A little key to the world of medieval techniques” – translated by C. S. Smith and J. G. Hawthorne Mappae Clavicula is part of a thread that runs through the history of...
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