Researching all the St Johns

 Burning of St John (also known as The Legend of the Relics of St. John the Baptist) by Geertgen tot Sint Jans (1484), one panel of a triptych which has been cut into two pieces, currently in Vienna. (Some good information about this painting, Snyder, James, E. 1960. The early Haarlem School of Painting: II. Geertgen Tot Sint Jans The Art Bulletin, Vol 4, 1960. The priests? Knights? featured in this image all wear black robes with the white cross of St John, however none of the beasts featured in the current heraldry are present.

Since there are so many possible patron saints of St Johns Ambulance Australia, I'm starting my research into the organisation seeing how far back I can trace it. The further back I can follow it, the more patrons I can knock off the list.

I've trolled through a number of the St Johns Ambulance Historical Society proceedings and have discovered a number of key figures in their history, mostly leaders / founders of order chapters in different locations. I believe some of these figures are some of the St Johns listed in Wikipedia so I can scrap them from the list. They are: St John at Acre (Guerin de Montaigu (1207–1228), 13th Grandmaster), St John at Rhodes (Pierre D’Aubusson (1476–1503)), St John of Malta (Philip Villiers de L’Isle Adam (1521–1534), Pietro del Ponte (1534–1535), Didier St Jaille (1535–1536), John de Homedes (Juan de Omedes) (1536–1553), Claude de la Sengle (1553–1557)).

So basically, any St John post 1207 is now off the list.

John the Evangelist (born 1st century), speculated author of the Fourth Gospel, traditionally identified with John the Apostle

John of Patmos, author of the Book of Revelation, traditionally identified with John the Apostle and Evangelist

John the Baptist, preacher, ascetic (c. 5 BC – c. 30 AD), and reported baptizer of Jesus Christ

John the Wonderworking Unmercenary (d. c. 304), Egyptian or Mesopotamian healer

John Chrysostom (c. 340 – 407), Antiochene Archbishop of Constantinople

John Cassian (360 – 435), probably Scythia-Minor priest and abbot

John and Paul (d. 362), Roman martyrs

John of Egypt (d. 394), Egyptian hermit

John the Silent (452-558), Bishop of Taxara

Pope John I (died 526), Italian pope

John of Ephesus (507-586), Syrian ecclesiatical historian

John Climacus (525–606), Syrian or Byzantine monk and abbot

John Scholasticus (died 577), 32nd Patriarch of Constantinople

Patriarch John IV of Constantinople (d. 595), also known as John the Faster, first Ecumenical Patriarch

John the Merciful (died c. 610), Cyprian Patriarch of Alexandria

John of Damascus (676–749), Syrian monk and priest, also known as John Damascene

John of Beverley (died 721), Angle bishop

John of Pavia (died 813), Bishop of Pavia

John of Rila (876–946), Bulgarian priest and hermit

John Gualbert (985-1073), Founder of the Vallumbrosan Order

John Theristus (1049-1129), Italian benedictine monk

John of Pulsano (1070-1139), or Giovanni di Matera, Italian abbot

John of the Grating (1098-1168), Bishop of Aleth

John of Matha (1160–1213), French priest; founder of the Trinitarian Order

John of Meda (died 1159), Italian priest

John Kukuzelis (1280-1360), Bulgarian composer, singer and reformer

John of Nepomuk (1340–1393), Bohemian vicar general of Jan of Jenštejn

Giovanni da Capistrano (1386–1456), Italian friar; summoner of European troops for the 1456 siege of Belgrade

John Cantius (1390-1473), Polish priest and theologian

John of Sahagún (1419-1479) Spanish priest

John Fisher (c. 1460 – 1535), English cardinal and martyr

Juan Diego (1474-1548), first Native-American saint

John Houghton (martyr) (c. 1480 – 1535), English abbot and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John de Ribera (1532-1611), or Juan de Ribera, Bishop of Valencia

John Stone (martyr) (died 1539 / died 1539), English friar and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John of God (1495–1550), Portuguese friar; founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God

John of Avila (1500–1569), Spanish Jewish converso priest, missionary and mystic

John Payne (martyr) (1532–1582), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John Leonardi (1541–1609), Italian priest; founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca

John of the Cross (1542–1591), Spanish Jewish converso friar, priest and mystic; joint founder of the Discalced Carmelites

John Boste (c. 1540 – 1594), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John Rigby (martyr) (c. 1570 – 1600), English martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John Roberts (martyr) (c. 1570 – 1610 / c. 1570 – 1610), Welsh priest, Prior of Saint Gregory's (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John Sarkander (1576–1620), Polish priest and martyr

John Ogilvie (saint) (1579–1615), Scottish priest and martyr

John Jones (martyr) (16th century – 1598), Welsh priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John Macias (1585-1645), Spanish missionary

John Southworth (martyr) (1592–1654), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649), French missionary and martyr (one of the North American Martyrs)

John Francis Regis (1597-1640), French priest

John Kemble (martyr) (1599–1679), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John Berchmans (1599-1621) Flemish seminarian

John Eudes (1601-1680), or Jean Eudes, French priest and founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary

Jean de Lalande (1615-1646), French missionary and martyr (one of the North American Martyrs)

John Wall (priest) (1620–1679), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John Plessington (c. 1630 – 1679), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

John de Brito (1647-1693), Portuguese missionary and martyr

John of Tobolsk (1651-1715), Metropolitan of Tobolsk

Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (1651–1719), French priest; founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

John Joseph of the Cross (1654–1739), Ischian friar, priest and Vicar Provincial of the Alcantarine Reform in Italy

Saint John Lloyd (died 1679), Welsh priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)

Helpful websites:

St Johns Ambulance Australia (a great group of people who volunteer their first aid assistance at many major events across Australia, I was a cadet in the organization many years ago - volunteer or donate today!)

Researching St John

The Heraldry of St John Ambulance Australia

It appears Elizabeth Hunter has something planned for the St Johns boys at Rowany Festival this year. As I had researched her popular dragon banner from two (?) years ago she's asked me to find an image of St John. The big question is, Which St John? Wikipedia has a massive list of them.

According to the St John Ambulance Historical society, "In the Nineteenth Century a group of citizens revived the Order of St John in England, drawing their inspiration from the example of the Knights of St John who in medieval times,". The order was involved in volunteer assitance for the sick. This movement was spread to Australia in 1884.  (St John Ambulance Australia). While important this history is far too current, and the Order of St John / Knights of St John are more relevant to our research. For those interested the Historical Society of St Johns Ambulance publishes a free history journal with some very detail articles on a range of topics, from language, to coinage, to the forefathers of the organisation

So we can safely assume that any St John post-1884 is not our man.

• John the Evangelist (born 1st century), speculated author of the Fourth Gospel, traditionally identified with John the Apostle
• John of Patmos, author of the Book of Revelation, traditionally identified with John the Apostle and Evangelist
• John the Baptist, preacher, ascetic (c. 5 BC – c. 30 AD), and reported baptizer of Jesus Christ
• John the Wonderworking Unmercenary (d. c. 304), Egyptian or Mesopotamian healer
• John Chrysostom (c. 340 – 407), Antiochene Archbishop of Constantinople
• John Cassian (360 – 435), probably Scythia-Minor priest and abbot
• John and Paul (d. 362), Roman martyrs
• John of Egypt (d. 394), Egyptian hermit
• John the Silent (452-558), Bishop of Taxara
• Pope John I (died 526), Italian pope
• John of Ephesus (507-586), Syrian ecclesiatical historian
• John Climacus (525–606), Syrian or Byzantine monk and abbot
• John Scholasticus (died 577), 32nd Patriarch of Constantinople
• Patriarch John IV of Constantinople (d. 595), also known as John the Faster, first Ecumenical Patriarch
• John the Merciful (died c. 610), Cyprian Patriarch of Alexandria
• John of Damascus (676–749), Syrian monk and priest, also known as John Damascene
• John of Beverley (died 721), Angle bishop
• John of Pavia (died 813), Bishop of Pavia
• John of Rila (876–946), Bulgarian priest and hermit
• John Gualbert (985-1073), Founder of the Vallumbrosan Order
• John Theristus (1049-1129), Italian benedictine monk
• John of Pulsano (1070-1139), or Giovanni di Matera, Italian abbot
• John of the Grating (1098-1168), Bishop of Aleth
• John of Matha (1160–1213), French priest; founder of the Trinitarian Order
• John of Meda (died 1159), Italian priest
• John Kukuzelis (1280-1360), Bulgarian composer, singer and reformer
• John of Nepomuk (1340–1393), Bohemian vicar general of Jan of Jenštejn
• Giovanni da Capistrano (1386–1456), Italian friar; summoner of European troops for the 1456 siege of Belgrade
• John Cantius (1390-1473), Polish priest and theologian
• John of Sahagún (1419-1479) Spanish priest
• John Fisher (c. 1460 – 1535), English cardinal and martyr
• Juan Diego (1474-1548), first Native-American saint
• John Houghton (martyr) (c. 1480 – 1535), English abbot and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John de Ribera (1532-1611), or Juan de Ribera, Bishop of Valencia
• John Stone (martyr) (died 1539 / died 1539), English friar and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John of God (1495–1550), Portuguese friar; founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God
• John of Avila (1500–1569), Spanish Jewish converso priest, missionary and mystic
• John Payne (martyr) (1532–1582), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Leonardi (1541–1609), Italian priest; founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca
• John of the Cross (1542–1591), Spanish Jewish converso friar, priest and mystic; joint founder of the Discalced Carmelites
• John Boste (c. 1540 – 1594), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Rigby (martyr) (c. 1570 – 1600), English martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Roberts (martyr) (c. 1570 – 1610 / c. 1570 – 1610), Welsh priest, Prior of Saint Gregory's (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Sarkander (1576–1620), Polish priest and martyr
• John Ogilvie (saint) (1579–1615), Scottish priest and martyr
• John Jones (martyr) (16th century – 1598), Welsh priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Macias (1585-1645), Spanish missionary
• John Southworth (martyr) (1592–1654), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649), French missionary and martyr (one of the North American Martyrs)
• John Francis Regis (1597-1640), French priest
• John Kemble (martyr) (1599–1679), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Berchmans (1599-1621) Flemish seminarian
• John Eudes (1601-1680), or Jean Eudes, French priest and founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary
• Jean de Lalande (1615-1646), French missionary and martyr (one of the North American Martyrs)
• John Wall (priest) (1620–1679), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Plessington (c. 1630 – 1679), English priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John de Brito (1647-1693), Portuguese missionary and martyr
• John of Tobolsk (1651-1715), Metropolitan of Tobolsk
• Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (1651–1719), French priest; founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
• John Joseph of the Cross (1654–1739), Ischian friar, priest and Vicar Provincial of the Alcantarine Reform in Italy
• Saint John Lloyd (died 1679), Welsh priest and martyr (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
• John Dat (c. 1765 – 1798), Vietnamese priest and martyr
• Jean Vianney (1786–1859), French priest
• John Hoan Trinh Doan (c. 1789 / 1798 – 1861), Vietnamese priest and martyr
• John Thanh Van Dinh (1796–1840), Vietnamese martyr
• John Gabriel Perboyre (1802-1840), or Jean-Gabriel Perboyre, French missionary and martyr
• John Baptist Con (1805–1840), Vietnamese martyr
• John Charles Cornay (1809-1837), or Jean-Charles Cornay, French missionary and martyr
• John Neumann (1811–1860), Bohemian missionary, Bishop of Philadelphia, founder of the first American Catholic diocesan school system
• John Baptist Y (1800–1839), one of the Korean Martyrs

• John Bosco (1815–1888), Italian priest and educator; founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Salesian Cooperators
• John of Kronstadt (1829–1908), Russian archpriest and synod member
• John of Shanghai and San Francisco (1898-1966), also known as John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco

To make a liquid for marking cloth

To make a liquid for marking cloth. Take dirty grease, such as the black muck which is found at each end of the axle-tree of a carriage, and add, and mix in oil and vinegar and boil it all together, and then heat up your marking tool and dip it in, and set it on your linen.

From Le Menagier de Paris, 1390, translation by Janet Hinson.

I think I might try this. I wonder if it leaves permanent marks and how fine I can make them.

Addition (27/1/2013): I've found a website that states that a blend of iron and vinegar can be used to chemically dye leather black. They suggest soaking steel wool or iron nails in vinegar until the liquid turns brown (a week or so) then painting the liquid onto the leather. (here). Perhaps the grease is from a metal axle and by mixing with vinegar you get the same thing. The added benefit of the grease and oil is it'll make a thicker substance, more of a paste which will be perfect for cloth.

Addition (28/1/2013): Randomly found a link on Pinterest that suggests using the metal + vinegar as a wood stain. "Vinegar works as a wood stain when you add a metal object in the mix and let it sit in a glass container for a week.  A handful of pennies will produce a beautiful pale Caribbean blue stain.  A wad of steel wool will give you a rich reddish hue.  A combination of tea and a metal object in vinegar will produce a black stain." (Here). As I have a bunch of pennies from my last trip to America I might give it a try this week. Even though I've only got a year 12 level chemistry knowledge, I'm pretty sure the 'blue' comes from the copper in the pennies reacting to the acid (vinegar). According to The Boy, pennies made in America from 1983 onwards are zinc with a coating of copper (random fact here). I'm not sure which type the author of the post I found intended so I may experiment with both.

Documentation for jerky (or salted meat)

Janurary's Twilight Tourney, though a small affair, was quite fun. The tourney itself was quite small but I think I got the most enjoyment out of entering all but one of the A&S competitions available. I painted my shield (it's beautiful), I made a heraldic saddle cloth for the Elephant, I made some preserved fruits (cumquats and lemons) AND I attempted jerky for the first time.

In fact, I made three kinds!

1)      Guaranteed not to kill you preserved meat.

2)      Experimental preserved meat

3)      Modern jerky using the medieval processes

(strips cut with the grain, squares cut across the grain)

I started by hopping on the internets and researching jerky and salted meat. The theory is very easy, sufficient salt will dehydrate the meat and prevent bacteria. I admit, I’m very modern and prefer my meat from a refrigerator. I found a few webpages refereeing to the Le Menagier de Paris, a medieval cookbook from 1393. I then found a translation of this cookbook by J Hinson.

Source [Le Menagiér de Paris, J. Hinson (trans.)]: Venison of Deer or Other Beast, If you wish to salt it in summer, it is appropriate to salt it in a wash-tub or bath, ground coarse salt, and after dry it in the sun. Haunch, that is the rump, which is salted, should be cooked first in water and wine for the first boiling to draw out the salt: and then throw out the water and wine, and after put to partly cook in a bouillon of meat and turnips, and serve in slices with some of the liquid in a dish and venison.

I also found some articles of Stefans florigium (first ever visit to the florigium, where have you been all my life oh tertiary documentation?) and a quick search produced this recipe:

Lord's Salt

Icelandic p. 215/D1

One shall take cloves and mace, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, ginger an equal weight of each except cinnamon, of which there shall be just as much as of all the others, and as much baked bread as all that has been said above. And he shall cut it all together and grind it in strong vinegar; and put it in a cask. That is their salt and it is good for half a year.

How to Make Use of the Salt Spoken of Above

Icelandic p. 215/D1

When a man wants to use of this salt, he shall boil it in a pan over coals without flame. Then he shall take venison of hart or roe and carefully garnish with fat and roast it. And cut it up well burned; and when the salt is cold than the meat shall be cut up therein with a little salt. Then it can lie for three weeks. So a man may long keep geese, ducks, and other game if he cuts them thin. This is the best salt the gentry have.

So I tried a mix of both methods.

1)     Guaranteed not to kill you – preserved meat

I had a worry about poisioning people with my meat as this was my first attempt. So I adapted the Icelandic method with the Le Menagier method. I took half a kilt of meet, sliced it and boiled it in a brine mix. 1 cup salt, 2 cups water, ¼ teaspoon sumac, ¼ teaspoon thyme, ¼ mixed peppers and ½ brown sugar (as I had no honey). I boiled the meat until it was tough and grey.

Being a modern sort of girl with a deadline I decided not to dry my meat in the sun. Instead I borrowed a fruit dryer and dried it for 8 hours. My thin cut strips turned very dry and powdery. They are quite salty and would work well for stews or long term meat.

2)     Experimental preserved meat

After the success of 1, I decided to try the same brine mix in the Le Menagier method of soaking (marinating) and then drying. To this mix I added 4 table spoons of brown sugar as well as the rest of the ingredients listed above. The meat was soaked for 24 hours and then placed in the dryer. Due to the increase in sugar, the jerky is softer than the first version. It is just as salty but is still pliable. It would be better to eat by itself but will probably grown mold quicker than 1.

3)     Modern jerky

To appeal to modern tastes I used the same process as 2. I soaked the meat in a mix of soy, ketjup manis, teriyaki sauce, pepper and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. The soy stands in place of the salt used in recipe in 1 and 2. This jerky is much more moist, and a lot closer to modern jerky. I am convinced it’s the sugar that takes the place of some of the salt and helps retain the moisture in the meat. This one is a lot more flavourful and was gone by the end of the night.

Shield of hotness

 

 St George and the Dragon, by Paolo Uccello, 1470. (wikipaintings here)

I've been using a smaller shield for at least 6 months now. For a long time it's been creamy white canvass covered in black and blue streaks from where I block blows. I finally decided to paint it over the Christmas break. I was sort of planning on just putting my heraldry on it again as it worked really well last time and looks great in a shield wall. Then I found a photo of St George (above) while looking for images of Wyvyrns. I love this painting because the lady is so clearly out walking her pet dragon on a leash when the oafish St George comes along and spears it through the eye. I couldn't resist, so I painted the key features on my shield. I'm rather happy with how it turned out even though I can't do faces or hands. I also used pearl white instead of pure white as they didn't have any at the store. This leaves a shimmer in the sky, on the faces and hands of the lady and georg(ina) and a very shiny horse.

This is not a very good picture of the shield but the main details are there. I've tried to retain the foreshortening that the original painter used in the dragon and the horse but I'm not so good at that. I also changed the dragon a little. I moved his leg and changed his stance so I could change his claws... if you notice he looks alot more like the figures below.Yep, I changed him to a velociraptor. Before you ask, Yes, I know they're only giant chicken sized (or small ostrich), and we've got fossil evidence to show they had feathers. I like the dragon wings better so I've compromised and given him small bat hands near the ends of his wings. I'm very happy with this shield! AND I entered it into the College of St Monicas, Twilight Tourney Heraldry competition and came first! Yay!

Indian bags and continers

A Indian market place. Trader and consumer on the left both appear to be using spherical bags / purses. The women use baskets? This image is from Kamat's Potpourri which has alot of interesting Indian images but usually fails to document them properly i.e. with a clear date and location. Many of the images are ink drawings of sculptures. This is The Kamat of  Social Life in Medieval Karnataka, a pretty good book for it's time. This image claims it is "Illustration from a Jain Monastery" but as to the date I don't know. Given the garb and turbans, I would suggest during the Mughul times, long after the period I'm interest in.

Now I've done a chunk of research I'm finding simple medieval sari's are rather easy to find. The hard bit is the accessories. With a kingdom level A&S competition coming up for 'containers' I've decided to make a period bag for my persona. I have a lot of trouble with carrying things at events. At local events I typically have an armour bag to stash things in, or (gasp, horror) a fabric reusable shopping bag. Either way, these are not ideal solutions as I don't feel comfortable lugging them around. I have started bringing wicker baskets with my handsewing.I goto a number of camping events each year but I typically fly (except Rowany Festival) which means I can't bring wicker baskets as they just take up too much room. Baskets aren't always a good option either if I want to lug around more modern objects like water bottles. So, what I need is a period bag for carrying around my wallet and larger objects which can be compacted easily OR be used when flying as a carry-on bag. For preference, this should be a fabric bag as I don't have sufficient leather at this point, and it's significantly less squishable.

There are a number of problems with fabric bags. The chief problem is that I have yet to find a surviving fabric item prior to the 14th C from anywhere in India. Since I'm looking at the 11th C at the moment, there will be no extant items to copy from. This said, fabric was exported and there are some fabric remnants of the Mamluk period in Egypt that may have been made in India. These however will be covered in Egyptian embroidery and made into Egyptian objects. So, I turn to sculpture as my inspiration. Sculpture suffers from the same problem any art does, it's an interpretation of the real world. As such items become stylised to different degrees. Problem two, the accurate rendering of items depends on the artists ability and interest in that object. Problem three, the ability to impart detail to sculpture depends on the medium, sandstone is courser than limestone so won't be able to hold finer details. However, sandstone tends to weather less, so might retain details longer.

I've found a beautiful collection of sculptures at the Khajurajo Group of Monuments. These are a group of temples constructed from 950 to 1150 (according to wikipedia anyway, accessed 8/1/13) and are one of the seven wonders of India. Many of the temple sculptures feature gods but 10% show common people involved in various positions of the Karma Sutra. Unfortunately this is the 10% that is easily found with a Google image search. I waded through a number of images and have found a few examples of containers:

The central figure holds what appears to be a urn / vase / amphorae wrapped in a rope net.

The Lady in this image is looking at herself in a mirror. Her attendant on the right appears to be carrying a largish satchel. (Pinched from this site, as were the one above and below)

Woman applying makeup. Attendant to the right has a shoulder bag which appears to have a flap or circular decorations on the side. This is exactly what I want to make. Something that can bulge to hold items or lie flat. The satchel / messanger bag seems to have a reasonably wide strap, longer enough that the bag rests on the attendants upper thigh.

Same statue as above, but from a different site (here) with a different angle and sun direction. This highlights different detail. The bag does have a flap as it's carved proud of the bag and is different from the incised circular decorations noted earlier.

 

Finally,  the small attendant in the center seems to be holding a circular bag, possibly a simple drawstring affair.

One of the problems I have with Khajuraho statues is that they were carved from sandstone, have been exposed to the elements and haven't been protected for long. So many of the details that I'm interested in (i.e. drawstrings and toggles) may not have been rendered as they were too fine or may have weathered away, Alternatively, they might not have been used at this time. Thus for construction ideas I'm turning to another European sculpture to give me an idea of what to make.

Pilgrims, 1120-1130, carved in limestone. Cathedral of Saint Lazare, Autun (Burgndy, France)

This sculpture is from an entirely different continent and culture however the figure on the right seems to have exactly the bag I want to make. A wide-ish strap and a circular flap with no apparent toggle. It seems these style of bags have been a thing for quite a while. As this sculpture was done in limestone, (and is, i assume, inside), it has a lot more detail and I can see the strap runs all the way to the bottom of the bag, giving it more structural integrity. I can't see this on the Indian sculpture, but I may run the strap to the bottom of the bag on the inside to provide strength.

Christmas happenings

I took a week and a bit off over Christmas which was rather nice. We didn't go anywhere or do anything which was even better. I got a good amount of time to spend on my unfinished projects and start a few more. Some things I did:

Gutta practice on blue silk scrap.

I tensioned a scrap of blue silk on a small embroidery frame and decided to practice my gutta work. I attempted some paisley designs which look okay when photographed but I think the gutta is just too thick for designs this small (about 5cm long). I wanted to try bleaching the colour out of the silk to see if I could paint the inside of the paisleys red or something. I had read online somewhere not to use chlorine bleach as it destroys cellulose (silk) so I tried painting on 6% peroxide bleach. I left it to dry (about 5 minutes) and then rinsed it off.... no effect. The only thing that happened is the gutta softened and some of the thicker areas peeled off. I shall have to do some more bleaching experiments. Perhaps I could use the paste they use on hair so it doesn't dry so quickly.

 

Wooden chair slats after sanding and oiling with Walnut oil.

This is a project I've been 'working' on for years. It's moved house with me twice now and I believe I've lost a piece in the last move. No matter, it was a simple dowel rod that I can replace at need. This is a rocking chair I got at the Dandenong junk auction for $10?. It had a stamp on the bottom, imported by Euro Furniture in Scoresby, Made in Solvenia.

The chair was covered in crumbling varnish and had extensive sun damage. The main seat was also cracked and came apart into three pieces once I took the slats off. Not knowing anything about woodwork, I started by sanding the back slats you can see in the picture with 40 grit sandpaper. It took the varnish off nicely. Unfortunately, when I tried this with the turned pieces, I ended up leaving deep gouges in the wood. I spent every day over Christmas through to new year hand sanding this thing and I've brought the slats, the back, the arms and the upper turned bits down to 320 grit and then oiled them with Walnut oil. You can see the slat on the right hasn't been oiled yet and is a nice pale creamy colour. The seat and legs are harder as they're more sun damaged and I had to glue the seat back together. I decided not to sand the legs back to fresh wood as I'd have to cut too deep and had no way of sanding in the turned dinty bits. Instead I've brought it to 150 grit and oiled them. They look a little darker brown than the slats.

I'm currently at the reconstruction stage which is awkward as the legs don't want to fit back in the holes they came from.

I'm rather happy this UFO is getting done and will be very happy with the final result... once I get there.