Eric_Methven
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Quick update on a possible new skill area to explore.
I'm half way through demonstrating pole lathe turning at Kirkleathum museum. I started on Thursday and go right through until Monday. One of the other courses overlapped with mine. It was ancient pottery (neolithic) and was being done by one of the foremost pottery experts in the country - commonly known as Jim the Pot.
I managed to buy a couple of big slabs of red clay from Jim and made some clay spindle whorls for drop spindles and a few pots which are just formed over your clenched fist and tapped into shape with a beef rib. These dried overnight then Jim showed me a method of firing the pots in a campfire. It involves a six inch deep trench, piling the pots in the middle and lighting a small fire at both ends of the trench. This burns for four hours gradually getting bigger so the pots heat up gradually. Finally you put large pieces of wood right across the top of the trench. A draught is pulled in from either end of the trench causing the top pieces of wood to burn and the temperature inside where the pots are to reach 1000 degrees - more than enough to fire the pots. You wait until the top pieces burn through and collapse in among the pots then you heap the soil you excavated from the trench over the top sealing it off and stopping oxygen getting in. This is left overnight and in the morning you carefully open the trench to find your pots done and loads of charcoal from the partly burned wood.
Now, having said all that, I fried sausages in my pot today. Dripping sealed the inside of the pot and the sausages fried lovely. My clay pot is now seasoned and tomorrowI'm going to do sausage and chips at lunch time - in a small clay pot on an open fire.
Anyone fancy trying it out at the weekend meet? It's something we can have a go at during spare moments and fire the pots in the evening. The real work will be done as we sleep so it shouldn't interfere too much with already planned activities.
Oh, nearly forgot. These pots don't need glazing. Tanin seasons them. So drinking red wine, or a few cups of tea will seal them up lovely.
If that's not a good bushcraft skill to have I don't know what is.
Eric
I'm half way through demonstrating pole lathe turning at Kirkleathum museum. I started on Thursday and go right through until Monday. One of the other courses overlapped with mine. It was ancient pottery (neolithic) and was being done by one of the foremost pottery experts in the country - commonly known as Jim the Pot.
I managed to buy a couple of big slabs of red clay from Jim and made some clay spindle whorls for drop spindles and a few pots which are just formed over your clenched fist and tapped into shape with a beef rib. These dried overnight then Jim showed me a method of firing the pots in a campfire. It involves a six inch deep trench, piling the pots in the middle and lighting a small fire at both ends of the trench. This burns for four hours gradually getting bigger so the pots heat up gradually. Finally you put large pieces of wood right across the top of the trench. A draught is pulled in from either end of the trench causing the top pieces of wood to burn and the temperature inside where the pots are to reach 1000 degrees - more than enough to fire the pots. You wait until the top pieces burn through and collapse in among the pots then you heap the soil you excavated from the trench over the top sealing it off and stopping oxygen getting in. This is left overnight and in the morning you carefully open the trench to find your pots done and loads of charcoal from the partly burned wood.
Now, having said all that, I fried sausages in my pot today. Dripping sealed the inside of the pot and the sausages fried lovely. My clay pot is now seasoned and tomorrowI'm going to do sausage and chips at lunch time - in a small clay pot on an open fire.
Anyone fancy trying it out at the weekend meet? It's something we can have a go at during spare moments and fire the pots in the evening. The real work will be done as we sleep so it shouldn't interfere too much with already planned activities.
Oh, nearly forgot. These pots don't need glazing. Tanin seasons them. So drinking red wine, or a few cups of tea will seal them up lovely.
If that's not a good bushcraft skill to have I don't know what is.
Eric
. And I can say it looks a fantastic place to have a meet up, the scenery is specactular. 
