Elm Bark Tankard

[Bishop]

Something for the Hobbits, a half-pint ale tankard made from Elm bark. The highways agency has been felling trees along the A40 and I have been lucky enough to have some big branches fall near one of my hedgerow haunts. The plan was to make a simple container but the more I played around with it I figured a tankard could be possible. Had a little pine-resin glue and some beeswax left so gave it a go...

Should of put a wooden plug in the top to hold the shape better as the bark dried out. I'll add a top-down picture so you can see how it's warped sort of ear shaped


Need to get a bit more wax in there but so far 99% leakproof!


Hoping the next one will be a full pint

 

[Stew]

That has great character. Love it!

 

[Toddy]

It does indeed
Doesn't that look excellent ? and I like your cordage too

M

 

[Wander]

I sodding love that.
Talk us through how you did it.

You're right, something around the top to hold the shape would have been ideal, but I don't know how I would have done that (not without a lot of faff).
That said, if the one you've done is water tight (and it's just a matter of plugging holes with wax) then yours will have infinitely more wonky charm and personality.
A full pinter should definitely be in order!

Can any wood bark be used (except yew)?

Again, please tell us how you made it.

 

[Muddypaws]

Superb! Very rustic, and absolutely lovely.

 

[Bishop]

Talk us through how you did it.

By staying curious and banging the rocks together

There's lots of Birch bark container tutorials across the web and these are good for inspiration. Downside of course is that Birch is thin on the ground here in Wales and what there is.. is not quite as good as the Scandinavian stuff. Something to do with colder winters I believe. So started looking at the older primitive / paleo technology videos like this one buried on Youtube, that show getting the bark off. Elm, Beech and Pine are apparently workable for crude containers and shoulder haversacks. There's also some odd mentions of Hawthorn being good as well, again though finding a big fat branch is slightly tricky.

Here's me 'Spudgering' away this afternoon...

The bark when fresh like this feels like wet leather, with strength of soggy cardboard. Patience is your friend, go slow and just keep running the spudger stick up and down with a gentle pressure.

Now as the bark is going to shrink I have to wait before gluing the base plug and the bark edges together. It's wrapped around a couple of water bottles to help keep the shape as it dries and will be wrapping some string to stop edges curling inward.

Sods law in full force this afternoon and tore an inch wide strip off by accident so the full pint is going to remain elusive for this build.


Here's the mess left by the Highways agency...

 

[bob_the_baker]

Awesome job. Another project on my to do list.

 

[Bishop]

I don't like to give up and some faffing later.... here it is, a one pint beer mug.
Will post some more pics up tomorrow when the light is better.

 

[Dreadhead]

that's braw! this is why I love BCUK

 

[Bishop]

Messed up the camera settings somewhere for the colour is darker and more golden than it appears in the pics.

Back in the woods this weekend for another go.

 

[Robson Valley]

Just remember that the bark from your birch species is not the same
as the much more flexible bark from the paper birch (Betula papyrifera) of North America.

Unless the birch had to be cut for some other reason, bark removal, ringing the tree,
is a lethal insult not expected from an adult bushcrafter, anywhere.

 

[Sundowner]

Following this thread

 

[Bishop]

Life's awkward moments number #46..
When you've got wood in the bath and the wife comes home...

Picked up some more bark on Saturday and started on another mug, however life got in the way on Sunday and before I could get the the other three begun they had dried up in this heat and started curling like scrolls of parchment. So these have spent most of today in the bath soaking in water to soften them back up. Had just laced them onto containers to preserve a cylindrical shape as they dry and was cleaning the bath when Julie found me...

 

[mousey]

Those are awesome, and have been stored away in the back of my mind for 'stuff to try at a later date'. 99% leakage proof, just means you've got to drink the contents quicker .