Peerman

[tombear]

Hi All
today I had a play with the charity shop B&D drill lathe and turned a bit of seasoned beech into a base for something. When I started I hadn't decided what exactly it would be a base for, possibly a all wood rushlight holder, possibly a candle stick, maybe a spike for putting papers on. Anyroad, flicking through a book for inspiration I saw some Peermen or Puirman as they are sometimes called. Since I happened to have some suitable 1/32" brass strip about 20mm wide I knocked this up.

Oak, pine or fruit wood would have made a more authentic base and although brass was used iron would have been better. I cheated and used epoxy to hold the brass into the slot (I drilled a line of 1/16th holes and then chavelled them into a slot, cleaning up with a scalpel)

There not being any bog sunken fir trees to hand to make the splints/fir-candles i split up some maya sticks id got cheap at a garden centre which work OKish. Splints of fat wood would do if I could find a suitable stump. Could anyone north of the Border advise on what works best?

Anyroad it kept me entertained!

ATB

Tom

Incidentally if you google images "Test tube holder" amongst the wire affairs you'll see lots of metal contraptions which look like the brass part above, would save having to mess about making that part.

 

[crosslandkelly]

That looks very good, could also be used for jossticks.

 

[HHazeldean]

That looks very nice, an interesting to, have never seen anything like that before. Very nice work

 

[Macaroon]

Chavelled! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, word of the week, I think - I'm off to look it up!

 

[ozzy1977]

Nice one

 

[tombear]

Cheers!

I probably put in too many ls as it should be chaveled according to Wikipedia! To chew up with the implication of done roughly, crudely.

Atb

Tom

 

[johnnytheboy]

Funnily I just seen an old fir candle holder in the display at the top of the funicular railway in Aviemore! Nice job!

 

[craeg]

Nice and inspirational as I need a jos stick holder

 

[Goatboy]

You could also make some rush lights from rushes and rendered fat to use in it.

 

[British Red]

He has - in fact I consider him the ultimate authority on the subject

 

[Chiseller]

You could also make some rush lights from rushes and rendered fat to use in it.

Rush lights......I've heard them talked abaht , but not tried or seen em used

Run Silent-Run Deep

 

[Chiseller]

That looks very good, could also be used for jossticks.

I'm not a fan of jessysticks , but I've burnt slivers of fatwood in the house for that backwoods ambience :thumbup:

Run Silent-Run Deep

 

[tombear]

This year, and this is about the third on the trot, all the local to me common/soft rushes were useless spindly things. I was laid up with the foot so the wife and kids went off to collect me some and despite their best efforts of the trugfull they brought back I got barely a couple of hundred rush dips and watch lights ( you just leave two strips, they burn slower and lower).

I've found found another variation on the wooden rush nips, even simpler than the last one I did. I say wooden but the jaws are covered in iron to stop them burning. I'll put up a pic and the dimensions, when I've made it.

atb

Tom

 

[tombear]

http://edulab.com/products/view/TTFR/Test-Tube-Holder-MetalWood-Handle.Pk10

slapped on a turned base would make perfectly functional peermen, probably too strong to use with rush lights, would chop them in two!

atb

Tom

 

[tombear]

Does anyone have a dozen or two of nice big resin rich fir candles to sell or swap? I'd like to burn something authentic and I can't find a suitable doner stump/ log. There used to be a plantation up at Cloughfold resevoir but its closed off as they are finishing clear felling it! We used to go walking there all the time and the kids went into shock when we last passed, apart from a handful of broad leaves its all gone. We knew they were having trouble with them blowing over in any kind of storm but it seams a bit drastic!

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

Got some very resinous lumps of pine tom - probably not true pitch pine but stinky!

 

[tombear]

If it will split into splints it's better than owt I can get here, cheers!

Decided to clear up the weaving shed so now laying here having a allergy attack waiting for the antihystermines to kick in. Why I don't take them first is a mystery. Still, finding lots of stuff I didn't know I had.

thanks!
Tom

 

[Dogoak]

Nice, ingenious work. IMHO definately more of a rush nip.

IIRMC Peerman comes from 'Poor Man'. This is one I've got, a late 17th early 18thC Peerman and candle stick. The candle side was when folks had or more likely afford a candle.

 

[British Red]

If it will split into splints it's better than owt I can get here, cheers!

Decided to clear up the weaving shed so now laying here having a allergy attack waiting for the antihystermines to kick in. Why I don't take them first is a mystery. Still, finding lots of stuff I didn't know I had.

thanks!
Tom

No worries - it'll split okay - can't get to it till Monday so drop me a PM after the weekend and I'll dig some out of the wood pile

 

[Goatboy]

Rush lights......I've heard them talked abaht , but not tried or seen em used

Run Silent-Run Deep

You don't get a lot of light but as the name implies it was a poor mans light. Render down the fat from any meat you've been cooking, and soak the stripped pith of the rushes in it. Hang up and allow to dry/solidify. Gives quite a yellow sooty light but I've only tried it with beef or lamb fat. Things like chicken or duck fat may the lighter and brighter I don't know. Was something to do while snowed in a few years back. The house would get sooty fast if you used them a lot. (Plus the smell makes you hungry).