torjusg said:
Thank you very much, Pierre!
The natural juices is probably wrong. Birch bark doesn't need impregnation. Thanks for the tips on the sewing, but I have read somewhere that boilling makes them more pliable.
Are they sewed on the edges as well, to prevent sideways splitting I mean? I am assuming that they keep the direction of the bark the same way as they do in the pictures.
Torjus Gaaren
TG:
I wonder where you heard that? You can use water, or heat. I would never boil birch bark. I tried it years ago and ended up with a mess. In my experieince it warps the bark beyond use. Boiling also has a tendency to seperate the layers.
Dunk the bark in water (not hot) for at least 20 minutes - it will become pliable (preferred method). Only the inner side becomes really pliable - the white (outer side) is the water proof side. You can also use heat - maybe something like a heat gun or small torch (be careful). Use one method or the other - not both together.
The rolls are made from horizontal (as you cut it from the standing tree) pieces fastened vertical end to vertical end. The cedar withe that you are sewing through at the seam prevents the edges from splitting. The upper and lower cuts (horizontal) will not split - once they are dressed - and need not be sewn. Try to do your harvest, end of June - beginning of July (unless things are radically different in Norge). The bark will almost pop off the tree.
Historically: When an Ojibwe woman would move her wigiwam to a new site - she would remove the poles that held the bark in place. She would leave the ribs in situ (as she would probably be returning to the same spot next year). She would use a torch or water to make the bark pliable enough to roll up for transport. At the new wigiwam site she would set up the ribs of the wigiwam and use a torch or water to make the bark pliable enough to unroll. This was done very carefully as birchbark is very brittle unless supported.
When I would put my birchbark canoe in water, I would let it soak up the water (innerbark always goes to the outside on birch bark canoes) for 20 minutes before I set foot in it. Then it was fine. Otherwise, I would have to spend half a day calking pin holes.
PG