House Rosegate Bottell

My Pelican and the head of my household, Mistress Arianna, challenged us to submit projects to Atlantia's Kingdom A&S display in February 2014. I had seen Geoff's finished bottells and had been wanting to try my hand at one, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity!

I began by drawing up a measured blueprint for the bottell on white printer paper. The blueprint is based on the pattern Cathrin Åhlén provides on her website, but with some adjustments. For instance, her measurements are in centimeters while mine are in inches (the first blueprint I drew up was a 1:1 ratio—the resulting bottell would have been enormous!). Also, I desired a taller neck for my bottell, so I adjusted accordingly.

Next, I laid the blueprint atop the side of leather and traced the outline using a ballpoint stylus. Then, using an X-Acto knife, I cut the bottell from the larger leather.

Using the same ballpoint stylus, I then traced the design onto the leather. The design is the badge of House Rosegate—(Fieldless) On a Portcullis Sable a Rose Or Barbed Vert—atop the background of the arms of the Kingdom of Atlantia—Per Pale Argent and Azure, a Fess Wavy Cotised Counterchanged.

Next, I began to tool the design. I intended to paint the House Rosegate badge but not the background. Because of this, I hand-tooled only around the edges of the portcullis to give it a slightly raised effect. I chose to texture the sections of the background that would have been blue, while leaving the sections that would have been white smooth. I created this texture using a wooden mallet and a textured background stamp. To create greater emphasis between the “blue” and “white” sections, I then hand-tooled the outlines of the waves, giving the “white” sections a slightly raised effect.

When the design was complete, I turned to the task of piercing the holes through which the bottell would be sewn. I carefully measured and marked the seams, and then used an awl to drill the holes through the leather. That quickly grew tedious, and, recalling my vow to purchase a Dremel tool, I took myself to the hardware store. The tool allowed me to make quick work of the rest of the sewing holes, and soon the bottell was ready to begin being sewn together. For the first time, it began to take the shape of the finished product—an exciting milestone! I stitched the bottell using brown waxed linen thread and a blunt-tipped lacing needle.

Once the top was sewn, it was time to cut, shape and insert the sides of the bottell. For this, I again drew up a blueprint on printer paper, based on my adjusted measurements from the first blueprint. I placed it on the leather side and traced it with the ballpoint stylus, and then I cut it out using the X-Acto knife.

After thoroughly soaking the end piece in water, I flexed and folded and shaped it until, eventually, it fit into the hole at the side of the bottell. While the leather was still wet, I pierced holes into it using the existing holes in the body of the bottell as my guide. I then stitched it together, again using the brown waxed linen thread. When I finished, I repeated the process on the other side.

With both ends securely stitched, it was time to shape the bottell. To accomplish this, I first soaked the entire piece in water, letting it completely saturate the leather. Then, using a funnel and scoop, I poured sand into the bottell until it was completely filled. After that, I used a dowel rod to pack down the sand inside the bottell, forcing it into the nooks and crannies and causing the leather to stretch and bulge. I then poured in more sand, and repeated the process until the bottell reached my desired size and shape. After that, I set it in a warm, dry place for several days to allow it to dry completely.

Once it was dry, I poured all of the sand out of the bottell. It was then time to paint the House Rosegate badge. I used acrylic paint and a fine-tipped paintbrush to decorate the design. While the paint was drying, I began to melt the bee's wax I would use to coat the outside of the bottell. Once it was liquefied, I used a soft-bristled brush to coat the entire exterior surface with wax. I then placed the bottell into a warm oven. The heat combined with the force of gravity melted away the excess wax and left a smooth, even finish.

After the bottell cooled, I applied a large quantity of wax along the seams. This would prevent the resin mixture I used on the inside of the bottell from seeping out until it dried. With the seams thusly sealed, I poured the liquid resin into the bottell and spread it over the interior surfaces by slowly tilting and rotating the bottell. When the inside was coated, I set the bottell aside to allow the resin mixture to dry.

Once the inside of the bottell was dry I repeated the resin process, applying a second coat to the inside of the bottell. When the second coat had dried, I again placed the bottell into the oven for a final melting of the excess wax.

My Technique vs. Medieval Technique
1. I used a sand-packing method instead of a mold to shape the bottell. I am not a woodworker and do not have the skills necessary to create the required mold. Sand packing is a period technique that was used to create leather vessels—it was used to make flasks while the wooden molds were used to make bottles and jacks.

2. I coated the inside with a modern resin compound instead of pitch or wax. I did this for durability and so that my bottle can be used for either hot or cold liquids.

3. I used acrylic paint instead of period paints. I lack the skills and knowledge to create period pigments. Also, acrylic is very durable and stands up to the waxing process.

4. I used modern tools: an X-Acto Knife, a crockpot (to heat the wax), my oven. This was a matter of convenience and what I had available to me. In period they would have used a sharp knife and the heat from a fire.
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Entered In
Kingdom A&S Festival 2014, Atlantia: Open Display