Concordia Champion Prize

One of my last duties as Concordia's A&S Champion was to organize and run the competition at this year's Wars of the Roses. It is customary for the outgoing Champion to make the prize for the winner of the competition. I immediately decided to make a leather blackjack.

I began by drawing up a measured blueprint of the body of the mug on a piece of waxed parchment paper. I have discovered this to be superior to regular paper, because the wax helps it repel water when it comes time to trace the pattern onto the wet leather, thereby preventing rips and tears in the pattern. The measurements I used were based on a mug I had previously completed, which was assembled from a pattern provided by Lord Geoffrey de Cardeville during an eight-week workshop he taught in the Barony of Lochmere (Atlantia) in 2011.

Once the blueprint was drawn up, I wet down a side of ten-ounce, vegetable-tanned cow leather and traced the pattern into it. Then, using an Xacto knife, I cut the body of the blackjack from the side of leather. Since I did not intend to tool any designs into this project, I moved on immediately to the seams. Using a seam marker and a four-hole punch marker, I marked the seams into the leather. Then, using an awl, I bored the sewing holes. This is a long, miserable process, and it always makes me appreciate our modern tools all the more. When the holes were complete, I stitched the jack together using brown waxed linen thread and two needles.

Once the body of the mug was sewn, it was time to measure and cut the bottom insert. This time, I used a thinner 5-6oz. leather, which was MUCH easier to insert and sew in than the thicker leather I've used in the past. Once the bottom was sewn in, I soaked the blackjack in cool water for around five minutes. Then I carefully inserted an empty plastic bottle with the desired diameter into the mouth of the mug (one of these days I will make a proper wooden mould, but for now I use what tools I have). Once it was stretched fully around the bottle, I set it aside to dry for several days.

When it was dry, I pulled the bottle out of the mug. I then sealed the outside of the vessel with wax and the inside with a completely modern epoxy called EnvirotexLite.

 The first step in sealing the mug was to heat the leather at two hundred degrees Fahrenheit for several minutes (preheating the leather causes it to absorb the wax better) and then thoroughly coat the outside of the vessel with liquid wax. Care needed to be taken to not drip wax on the rim or inside the mug, however, as it will cause the interior sealant to not bond properly with the leather.

After the wax was applied and allowed to cool, I applied a second, thick coating of wax along the stitched seams. This prevents the interior sealant from seeping out. I used a pastry brush in both wax applications.

First coat.

Once the leather was completely cool, it was time to pour the interior sealant. For the first application, I prepared six teaspoons of the EnvirotexLite, which I poured directly into the mug. Then, by tilting it this way and that to spread the sealant, I coated the entire interior surface. Using a spoon, I carefully applied the sealant around the rim as well.

The sealant requires twenty four hours to fully set. After the first coat, the interior of the mug and the rim were very rough. I sanded it down with a fine-grit sandpaper, and then prepared a second application. It only required four teaspoons, because the leather absorbs far less on subsequent applications.

Second coat.

Twenty four hours after the second coat, the interior was much smoother. However, the interior handle seam needed some attention. This seam has proven problematic to seal in the past, because the EnvirotexLite flows with gravity, and it's really difficult to find the perfect balance that will keep the sealant in that seam until it hardens.

I created a dam with several pieces of scotch tape (a first-time experiment for this project) and, after pouring the sealant into the mug, balanced it carefully on a dolphin candle holder in my living room. I watched it for about half an hour, and it seemed to be correctly balanced. So I left it to harden and went to bed.

Whoops!

And I woke up to … well … this.

The mug tipped forward during the night, and a lot of the sealant flowed out. Fortunately, enough remained inside to sufficiently seal the seam. Fortunately as well, it didn't stick to the surface of my bookcase, nor to the waxed top of the mug handle! I was able to cut off the solidified overflow and easily remove the tape dam.

 I applied one final, small coat of the sealant, mostly to smooth over a few rough edges. When that last coat was set, I again placed the mug inside my oven at 200 degrees to melt off the excess wax from the surface and exterior seams. Then, while the leather was still warm, I used a soft cloth to buff the waxed surfaces.

When the mug again cooled, I filled it with water and let it sit for an hour to test for watertightness. It passed the test, showing no signs of seepage or leaks. This mug will hold twelve ounces of hot or cold liquid.

I displayed it in the open display at Roses. Then it was awarded to Lady Astrid, who won the Populace Choice competition with her lovely embroidery!