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Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:49 pm
by Greg
I'm loving this, Iodo. Great detail-working.

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:55 am
by Iodo
Udwin wrote:The idea of a dwarf tool roll is very exciting! While I understand the appeal of being a jack-of-all-trades, I kindof want you to pick one trade just to see how nitty-gritty your toolkit could get. (I agree that toymaker would be fascinating)

Even knowing the crafting skill of dwarves, looking at that hammer handle, I have a hard time seeing it as anything but modern. Maybe its the lack of patina, but the fine polish and lack of any turning imperfections could do with 'improving' to my eye ; )
A natural wooden handle, split along growth rings and spokeshaved to shape (instead of turned) would look incredible. Or maybe you could find a local turner with a springpole lathe who could turn you a new handle to decorate?
Your kit is so great already, it deserves a handmade hammer!
I know what you mean, to be honest, I think it's might be the blue powder coat that does it :mrgreen: , I guess I'll go for the continuous improvements method here, and probably change it for something else in the future
Greg wrote:I'm loving this, Iodo. Great detail-working.
Thank you :P

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 11:14 am
by Elleth
The level of technology in a toolkit is an interesting question - I recall once seeing an archaeological picture of I think a Roman hammer and it looked staggeringly like a modern tool.

Given the Dwarven reputation for fine worksmanship, I'd think lots of handtools from the late 18th-early 19th centuries would work fantastically for a Dwarven persona - basically the last really refined stuff before the industrial era.

Are you familiar with Diderot's Encyclopedie?

Basically, an 18th c. Frenchman went and documented tons of mechanical trades, and detailed engravings of the tools of his day have come down to us. If you haven't seen them yet, I *really* think you'd get a kick out of them. Once upon a time I found a book of illustrations from the encyclopedia set on the discount rack, and it is awesome.

http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/shop/a-dide ... gillispie/

I also see that and some other editions on amazon.co.uk, and you can also find images from the encyclopedia with a simple google image search like diderot encyclopedia tools or diderot encyclopedia hammer.

I suspect you'll find lots of inspiration there. :mrgreen:


Finally - here in New England we have tons of 18th and 19th c. hand tools still moldering in antique shops, some with nice ornamental hand filing and such on them.

There's not so many relics you trip over them, but they're common enough a bit of calling around turns them up fairly easily. Is it the situation the same there? (We lost a lot of our old treasures to WWII metal drives, so I could imagine over there you guys got even more stripped clean?)

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 3:15 pm
by Iodo
That book looks good, there seems to be a lot of it on google images, thanks for that
Elleth wrote: There's not so many relics you trip over them, but they're common enough a bit of calling around turns them up fairly easily. Is it the situation the same there? (We lost a lot of our old treasures to WWII metal drives, so I could imagine over there you guys got even more stripped clean?)
There's plenty of this over here to, problem is, to my eye anyway, it looks too old to be Iodo's stuff, I can imagine that she would have a few old tools past down through her family but most of that would still be with her parents in the Iron Hills, still, I'm still thinking this through - ongoing project :mrgreen:

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:55 pm
by BrianGrubbs
I love this! Not sure if anyone has brought it up before, but one thing you could consider adding is a stump anvil (like this https://www.oldworldanvils.com/stump-anvil-set) for metal working. Since you drive the spike into a tree before working, it is actually a rather solid work surface. I have one somewhere that I reground from a wood splitting wedge...but I can't seem to put my hands on a picture of it! Either way, I've done some decent forging on it, and since splitting wedges are common, you shouldn't have any trouble getting your hands on one to modify! Just some thoughts from a one time/some times smith, lol.

Brian

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:13 pm
by Iodo
BrianGrubbs wrote:I love this! Not sure if anyone has brought it up before, but one thing you could consider adding is a stump anvil (like this https://www.oldworldanvils.com/stump-anvil-set) for metal working. Since you drive the spike into a tree before working, it is actually a rather solid work surface. I have one somewhere that I reground from a wood splitting wedge...but I can't seem to put my hands on a picture of it! Either way, I've done some decent forging on it, and since splitting wedges are common, you shouldn't have any trouble getting your hands on one to modify! Just some thoughts from a one time/some times smith, lol.

Brian
Sound's like a good idea, added to the list, thanks :P

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 2:07 pm
by Iodo
One of the files now has a handle:

Image

I turned it from sapele then shaved it to an octagonal profile (using the little spokeshave in the first pic on the thread) and wax polished it

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 6:51 pm
by Elleth
That's awesome! I love the ferule you made!

... will you be decorating the handle with knotwork or something? Or leaving as is?

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:12 pm
by Iodo
Elleth wrote:That's awesome! I love the ferule you made!
Thank you :P I wondered if you'd recognize it from the Daegrad books
Elleth wrote:... will you be decorating the handle with knotwork or something? Or leaving as is?
maybe I'll burn or carve "Iodo" into it since I've never known any crafts person who doesn't name tools, I wasn't planning to do anything else since it's quite a basic item, although I do need to make more of them and I was thinking a similar but shorter version for a leather awl as well

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:32 pm
by Ringulf
Great project Iodo! I really like what you have gathered.
When I committed to Ringulf's backstory as an itinerant craftsman wandering in the Shire, planted by the Rangers to watch from within, I had to ask and answer many of these questions. I too had built a "tool kit" and had gone as far as thinking of a proper conveyance and crafting route. For this I started with a large framed pack but as I developed the kit a pushcart was needed and then finally a pony-drawn wagon.

My route was determined by three things:
The towns with Inns (for drink and vittles as well as information)
The towns that had craft centers, like covered work and sales or market benches and a common forge etc.
Finally, and very importantly in the Shire leastwise, the mail routes.

Becoming known and trusted as a merchant and mail carrier as well as a frequenter of the common rooms of Inns (Perhaps joining the Conkers or darts league, or arranging and instructing weapons throwing for the training and recreation of Bounders and those Hobbits that have considered a bit more rough and tumble lifestyle) would let me become a trusted and "anticipated" visitor. Being a Dwarf I was still a bit of an outsider, but not truly looked at as :"Big Folk" There are some Dwarves that reside in the Shire Mostly in Needlehole or in the Marrish with the Stoors and quite a few more that travel through it on their way back and forth on the East Road to see their relatives in Ered Luin or traveling up from Sarn Ford, coming from down Tharbad way.

My own abilities working with wood, leather and metal as well as the more artistic carving of wood, antler, horn and bone, made me select a larger number of tools, but many have multiple purposes between these disciplines, so a good number of them belong to several kits and help me cut down on a little weight.

Now finding out much of this information about the Shire, beyond the map and descriptions found of certain towns in Tolkien's own words, had to be extrapolated from sources of information that are a bit farther removed from Tolkien's writings and second hand commentary. (Like Weta's illustrations of Ori's tool kit in the Hobbit Chronicles)
Much of it came from historical research of both medieval and colonial crafting methods and technology which I am fortunate to have access to re-enacting in the SCA and Viking as well as local Colonial groups.( like recreating the Mastermere tool chest.)

And then there is the dreaded Third or fourth level sources like...dare I say it?...games!
I have played both tabletop and electronic games for many years that are based on Middle Earth and I have gotten to actually walk down some of the paths of the Shire and craft in its town centers and even deliver mail! (the Postmasters are always looking for some patsy to do the leg work as they are busy enough already!) Seriously though, Experimental Archeology using things like Lotro (Lord of the Rings Online) can give you a very enjoyable "Sandbox" to play in and test out your theories and though it is by no means as extensive as what the actual Shire and Breeland Maps give you from an Eagle's eye view, it does help you imagine some of the detail that could be had in microcosm. I feel that they have done an admirable job with the level of detail and the adherence to known canonical issues and plot-lines and even their filler areas have names and culture and purpose that feels very authentic. I would just say that it can be a very engaging tool to develop your Persona or Character here in M.E. as we see it in Merf, if that is what you are interested in doing. But there is no substitute to actually getting out in the woods or a re enactment or craft fair in Garb and Kit and doing it!
Now that I have come back to the subject of my toolkit, I will have to organize and take some new pictures of what I have collected over the years. it has changed quite a bit! :mrgreen:

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:11 pm
by Iodo
Ringulf wrote:Great project Iodo! I really like what you have gathered.
Thanks so much :P
Ringulf wrote:When I committed to Ringulf's backstory as an itinerant craftsman wandering in the Shire, planted by the Rangers to watch from within, I had to ask and answer many of these questions. I too had built a "tool kit" and had gone as far as thinking of a proper conveyance and crafting route. For this I started with a large framed pack but as I developed the kit a pushcart was needed and then finally a pony-drawn wagon.

this sounds amazing, I'd love to see photographs
Ringulf wrote:My own abilities working with wood, leather and metal as well as the more artistic carving of wood, antler, horn and bone, made me select a larger number of tools, but many have multiple purposes between these disciplines, so a good number of them belong to several kits and help me cut down on a little weight.
I guess that you mean things like wood carving chisels that can also be used on leather, nice idea
Ringulf wrote:And then there is the dreaded Third or fourth level sources like...dare I say it?...games!
I'm not a gamer but I can't say I'm not guilty of looking at screenshots from games for ideas :mrgreen:

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 2:00 pm
by Peter Remling
Instead of a hand cart or pony drawn cart, consider a pack saddle to carry goods and tools. It's very easy to make a pack saddle from some shaped wood slats, a moving blanket, some garment leather scraps , a steel ring about 2" in diameter and a piece of leather belt strap. I made one for a photo shoot years ago (that never happened). The pony wasn't available but making the pack saddle was very easy.

I cut the blanket to a serviceable size, added leather stirrups for the bottom legs of the wood frame. Next shape the four wooden slats that form two X s (front and back) attach them with another slat of wood at the center of the X s. The next step is to cut the belt strap and attach (securely) to the blanket pad. One strap should be about a foot long this is the one you attach the steel ring to. the other strap should be much longer as it needs to pass under the barrel of the pony/horse/goat or dog. Tie off the long end through the ring in the same way you'd tie off a medieval belt and you're done.

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:11 pm
by Iodo
That sound's awesome and I'd love to see pictures of yours :mrgreen: but as I lack some form of creature to ride, I'm afraid I'll have to give it a miss : (

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:26 pm
by Iodo
Another addition:

Image

It's the sharpening stone from the first pic on the thread, stained a bit darker and with an added leather strop, the chip-carving came out a lot better than I expected for a first go :P and was made using the knife from the first pic on the thread

Re: Starting to Assemble a Dwarven Toolkit

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:12 am
by Taylor Steiner
Looks great! What grit of stone is that?