A parchment Middle Earth map?

[Eric C]

Hail and well met Rangers,
I was talking to my pastor today. He is a fan of the LOTR movies. He hasn't read the books. His 30 year old son is a big fan also. My pastor told me today that he had wanted to get his hands on some parchment and draw a map of Middle Earth on it for his son for Christmas. It's too late now to get it all together. But he told me he could not find parchment for the map anywhere in America. I asked if he went on ebay. He said he didn't think of it.

Anybody got any good links to where he could get some parchment for the project in case he decides to do it for a birthday or for next Christmas? He's looking for something kind of thick I think. He complained that what he did find was almost transparent.

Suggestions?
Eric

[Peter Remling]

Dixie Gun works use to offer old book binding paper(parchment paper) from appxly 100 years ago. I checked their site and they don't seem to offer it anymore, but I'd suggest you give them a call they might have a few sheets laying around. If I remember correctly it was of serviceable size.

I googled map making suppliehttp://www.benmeadows.com/store/Surveying_Engi ... ies/2635/s and came up with this

however it's very expensive and it's treated so it won't yellow.

Another alternatie would be canvas and pencil in the map and then paint it on. He could age the canvas with a primer coat of an off white first.

[Mirimaran]

For parchment he could try Staples, but he can get this off Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016D ... SYJVXY4XKY

We have that one ourselves.

http://shop.vendio.com/moviepostersusa/ ... 1261299362

I hope that helps!

[Odigan]

A "parchment" map is easily made with some household materials. What I've done in the past is photocopy what I wish to "age" and then abuse it a bit (spindle, fold, and mutilate). I then steep a strong solution of ordinary tea, and soak the paper in it. The edges can be torn off while wet to give a ragged look if desired. It then may be either air dried or put in a warm oven. The end result looks and feels convincing enough. Roll it up, secure it with some cording and a wax seal and voilà!

I've not tried using vellum (available through art and drafting supply houses) but it might be even more realistic once aged, having a slight transparency to it. The above process could be applied to whatever design is drawn on the paper as long as it is done before treatment, but it might be better to photocopy the original work onto the final piece instead. The photocopying gives it a more irregular look (so find a beat up copier with lots of miles on it - works best for this!).

[Eledhwen]

Probably ought to point out that real vellum isn't paper...it's animal skin, usually sheep skin.

Parchment isn't either, not the real stuff. Vellum, however, is the finest quality, can be made from pretty much any skin, but the best is considered to be from unborn or stillborn animals.

Fake vellum and parchment is I don't know what. But the real stuff is animal skin.

Siani

[Odigan]

Fake vellum and parchment is I don't know what. But the real stuff is animal skin.

Modern synthetic vellum is a stabilized paper product containing cotton. I've got tubes of it sitting next to me here. Thank you for bringing up this point though, since I, at least, assumed that by "parchment" it was meant something like to it would be reasonable, given that well, it is a fantasy map...

If actual skin parchment is desired, then keep in mind it's basically rawhide. You can get skins of that all over the place, around $30-50 for a whole deer hide. Though given what it's made from and the odour it emits when wet, I tend to associate it a bit more with Mordor than Bag End personally...

[Eledhwen]

Woohoo! Learn something new every day! I did not know what the synthetic stuff was made of. Thanks for that bit of info!

Siani

[Eric C]

Though given what it's made from and the odour it emits when wet, I tend to associate it a bit more with Mordor than Bag End personally...

He said he's looking for sheepskin. But given the number of people standing beside the road with shotguns while their dogs hunt, it would be pretty easy to get our hands on deerskin around here. I don't know how ready he is to tan a hide, but if he's going to get what he wants- real parchment so he can draw a map- I believe he is going to have to do some tanning.
I don't know, I've had my hide tanned a few times. It's not so bad now.

[Chris Russo]

I was recently thinking along the same lines, though I was planning on making my map just of Eriador (say, from the Shire to the Misty Mountains and thereabouts). Glad you brought this up!

I was going to look around Michaels' and the local craft stores to see what they have...

Closest I've found so far is: http://cgi.ebay.com/Parchment-Parchment ... 56382f1070

[Peter Remling]

You can get modern parchment paper in 8 1/2" x 11" sheets ( a little small for map making) or a roll, the same stuff just used as a nonstick solution in a roll http://cgi.ebay.com/NORPRO-Jumbo-Roll-N ... 27ad63605c

If he's going to do it by hand he should also get some Caligraphy pens and ink. When starting out use the narrowest nib you can find.

[Eledhwen]

I have a map under way, but it's of my own area; the four counties of Western MA. I've simply renamed things in Elvish and whatnot. This one is being embroidered....

Siani

[Peter Remling]

I have a map under way, but it's of my own area; the four counties of Western MA. I've simply renamed things in Elvish and whatnot. This one is being embroidered....

Siani

What material are you doing it on?

[Eledhwen]

Medium weight linen, a natural color.

Siani

[Eric C]

That sounds like a huge project. But a fun one regardless.

[Greg]

I have a map under way, but it's of my own area; the four counties of Western MA. I've simply renamed things in Elvish and whatnot. This one is being embroidered....

Siani

I was in the middle of doing that very same thing when I moved from LA to Nor Cal, bringing that project to a screeching halt. I wasn't embrioidering it, though...I don't have your patience.