Yuletide Gift Exchange - anyone interested?

[Manveruon]

I hope you like it! I wish my gift was as practical as the others I've seen so far. I wanted to do something unique, and I thought I would give this a shot, but now I kind of wish I had gone with a more field-appropriate gift. Gah...

Hehe, just read the email I sent you. I will be proudly posting pics of your gift. It is a true gift indeed, friend! I do actually have a scarf made by Mirimiran's wonderful wife (forgot her forum name, sorry) that would serve as a mask in colder weather. I've flirted with the idea of adding a mask to my kit. I will have to pursue that avenue now. For those who don't understand, just wait till I get my physical copy of the gift. I'll certainly post pics.

I'm so glad you like it, Eric! I actually liked how... mysterious... that made it look, in any event, so I'm glad I went that route.

[Ursus]

Holy crap there is so much awesome talent going on here. Elleth I'm glad you like the blade! Also those bags are seriously beautiful work, Manveruon you're a lucky man!

Greg I know nothing about hawking but I do know fine work when I see it, what an awesome gift and well suited to your talents. Well done Ringulf!

Cant wait to see everyone else's gifts!

And now on to my gift! Inside my box was a note with this quote.

"Though it was a long journey, each of the Dúnedain carried in a sealed wallet on his belt a small phial of cordial and wafers of a waybread that would sustain life in him for many days"

Inside was this nice stoppered, wax sealed phial filled with the afore mentioned cordial and another full jar for refills! This is exactly the type of thing I've been seeking to keep in my waist pouch. Im very eager to hear more about the contents as I know there is a lot more going on in this phial than meets the eye. I've taken a few nips from the larger jar and it is delicious, very similar in taste to a spiced mead. I've been fighting a sore throat for about a week and a sip here and there has soothed it quite well. I'm sure there will come a day when I'm cold, miserable and possibly (though hopefully not) unwell on the trail when this could be the very thing that gets me through. Thanks again Greg!

[wulfgar]

Ringulf, I am glad that you are happy with yours. I was nervous because there is so much quality work here.

Udwin, I greatly appreciate the wooden noggin you made, it will serve me well. I also enjoyed your letter.

I am felling under the weather today so I haven't taken any pictures yet.

[Greg]

Alright, let's unpack that thought. Glad you like it, Ursus!

This recipe is my own, based on the making of 18th century medicinal cordials, which promised to fix a myriad of ailments, though only successfully clear the sinuses, warm the chest, soothe the throat, and a few other choice remedies.

The recipe, unlike a period-correct one, uses ingredients specifically referenced in Tolkien. It began with a Korbel Brandy, 40-proof, which is where the warmth, kick, and painkilling come from. That's also what provides the bulletproof shelf-life. Keep it sealed, and you're set forever.

Next, I steeped the following ingredients in it for a full six weeks, shaking/mixing it each day, never opening:

Sliced apples, raisins, sage, & thyme.

This adds new flavor to the Brandy, and "additional medicinal qualities" if you use herbs with additional qualities. I stuck with ingredients we know exist in the north/west of Middle-Earth.

Once steeping was complete, I strained out all solids with cheesecloth, and added a 2:1 ratio of locally sourced organic honey, meaning two parts flavored brandy to one part honey. This smoothes and tones down the flavor, adds volume (so the recipe goes further) and reduces the burn of the alcohol a little in the throat, helping it soothe more than burn.

The glass phial isn't anything remarkable, but I knew it would fit in a belt pouch, and it fit the description I included, which is from the Disaster of the Gladden fields. The cork was sealed on with all natural beeswax. I found two phials together in the thrift store, so we have a nearly matched pair. Yours is the same height as mine, but it holds more...you're a much taller guy, so I figured you ought to carry a larger dose in your own need-wallet.

When you go to refill it, make sure you shake the jar thoroughly; the honey separates when it sits still for a few hours...you'll want to do the same for the phial before cracking it open for a sip.

Glad it's already come in handy. Someday, we'll share a swig over a fire in person.

[Ringulf]

Elleth, well done! Very nicely put together. I'm really going to have to pour on the steam next year to keep up with all of this.

To that effect, I was fortunate to open my package from Ringulf (who outdid himself, as usual) before taking my daily training routine with the bird. So, of course, it was raining, and the bird wouldn't cooperate (they simply refuse to hunt in rain)...but the fog was just right, and my little grassy field and gravel road turned into a muddy track, a fog-swirled hillside, and generally Northern-Arnor countryside, so...

Scott, it's lovely. I just retired my old hawking bag, and have been using cargo pockets the last few weeks. Cargo pockets which now smell like rotting squirrel...much obliged.

I've never really taken to naming my character, but to follow Canon, Bilbo acquired many names on his travels through deeds accomplished, such as "Barrel-Rider", and Scott gave me one hidden in the runes surrounding the throat of this new hawking bag, so maybe I'll pick it up in some form or another. The message itself I take as personal (though for your curiosity's sake, think of it as a middle-earth form of 'May the wind be ever at your back...etc'), but the name contained therein is "Wingranger"...perhaps Windrider or a similar title may come into play and turned into a surname sometime down the road. Thanks!

Greg, I am so glad you like, and can use the pouch. It has been my intent for quite a while now to make you one and this fortuitous event allowed me to do so. I was intensly challenged to reign in my Dwarven penchant toward decorative bling, knowing your enjoyment of simple, straitforward, durable ranger gear. I had to curtail myself to the rune band around the throat, rather than the historical fringe, to show it's Dwarven origins without changing the simple historical feel of the peice (who's design and demensions are well documented).
But I did take it just one step further by adding the casting.
It is a hand cast pewter medallion that is actually part of the hereldic device of the woman who cast it. Her SCA name is Cristiana Hunter. She is a Phenominal archer and thrown weapons Ranger in the Kingdom of Trimaris and gave me permission and blessing to add this to the peice when I told her about you Greg, and all you have contributed to this forum. (she also gave me another to replace it, so do not feel as I have sacrificed too greatly! LOL)
I can post a few pictures of the pouch that I have on another thread, with the particulars and Gandalf's reply to the farewell of the eagles, but I am very gratified that the name I shared was to your liking and with it I also name you Dwarf Friend and wish you as the eagles did, "Farewell wherever you fare, till your eyries recieve you at the journey's end!"

[Ringulf]

Well it has been an eventfull day both here on the forum and for me personally.
I woke up early to get to my Christmas concert that I have been rehersing for since August!
It went quite well and my solo came off better than I could have hoped for.
I got back here around 1:00pm and could restrain myself no longer. I flew to the box sent to me by Wulfgar.
When I opened it I emedietly saw a vellum and parchment missive that was sealed in wax.
His greeting and explanation of the packages contents was very much in character and warmed my heart.
Then I removed the absolutly beautiful Haversack, that was entirely handmade and stiched, as well as embroidered with my name in the Angerthas runes of Moria! (and BTW Wulfgar your translation, to my knowledge, was perfect!) I use Angerthas Erebor for much of my common writing, but it is proper to use Moria scipt when taking a more formal tone, or for auspicious events.
Well in this Wolfgar was again correct, this satchel is one that I will carry proudly on many a trip about the Shire and beyond. It is sturdy enough to carry the small packages and letters from town to town as well as my possibles for an excursion.
Perhaps Wulfgar will share, when he is feeling a bit better, with us his crafting notes and materials, as this is the kind of haversack we have all spoken of, and would enjoy making or owning.
He also gave me a bamboo tube that is sealed with a cork stopper that I can use in many different ways, spices or salts come to mind, though it is of sufficient size to keep many helpfull items. (I have some vary large sail needles that would enjoy a home such as this!)
He Also gave me a painted box with a slide top that held a peice of harvest gold cloth, in which was wrapped several buttons of the type favored by woodsmen for upkeep and maintenance of gear and garb, and are in fact tiny treasures.
So once again Wulfgar my friend, thank you for the gifts, of your time, talent and Regard, and may they open a door to a deeper freindship between us!
A Merry Yultide to you and yours!

[Greg]

Wulfgar, never sell your work short again. That calligraphy alone is beautiful, not to mention the rest of it. Well done.

Elleth, I never commented rightly...that Snapsack beats the pants off both of ours! That was very generous, and has given me ideas to replace/improve mine with. Manveruon, if you want to try it on a day hike without the bedroll, remember you can attach the Snapsack to your quiver strap as a daypack...I find that setup super-comfy.

Eric...post soon! The vaguesplosion has me on the edge of my seat!

[Elleth]

Oh these are great! I love them all - and can't wait to see the rest!

More later, but a quick note on that snapsack, since Greg said he might copy something from it - you can't tell in the picture, but the ties each go THROUGH the brass rings. That takes most of the weight of the bag's contents off of the stitches holding the ring to the bag, so it should last a lot longer. As for the ties Manveruon, they're simply twisted together. Not my video, but this is the basic idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q6GOD0AFPU

In this case, I did the double-over-and-twist operation twice (maybe three times? two I think), not just the one she demonstrates. You start with a loooooong length of thread for the first loop - all the way across a room. And for something this long, I used a power drill with an eye hook in it, since doing it by hand would have taken forever. : )

Greg - can you offer any pointers to the sources you were reading about medicinal cordials? That sounds like interesting research!

[Ringulf]

I was fascinated by Greg's description too.
I have several close friends who are Brewers and Vintners and I have always wanted to get into it with them. (I have had to be content wih being their sampler, which I do not mind in the least.) but I thought if I could combine some of these ingredients and make some cordials it could be a great start.
I am also in the middle of a Beard Oil DYI so I was looking up recipes and found these:

http://www.archive.org/stream/oldenglis ... /30162.txt

http://www.instructables.com/id/Beard-Oil/?ALLSTEPS

I would love to see some of your sources too Greg that stuff looks great and I have found a source for some really neet flask like bottles to cover in leather, may be a really cool project!

[Greg]

This is the guide I used, though my historical sources for its use were elsewhere.

http://clinicalherbalism.com/making-cus ... rect=false

[Udwin]

Well, I got home and finally opened the box under the tree and found this very pretty (and SHARP!) camp knife waiting inside for me. (it's about 7.5" long in total) Such a fancy blade, and the chunky handle fills my hand quite nicely! Thank You Eric C!

[Greg]

Eric! You've been holding out on us! Gah...that's BEAUTIFUL. When did you start churning out this quality of work? Holy cow, man!

Side note, in a unique way, I honestly think it looks exactly like what I would expect a woodman to trade for.

[Ringulf]

Very nicely done Eric!
Those would sell all day long and people would fall all over each other to get them I'm sure!

[Eric C]

Heheh. I wanted to make a cloak pin too but I ran out of time and fuel for my forge.

So when I get home, I will post some specs and a couple of process pics.

And for the record, I hate this auto correct on my phone.

[Eric C]

Okay, so I can't find my process pics, but I do have a nice one of the handle if I can get photobucket to cooperate.



So, this is actually my first cablemascus blade, and my first ever completed pattern welded piece. It started life as a billet for a bolster. But I scrapped that idea and it was laying on my forge begging to become something when I decided to make this blade. Though it is a partial tang, the tang runs almost to the end of the handle. The handle is made of stained maple burl. I used my own variation of a Japanese method to carve out a groove in one side of the handle so the tang fitted in nicely. I then epoxied the handle and tang together and added a brass pin for added security. I was a little disappointed that the figure didn't come out in the wood the way I wanted, but I love the way the lighter "rays" came out when I stained it.

I thought it would be a nice addition to a camp set-up. It could be used for cutting up veggies and meat for a stew pot, or maybe chopping herbs for a medicinal brew. It could be used to cut rope or whatever smaller job is needed. I didn't make a sheath because many of you are much better leather crafters than me.

Udwin, I hope you enjoy it very much and that you get years of service out of it.

Greg, your cordial reminds me of an old remedy here that I'm sure many of you already know about. Old timers here used to mix equal parts of honey, whiskey and lemon juice together to make a cough syrup. It worked pretty well! I've wished I could get my hands on something like that in the past for chest colds and sore throats.