Planning the Make of the Embossed "Log" elements
To Emboss
These are Canvas Pulling Pliers. They look like they have a hard foam type thing where the teeth should be. Maybe those can be removed from both sides and then there would be room for the matching molds.
You are supposed to be able to use Leather Embossing Stamps to make Bezants out of Brass Tooling Foil, see DIY Bezants. I've tried this and have not been satisfied with this technique. I think maybe that my tooling stamps are not deep enough. This is a picture from their site.
But, enough of that. Here's a story. This site looks legitimate, Medieval Jewelry but they don't have any references or citations, footnotes or endnotes, so I don't know. On this site, it says:
That's cool! Wish I could read where this is proven as a period practice. But no. No references. AND I'm not going to use lead in anything I try to do anyway. Use this method only if you can find something to use that will work in place of the lead.
Seeing the description of this photo, I'm thinking this means that die-struck and repoussé are two different things. This is a beautiful example of mass-produced pieces and it also finally gives me a term for the technique I'm looking for - and the name of this blog post.
A bit of a search using these keywords gets me to this site Die-Struck where we are told:
Well, maybe my idea will work. I'll keep you posted.
One last set of pictures from http://www.zhais.ru/R-ryazan-muzei-ot-rusi.htm:
verb
Carve, mold or stamp a design on (a surface) so that it stands out in relief.
Synonyms:
adorn - decorate - etch - carve - impress - punch - stamp
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Okay, I'm thinking, squeeze two matching molds (female and male parts) together with a pair of pliers - with sheet metal in-between. What's so hard about that. I can try the embossing foil and if it works, maybe dead-soft silver sheet. Let's do an experiment!
So I start by looking at various types of pliers. I like these.
These are Canvas Pulling Pliers. They look like they have a hard foam type thing where the teeth should be. Maybe those can be removed from both sides and then there would be room for the matching molds.
Discuss with son. "NO!", he says "You need to use C-Clamp Pliers".
What are those!
Turns out, he understood exactly what I was describing and lucky me, he just ordered a package of five. They will be here this week - AND, I can have a pair.
Isn’t this a
Beautiful Tool
For the molds, I am going to try Polymer Clay.
I've read that once it is baked it will be hard like stone and I can bake it in the regular oven. It is cheap. I don't know if it will work, but...
I've read that once it is baked it will be hard like stone and I can bake it in the regular oven. It is cheap. I don't know if it will work, but...
It's an Experiment!
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Before I start fiddling though, I know I need to try and find out how it was done in period. And because I don't know what the technical terms are for the technique, this means another mountain of searching on-line (my beloved library).
I believe that the log elements were made en masse. They are very regular, too alike to have each been made separately. I'm not real clear on repoussé and chasing techniques - but I just don't think that was the method used with the logs. Plus, I don't have a pitch bowl and I don't want make a metal stamp. I'm going to experiment and if it does not work I may end up coming back to repoussé and chasing.
Instead, I'm imagining, pressing the design into embossing foil or dead-soft silver sheet using a two sided mold - with some type of mechanical or physical compression.
So, I started by looking for images of 2-sided molds. Here are some
things I encountered.
"Modern
discussions of medieval wax seals make references to seal presses. For
example, "If it was a two-sided seal,...the two sides of the seal matched
exactly and could be pressed together either by force of hand or a
seal-press." ("Declaration of Arbroath," Society of Archivists)"
and
"The matrices could range from a small stamp, as on a signet
ring, to a double sided mould operated in a press, necessary to produce such
monumental objects as the great seal of England."
 |
Sealing of
the Magna Carta
An Artist’s
interpretation of the seal press
|
 |
| Screw Press used in Bookbinding |
 |
| Leather Embossing Stamp |
You are supposed to be able to use Leather Embossing Stamps to make Bezants out of Brass Tooling Foil, see DIY Bezants. I've tried this and have not been satisfied with this technique. I think maybe that my tooling stamps are not deep enough. This is a picture from their site.
___________________________________________________
But, enough of that. Here's a story. This site looks legitimate, Medieval Jewelry but they don't have any references or citations, footnotes or endnotes, so I don't know. On this site, it says:
"For the preparation of applied decoration, such as brooches or dress fittings sewn unto clothing, often metal dies of copper alloy were used. A metal sheet was laid over the relief motifs of the die, and covered with a piece of lead. When the lead was struck with a hammer, the metal sheet in between took on the shape of the die below. Dies and moulds were often used by the same workshop for a considerable period of time."
That's cool! Wish I could read where this is proven as a period practice. But no. No references. AND I'm not going to use lead in anything I try to do anyway. Use this method only if you can find something to use that will work in place of the lead.
 |
| Hellenistic Gold 3rd-2nd Century BC Composed of two rows of minute die-struck four-petaled and eight-petaled rosettes the central element decorated in repouseé with the head of Alexander the Great |
Seeing the description of this photo, I'm thinking this means that die-struck and repoussé are two different things. This is a beautiful example of mass-produced pieces and it also finally gives me a term for the technique I'm looking for - and the name of this blog post.
Die-Struck
A bit of a search using these keywords gets me to this site Die-Struck where we are told:
"Jewelry that has been formed by striking gold, silver or platinum sheet in a die or between two dies is die struck. This compresses the molecules and forces the metal into every crevice of the die. The result is a highly detailed, strengthened metal object that easily takes a high polish."
One last set of pictures from http://www.zhais.ru/R-ryazan-muzei-ot-rusi.htm:
 |
High resolution image of a set of embossed plaques from Ryazan
Rus XII - first quarter of the XIII century |
Close-up
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