[TheForge] Leather or wool

[marilyn traber 011221]

> While demonstrating this last weekend I had someone tell me that blacksmiths
> typically had wool aprons because leather was too expensive.  Does anyone
> know anything about this? I would think that on the frontier that animal
> skins would have been more available than wool.
> 
> Back on the medical question from a couple weeks age, it came to me 
> that if the blacksmith had a brine solution it may have a mild 
> anticeptic property.
> 
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.

I'd suspect, that like anything else relating to historical usages, it would 
depend on your when/where. Obviously, wool wouldn't be particularly 
functional for a farrier, because a horse shoe nail catching in wool would 
quickly contribute to having a well-stomped blacksmith- in fact, there's a 
special tie similar to what chefs use for tying a farrier's apron or chaps- 
you tie them in the front, with a quick release tie (and don't have then 
covering your chest with a neck loop) so you can get out of them in a hurry, 
but a smith who doesn't do shoeing might very well use any natural material- 
a good canvas, wool, linen, whatever's cheap and reasonably tough.

I'm going to pass your question along to the Medieval Leather List, and ask 
them what they might have found. Leather itself might be cheaper in certain 
when/wheres, but treating it and preparing it for an apron or chaps (modern 
farriers chaps are usually a chrome-tanned, thick suede split) might raise 
the price considerably.

Saint Phlip,
CoD

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