[TheForge] Fw: Re: [medieval-leather] Wool aprons responses

[marilyn traber 011221]

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To: "medieval-leather at yahoogroups.com" <medieval-leather at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 02:20:17 +1000
Subject: Re: [medieval-leather] Digest Number 1186

You get experts like this all the time, I had one recently tell me that 
blacksmiths used waxed linen cloth to 
make their bellows because leather was so rare.
 They forget that herds were culled pre and during winter and the meat used 
to survive the winter. guessing 
they might not have thrown the leather in a pit just to get rid of it then 
leather may not have been so very 
rare. 
Plus there is also the hunting aspect of things to be considered.
 The more primitive the society the more dependence on and use of leather. 
Take it with a grain ( Or bag.) of salt.

Sandy

>> 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. 

>Whilst I see some economic sense to this -- wool can be regrown by the sheep 
but leather cannot -- I 
have seen no mention of wool aprons for blacksmiths yet.  Wool clothing to 
insulate the rest of the body, 
yes.  Wool and cotton clothing rather than synthetics, which melt and cause 
much more skin damage;  but 
that is a strictly modern issue.  This last, I saw on the safety page of the 
Appalachian Blacksmiths 
Association, with the reminder:  "The Village Blacksmith Wasn't Covered By 
Workmen's Comp!"  
<http://www.appaltree.net/aba/safety.htm>

>Selene

Fr”jel Gotlandica Viking Re-enactment Society.
http://www.frojel.com/
frojel at frojel.com



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