09-17-2003, 02:34 PM
Ave<br>
<br>
The question is, what did you make the holes in the leather with first? Did you make the holes with the needle? Did you cheat & make the holes with a small drill (Dremel thing) as I did with my first shoe attempts? Or, if you used an awl, what shape was it?<br>
<br>
I have found that even on quite thin leather, if you try to make the holes with the needle you get very sore fingers, a bent needle and not much else. The needle wont go halfway in. If you cheat & use a v small drill you get nice round holes, but they tend to stick to the needle, closing in and crushing the hole at the end.<br>
<br>
If you do it the traditional way, with an awl (use a v sharp diamond cross sectioned one) it will cut through quite easily, leaving a nice slot shape rather than a round one. Then if you use 2 needles, passing through from both sides simultaneously, they will cross nicely in the slot without sticking or crushing the head.<br>
<br>
Also, if you look at leather remains in museums (eg possible tent remains on display at Ribchester) you will notice that the holes on these are slots rather than round, suggesting the diamond shaped awl rather than a round one, so there is provenance for this method too.<br>
<br>
As to the possible thickness of roman needles, bear in mind how finds come to be in these museums in the first place. People are more likely to find big chunky artifacts than tiny ones, and preservation on the big objects will always be better than on the tiny ones too. The level of technology possessed by the Romans suggests that they may well have been capable of making tiny needles, but they would not necessarily be frequent finds.<br>
<br>
Claudia (prefers to hit it with a big hammer) Crisis <p></p><i></i>
<br>
The question is, what did you make the holes in the leather with first? Did you make the holes with the needle? Did you cheat & make the holes with a small drill (Dremel thing) as I did with my first shoe attempts? Or, if you used an awl, what shape was it?<br>
<br>
I have found that even on quite thin leather, if you try to make the holes with the needle you get very sore fingers, a bent needle and not much else. The needle wont go halfway in. If you cheat & use a v small drill you get nice round holes, but they tend to stick to the needle, closing in and crushing the hole at the end.<br>
<br>
If you do it the traditional way, with an awl (use a v sharp diamond cross sectioned one) it will cut through quite easily, leaving a nice slot shape rather than a round one. Then if you use 2 needles, passing through from both sides simultaneously, they will cross nicely in the slot without sticking or crushing the head.<br>
<br>
Also, if you look at leather remains in museums (eg possible tent remains on display at Ribchester) you will notice that the holes on these are slots rather than round, suggesting the diamond shaped awl rather than a round one, so there is provenance for this method too.<br>
<br>
As to the possible thickness of roman needles, bear in mind how finds come to be in these museums in the first place. People are more likely to find big chunky artifacts than tiny ones, and preservation on the big objects will always be better than on the tiny ones too. The level of technology possessed by the Romans suggests that they may well have been capable of making tiny needles, but they would not necessarily be frequent finds.<br>
<br>
Claudia (prefers to hit it with a big hammer) Crisis <p></p><i></i>
