Drinking vessel

[UnicycleBloke]

This is my first post in an age. Not been doing much turning lately, but was flattered to be given a small commission by my neighbour. She has joined a medieval re-enactment group, and asked me for a bowl and a cup which she could actually use for eating and drinking. She specified that there be no finish.

I made a simple cup last night out of hornbeam, and then put some water in it. Crack! So my question is what would be a suitable and reasonably authentic finish that would prevent splitting? Melt beeswax into it? Oil? Tallow (goes well with ale - not)? The cup was about 5mm thick: would thicker walls do the trick? Should it be end grain along the axis?

I already used the hornbeam to make her a bowl, which I was very pleased with. I don't like the thought of it breaking on its first use.

Cheers.


Al

 

[Jonzjob]

The traditional wood for medievel drinking bowls was maple and they were like a fairly large bowl with a wide foot, as per this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazer_%28d ... _vessel%29 .

Also, if you google Mazer History and click on the heading 'Mazer History', it's the 3rd one down on my search, there's some more info on the history there. I was asked if I could make 40 !!!!!!!!! But I just could not get the wood and it died a death #-o #-o #-o I made 2 examples and finished them is Chestnut hard wax oil and I made them about 6" diameter. This is one of them in elm.