Author: George Crawford

archaeologist, archer, primitive technologist, and wannabee musician ... mostly

Quick and Dirty

~ George Crawford ~ 16 Comments

This was a quick and dirty build we were talked into a couple of weeks ago.  I don’t like to rush these things but the builder’s time constraints meant this was the only week to get this done before the winter.  It does show that the basic build can be completed in a very short time.  The basic dimensions are 5′ x 10′ at the floor and just over 7′ wide at the ledges.

I think it came out alright in the end.

Here is a small gallery of images showing the build.  My daughter and I will try to put up an Instructable in the near future describing the process such as it is.  Enjoy the photos.

Paint, Boxes, Many Upgrades

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I recently added two new exterior storage boxes, a solar ventilator, painted most of the exterior, and added several new and handy things to the interior of the wagon in preparation for the next voyage.  Although I don’t feel like the Snail has really traveled much yet, my recent tally of the trips over the past 17 months totaled 7776 miles.  This is an under-estimate as it was calculated using Yahoo maps and doesn’t include any side trips or time lost looking for restaurants, campgrounds, and the like.  Photos and descriptions of the changes are on the way.

Hooked

~ George Crawford ~ 10 Comments

 

Bone fish hooks made in the last week.  I have made a few in the past but NEVER fished with them.  They are plentiful in Village contexts along the Missouri River, all over Europe, and many other contexts.  It seems to have taken several millennia in some areas to add barbs or drilled ends.   I will make a couple more styles and various sizes and hope to try out my kit sometime when I get back to water.  The cord is a two-strand agave made from only four individual elements.

Pottery Firing

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Ulysses Reid came down to our Prehistory Days event this weekend showing his art.  He is an excellent potter from Zia and was able to have a small firing on some nearby property after the days activities. Despite the 110 degree heat, about 150 people turned out to learn about flint knapping, fiber arts, prehistoric hunting, plant foods, spear throwing (atlatl), and other skills.

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Coming out of the fire.
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Coming out of the fire.

And a few finished vessels.  I really love his art. A few more photos of the event can be viewed here: http://theclovissite.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/new-mexico-prehistory-2011/

Wagon Window

~ George Crawford ~ 7 Comments

Finally getting back to the wagon with longer days and less going on.  Over the weekend I started the new window for the wagon door.  The old one was a place-holder to get it out on the road (as are the other windows).  Now I want to rebuild the whole door.

The frame being built.  It is clamped to the work table to keep it rigid and prevent it from racking out of square.

Detail of how the frames cross and interlock.  I have never made a window like this so this is what I came up with.

Holding the frames fast while the glue dries.

Flipped over and given a final sanding.

Getting a few coats of Cabot’s Spar Varnish for good measure.

Fitted with three types of glass; wavy clear, hammered clear, and red with a lot of break-up.  The widow will be fitted into a frame (pre-hung) so that it can be removed entirely for repair or replacement of the door.  More to come soon.

The rest of the Vardo build can still be found here (https://paleotool.wordpress.com/plans-projects-and-patterns/the-vardo/).