Wax Tablet question

[Snaebjorn Hakonarson]

I keep seeing these wax tablets on here. The nice small ones that fit in convenient cases. My search foo sucks like no one else. (I'm lucky to find things I know the website for.)

I have several questions about these tablets.

1: Are these tablets period in any way for a man from Denmark from about 1020 or so?

2: How big are these tablets? What size and thickness? (Please do not use millimeters or centimeters. I have a horrible time trying figure out how big that is compared to inches.)

3: What materials would be used to make one of these?

4: Is there anyone selling these things in case I can't get access to the materials?

Answers to any of these questions would be really helpful. Thank you.

In service,
Snaebjorn

[Alric of Drentha]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I know know an easy way to change mm/cm to inches.

Do a Google search for: [number]mm in inches . Like this: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp& ... b183e460ee

It also works for g => lbs, l => gal, etc.

[Kilkenny]

In answer to number two - they're generally pretty small, say cigarette case size. I think there's some pretty good information on ones that have been found in York - including a grocery list (?) that was still legible in one after several hundred years.

The York material should detail size and materials (although probably the size will be metric).

[Snaebjorn Hakonarson]

Ok. So the size answer is taken care of. Thank you your grace. I appreciate that information.

The York information is available online I hope. If not I may be in trouble. *laughs*

Thank you again.

[knitebee]

http://www.larsdatter.com/tablets.htm

[Mikkel Frederiksen]

There are some info on waxed wooden tablets in "purses in pieces". They are said to be about 6 X 9 cm (ca. 3 mm thick)... and there are some smaller ones too.

As far as I know there are no known examples of wax tablets found in Denmark from the period you mention. But there are finds from the later medieval period, although I can't remember the dating.

With regards to the type of wood used, i Would use oak (Quercus robur) or ask (Fraxinus excelsior), wich can easily be riven into boards and planed down to the right thickness.
A so called "froe" would be a good tool for the job.

[AEiric Orvender]

Ok. So the size answer is taken care of. Thank you your grace. I appreciate that information.

The York information is available online I hope. If not I may be in trouble. *laughs*

Thank you again.

Well kind of taken care of, the most commonly found wax tablets found are about the size of a pack of cigarettes most often having 2 panels and open/close like a book, however there are triptych styles that open accordian-like whthe writing surfaces on one side of the end panels and 2 sided center panel, some found from the Roman era were as big as 12x8 inches most often used as bills of shipment. the shipper would write the tallies onto the tablet, close and seal the tablet, then seal the tablet into another sealed case... the shipper then gave this unopened packet to the person reciveing the goods and the tallies matched form tablet to goods recieved.

An easy way to make a tablet:
purchace a 'board' of bass wood (found at hobbie stores) in the the size 3" wide 1/4" thick and 10" long.

cut the board into two 5" long pieces.

Draw a line to denote your wrtiting surface on one side of each panel.
this line should be at leat a 0.8cm from the top and bottom edge and one side edge on the other side the the line a little deeper into the writing face like 1cm this will be the "spine of you tablet draw the same one the other panel making sure the 'spine' sides match... this extra space make's it easer to add the ties that hold your tablet panels together.

Using a sharp exacto knife and ruler cut an the outline for your wrtitng surface MAKE SURE not to cut too deeply you do not want to cut more than 1/2 way throuh the thickness to the panel

now use a flat wood carving gouge or very sharp small chisel to remove layers of wood from inside the incised borders. the incised borders will stop your cuts if you keep them shallow... thak your time here if you try to gouge away too much at once you'll break your border.

once the recess is cut out, youlee need lamp black... I do this with olive oil lamps make the wick too long when burning soi you get a really black stream of smoke place a plate above the smoak stream and catch the soot, when the plate is covered gently scrape the 'lamp-black' or soot into a bowl (you will need a LOT of lamp black).

Melt some bees wax... when the wax is liquid but NOT boiling add the lamp black untill the wax reached the color you want.

Now using an 1/2 paintbrush paint some wax onto the resessed writing surfaces and let it cool once your first layer is cool then you cna either continue to paint in 'layers' of way untill you have the writing recesses filled. or you can pour-fill the recesses let this cool compleatly.

Once cooled you can heat the writing surface to smooth it.

now simply drill 4 holes in the panel spines (2 holes on each panel) and attach the panel together with some cord and you have a wax tablet.

You can make a stylist from an old metal clothes hanger cut a 5" pice from the stright length and sharpen one end with a metal file, heat the other end and using a ball-pean hammer flatten the end into the eraser.

[James B.]

Here is a seller: http://www.spanishpeacock.com/Wax_Table ... ablets.htm

Wax tablets are used from the Roman era all the way though the SCA time frame.

[Snaebjorn Hakonarson]

Thanks everyone! This is really helpful. So far its just been my questions answered and a useful post about where to find a measurement converter.

Aeiric, thanks for posting a how to. Sounds simple enough. I might just try to make one myself soon. I'll have to get another cheapo carving set as I left my last one in storage when I moved.

Anymore info about these that I should know?

[Finnacan]

Here's a link to wax tablet provided by Medievaldesign, a European supplier with a great reputation. It's under Miscellanea

http://www.medievaldesign.com/

However, I agree with most everyone else that making one shouldn't be too difficult. The neat thing for me was finding a nice stylus - a friend that does cutwork made a nice one out of brass, but just using brass round stock is easy. Just sharpen one end and hammer flatten the other for scraping.