Feeling overwhelmed?

[russ]

then after all that time you discover this person just loved to eat deer brains or some such

MMMMM Deer brains.

As far as portraying one particular individual is concerned. The biggest concern I have are the outward physical appearance being correct down to the smallest detail. And the mannerisms and actions are the same as those portrayed.
I don't expect anyone to eat brains or do anything that is potentially dangerous to them selves or others. But what I do expect is to go to an event and not have to put on blinders to have to not see all the inaccuracies that I am surrounded by. Granted many people don't have the ( pick a  reason here) time/money/knowledge that others do. But when I go to an event and I see the same people time after time doing the same thing year after year and not improving even though they know better is what bugs me. If you know better and can fix a problem than do it.
Sorry  to get of subject here but this is something that gets to me. And another thing that bugs me is enamel/speckle wear. it has become accepted in this hobby for what ever reason and I hate to see it. Tin is where it at for cooking and eating utensils.

OK enough of that

[voyageur1688]

  When WAS the first enamelware made? What year did it first make its appearance?
Voy

[aka-kesler]

I found one article which said that enamel ware has been around since the early 19th century which did not give a specific date but did give a patent date for granite ware which was 1874. But this technology has been around for a long time and the principal of enamel coating is bacically like glass smelting which has been around for centuries!! (The Chinese have done porcelain coatings on stuff for centuries)    I will try to do some more research on this subject.         More info: Birmingham, England was the primary center for enamel in the 18th century. The most prominent Birmingham enameler was, Matthew Boulton ,English engineer, 1728-1809. He was one of ,or the leading manufacturer of enameled products. His firms' name was Boulton and Fothergill. Hope this info is satisfactory.

[Red Badger]

So where does this leave us?  Tinware was probably more available than enamel ware, but isn't there a health concern with tinware?  Just asking as I want to learn...

[hank-aye]

Still new to all of this and my first impressions are that there are basiclly 2 main type of people that ya run inta.

1. Stiff, picky, EVERYthing has ta be absolutly correct (God like), persons that have no fun. 
Unless tut-tuting about everyone else is fun.


2. Those of us that realize that our hobby/lifestyle, is supposed ta be fun, enjoyable, mistake ridden,
a place where we can exchange ideas, knowledge, and laughter   

I vote fer 2

[beowulf]

I`ll second that vote !  it`s a good idea to be as historically accurate as possible , but dont become obsessed with it ! what happens when you do it exactly as we always thought it was done , and someone discovers a journal or some such that proves the whole thing to be wrong ? do you beat yourself up for your mistake ? no ! you adapt and change ! after all this hobby is a learning experience , and if you stick to it , a lifetime learning experience ! besides if you push yourself to hard , you arent having fun anymore , you are working ! and what fun is that 

[voyageur1688]

  I vote for 2 also. Our rondy up here allows more leniency on many issues, but do have some limitations. We will not allow, modern clothing such as jeans, tenners, etc. We do not allow plastic, aluminum, shiny stainless steal and the such. But unlike alot of the rondies here in Mn., We do allow tipi's, lean-pees, pyramid tents, modern eye ware, and the like. We know that not everyone has the budget or the skill to have all correct items and that if we dont work with them, the interest in our hobby will die away as the purists will make it so miserable on the newcomers they will just give up.
Voy

[old salt]

   My Dad had a saying that I have applied to a lot of things that I do in life.

   When your pleasure becomes misery it is time to do something else.

   When the thread counting nazis start giving a new person heck
because  they are not absolutely correct the new guy is going to do something else because they are no having any fun,

[aka-kesler]

#2  Ditto what Voy and Old Salt Said!!!!!!

[Red Badger]

Interesting you said that Harry, Bulldog lady posted something similar in the thread about "do we continue" the "what's wrong with this picture" thread. 

i have to agree - If this gets to the point where I have to worry about being 100% period correct I'll give up - just not worth the time and aggravation.  But until they take over I am in 150% ( Until Bulldog lady says slow down!)

[voyageur1688]

  Our vous for this year was canceled but is slated for next year, so if any of ya want to come up for a relaxed fun filled weekend, let me know. We are always the first full weekend of Oct. and have only had 2 times when we had bad weather since we started in 03.  We try to provide ALL wood, water and food for participants and the entry fee for participants is refunded after your attendance of the event.  Looking at a new location for next year so we can have the event without all the red tape and headaches from the feds which is where the problem this year came from.
Voy

[russ]

1. Stiff, picky, EVERYthing has ta be absolutly correct (God like), persons that have no fun. 
Unless tut-tuting about everyone else is fun.




I vote fer 2

The every thing has to be correct guy. That is me... But that is what makes it fun for me. Thwe challenge of being correct as possible.

When the thread counting nazis start giving a new person heck

First off ,people should not compare a political group of people bent on the extermination of a group of people to those that strive to be historicly accurate. It demeans what the Jews had to endure.

Second. I dont give the new guy grief because we all had to start somewhere. Waht I will do is help to educate them and help them do research.

When WAS the first enamelware made? What year did it first make its appearance?

This is reply to a similar question on a Civil War Board.

Is the speckleware cookery seen at reenactments authentic?
Comments by Brent Forney and Kevin O'Beirne

The very first issue of "The Watchdog" has a small article on enamelware. I think you can still purchase back copies of it. Here is a quote from that article:


"As for military usage, no enamelware cups or plates with Civil War military associations are known in reputable museum collections, and none are known by the author to have been excavated and properly documented from any archaeological site from the Civil War."


Brent Forney

The following is Kevin O'Beirne's contribution to the subject:

Quote:
From "The Columbia Rifles Research Compendium", in the article entitled, "THE CAMPAIGNER'S INSTRUMENTS OF CULINARY ART: Mess Furniture of the Federal Civil War Soldier":

Despite its widespread use by reenactors, porcelain enamelware, also known as speckle ware, splatter ware, glazed ware, granite ware, granite steel ware, and agate ware is entirely incorrect for both military and civilian impressions of the Civil War era.


What exactly is enamelware?


"Porcelain enamelling is the process of fusing a thin layer of glass to a metal object to prevent corrosion and enhance its beauty. The base item is low carbon sheet iron formed in the shape of a utensil...Handles, spouts, and ears are welded or riveted in place. The base item is cleaned by pickling [it] in acid. A coating mixture of ground glass, clay, and water is applied and dried. The ware is then fired in a furnace." [New Encyclopedia Britannica, 1991, cited in Bledsoe, Sharon, "Porcelain Enamelware: Should We Use It?" published in "Camp Chase Gazette"]


Types of enamelware include cups, plates, pots, pans, flatware, and other cooking gear. The most common enamelware colors seen at reenactments are gray and bright blue.

Enamelling was first patented in England in 1779, and for more than ninety years afterward inventors in both England and the United States worked to refine the process, which remained more-or-less experimental until the 1870s. Enamelware was first advertised for sale in the United States in 1874, but was not popularly introduced to the public until the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876—a full eleven years after the conclusion of the Civil War. Only in the 1880s was the process of enamelling further refined to lend bright colors, such as blue, red, and speckling, to cookware. Enamelware quickly caught on and remained extremely popular well into the Twentieth Century. Unfortunately, it is also quite popular with Civil War reenactors of the Twenty-first Century. [sources: Bledsoe, Sharon, "Porcelain Enamelware: Should We Use It?"; Hughes, Nicky, "And While We're on the Subject of Dinnerware..." published in "The Watchdog"]

Because its widespread manufacture and use postdates the Civil War, enamelware is entirely unsuitable for a Civil War impression. One reference concludes, "Excavation of military sites and military collections show no evidence of Porcelain enamelware being used by the military of either army [in the Civil War]." [source: Bledsoe, Sharon, "Porcelain Enamelware: Should We Use It?"]

Kevin O'Beirne>>
columbiarifles@aol.com >>
The Columbia Rifles >>
Columbia Rifles 

It would seem to me that if it is not correct for CW it is not correct for 1800 to 1840. There is more good info out there on enamael ware. You just have to look for it.

Tinware was probably more available than enamel ware, but isn't there a health concern with tinware?  Just asking as I want to learn...

There is absolutley no health concerns with tin ware as long as lead free solder is used. That means stay away from imported tin ware. There are lots of goos American makers of tin ware out there. I will provide some links to them

[russ]

http://www.ottertin.com/

http://www.backwoodstin.com/

http://www.cg-tinsmith.com/

Just few that I have dealt with before.
There are several more out there. Just look around.

[hank-aye]

Being 100% historically accurate is not only difficult but is not as fun as having some free space to work with by basing your persona on a real person,

If you are basing your historical image on a real person shouldn't you be as historically accurate as possible.
For me even the smallest imperfections in my kit make me cringe and will not attend an event unless I am able to correct deficiency.
The biggest deficiency in my impression is the lack of a ridding horse and a pack animal. Some times you have to make concessions.Mostly because I can not afford to board and feed a horse right now. Someday.

To each his own

I believe you stated the concensus of opinion as far as the majority is concerned at the bottom of your quoted post.

As far as the enamel ware goes; would it be possible that some traveler may have brought some from England at the turn of the century?

So, why don't we all step back and ponder this awhile...

[russ]

As far as the enamel ware goes; would it be possible that some traveler may have brought some from England at the turn of the century?

It is possible but unlikley.
It seems that something of that nature would be cost prohibitive for the common man and also a status symbol for some one of means. Not to say it never happened, but unlikley.
If this scenerio was infact played out sometime in history it would seem that the stated product would be closer to the eastern frontier and in the far west.
When it comes to history never say never.