[Ansteorra] wax inside of period drinking vessels

[Stefan li Rous]

On Oct 26, 2006, at 2:57 PM, Maleah wrote:
>  Most of
> the items I've seen, even from period displays at the Victoria and  
> Albert
> Museum, where the outside is unglazed the inside is glazed or paraffin
> lined.

So, we do have proof of paraffin being used as waterproofing  
technique in pottery in period? I've heard of wax being suggested  
like this previously for drinking horns. I had always thought that  
this was a modern technique though.

Actually paraffin, if you are meaning the American use of the term,  
is a synthetic wax derived from petroleum dating from, I think, the  
mid-19th century. So I assume if a wax was used in period, it would  
have been beeswax. And it is the use of the latter in the inside of  
drinking vessels that I'm really curious about.

"Paraffin" as a British term refers to what Americans call kerosene.  
Probably not what you want to line the inside of your drinking horn  
with. :-)

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
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