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THE MECHANICK’S ADVISER
January 7, 2022
Apothecary – The Apothecary Shop will be open Tuesday through Saturday.
Armoury:
Blacksmith – This fine, snowy week, the Blacksmiths had a variety of different projects underway.
Mark was making axes and buckles for the Leatherworkers, as well as reshaping and sharpening a pinking iron.
Aislinn has nearly finished her pricking irons and a small ladle. Owen continues to make rakes, while Broadus
and Alex continued work on hinges. Broadus also has been hard at work on tools for the brace: a countersink
bit and a reamer. Alex has spent part of this week handling some bench hammers and putting bands on the
hub of a wheel, as well. Whatever the weather, all’s well that falls well at the foot of the anvil.
The Blacksmith Shop will be open Daily.
Tinsmith – Steve has been working on the large lantern project for the Palmer House, as well as
finishing two lanterns for a customer. Joel is making a platter and finishing a punched lantern. Jenny has
made cups and finished another side-pouring coffee pot.
The Tin Shop will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Anthony Hay Shop:
Cabinetmaker – The Cabinetmakers are deep in their preparation efforts for the Working Wood
Symposium taking place in just two weeks! Jeremy and John have cobbled together several sample pieces for
their presentations. They will be talking about four different pieces of furniture believed to have been made
here in Williamsburg and showing their work on reproducing three of the four, which necessitates a wide
selection of props. Bill’s carving presentation continues to take shape as he gets further along in one of his
demonstration pieces: the top panel found in one of the Williamsburg-made Masonic ceremonial chairs. The
next two weeks are going to be quite busy around the Shop as final preparations are made for this year’s
virtual Conference.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 1
�The Cabinetmaker and Harpsichord-maker Shop will be open Sunday through Thursday.
Brickmaker – This week of interesting weather saw the Brickmakers continuing on their quest to clear all
of the bricks out of the old yard. Although thwarted by snow and rain, the task continues one pallet at a time.
This week, we met with our friend Matt Webster, Architectural Historian, to discuss the bricks needed to aid
the Bray School project, and what a project it shall be. It may be a momentous task for Apprentice Nick and
Apprentice Madeleine as they increase their knowledge of their trade. With the tutelage of Master Josh and
Journeyman Kenneth, it shall be quite the learning experience.
In other news, Kenneth is quite excited to acquire a new pair of work boots to help tackle the
unforgiving mud of the old yard.
Carpenter – The Carpenter’s Yard will be open Monday through Saturday, weather permitting.
Colonial Garden – The big news from
the Garden this week is the snow. Most
of the Garden is planted with winterhardy plants such as cabbage, kale, and
collards, etc., which require no protection
from the snow. Plants like lettuce that do
need a little protection, are sitting under
bell jars and are quite safe from the snow.
Under glass in the cold frame, we sowed
onion seed. The plants will be set out in
the spring for harvest in the summer. The
warm weather before the snow event was
put to good use in weeding pathways and
edges of beds, and a good amount of
general cleanup. In this wet, snowy
weather, the Gardeners are able to plan
the spring and summer Garden, order seeds, and spend time researching.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 1
�Cabbage under the snow
The Colonial Garden will be open on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, weather permitting.
Cooper – The Cooper Shop is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Engraver – The Engraving Shop will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Foodways – The Foodways Staff will be at the Armoury Kitchen Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Saturday.
Foundry – The Foundry will be open Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Gunsmith – The Gunsmith Shop will be open Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Historic Farming – Flax processing has finally come to an end, and it was a great year. More flax was
processed this year than ever. Here are some highlights of the season. The Wigmakers joined the fun and
made a wig out of it, and the Weavers spun it. Three Trades were involved in this endeavor.
A good stand of flax blooming.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 1
�Breaking the flax stalk. Photo by Susan McCall
Hackling the broken fiber. Photo by Susan McCall
The result: a strick of fiber
Mike Cecere delivering to the Weavers!
Prentis Field is closed for the Winter.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 1
�Joinery – The Joinery will be open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Milliner and Mantua-maker – The Milliner will be open Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Music – Happy New Year from The Governor’s Musick! We are interviewing candidates for a harpsichord
player, and our first audition/interview was this past week. If all our candidates are this strong, we will have
an embarrassment of riches from which to choose.
We will continue to appear in the Art Museums this winter, on Saturdays. This has been a wonderful
collaboration for us, and we hope to keep it going for a long time. Karol has been researching setting political
satirical verse to tunes. Jenny continues to look at the “Catch Club” culture present in the southern colonies in
the 18th century. Brady is developing a Hennage presentation for this spring and continues to explore
repertory from the James River manuscript. Amy continues work on her musical walking tour.
Our Spring Series will begin at the Capitol this year, instead of in the Governor’s Palace, which gives us
the opportunity to put a different slant on the repertoire. We try to shape our concerts to the places where
they occur: since the Palace was the scene of musical soirees hosted by the Colonial Governor, our repertory
is more “highbrow”, if you will. On the other hand, the Capitol was used for concerts and balls open to the
general public, so we tend to center our concerts there around themes of everyday life, of the various types of
people in Williamsburg, or on different influences on music here in the 18th century. Watch this space!
Finally, a word about the verses I have posted during Christmastide. In 1625, a broadside was printed
entitled: “A Pleasant Countrey new Ditty: Merrily shewing how To drive the cold Winter away. To the tune of
When Phoebus did rest, etc.” Its appearance in the Pepys and Roxburgh collections, in d’Urfey’s “Pills to Purge
Melancholy,” and in Playford’s “Dancing Master,” attests to its popularity. Here is the final verse, to mark the
end of Christmastide:
When white-bearded Frost,
Hath threatened his worst,
And fallen from Branch & Bryer:
The time away cals,
From Husbandry Hals,
& from the good Countrymans fire:
Together to go,
To Plow and to sow,
To get us both food and array:
And thus with content,
The time we have spent,
To drive the cold winter away.
Printer and Bookbinder:
Printing Office – The Printing Office will be open Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Bindery – The Bookbindery will be open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Public Leather Works – The Public Leather Works will be open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and
Thursday.
Shoemaker – The Shoemakers are open on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the Armoury.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 1
�Silversmith – The Silversmith Shop will be open Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Tailor – The Tailor Shop will be open Thursday.
Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing – As the weather turns to a biting cold, and we see fewer and fewer
Guests come by to visit, we are given a unique opportunity to get a bit of practice and even some
experimentation with the fundamentals of our Trade. Two new warps are already planned to replace what is
currently on the loom, providing us an opportunity to practice the warping and beaming of new projects.
We've begun spinning cotton on our Saxony wheel to test our aptitude at that. We have also begun a series of
time trials to show where our weaving may need some assistance. An 18th-century weaver would have
expected to weave a yard every hour, and so we must be able to, as well. As with everything in our Shop,
coming up short or failing to get there is all part of the process. After all, practice makes progress!
The Weaver Shop will be open on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Wheelwright – Happy New Year from the Wheelwrights! With his horse cart outside the Shop in the snow
and rain, Apprentice Joel is going to have to wait for drier weather for painting. In the meantime, he
continues working on the fellys for his handcart wheels, as well as selecting some Elm trunks for his future
hubs. Joel will be turning two more rush lamp bases for the Smiths in the coming weeks, excellent practice for
his up-and-coming bout with the handcart hubs. Master Wheelwright Paul dropped off one of his cannon
wheel hubs at the Anderson to get its metal bands installed, mortises completed. He is currently working on
the hub’s mate. After the mortises are made inside the hub, and after banding is installed by the Blacksmiths,
Paul can start driving in the spokes. Again, Happy New Year, and may all your wheels be round!
The Wheelwright Shop will be open Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Wigmaker – The Wig Shop will be open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a publication of the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades & Skills.
Editor: Shari Monaco
Contributors: Armoury – Alex Hinman (Blacksmith) and Jenny Lynn (Tinsmith), Anthony Hay Shop – Jeremy
Tritchler (Cabinetmaker), Brickmaker – Madeleine Bolton, Colonial Garden – Eve Otmar, Historic Farming – Ed
Schultz, Music – Karol Steadman, Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing – Joe Wixted, Wheelwright – Joel Morris
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 8, Issue 1
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Mechanick's Adviser
Description
An account of the resource
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a weekly newsletter produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades and Skills beginning in September 2015 and continuing to the present. The word “mechanick” is an alternative spelling of “mechanic” and is used here in the more archaic sense meaning a skilled tradesperson or artisan. Some weeks the newsletter was not produced and there is a significant months-long gap in the 2020 newsletters reflecting the pandemic-related limitations and closures of the department. The newsletter relates employee news and the current work projects and research of the various trades’ shops belonging to the department as well as other groups described as “skills” including military, music, and dance programs.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Mechanick's Adviser. Volume 8, number 1, January 7, 2022
Creator
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Publisher
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2022-01-07