TIP# 171 - GRANDPA WAS: A PEWTERER, A COPPERSMITH, A SILVERSMITH, A MILLER, A CABINET MAKER The use of pewter is an ancient one and treasured in many countries. However, in the United States, it didn't really "catch on" to the extent of the old world. During the older days, there were times when pewter became the vogue and was used for a variety of utensils. It could not be used for everyday use such as for eating utensils, with the exception of possibly spoons, because it was too soft. It was used for platters, teapots, pitchers, tankards and bowls. It was also used for baby's nursing bottles with a screw on pewter nipple. Sometimes pewter was used for buttons and buckles, sometimes for lamps. Pewter is easier to work with than many other metals. With not too much difficulty it can be bent, flattened or stretched. Normally pewter work was left plain with no fancy designs. Since it was so soft, it had to be combined with other metal alloys - normally lead, copper. Copper will ring it stuck and by adding this, a greater polish could be obtained. A pewterer had to have his own set of tools and molds. Molds came in various sizes, some were one piece, some two pieces - the inside and the outside. The two pieces were molded together and each had a handle. The surface of mold was often smoked when making spoons which kept the pewter from sticking to the mold. He often had to use a combination of ocher, egg whites and vinegar. The pewter was poured into the mold and the pewterer had to learn when it was ready - i.e., cool enough to solidify. Letting up on the pressure on the handles, he would tap the mold on both ends which freed the cast; the mold was then opened and the piece allowed to drop on a pad made of felt. The casting was rough when it was fresh from the mold; this had to be polished, filed and cut and then skimmed on a lathe. The lathe was normally powered by a cradle and a cranked flywheel. If working with plates, the pewterer would work on the front side of each plate and stack them up. When finished, he would turn them over and work on the back side. Teapots demanded a different style, the lower half of the pot was cast looking like a bowl; the top half bell-shaped. He had to mold these together using a product used by the whitesmith called soft solder. The lid also took two molds. Feet and knobs were added to the almost finished product. THE COPPERSMITH: Products made of copper in the United States dated back to Jamestown. It was a little more difficult to work with because of all the impurities found in copper. Some of the impurities could be quite valuable, however; silver and lead. But it also contains arsenic, sulphur, iron and slag. In the Old World, stamping mills were used which crushed the ore, salt was added to the crushed ore which burned away the sulphur and arsenic. It was washed, then mixed with a charcoal dust. Next it was put into the furnace. The copper in a melted state drained through a slag bed on a grate and was drained off into a basin. From there it was dipped and poured into holes in the floor. The finished metal lay between stones or slate which were tilted to allow the copper to run across them. The slab was heavy and difficult work for the coppersmith and his apprentices. There were normally three work areas in a coppersmith's shop. One area for the heavy copper where the forge and anvils were located; the second for his work bench and the third for the layout bench. It was NOT a quiet place to work! The coppersmith made his products from sheet metal; it was normally a simple shape and it was a dangerous occupation. THE MILLER: There's so much to write about millers that I barely know where to begin. This is a special subject with me and I am learning so much as I go! The millers were extremely important to the early days of settlement that most roads in the county were laid out to go to mill. A WATER GRIST MILL was dependent upon moving water and the proposed miller had to go to the county court and put in an application for a viewing of the proposed site. A jury of 12 men, neighbors, met on the land and surveyed the entire area. The mill site was normally one acre and the jury had to determine if there would be any damages incurred to neighbors - to their lands, orchards or mansion houses. No blockage of the water way could result. If the site was approved through an "ad quad dannum" (i.e., the land was "condemned" for the use of a mill), the miller had one year to finish the mill. Water power ran the mill by use of a large wheel which usually was an "over-shot" or an "under-shot" wheel. Each mill had two grinding stones which had to be sharpened by a specialist who was so secretive of his abilities that he wouldn't let anyone watch him. The miller was paid in a portion of the grain he ground and was supposed to be totally honest in his dealings. Some millers did not hold a good reputation, but this was not normally the case in Kentucky. A few of the old water grist mills are still standing in Kentucky and some have been preserved as showcases to explain the workings. It was a dangerous job due to explosions, being hurt in the gears. It would take many tips in a row to explain the workings of the water grist mill. There were also millers who worked in sawmills. Many of these sawmills were portable and would be packed up and loaded from site to site. This was an all-man occupation (whereas there were female water grist millers on occasion). These saw mills ran from the most basic being powered by horses or mules to the more elaborate. Wind mills were found in many parts of Kentucky and operated exactly like their counterparts in the old world. Some towns used water mills for their town. There were many other types of mills - flour mills, snuff mills, castor oil mills, paper mills … the list is almost endless. As the country progressed and steam or kerosene was used, the old time mill's appearance changed and the miller was no longer dependent upon the moving of the stream for his power. It no longer mattered if the water was too high or too low … and a part of history was lost. The old mills were the site of many of the community activities. There were many a courtshippings done at the mill; politicians cussed and discussed into the darkness of night. Many millers also had moonshining making equipment there. Many times the family went and spent the entire day at the mill waiting their "turn" of the wheel. Picnics were held there and one of the most important uses was for baptisms. Most of the old churches were close to mill sites and they would take the baptismal candidates to the mill pond for the ceremony. Of all the original enterprises in Kentucky, and in the United States, it is likely that the old mill evokes the fondest memories. A CABINETMAKER was considered an artisan. He had to be an expert in joinery. The joiner could be barely literate, but the cabinetmaker demanded a special skill. He had normally been trained by another cabinetmaker, working many years as an apprentice to learn to particulars. Cabinetmakers did not just make cabinets - they made furniture. While in Kentucky, outside the larger cities, the name Chippendale and others was just the name of some furniture. In the rural areas, the cabinetmaker made simple, practical furniture that was affordable to the early settlers. In the larger towns or among the more affluent, costlier and fancier furniture was in order. They also could be called on to make coffins and sometimes acted as a funeral director! Even the most "common" of furniture could be beautiful. Iron was normally used instead of brass and pine, chestnut, tulip wood, maple black walnut, wild black cherry and other woods were used. The cabinetmaker worked with the finished product at great length to get the polished look that enhanced the natural beauty of the wood. Joints were needed to be almost invisible; wooden nails were preferred. Drawers had to dovetail together, glues had to be unseen. The major tools used by the cabinetmaker were saws, gooseneck chisels, drawknives, and scrapers. © Copyright 11 August 1998, Sandra K. Gorin, All rights reserved, sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Sandi Gorin - A Proud Kentucky Colonel 205 Clements Ave., Glasgow, KY 43141-3409 (502) 651-9114 PUBLISHING: http://members.tripod.com/~GorinS/index.html BARREN CO WEBSITE: http://ww4.choice.net/~jimphp/barrenco/ ARCHIVES for ROOTSWEB: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl PRAYER&PRAISE: http://www.listbot.com/subscribe/prayerandpraise