Vellum -- the animal skin kind

[jbb]

Does anyone have any experience writing on real animal skin vellum? Any advice, hints, tips? Thanks in advance.

[loweevan]

I have not, but I, too, am interested in anyone else's experience. I've been curious since I saw a company that makes parchment by hand highlighted on Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs. If you're more curious than I am, you might consider contacting that company: Pergamena Parchment

[wood]

I have never written on real vellum made for the purpose of writing but I have written on rawhide goatskin. The only difference that I know of between the two is thickness and the smothness of the hide. The ink soaks in fast on rawhide and it feathers more than paper. This would probably change depending on how they finished the hide. I always wanted to try it though!

[jbb]

I have never written on real vellum made for the purpose of writing but I have written on rawhide goatskin. The only difference that I know of between the two is thickness and the smothness of the hide. The ink soaks in fast on rawhide and it feathers more than paper. This would probably change depending on how they finished the hide. I always wanted to try it though!

I bought a rawhide goatskin yesterday -- hence the post. One side seems quite smooth and it is 1.5 thick in leather thickness terms. Is that thicker than normal vellum? I already have gum sandarac to pounce it with and some iron gall ink for writing but I haven't written on it yet.

[Paddler]

Depending on what part of the world you live in, you could contact your local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. If the group is large enough, they will probably have a scribe guild that writes on vellum, parchment, papyrus, etc. They will make ink and paints and write with the old quills, and reed pens. I have seen some work done by them and it is high art, what with the illuminated capitals and monster marginalia. Some of the guilds have seminars to teach and recruit new members.

 

Paddler

[wood]

I have never written on real vellum made for the purpose of writing but I have written on rawhide goatskin. The only difference that I know of between the two is thickness and the smothness of the hide. The ink soaks in fast on rawhide and it feathers more than paper. This would probably change depending on how they finished the hide. I always wanted to try it though!

I bought a rawhide goatskin yesterday -- hence the post. One side seems quite smooth and it is 1.5 thick in leather thickness terms. Is that thicker than normal vellum? I already have gum sandarac to pounce it with and some iron gall ink for writing but I haven't written on it yet.

 

Goat rawhide should be thicker than vellum. If I were to do it again I would burnish the smooth side to as much of a sheen as I could get before writing on it. The smooth side is the outside of the skin when it's still on the animal. Goat skin was perferable because of the small hair pores. I used a reed pen I had made when I scribbled on my hide. I didn't use sand for drying the ink or any other process on the hide.

[jbb]

Goat rawhide should be thicker than vellum. If I were to do it again I would burnish the smooth side to as much of a sheen as I could get before writing on it. The smooth side is the outside of the skin when it's still on the animal. Goat skin was perferable because of the small hair pores. I used a reed pen I had made when I scribbled on my hide. I didn't use sand for drying the ink or any other process on the hide.

 

How does one burnish the smooth side?

[wood]

There are different things you could try but I would try a stainless steel spoon. Rub the rounded side of the spoon on the hide with a bit of pressure. If that doesn't seem to be doing anything get the hide slighty damp with warm water and then burnish. A piece of rawhide will curl when wet and then stay that way when dry, so make sure you set something heavy and flat on it so it can't curl if you use warm water. I you had a paper press you could get the hide soaking in warm water and press it flat.

[jbb]

There are different things you could try but I would try a stainless steel spoon. Rub the rounded side of the spoon on the hide with a bit of pressure. If that doesn't seem to be doing anything get the hide slighty damp with warm water and then burnish. A piece of rawhide will curl when wet and then stay that way when dry, so make sure you set something heavy and flat on it so it can't curl if you use warm water. I you had a paper press you could get the hide soaking in warm water and press it flat.

Thank you Wood.

[wood]

You're welcome! Let me know how it turned out for you.

[SincerelySpicy]

I believe that calf and sheepskin vellums and parchments are finished differently than just simple burnishing of the raw hide. I remember something about letting it dry on a plate glass to give it a smooth surface or something like that.....

 

 

Here's some scrap vellum and parchment you could test on available from Talas Bookbinding Supplies that I found on google.

 

http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=23678

[jbb]

After reading more I have learned that what I have would be considered parchment not vellum. Vellum is of a finer quality. I've cut the skin I bought into small sheets and am doing some designs on them. Hopefully I'll have something I can show in the not too far future.