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Ok, I don't do a lot of creative projects. I certainly know some middle school teachers who do more, but I keep scratching my head and asking, "WHEN DO YOU HAVE THE TIME?"
But... I like doing the signet rings.
In stage 4 of the Cambridge Latin Course, Caecilius takes a Greek merchant, Hermogenes, to court and provides "proof" by means of a wax table with Hermogenes seal that he guaranteed to pay back his loan.
It is difficult to get students to understand that a seal ring stamped onto something was like a signature for us. Of course, they wonder how wax could be used for the writing and not be erased, etc. I suppose I should try to get out the slides tomorrow to show them Caecilius' tablets that have survived.
ANYWAY.
The Minimus book has instructions, I believe, for making a seal stone that I have adapted.
You need:
* non-hardening clay
* plastic plates (not paper plates)
* toothpicks
* cheapo "wedding" rings (you can find BAGS of these at Michael's or a hobby store)
* plaster of paris
* emory boards or sand paper
* fingernail polish
On the plastic plate you design--VERY SMALL--some little design in the clay. This will be your equivalent of engraving a stone. I have designed tiny little bunches of grapes (just tiny little clay balls, really), snakes, paw prints (our school mascot is the panther), and today I tried a boat, dolphin and a medusa. The toothpicks are to help you sculpt your clay. Remember, your design needs to fit well within the size of a penny.
Next, take some more clay and make a rectangle that's roughly 1 cm X a couple of inches (or less) and only a 1/4 inch thick. Coil that into a cylinder around your finger and round out. This cylinder will sit AROUND your design; make sure it does not touch your design.
Once you've fit your cylinder around your design, make sure your cylinder is sticking snuggly to the plastic plate. You will be pouring plaster of paris into this cylinder to cover your design and you don't want to it to leak out. Take your ring and adjust the size to be loose. The plaster will take up some of the space and will probably make the ring fit small, so trust me on this--loosen the ring.
Now, take the ring and hold it perpendicular to the design and press it down into the cylinder above your design. It should be sticking up in the air. It should NOT touch your design.
Mix up the plaster of paris and QUICKLY (before it hardens!) pour it into the cylinder and cover up a small portion of the ring, enough to hold it in place. You must cover some of it, of course, or the ring will not be attached to the seal stone.
Let it dry. (This is what we did today.)
Peel off the cylinder of clay and use a toothpick to carefully pick your design out of the plaster of paris. Take some sand paper or an emory board to smooth and shape the outer edges of the stone. Once everything looks nice, paint the plaster of paris with fingernail polish. This makes a slicker surface and strengthens the surface as well. Otherwise the plaster of paris is prone to chipping. Let dry.
Now, get some more clay and soften it up with your fingers. Press your sealring carefully in the clay to see its imprint.
And you now have a signet ring.
I am fortunate to own a real signet ring which bears the crest of the current Garter King of Arms at the College of Arms in London. It is a coati mundi, is very elegant, and leaves a beautiful imprint in clay as well. The pictures in the latest edition of CLC demonstrate that the Romans had equally beautiful seal stones/seal rings. I almost regret that there's no real need for seal rings anymore....
Seems to me that I make the chocolate road with the 8th graders on Thursday. Not my idea but it definitely demonstrates the construction of a Roman road. And these are my two main projects/crafty sort of things that I do in the fall. In the spring I'm usually too overwhelmed with trying to catch up from however far behind I've fallen.
ha.
But... I like doing the signet rings.
In stage 4 of the Cambridge Latin Course, Caecilius takes a Greek merchant, Hermogenes, to court and provides "proof" by means of a wax table with Hermogenes seal that he guaranteed to pay back his loan.
It is difficult to get students to understand that a seal ring stamped onto something was like a signature for us. Of course, they wonder how wax could be used for the writing and not be erased, etc. I suppose I should try to get out the slides tomorrow to show them Caecilius' tablets that have survived.
ANYWAY.
The Minimus book has instructions, I believe, for making a seal stone that I have adapted.
You need:
* non-hardening clay
* plastic plates (not paper plates)
* toothpicks
* cheapo "wedding" rings (you can find BAGS of these at Michael's or a hobby store)
* plaster of paris
* emory boards or sand paper
* fingernail polish
On the plastic plate you design--VERY SMALL--some little design in the clay. This will be your equivalent of engraving a stone. I have designed tiny little bunches of grapes (just tiny little clay balls, really), snakes, paw prints (our school mascot is the panther), and today I tried a boat, dolphin and a medusa. The toothpicks are to help you sculpt your clay. Remember, your design needs to fit well within the size of a penny.
Next, take some more clay and make a rectangle that's roughly 1 cm X a couple of inches (or less) and only a 1/4 inch thick. Coil that into a cylinder around your finger and round out. This cylinder will sit AROUND your design; make sure it does not touch your design.
Once you've fit your cylinder around your design, make sure your cylinder is sticking snuggly to the plastic plate. You will be pouring plaster of paris into this cylinder to cover your design and you don't want to it to leak out. Take your ring and adjust the size to be loose. The plaster will take up some of the space and will probably make the ring fit small, so trust me on this--loosen the ring.
Now, take the ring and hold it perpendicular to the design and press it down into the cylinder above your design. It should be sticking up in the air. It should NOT touch your design.
Mix up the plaster of paris and QUICKLY (before it hardens!) pour it into the cylinder and cover up a small portion of the ring, enough to hold it in place. You must cover some of it, of course, or the ring will not be attached to the seal stone.
Let it dry. (This is what we did today.)
Peel off the cylinder of clay and use a toothpick to carefully pick your design out of the plaster of paris. Take some sand paper or an emory board to smooth and shape the outer edges of the stone. Once everything looks nice, paint the plaster of paris with fingernail polish. This makes a slicker surface and strengthens the surface as well. Otherwise the plaster of paris is prone to chipping. Let dry.
Now, get some more clay and soften it up with your fingers. Press your sealring carefully in the clay to see its imprint.
And you now have a signet ring.
I am fortunate to own a real signet ring which bears the crest of the current Garter King of Arms at the College of Arms in London. It is a coati mundi, is very elegant, and leaves a beautiful imprint in clay as well. The pictures in the latest edition of CLC demonstrate that the Romans had equally beautiful seal stones/seal rings. I almost regret that there's no real need for seal rings anymore....
Seems to me that I make the chocolate road with the 8th graders on Thursday. Not my idea but it definitely demonstrates the construction of a Roman road. And these are my two main projects/crafty sort of things that I do in the fall. In the spring I'm usually too overwhelmed with trying to catch up from however far behind I've fallen.
ha.
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