makingandknowing - Fong - Annotation Plans FA16

Purpose:

This annotation will focus on the text and images on p023r_1 and p023v_1, which details the production processes of mortar and a canvas “sausage” that will be attached to the mortar’s fuse for firing. It will situate the author-practitioner’s military artisanal knowledge within the larger context of the manuscript as well as the regional history of Toulouse to investigate the following issues:

-What is the relationship between artillery production practices and other non-military artisanal techniques and materials mentioned in the manuscript? For example, how is mortar casting as described on p023r_1 and p023v_1 related to the metalworking processes of other recipes?

-In answering these questions, can we say anything about the connection between Toulouse’s armory and other kinds of local foundries, as well as between cannon makers and other founders?

-How did the author-practitioner gain knowledge about weapon production? Was he personally involved in making artillery?

-What are the functions of the images on p023r_1 and p023v_1? What is their relationship with the text itself? Do these images reveal which parts of the production processes that the author-practitioner thought are not textualizable?

Recipes & Manuscript Research:

In the manuscript, there are two clusters of recipes on artillery production:

The first cluster (p017r - p019r) includes information about cannon-makers, culverines, bastarde, bastarde culverine, passevolant, faulconneau, musket, arquebus, etc. These entries mainly focus on the weight, dimension and usage of different kinds of artillery pieces. They also contain practical strategic information such as what kind of artillery should be used for a certain kind of battle, how many horses are needed to carry a certain type of artillery, etc. Occasionally, the components of cannon alloy are mentioned, but there are not a lot of details for the actual production process.

The second cluster (p021r - p028r) includes information about cannoneer, shooting a cannon at night, unspiking cannon, defense of a town, orgues, grenades, mortar, etc. This group also includes strategic advice on the use of cannons in different kinds of battles, such as shooting cannons at night, the setting of sights to help aiming at the targets, etc. However, it contains more information on the production process than the first group. For example, a recipe mentions how one can add cart nails and crushed glass to the making of mortars to increase their destructiveness. Another recipe (p025v) also talks about the making of breech ring, middle ring and mouth ring of a cannon and their proportions.

In this annotation, I will work on the recipes describing the making of mortars on p023r_1 and p023v_1, which come from the second cluster.

<id>p023r_1</id>

<ab>A mortar is made so that it weighs three <ms>quintals</ms> and carries a cannonball flat on the side from which it must exit and round on the side of the cannon, as if it was a cannonball cut in half. It is two pans long. It has to be loaded with xxv <ms>lb</ms> of powder because it has to be full to the opening and has to fire. Its bottom is not thicker than the opening and is made of one single piece. Its material has to be better than other artillery pieces, and for 4 <ms>quintals</ms> of fine <m>copper</m>there must only be one quintal of <m>metal</m> so that it absorbs the shock, and so that, when fired with more force, it is more efficient. It has to be used against a door with a large <m>iron</m> cross before the bullet, and once loaded, needs to be covered with a firmly sewed rough <m>canvas</m> which should be completely smeared with <m>turpentine</m>. Four handles need to be added to it while it is cast, it is thus easier to place. The <m>iron</m> cross is fixed to the opening with the <m>canvas</m> covering it. The handles have to be held at its opening's edge, as you can see. To place it, you need three or four <m>iron</m> <tl>pegs</tl> of one <fr><ms>pan</ms></fr> long and as thick as a <ms><bp>finger</bp></ms>, which have their point like a <tl>gimlet</tl>, and their body like a screw as they are strongly pulled, and a ring on the other side to turn them with a short <tl>stick</tl> that fits into the <tl>ring</tl>. And the <tl>pegs</tl> are fixed on the door, not straight, because they would not have any strength, but crooked as if you wanted to fix them towards the middle of the <m>mortar</m>, and to do the holes of the handles need to be quite
large. In that way, the shooting <m>mortar</m> pushes the <tl>pegs</tl> back and forth into the door, and makes more damage. Once in place, you need to have <fr>saucisse de <m>buckram</m></fr> @[a] made in this manner: take eight or nine <fr><ms>canes</ms></fr> of <fr><m>buckram</m></fr> selvage or more if the gap is larger, which have to be as large as four or five <ms><bp>fingers</bp></ms>, have it sewn in such a way so that it is like an intestine where a <tl>stick</tl> as thick as a <ms><bp>finger</bp></ms> can fit. Fill it completely with good</ab>

<ab>
<margin>left-top</margin>
This one is to be put below an undermined tower with its opening towards the top. One casts two large <m>iron</m> <tl>rings</tl> and, with a <tl>stick</tl> or two, four men carry it. They are also used for placing within wall breaches but just half a charge is necessary, that is x<ms>lb</ms>, and fill the rest with some <m>pebbles</m>and <m>cart stones</m></ab>.

<figure>
<id>fig_p023r_1</id>
<margin>left-middle</margin>
<link>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9-oNrvWdlO5RzRNM284T3Q0eTQ</link>
</figure>
<ab>
<margin>left-bottom</margin>
It needs to be covered entirely with a <m>waxed</m> <m>canvas</m> and rubbed with <m>turpentine</m> and other <m>combustible things</m>. This cover is made to ensure that the bullet does not fall and so that, when the cover is given fire, the <m>powder</m> does not fail. Upon the fuse, you will need to put a good quantity of <m>powder</m>. Some put on the ball a cross of <m>iron</m> which is longer than the mouth of the <m>mortar</m> by two <fr><ms>pans</ms></fr>. Others only put the ball.</ab>
<cont/>
</div>
[a]bouquarant: linen fabric rolled in the form of a sausage.
``
<page>023v</page>
<image>http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10500001g/f52.image</image>
<div>
<cont/>
<id>p023r_1</id>
<figure>
<id>fig_p023v_1</id>
<margin>left-middle</margin>
<link>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9-oNrvWdlO5Tm4ySC1wcUx6Yzg</link>
</figure>
<ab><m>powder</m>. When the sausage is filled, dip it gently in two <ms>parts</ms><m>vinegar</m> and one of <m>spirits</m>, to moisten the <m>canvas</m> but not the <m>powder</m>. Next, leave the aforesaid <m>canvas</m> to dry completely, and then you need to attach to the sausage a long <m>string</m> or <m>cord</m><ms>twice as long as the sausage</ms>, but you must not tie it to the sausage but make it touch the two ends and sew it to the sausage in a few places in the middle. Next you need to smear all of the sausage with very good <m>turpentine</m>, and at one end, where you will want to join to the <m>mortar</m>'s fuse for firing, you can sew or tightly attach with a selvage of <m>canvas</m> as large as one <fr><ms>empan</ms></fr> which should also be well soaked in <m>turpentine</m>, and this selvage should be cut in the middle so that it can be fastened and wrapped around the <m>mortar</m>, and you must attach it so that the tip of the sausage that is open will be joined to the fuse of the <m>mortar</m>. Then you need to place a lot of tightly-packed <m>powder</m> onto the fuse of the <m>mortar</m>. And next, the person outside of the ditch should draw the small <m>string</m> and <m>cord</m> that is joined to the sausage so that it is extended mid-way, but not so much that it is detached. And if there is <m>water</m> in the ditch, it will be necessary to support the sausage with a fork. Then, having placed himself and others in safety, the person who holds the tip of the sausage will be able to fire.</ab>

Main focus/research questions:
1. Material
-“Fine copper”: How fine should it be? Will other recipes provide some clue for answering this question?
-“Rough canvas”
-“Turpentine”
-“Iron pegs of one pan long and as thick as a finger, which have their point like a gimlet and their body like a screw”
-“buckram selvage”

2. Technique
-Sewing: “needs to be covered with a firmly sewed rough canvas which should be completely smeared with turpentine”; “buckram selvage…have it sewn in such a way so that it is like an intestine where a stick as thick as a finger can fit”; sewing a long string or cord to the sausage
-What materials and tools were used for sewing?
-“Four handles need to be added to it while it is cast, it is thus easier to place”
- Is this technique related to other metal casting practices?
-The use of vinegar and spirits: “When the sausage is filled, dip it gently in two parts vinegar and one of spirits, to moisten the canvas but not the powder”
-Is it possible to moisten the canvas without making the powder wet?
-The use of turpentine oil: for smearing and soaking the canvas and sausage
-What is the purpose of using turpentine oil?

3. Terminology
-Different standards of measurement: quintals, pans, lb, finger, empan
-Terms that are unclear, especially regarding different parts of the mortar: “door”, “iron cross”

Historical research
-To place the recipes within a larger historical context, I will conduct research on the secondary literature on military artisans or arsenals in early modern Europe as well as on cannons and military technology in early modern period. I will also look at contemporaneous sources on artillery production in Europe, such as cannon manuals.
- James B. Wood, The King’s Army: Warfare, Soldiers, and Society during the Wars of Religion in France, 1562-1576 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996)
- Pamela O. Long, Artisan Practitioners and the Rise of the New Sciences, 1400-1600 (Oregon State UP, 2011)
- Pamela O. Long, Openness, Secrecy, Authorship: Technical Arts and the Culture of Knowledge from Antiquity to the Renaissance (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001)
- Kelly DeVries, “Sites of Military Science and Technology,” in The Cambridge History of Science, vol.3 Early Modern Science, ed. Park and Daston.
- Bert S. Hall, Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997)- Joseph Jobe, ed., Guns: An Illustrated History of Artillery (Greenwich, Conn.: New York Graphic Society, 1971)
-John Roberts, The Compleat Cannoniere, London, 1652

SUGGESTIONS FROM PHS:
Simon Werrett
Fireworks: Pyrotechnic Arts and Sciences in European History
Jochen Büttner
Büttner, J., Damerow, P., Renn, J., & Schemmel, M. (2003).The challenging images of artillery: practical knowledge at the roots of the scientific revolution. In W. Lefèvre, J. Renn, & U. Schoepflin (Eds.), The Power of Images in Early Modern Science (pp. 3-27).
Pascal Julien powerpoint and presentation:https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0BwJi-u8sfkVDX09lbEJTUFUtQk0Tartaglia--look for literature there (e.g. Nova Scientia)

Hands-On Reconstruction

Purpose:

To reconstruct the “sauscice de bouquaran” (“buckram sausage”) that, according to the recipe, will be joined with the mortar’s fuse for firing.

Preliminary thoughts/research questions for reconstruction:

- This recipe is one of the very few artillery recipes in the manuscript that contain concrete information about the materials and procedures for weapon production. (It is also the most doable weapon-making recipe for the purpose of hands-on reconstruction.) However, this recipe involves a lot of ambiguities that make me wonder to what extent the instructions are feasible. Hands-on reconstruction may give us some clue about whether the author-practitioner actually had hands-on experience in carrying out the recipe, as well as what kind of skills are involved in the production processes in terms of sewing and smearing that are not mentioned in the recipe. In doing so, we can think about how military artisanal practices are connected with other kinds of artisanal skills.

- The author-practitioner did not make it very clear why it is necessary to have such a “sausage” attached to the fuse in the first place. Does it simply function as an extension of the fuse so that the person who is responsible for firing can distance himself further from the mortar, so as to ensure his safety? Hands-on reconstruction may help us think about the use of the “sausage” on the battlefield.

- Does the drawing of the sausage reveal information that is not included in the text?

Recipe:

Once in place, you need to have <fr>saucisse de <m>buckram</m></fr> @[a] made in this manner: take eight or nine <fr><ms>canes</ms></fr> of <fr><m>buckram</m></fr> selvage or more if the gap is larger, which have to be as large as four or five <ms><bp>fingers</bp></ms>, have it sewn in such a way so that it is like an intestine where a <tl>stick</tl> as thick as a <ms><bp>finger</bp></ms> can fit. Fill it completely with good <m>powder</m>. When the sausage is filled, dip it gently in two <ms>parts</ms><m>vinegar</m> and one of <m>spirits</m>, to moisten the <m>canvas</m> but not the <m>powder</m>. Next, leave the aforesaid <m>canvas</m> to dry completely, and then you need to attach to the sausage a long <m>string</m> or <m>cord</m><ms>twice as long as the sausage</ms>, but you must not tie it to the sausage but make it touch the two ends and sew it to the sausage in a few places in the middle. Next you need to smear all of the sausage with very good <m>turpentine</m>, and at one end, where you will want to join to the <m>mortar</m>'s fuse for firing, you can sew or tightly attach with a selvage of <m>canvas</m> as large as one <fr><ms>empan</ms></fr> which should also be well soaked in <m>turpentine</m>, and this selvage should be cut in the middle so that it can be fastened and wrapped around the <m>mortar</m>, and you must attach it so that the tip of the sausage that is open will be joined to the fuse of the <m>mortar</m>. Then you need to place a lot of tightly-packed <m>powder</m> onto the fuse of the <m>mortar</m>. And next, the person outside of the ditch should draw the small <m>string</m> and <m>cord</m> that is joined to the sausage so that it is extended mid-way, but not so much that it is detached. And if there is <m>water</m> in the ditch, it will be necessary to support the sausage with a fork. Then, having placed himself and others in safety, the person who holds the tip of the sausage will be able to fire.
[a]bouquarant: linen fabric rolled in the form of a sausage.

Materials and Tools:

1. “Eight or nine canes of buckram selvage”: What is a “cane”? Since the latter part of the recipe mentioned “canvas”, does “buckram selvage” just mean canvas?
2. “good powder”: I think it means gunpowder. What is a good replacement for the filling of the sausage if I cannot use gunpowder?
3. “two parts vinegar and one of spirits”: I will use an organic apple cider vinegar with mother. What kind of “spirits” should I use?
4. “string or cord”: I will use twine for the purpose of reconstruction, but I will do more research to figure out what kind of material the recipe is referring to here.
5. “very good turpentine”
6. Needle and thread for sewing
7. Scissors for cutting the canvas
8. A glass jar for mixing vinegar and spirits
9. A glass jar for soaking canvas in turpentine
9. A brush for smearing the sausage with turpentine

Workflow:

Step 1
“take eight or nine canes of buckram selvage or more if the gap is larger, which have to be as large as four or five fingers, have it sewn in such a way so that it is like an intestine where a stick as thick as a finger can fit”
--I will cut out a piece of canvas that is about four or five fingers in width and sew the two sides of it together to make a sausage, but how long should it be?

Step 2
“Fill it completely with good powder”
--What should I use to replace gunpowder? How about cotton?

Step 3
“When the sausage is filled, dip it gently in two parts vinegar and one of spirits, to moisten the canvas but not the powder”
--I will leave one end of the sausage open because it will be joined to the fuse of the mortar. I will put two parts vinegar and one part “spirits” into a glass jar and mix them together, and then put the sausage into the mixture while trying not to moisten the filling of the sausage.

Step 4
“Leave the aforesaid canvas to dry completely”
--I will leave the sausage to dry overnight

Step 5
“then you need to attach to the sausage a long string or cord twice as long as the sausage, but you must not tie it to the sausage but make it touch the two ends and sew it to the sausage in a few places in the middle”
--I will attach a twine to the sausage by sewing it at a few spots in the middle of the sausage

Step 6
“Next you need to smear all of the sausage with very good turpentine”
--I will use a brush to smear the sausage with turpentine

Step 7
“at one end, where you will want to join to the mortar's fuse for firing, you can sew or tightly attach with a selvage of canvas as large as one empan which should also be well soaked in turpentine, and this selvage should be cut in the middle so that it can be fastened and wrapped around the mortar, and you must attach it so that the tip of the sausage that is open will be joined to the fuse of the mortar”
--I will cut out a piece of canvas that is as large as my palm and then cut it in the middle. Then I will soak the canvas in the turpentine in a glass jar. Next, I will sew the canvas to the end of the sausage that is open. However, should I wait for the soaked canvas to dry before sewing it to the sausage?

Safety:

Need to check the safety datasheet for turpentine, vinegar and spirits
Should pay special attention to whether these three ingredients will react with each other

Additional Notes:

P024r describes the making of a pipe that is to be inserted into the touchhole of grenades. It specifies the use of spirits or vinegar to slow down the combustion process of gunpowder:

“You will fill it with good powder, pounded in a mortar and lightly tempered with good <m>spirits</m> or strong <m>vinegar</m>. One does so in order to slow down the powder. And in order to know if it will be slow enough to allow time to throw the grenade without danger, try this powder thus tempered in another pipe. You can keep your loaded grenades in a very dry place, and on the contrary you should keep your pipes filled with that tempered powder tight together in a humid place. And nonetheless, you should have some already inserted into grenades, so that you are always equipped. And every 3 days you will change them if you notice they have become too dry.”

Does the application of vinegar and spirit on the canvas sausage also aim to achieve a similar result? However, the sausage recipe requires the mixing of vinegar and spirit, whereas p024r only requires either vinegar or spirit.

It seems that the control of humidity is crucial to the storage of gunpowder. My preliminary research suggests that early modern gunpowder (black powder) is problematic in at least three ways. First, it releases white smoke when burning, which will expose the troop’s location and make it susceptible to enemy attack. Second, exposure to moisture will make the gunpowder unserviceable. Third, it is difficult to manage the speed of the combustion, and one has to be careful with lighting the fuse and taking aim at the target at the same time. The cannoneer will be in danger if the combustion is too fast when firing the projectile, especially with grenade.

While the construction of mortar is of course very different from grenade, it also stands out from regular cannons because its barrel is noticeably shorter. So, does the soaking of the sausage in vinegar and spirit help slow down the combustion? Will it be helpful to burn a piece of canvas after soaking it in spirit and vinegar, and compare it to the burning of a regular piece of canvas?

Research on the grain size of gunpowder:

References from secondary literature indicate that large-grained powder was used for cannons while finer powder was used for smaller arms such as hand guns. (See Jack Kelly, Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World, Perseus Books Group: 2005; John Francis Guilmartin, Gunpowder & galleys: changing technology & Mediterranean warfare at sea in the 16th century. Conway Maritime Press, 2003) They argue that the “corning” of gunpowder was already in practice after the 15th century. Liquids such as spirits were added to mix sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal to form a damp gunpowder paste, which would be made into gunpowder of different grain sizes by hand or sieving after the paste becomes dry. They also point out that coarser gunpowder particles in early modern Europe had the size of corn or wheat grains—that’s why they were called “corned” powder.

Research on “spirits”/”eau-de-vie”:

Rod Phillips’ book French Wine: A History (University of California Press, 2016) suggests that eau-de-vie in 16th-century France was first made from distilling the wine that could not be sold. For my reconstruction, I will use brandy as a replacement (not fruit brandy).