Links to Labs and Suggested Projects
Laboratory Experiments:
Lab 1: Ceramic Technology:
Cuneiform Tablets
Lab 2: Wine Distillation: Density Measurements
Lab 3:
Smelting Metals to Cast Coins
Some Suggested Final Projects:
Ceramics and Glazing: Scarab Beetles, Signet Rings, and
Oil Lamps
Cloth and Dying: Spinning Fibers and
Dyeing
or Making
Dyes
Gunpowder
and Propellants:
(Danger! Limit to a couple grams!)
Metallurgy: Smelting
Metal and Striking Coins from Dies
Paper & Printing: Making
Paper 1,
( 2 ) (
3 ) and
Prints 1, (
2 )
Soaps and Suds: Making
Potash: Making
Lye, Handmade Soap
Paints: Artist
Pigments Through the Ages: Mixing
your own Paint
(other good web links, e.g., making medieval
pigments)
Photography: Constructing Light-sensitive Paper
Many of the above projects are outlined in Kevin Dunn's very similar course to this one, which you may use as a very good starting point. The book list from the library has also been selected to give you a good set of instructions for most of these projects. If you have something else in mind, we need to discuss it in the very first week, and I will probably not want to burden the stockroom further with unexpected demands. (But don't be afraid to ask! I like new ideas!)