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Trevor:

Try automobile wheel bearing grease. It is a little thicker than Tallow I
think but works for picking up bottom samples.

Dan Hogan
dhhogan1@earthlink.net
Navigation-L: http://www.offsoundings.info/navl.html


> [Original Message]
> From: Trevor J. Kenchington 
> To: 
> Date: 11/6/2004 5:00:11 PM
> Subject: Tallow, was: Voyaging the traditional way
>
> Belated thanks to Peter, Jared and Bill for their suggestions, however:
>
> I'm not sure that lanolin would be much of a substitute for tallow. My
> impression (which may well be wrong) is that lanolin has much lower
> viscosity -- if that is the right term to use for a grease. In any case,
> I am no closer to having a supplier for that than one for tallow.
>
> Same for Crisco and other shortenings. They also share with peanut
> butter the tendency to go rancid rather quickly: Not something I really
> want smeared across my boat's spars. Suet is, of course, either raw
> animal fat or perhaps fat melted once and allowed to solidify. The
> latter would be a step towards tallow but not, I suspect, tallow itself.
>
> Various mineral greases, of varied consistencies, are available of
> course. But I don't think they would be very compatible with leather
> chafing gear. I'm looking for the organic alternative.
>
> And Bill: Yes, tallow candles were once used by anyone who could not
> afford spermaceti but I would be very surprised if anyone outside
> museums and historic re-enactment societies deals with such awful things
> today.
>
>
> I guess I will go on searching for a way to make, or somewhere to buy,
> tallow.
>
>
>
> Trevor Kenchington
>
>
>
> P.S.: Bill wrote:
>
> > I do maintain that bushwhacking 2000-or-so years ago in the "old world"
is
> > on-topic.  What trade/military routes were established and why?  What
> > methods did the Roman Empire et al use to establish the routes?  How
many
> > are major roads these days?  Curious.
>
> Not much call for bushwacking in most of Europe in 4 AD: the area was
> well populated, with tracks and roads to follow.
>
> I don't know much about how the Roman's planned the overall routes of
> their roads but their technique for laying down the detailed route was
> straightforward: Get up on the ridge lines, establish a beacon where the
> route of the road crossed each ridge, then have the work crew build the
> road heading towards the next beacon. The result is roads that run
> straight from hilltop to hilltop, with slight angles where they cross
> the ridges.
>
> When I was a kid (1960s), the routes (though not the original structure)
> of most of the major Roman roads in England (and I believe in France
> also) were still used as roads and many had major highways built along
> them. However, settlement patterns had changed and some of the roads no
> longer connected major centres and so had dwindled. Then came Motorways
> (equivalent to U.S. Interstates) which deliberately skirted towns and
> cities, while following sweeping curves rather than the straight lines
> suited to marching troops. I doubt that they follow the Roman routes
> other than in the most general sense.
>
>
> --
> Trevor J. Kenchington PhD                         Gadus@iStar.ca
> Gadus Associates,                                 Office(902) 889-9250
> R.R.#1, Musquodoboit Harbour,                     Fax   (902) 889-9251
> Nova Scotia  B0J 2L0, CANADA                      Home  (902) 889-3555
>
>                      Science Serving the Fisheries
>                       http://home.istar.ca/~gadus

   

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