Artisan/Scientist of the Month

November

Robert l'Etourdi

As long has he can remember, Robert l'Etourdi (MKA:Robert Meyer) has been interested in "making things". He has also tended to do things somewhat backwards.When wishing to learn to play guitar, he started by building one.

This strange quirk has continued since getting dragged to a "fencing practice" in Buffalo, NY, where he met the SCA and became part of the Barony of the Rhydderich Hael. He learned calligraphy by learning how to make quillpens and ink (he's always had a fascination with writing instruments)and needed a method to test the pens. He demonstrated the pen design to Mistress Gillian Llewellen by doing a bit of calligraphy. She immediately put him to work on a scroll. He doesn't actually remember the part of the conversation where he was actually asked to calligraph the scroll. It was just kind of assumed that he had already agreed. He now has calligraphed many scrolls, mostly with quill and ink, and teaches pen and ink making.

When he wanted to learn archery, he learned how to build longbows and make bowstrings and arrows. He is apprenticed in the modern world to Edward Breyette (Edward the Gray) and is learning to make different types of bows, including historic designs. Fortunately, the bows come out better than his scores on the range. He learned how to brew mead to... ummm... Well, he learned to brew mead. He has also been known to make garb for his C.1585 persona (Lord Robert l'�tourdi) and try his hand at leather work to make water flasks. Once, a friend asked him if he knew what a lucet was. Not only did this cause him to research them to find out what they were but he then had no choice but to make a few and figure out how to work them.

In the modern world he's a computer geek and spends far too much time at a keyboard.

Some of his work may be seen here: No website available.

30 Sept 2010