Medieval Crafts Article
Tinning Nails
by:
Guthrie Stuart
Theophilus, in his book “on Divers Arts” says:
If you want to coat an iron object with tin, first file it and, before touching it with your hand, while it is freshly filed, throw it into a pot of melted tin with tallow and stir it about vigorously with thongs until it becomes white. Then take it out, shake it vigorously, and lean it with bran and with a linen cloth.
For months I had been trying to work out how to coat nails with tin. I had come across mention of tinned nails, padlocks and other iron objects in the archaeological record of the 13th and 14th centuries, but couldn’t find anything about the period way of doing it. Until I re-read Theophilus’ 12th century book on medieval glassmaking, metal working
Therefore, at Lanark medieval event, I tried it out. It worked. There was some skill involved in dipping the nail carefully through the floating tallow so that it gets a thin coating before touching the hot tin. The tin should not be too cold, otherwise it doesn’t stick to the nail, or if it is too hot the tallow burns off with a great deal of black smoke. The nail should be clean and unsullied as Theophilus says.
It also works best with pure tin, which is of course a bit harder to get hold of. Proof, if you didn’t already think so, that medieval craftsmen knew what they were doing. However as is the case it is one thing knowing what to do, the skill comes from practise and is learnt by the craftsman over many years.
