The backstory:
While at Pennsic last year, My wife was using the cooking tabe (1.0) and accidentally allowed the fire to get a little to close to the wooden table supports. This caused a slight charring of the support. When my wife noticed that the fire table was actually on fire, she needed some water to put said blaze out. I had placed a large pot of water next to the cook table, but this proved very cumbersome for her to manage. Eventually she was able to put the table out and also create a fine meal as well. “Husband! we need to talk” she loudly proclaimed. Actually, she did not use the term husband, but a she did advise me to think about the way the table rests on its supports. She also put in a request for a water dipper to be used at the table. This made a lot of sense and would be easy to create. I have a water dipper at the forge that i use constantly. It is one of the first things I made in my blacksmithing class.
The work on the dipper actually began before the chest mentioned in the last update, but i have not gotten around to writing it up. My delay in writing it up came from 2 factors. First, i had not started writing these things up yet and was not sure how it would go. Secondly, because this device was in no way period. Do not get me wrong, I am sure there are several example of water dippers in period illustrations, however, The method of producing mine has a distinct modern approach to construction.
This is a tin can dipper. The forge work was to take a 3/8 in square stock and create a hanging handle on one end and a flat ring on the other. The twists were added purely for decoration. This serves as a source of water for fire control and if the can rusts out (which it will), it can be replaced and we are back in business.
One of the big advantages of having this done early in the Table 2.0 process is that it is one of the longest tools to be made for the cooking table. This means that i can use this as a measurement for the viking chest which i hope to get back to soon.
