The Vestland-pot.

My latest project at the forge is a pot made from findings in Norway, the Vestland-pot. The model was used through the whole middle-ages in northern Europe.

The first step was to shape the side panels to fit the bottom which was ordered from a local  welding company. This I did by grabbing the plates by the edges with my hands and bend them gently over the anvil. When I got a snug fit all around the bottom, it was time to drill the holes for the rivets. The next hour was all about rivets...

After some lunch and homemade cherry juice it was time to get the forge going to fold down the top edge with a pair of pliers. The edge was then worked flat with a hammer and a little concave. I also rounded in the side panels against the bottom to try to get a so closed joint as possible.

I lowered the pot in a bucket of water to check for any leaks, there was some... Pinned them down an sealed them with the hammer.

I made some leaf shaped fastening and reused an handle from an old pot to make the whole project complete... Almost. I wrapped the pot in some plastic bags and filled it with saltwater to let the corrosion seal the joints some more.