tantalus.

[woodbutcher]

for some time now i have been toying with the idea of making a tantalus now i have the oak i realise that i don't know what type, shape or stile to make.

any sugestion would be a great help thank you.

woodbutcher.

 

[Steve Maskery]

My mate next door has made several:

and this one belongs to a friend of SWMBO's, but is in need of some restoration:

Cheers
Steve

 

[dickm]

Thanks for the pics of your neighbour's tantaluses (tantali?, for those olde enough to have had to do latin at school). Can you explain how the top is fastened/locked on the first one? I picked up the remains of one that had been fire damaged, had lost its entire top mechanism and I've been puzzling how to replace it. Then it will just be a matter of finding decanters to fit.....

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Dick,
Don't you mean Decanterae
I never thought about tantaluses having a Latin plural.. But it doesn't matter. Only Jeremy Paxman uses the latin 'Fora' for forums! And he's always right of course.

I like the tantalus Steve shows... It has some nectar to offer!


I often see glass-cutters at craft-fairs, mostly they offer one-off designs. That might be your most economical source of supply for three matching decanters.. But there's always 'flea-bay'...
Good Luck
John

 

[Steve Maskery]

Brian bought his decanters from
here.

The bar at the top is fixed. It is routed underneath to house a square brass bar, which extends into the sides, held in place by a pair of brass saddles. The handle is bolted through from underneath. In this way, the weight of the decanters is supported by metal.

To get the bottles out, the front panel lifts up and out, allowing the bottles to be tilted forward.

My advice is:
1 Get your bottles first and make your decanter to fit them. Don't expect them all to be 100% identical, they are hand-made.
2 Be very precise in your sizing. If the bottles are loose you'll be able to take them out even when it is locked. A millimetre is a lot.

Cheers
Steve

 

[woodbutcher]

thank's for your thoughts gents , i already have the decanters and the oak for the tantalus, i am torn between the open variety or the box, and i am thinking of using brass fittings if i can find them as my metal working skills are not very good (any sugestions on supplyers ) thank's .

woodbutcher.

 

[Steve Maskery]

In Brian's above, all the brasswork was cut by hand from sheet brass - the handle, the roses, the saddles, the escutcheon - everything.

He's a clever bloke, Brian.
S