For some reason - I am nearly sure this has been asked before! Alas, I am in search of a good bodice chiller but not one that is going to run me expensive, always on a budget it seems. ::)
I saw medievalproductions.com but wondered if anyone knew of anywhere else online that sells them. I've tried to keep an eye to ebay for a lucky catch but havent been so lucky. I may end up just getting one the first weekend of Faire.. but I'd love to have one before I get there, so I don't have to track one down while sweating like a horse. :D
Thanks, folks! This is always the first place I turn to for questions (even the seemingly stupid ones).
Oh look, I learn something new everyday. I had no clue there was such a thing.
Those tend to be hard to find unless you get one from someone on the wenches board selling them or at a faire itself. Sometimes you can find them on ebay too :)
If you're just looking for something to keep you cool, and not for decorative purposes, try this: buy a (single) rose or any other flower from the grocery store, gas station, or wherever. Take the flower out of the little plastic vial/'vase' and keep it and the lid. Fill it with new water and put it in the freezer overnight.
..."the girls" should hold it in place snugly, especially in a well-fitted bodice. It's not pretty, but it does the job (I learned this from someone on the 'old' forum, I forget who ;))
I would say give ebay a shot for the decorative sort, but having never looked, I just don't know :)
I've never worn one, but I do recall the discussion on the old forum & some of the suggestions, two in particular have stayed with me: make sure you DO NOT use a glass one (do you want to risk getting shards of glass *there*?) and make sure to wrap the cooler so that it is not in direct contact with your skin to prevent damage from the cold.
Like I said, I'm not speaking from personal experience, just what I remember and made sense to me.
HTH!
I purchased mine at MIRF and love it! It's made from thick blown glass in pretty swirly colors and a fluted edge. Keeps me nice and chill but never gets so cold it needs to be wrapped. I love it. Don't recall the name of the shop. Perhaps someone from Michigan can help.
Just my two cents: I'd wait until you get to your homefaire. I'm sure the vendor at your faire would appreciate your dollars and you could help them out even more by giving them some free publicity as you walk through faire. I get tons of comments on mine.
I agree about waiting until you get to faire to buy from the vendor there. The accessories purchased at faire have more meaning to me than the ones purchased from a website. My pretty blue glass bodice chiller came from the glassblowers ar MIRF as well. While they do have a website it is for their expensive artglass pieces and doesn't offer the bodice chillers. For what it's worth I think the caution against glass chillers would refer to those flower vials or more of a test tube style that the heavy blown glass. I think someone would crack my ribs before they could ever hug me hard enough to crack that thing! LOL
I purchased mine from a vendor at the TRF several years back. Although, I must say I have had some issues with mine. Though it is thick and doubt it will break, there is a little decorative metal trim that she glued onto the glass and it fell off multiple times. The DAY I purchased it I had to go back to her booth 3 different times for replacements because as the ice would melt, it would get up under the rim and pop the trimming off. Finally I got one that has stuck with me these past years with no trouble... but, I did have to go through a small batch first. And, mine is more of a V shape, which I don't know how much I care for... it separates the girls very oddly.
Here is where I bought the Lovely Lady Trinn hers.
http://www.medievalproductions.net/perth-pewter-bodice-chillers-bodice-coolers.html
There is a glass blower at Scarborough Faire that also makes them
*handy for storing rum too!*
The booth at MIRF is called the Royal Glass Makers LLC they are booth number 357
Quote from: Tygrkat on April 22, 2009, 06:23:54 PM
If you're just looking for something to keep you cool, and not for decorative purposes, try this: buy a (single) rose or any other flower from the grocery store, gas station, or wherever. Take the flower out of the little plastic vial/'vase' and keep it and the lid. Fill it with new water and put it in the freezer overnight.
..."the girls" should hold it in place snugly, especially in a well-fitted bodice. It's not pretty, but it does the job (I learned this from someone on the 'old' forum, I forget who ;))
I would say give ebay a shot for the decorative sort, but having never looked, I just don't know :)
I tried doing this, but even the itty bitty flower vial is too big to fit comfortably behind my lacing. I've got nothing to squish.
I have also used one of those gel filled ice packs that can be used hot or cold. I slide it between my bodice and my chemise so I don't get "ice burn," it works no matter what size you are, it costs a couple of bucks and they're reusable. They're also great for mundane use as an ice pack.
Maeve I sent you a pm
I learned awhile ago you can make them with sculpty clay.
You could also go to the thrift store and get a skinny short metal vase to use. I know a couple of girls that do that.
Stu Ableman makes them. I don't see them listed on his web site, but he does fantastic work. Don't know what his price is for them.
http://www.abelmanartglass.com/categories1.asp
hi!
I purchased mine from a pottery vendor at TNRF last year, worked like a dream, but tanede to get messy when it melted. What I also did was go get some travel size tioletry bottles at wally world ( empty of course!) They were flat and plastic. Then fill with water ans freeze. I had two a day, when it melted, take it out and it makes cool water for neck cloths. The boys didnt seem to mind it at all!
I bought one at TRF that is glass and pewter. It was sold as a bodice chiller, but is actually a tussie mussie... mine looks like the blue glass and pewter one on this website (minus the stand). http://www.porcelainroses.com/tussymussyholders.htm
You can find tussie mussies in various materials on the web for as little as $10.00
I saw one made of a aluminum cigar case and a sealed with a cork that had been trimmed to fit. There was even a decorative pewter tit mouse glued to the top of the cork. And no I did not invent that species of mice. I suspect those could be homemade with little trouble without the mouse or substitute in a pewter game piece.