RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 6:07:25 GMT -7
This started with a desire to make a canteen for a civilian impression that is 1. not military, and 2. not a gourd. I’ve always wanted to make a hard leather vessel, and I have some ideas I want to try, so while I’m researching the HC/PC of leather costrels in the 1750s, I thought I’d make a hard leather bottle for birdshot. I haven’t yet found period citation for this item, but I haven’t looked hard either. I just wanted to craft something to learn the method. I began by drawing a pattern with a good shape. Simple design, no welting or separate bottom. It’s been a long while since I worked leather in any meaningful way. Then traced out on ~6oz. Veg Tan and cut out a pair. Then pinched it all together with my custom clamps and pricked the hole spacing.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 6:23:12 GMT -7
I don’t have any of my usual waxed linen thread on hand, but I wanted to get moving. I waxed up some fairly heavy hemp thread and got to stitching. The hemp worked fine. The thread weight isn’t consistent, so there are areas where the thickness varies. It only took a few stitches to get back into my rhythm of saddle stitching and I passed a few enjoyable hours last night stitching this up. My hole layout needs to be better. I have the wheels and pricking irons and other modern contraptions but chose to work these by hand and eye with an awl. I feel I can eventually do clean work with just the basics given enough practice. I’ll clean up and burnish the edges this morning and decide if I want to run a whip stitch around the edge for added strength. Likely not. It rained last night so my sand pit here at the homestead is wet. Plus I’m not sure I’m up to venturing through the wet grass with this broken ankle. Shaping may need to wait.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 6:28:26 GMT -7
I plan on decorating this bottel with PA German designs. Possibly painted Fraktur or scratch carving. Any thoughts or advice on design or techniques would be greatly appreciated! Fraktur Turkey painted? Or a simple scratch engraved design?
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 7:25:52 GMT -7
Cleaner.
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Post by Black Hand on May 19, 2022 7:42:03 GMT -7
I'd suggest a final sizing, sanding and burnishing of the edges be left until after waxing. The body provided by the wax makes this easier.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 8:03:21 GMT -7
You bet. Thanks for the continued support. Just a quick cleanup for now. I need sand…
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Post by Black Hand on May 19, 2022 8:50:57 GMT -7
I use rice. Important if you want to avoid grit in your eventual canteen...
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 9:17:01 GMT -7
I use rice. Important if you want to avoid grit in your eventual canteen... Great tip on rice for a water vessel! Looked in the pantry for rice. Nada. Salt? Nah. Bisquick? Yuck. When in doubt, raid your 6-year-old’s craft supplies. My kids are extremely creative, a quality Samantha and I foster with enthusiasm. We don’t have a dining room. We have an arts and crafts studio. (Other kids LOVE coming to the Sabos’!) Wouldn’t y’a know… sand art supplies! So with a $0.99 bag of sand, off we go. Yes… that’s a child’s drumstick. Not bad. I can see how to adjust my pattern to get a fair curve. Been considering a ‘barrel’ style costrel but would need to refresh on how to do the ends.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 11:36:30 GMT -7
So while I impatiently wait for my vessel to dry, I moved on to thinking about finishing. I have brewer’s pitch (pine tar) here at the house, and beeswax on its way. I thought this would be a good piece to practice some embellishments on. So I grabbed a piece of scrap and my awl. Then I did a dye practice session. I haven’t used ‘natural’ dyes on leather before, but had some walnut mordant on hand from one of my bamboo fly rod experiments. I had heard that it can be tough to get veg tan to take walnut. And my first run proved that. So I brewed up some tea, thinking that modern veg tanning might not leave enough tannins in the leather for the dye to really do much. That worked a bit better on the grain side, and REALLY made a difference on the flesh side. Hmm… Deglaze? What do I have on hand…? 70% isopropyl alcohol, Windex, and GooGone. Yup. Much better! The Windex left the most pleasing color after dying. The alcohol isn’t near as dark as the photo shows and has a gray cast to it. I’ll get some wax on these in a bit and see what that does. Maybe deglaze then a tea soak, then dye? An experiment for another day. I’m out of tea.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 11:41:16 GMT -7
With a little Obenauf’s. Photo shows true colors.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 14:13:07 GMT -7
Hmm…
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Post by lenapej on May 19, 2022 14:44:31 GMT -7
I plan on decorating this bottel with PA German designs. Possibly painted Fraktur or scratch carving. Any thoughts or advice on design or techniques would be greatly appreciated! Fraktur Turkey painted? <button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> Or a simple scratch engraved design? <button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> I think what you have done looks great, I have used a wood burning kit on leather to resemble poker etching.
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Post by paranger on May 19, 2022 14:44:56 GMT -7
Nice. I think you are getting a feel for that German folksy fraktur look.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 14:46:59 GMT -7
I plan on decorating this bottel with PA German designs. Possibly painted Fraktur or scratch carving. Any thoughts or advice on design or techniques would be greatly appreciated! Fraktur Turkey painted? <button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> Or a simple scratch engraved design? <button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> I think what you have done looks great, I have used a wood burning kit on leather to resemble poker etching. <button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> <button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> NICE work! Thanks for the encouragement!
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 19, 2022 14:56:41 GMT -7
Nice. I think you are getting a feel for that German folksy fraktur look. Thanks, friend. I’m studying and sketching.
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