1st Shot Pouch attempt

[BrownBear]

A cross-draw pouch? Never would have thought of that.

That's the kind of thing that happens when you're a lefty in a right handed world. You oughtta watch me use a Skill saw! :rotf:

 

[Brokennock]

I generally prefer my bag a bit higher than Spence's picture. It is a little tougher to get into, but it carries better, seems less likely to spill stuff, especially when sitting on the ground.
I've not found any "woods walk" shoots to attend in my area so I'm not in the bag a lot, but I am moving thru thick cover regularly or sitting at the base of a tree. The flat sewn flap helps very much with preventing spillage, but keeping the bag high helps even more when one sits on the ground. If the bag is too low it hits the ground and tips over.

My strap as shown is adjustable by moving the strap to a different button hole at the attachment button. Which works out well.

I have a bag from "The Leatherman" with a web strap. I don't like it. I can't make it short enough without folding over some of the webbing and safety pinning it. And it doesn't slide right when I need to move the bag on my shoulder.

 

[Brokennock]

It's not just the stretch issue and sewing the cloth to the leather. Cutting straps evenly and squarely seems to escape me. I've tried using a metal yardstick as a guide but the leather seems to move along the length and comes out wonky even though I followed the edge. Some type of ultra-sharp roller cutter, like a pizza wheel might be good.

Has anyone tried cutting a wider than needed strip of leather, not worrying about squareness or the weird edges one gets with scissors, rolling it up and then slicing the ends off the roll, leaving the middle the desired strap width? Not sure if I explained that idea as I see it in my head.

 

[George]

Spilling stuff out of my bags has never been an issue, don't recall it ever happening, and I never take any particular precaution against it. It gets tossed around, taken off and dropped to the ground, etc., never give that problem a thought. Puzzling.

Spence

 

[Pete44ru]

I really like the button/adjustable strap - lighter than a brass buckle & quiet, to boot !

:bow: :bow: :bow:

:hatsoff:

 

[Brokennock]

While I need a bag to carry some stuff, Murphy and his Law have a luxury mansion in my back pocket. I often find myself planning for issues others don't seem to have.

 

[Brokennock]

Thanks Pete. The originators of our sport/way of doing things knew a thing or two about a thing or two.

 

[Black Hand]

The originators of our sport/way of doing things knew a thing or two about a thing or two.

Are there any documented pouches with a button adjustment for the strap? A buckle is more secure, has greater/easier adjustability and is documented...

 

[Brokennock]

Look back toward the 1st few replays of the thread.


Yes. Gussler owns an original showing a strap sewn at one end on one back corner of the bag, and a evidence of a double button on the other corner.

 

[Brokennock]

From Artificer, "Bravo on the correct way to make an antler button. It looks like you copied that feature from the original Shot Pouch owned by Wallace Gusler? Do you have another button or anchor inside the pouch, so the button stitching won’t rip out of the bag in use? The original pouch had double or “linked” buttons to preclude that from happening. I realize this feature made the strap adjustable without having to use a buckle,"

 

[Artificer]

If i carry my pouch much higher than shown I have difficulty getting my hand into it easily, but I would prefer it higher than shown rather than lower.

I wouldn't be comfortable with my belt over the straps. Rather than that I would use a belt bag. :grin:

Spence

I understand completely.

With my very long arms, I find it difficult to have the bag even as high as you wear it because my arms have to really bend to get into the pouch.

Just the differences in body types and how we like to wear a shot pouch.


Gus

 

[Artificer]

It's not just the stretch issue and sewing the cloth to the leather. Cutting straps evenly and squarely seems to escape me. I've tried using a metal yardstick as a guide but the leather seems to move along the length and comes out wonky even though I followed the edge. Some type of ultra-sharp roller cutter, like a pizza wheel might be good.

Has anyone tried cutting a wider than needed strip of leather, not worrying about squareness or the weird edges one gets with scissors, rolling it up and then slicing the ends off the roll, leaving the middle the desired strap width? Not sure if I explained that idea as I see it in my head.

If you did that with "stretchy" leather, I'm pretty sure the center of the roll would squeeze out as you tried to cut it and then it would be less wide in the center than in the outer part of the roll or maybe vice versa.

Part of the problem you are having may be about the surface you are laying the leather down on to cut it. If that surface is too smooth, the leather has more of a tendency to move around on you while you try to mark it and especially when you cut it.

I have found the best cutting surface for me is a piece of plywood that is free from knots and thus the surface is pretty flat, but is a bit rough. That helps keep it from moving around/sliding/slipping on me as the leather sort of sticks to the rough surface better. You do have to choose your plywood carefully or pay a higher price for plywood without knots on at least one side, but I have found it well worth it.

Something else I do on thin/stretchy leather is I don't cut it with a knife, but rather a sharp pair of heavy duty scissors/shears. I mark it with a very thin point permanent black magic marker or black ink pen and metal yardstick on the plywood, then take it off the plywood and cut it with the scissors/shears closer to my eyes. I can then cut just inside the black line, so it doesn't show up later. Of course if I'm going to dye the leather black, then I just cut down the center of the line.

Gus

P.S. Before I was able to afford anything other than handsaws, I bought plywood for leather cutting and paid them to cut it into shapes I could better use at Home Depot, etc. I then just filed/sanded the cut edges so I wouldn't get splinters in my hands when using the pieces. I would have them cut a long piece a couple feet wide or more to cut straps and other pieces into rectangles or squares I could use on a table top or even on my lap.

 

[BrownBear]

Cutting straps evenly and squarely seems to escape me. I've tried using a metal yardstick as a guide but the leather seems to move along the length and comes out wonky even though I followed the edge. Some type of ultra-sharp roller cutter, like a pizza wheel might be good.

Your line of thinking is very close to what I make work for me, especially with softer leathers. Got myself a long, wide straight edge used by dry wallers, and others. Must be close to 6' long, but I'm not near it to measure. You can get aluminum or steel, but I prefer the steel.

I position it carefully on the leather near the edge of my work bench, then clamp the straight edge every 15" or so with C-clamps. Really tighten down the clamps (the reason I prefer steel), to the point it even squishes the softer leather a little. Then I use a large diameter (3" as I recall) fabric cutting wheel just like a pizza cutter. I like Fiskars for their sharpness and ready supply of replacement wheels. I don't like the small cutter wheels at all.

Final trick is to make your cut in a couple of passes with only moderate pressure. Lots of pressure on a single pass can still move soft leather, even with the clamped straight edge and quite a bit of pressure.

 

[Black Hand]

Look back toward the 1st few replays of the thread.


Yes. Gussler owns an original showing a strap sewn at one end on one back corner of the bag, and a evidence of a double button on the other corner.

Thanks.
That said, what is the provenance associated with the bag?

 

[Artificer]

"The original Virginia shot pouch was documented by Wallace Gusler in the December 2009 Muzzle Blasts(pp. 4-8)."

Sorry, I cannot find a link to that article.

I strongly suspect this pouch was a "one of a kind" or very rare with the "double linked button" strap adjustment/attachment.

Gus

 

[Wes/Tex]

This may be the set you mentioned. It was made by Mark Elliot matching an original bag documented by Wallace Gusler in the 2009 article. Some minor points had to be best guess due to missing strap but original had enough stitching holes and fragments to make a fairly accurate copy. The horn is a copy of a 1774 original, as stated in teh article. This is mark's published article detailing the making of the bag & horn combo.
http://www.markelliottva.com/wordpress/2011/07/early-va-shot-pouch-powder-horn-bag-10-horn-6/

 

[Black Hand]

I like the look of the pouch. I'd still use a buckle...

Looks similar to the bag I made years ago and still use. Contents shown.

 

[Brokennock]

Thanks for responding, I'm at work till 03:00 and would have had to dig for that old magazine when I get home to find which issue it was.

 

[Wes/Tex]

I'd probably go buckle too...you should see what I do to the stuff I carry! Oy Vey!! :haha: I found the use of Aqua Fortis as a leather stain a rather novel technique! :v

 

[Brokennock]

Thanks for the link. I forgot about the divider as a welt not being sewn across the bottom. That would have made a few things easier, and would also more for the thickness of the contents. I need to rework the tool & flint "roll" shown in another subject into something more flat when closed. The rolled shape is too thick in the rear compartment impeding placement of things more often used in the front section.