Pattern for possibles bag?

[MIOutdoorsman]

Hmm. So cow or calf hide is better for this application. Thank you for that tip. I'm quite clueless about the differences. Moreover, I wouldn't know where to even find that. But I appreciate the advice, and will start out, as several recommended, with a canvas version. That will give me time to learn and hopefully find a local, inexpensive source for cow or calf.

 

[Artificer]

There are two Tandy Leather stores in Michigan, one in Grand Rapids and the other in Detroit. Most Tandy stores I've been in have VERY helpful people and it is a good place to ask questions.

Generally speaking, most folks like a pouch made from around 3 to 3 1/2 oz. Veg (Vegetable) Tanned Cowhide leather, though some of us like it as high as 4 oz.

Leather thickness is rated off so many ounces weight in a foot square of leather. Here is a chart explaining approximate leather thickness and pieces of leather. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2a/60/90/2a609049b3f505dff2e0282ca9122c24.jpg

Veg tanned leather comes in "natural" color that many folks like to dye using a period "vinegaroon" mixture or modern dyes.

There are also Oil Tanned leathers that come already dyed and you pick the color you like because you can't dye it after the oils/wax is factory worked into the leather. These leathers are actually a little thinner for the oz. weight listed than what you would expect comparing to Veg Tanned leather. For example, Tandy's Stoned Oil Sides are rated as 4 to 4 1/2 oz, but in thickness are actually more like 3 1/2 to 4 oz. leather.
https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/stoned-oil-sides

One thing to warn you about is you do not want a hide that has been "milled" or impressed with some kind of grain pattern on the smooth side. (This is done on some leathers for garment or upholstery applications.) That just would not be correct for a period pouch unless you were an extremely wealthy person in the period and if you were, you would probably not be traipsing around the frontier with a rifle gun. So stick with leather that is smooth on the smooth side.

Tandy can also provide you with tools you will need as you begin. Just please, Please, PLEASE DON'T waste your money on that stitching tool with a wheel of thread in the handle. What you need is a good awl and two needles and linen thread to sew leather, not that monstrosity stitching tool that many of us bought before we knew better. :redface: :haha:

More info coming later.

Gus

 

[Artificer]

I realize some folks don’t want to spend well over a hundred dollars on their first purchase of leather for a hunting pouch. I surely didn’t when I began working leather back in the 1970’s. I usually went into the Richmond Tandy Store and looked through their economy grade leather pieces and sale items for a better deal.

However, about a year ago, another forum member, Brown Bear, suggested I look at the Half Shoulders that Tandy puts on sale every few months. These hides are not big enough to make the pouch and a full length one piece strap for the pouch, BUT they are plenty long enough to make a two piece strap (along with the pouch), which I prefer anyway. More info here: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...586571/hl/half+shoulder/fromsearch/1/#1586571

The following is a report I made after looking at and feeling the temper of Tandy Stoned Oil hides. Bottom line, the Stoned Oil Sides would make a dandy hunting pouch and I linked them in my post above. The links in the old post below don’t work, so here is the link again to these sides. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/search/?sSearch=stoned oil sides

OK, so here is the old post discussing Tandy’s Oil Tan Hides and again, the links no longer work in that post. Not sure if I mentioned it in that post, but the Kodiak sides had a “milled” or impressed pattern on the smooth side of the leather, so I would personally not use them for an historic recreation of a hunting pouch. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showpost.php?post/1585313/

Gus

 

[BrownBear]

One other piece of good advice:

Go back through the years of posts here on the site by Wick Ellerbe. He's renowned for his knives, but when he touches a piece of leather pure magic happens. It goes beyond technique to aesthetics. He sure knows how to turn out fine leather pieces. Not any bags that I recall, but his knife sheaths are beyond compare.

 

[Artificer]

Wick has made some especially good posts on doing the common center seam knife sheaths, so popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

While he is at it, it would be a good idea to search for posts from LaBonte and Capt.Jas. as well, for leather working.

Gus

 

[Pete44ru]

I always make a pattern from brown kraft paper (grocery bags).

Before you cut your hide, you would do well to consider that the bag should be sewn up with the hair INSIDE, then turned "right-side-out" after sewing.

That means attaching (sewing) any internal loops and/or pockets to the non-fur side before the bag is sewn together - ditto for the shoulder strap bases.

Also, bags are much handier if a gusset holds the front/back of the bag together - 2" at the bottom/middle of the bag, tapering to 1" or 1-1/2" at the ends (near the top of the main pouch).

The gusset allows more interior room for fat fingers trying to grasp something inside the bag.

Here's a picture tutorial on bag-making:
http://tony-stormcrow.blogspot.com/2010/08/shooting-bag-part-1.html

Good Luck, and don't forget to take and post some pics !

This is the first bag I made for myself:

 

[LRB]

I just bought two 6/7oz half shoulders last week at the Orlando Tandy. They were on sale for $29.00 each. Had to dig through a pile to get two decent ones though. Saw one that had so many tick bites it looked it had severe acne. Only one suitable in quality for sword scabbards, but the other good enough for most sheaths I make. I saw a pile of 4/5oz. Looked a little thinner, but here lately, Tandy's shoulders seem to run thinner on one side than the other. I believe these were Mexican tanned, but I saw some higher quality sides that were marked Argentina. Seems like these were $120.00, or $129.00.

 

[Artificer]

Wick,

Over a year ago I dug through about 60 half shoulders in size 4/5 oz. that were also on sale for $ 29.95. I was looking for 1 or 2 hides on the 4 oz / thinnest side. Like you I found a couple I would not have given a plug nickel for.

However, I found a large percentage well worth the money and three superb/large ones in 4 oz. or slightly under with a temper that would make fine shot pouches and two really large 5 oz. size pieces. I didn't really need all those pieces, but just couldn't see letting such good pieces of leather slip by.

Then there was a nice Lady and adult daughter there and the adult daughter was looking for some leather for her husband. Well, it turned out one of the 5 oz. half shoulders I picked out was perfect for what she wanted, so I gave it to her to buy. (She and her husband both did different kinds of leather work.) I figure any wife who looked out for her husband like that, should be supported as much as possible.

I think you may be right these are tanned in Mexico, as most of Tandy's "Economy Grade" leathers seem to have been tanned there over the many years I have bought economy grade pieces. Still those pieces always served well for many "ML projects" and I have no complaints. Matter of fact since so many hides, horns and some leather came from Mexico in the 18th century, it might make it even more authentic? :wink: Though of course English Leather or Continental Leather was preferred by Cordwainers and Saddlers for the higher end things.

Gus

 

[BrownBear]

I ride both "sides" with my leather choices. Of course I prefer those really fine pieces for refined projects. But for my "rustic" stuff I pounce on those with tick bites and brands, and the more the better. Just seems fitting to use the scruffy stuff for scruffy projects.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

For a decent shooting pouch check out my custom sporran here
http://www.wyvernleatherworks.com/custom-work.html

It's the bison hide one closed with a bear claw. You can find it in the small pics on the page. It's a shooting bag without a strap. A simplified version would be easy to hand stitch together. It has a gusset and small pocket under the flap.

Another place to get good leather is here.
http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/

 

[Black Hand]

https://kenscottpouches.blogspot.com/