Shooting bag questions

[NJStricker]

Hi all,

Getting ready to work on my shooting bag. I have some flexible bison leather and some Wal-Mart pillow ticking for the liner.

First question: The liner is very white (well, white with blue stripes). What do you do to age them? Stain in coffee or tea? I have some walnut hulls from this past fall that I could make up a stain from, and dilute.

Second question: I plan to add a gusset to give me a little more room in the bag. From searching and reading on here it looks like some people make it an elongated football shape. Has anyone done a D shape? Given that the back side is going to be resting up against your body, that seemed to make a little more sense to me, but those of you that have seen originals might steer me in a better direction.

Thanks!

 

[BillinOregon]

NJ: The D shape should work fine. Just be sure to allow more length along the bottom edge of the front face of your bag to accommodate it, i.e., make the bag front wider than the back. Best to cut out your pieces, then "tack" them together with a single stitch every couple of inches to make sure all parts fit. As to staining your ticking, I wouldn't worry about it. The residue from round balls and black powder will stain it right quick!

 

[laney1566]

Sounds to me that the shape of the bag is going to determine the shape of the gusset. Provided you want it secured to the bottom of the cavity. You could consider a lighter weight leather for the gusset so that you have more flexibility. Perhaps cover it with pillow ticking as long as your lining the inside anyway.

 

[rabjr]

Hi all,

Getting ready to work on my shooting bag. I have some flexible bison leather and some Wal-Mart pillow ticking for the liner.

First question: The liner is very white (well, white with blue stripes). What do you do to age them? Stain in coffee or tea? I have some walnut hulls from this past fall that I could make up a stain from, and dilute.

Second question: I plan to add a gusset to give me a little more room in the bag. From searching and reading on here it looks like some people make it an elongated football shape. Has anyone done a D shape? Given that the back side is going to be resting up against your body, that seemed to make a little more sense to me, but those of you that have seen originals might steer me in a better direction.

Thanks!

I just can't see a D shaped Gusset but it's your bag, make it anyway you want to. You only have to please yourself. Either way, I suggest you think about a welt. A welted bag looks much better than a non-welted bag and helps protect the thread. If you do concider this, I find a 5/16" wide welt to be just about right. Good luck and have fun making your bag. :thumbsup:

The liner, just use the bag, won't take long before it gets stained and discolored.

 

[NJStricker]

Swampy, do you have any pics of welts on a shooting bag? I put welts on my knife sheaths, but am curious as to what they look like on a bag. I'm guessing that these are sometimes fringed if one so desires?

 

[rabjr]

I got lazy and theres probably about 40 I haven't updated the page with but there are several pages here that show welts.
http://www.nimrodsplace.com/lewisandclark31

 

[El Lobo]

Those are some fine looking bags, Swampy.

Lobo

 

[NJStricker]

I agree! Thank you very much for showing those. The pictorial/tutorial on your site was a lot of help. I'll try to include the welt, I'll need to see if I have enough material.

 

[dlpowell]

Great looking bags Swampy!

I like that possum faced bag.

Had a 'coon eatin cat food on my back porch a nights ago. :hmm:

 

[BillinOregon]

Dang, Swampy. You are a craftsman!

 

[laney1566]

Great work!!
Love your style and the way you get a stressed/aged result.

 

[rabjr]

Thanks fellas, I try to make a good durable bag, thats not always the same. :thumbsup:

 

[newtewsmoke]

Hi all,

Getting ready to work on my shooting bag. I have some flexible bison leather and some Wal-Mart pillow ticking for the liner.

First question: The liner is very white (well, white with blue stripes). What do you do to age them? Stain in coffee or tea? I have some walnut hulls from this past fall that I could make up a stain from, and dilute.

Second question: I plan to add a gusset to give me a little more room in the bag. From searching and reading on here it looks like some people make it an elongated football shape. Has anyone done a D shape? Given that the back side is going to be resting up against your body, that seemed to make a little more sense to me, but those of you that have seen originals might steer me in a better direction.

Thanks!

I just can't see a D shaped Gusset but it's your bag, make it anyway you want to. You only have to please yourself. Either way, I suggest you think about a welt. A welted bag looks much better than a non-welted bag and helps protect the thread. If you do concider this, I find a 5/16" wide welt to be just about right. Good luck and have fun making your bag. :thumbsup:

The liner, just use the bag, won't take long before it gets stained and discolored.

what is a welt?

 

[Snow on the Roof]

The liner, just use the bag, won't take long before it gets stained and discolored.[/quote]
what is a welt?[/quote]

...and what is a gusset?

John

 

[rabjr]

The liner, just use the bag, won't take long before it gets stained and discolored.

what is a welt?[/quote]


...and what is a gusset?

John[/quote]

This shows them both, a welt is a thin strip of leather that lays between two pieces of leather. I prefer and use a 5/16" wide welt.

The Gusset is the piece of leather that makes the bottom of the bag bigger, holds bigger, more items. In the case of the Tutorial and pretty much all my bags, the gusset is sorta football shaped. Depending on bag size, it can be rather short and skinny or long and fat.
http://www.nimrodsplace.com/bagtutorial1.html

 

[BrownBear]

Swampy knows of what he speaks.

In my experience welts are more than decorative. They make for a stronger seam.

Welts and gussets may seem a little fiddly, but they make a big difference in the finished bag. It's a tossup whether to put either in your first bag, just to keep things simple. If you've sewn a little leather before, use em. If not, maybe take on a smaller project without em first time around, just to get the feel for the leather.

I strongly urge you to pick up T.C.Albert's book Recreating the 18th Century Shooting Pouch from TOW. It has great, detailed instructions for welts and gussets, along with some neat patterns. Best of all, it will put you onto the fast track for making your own bags.

 

[NJStricker]

Thanks, everyone for their input. I'm accustomed to sewing knife sheaths, so it's not completely foreign to me. I notice a couple of you guys tack a couple of stitches here and there to keep things together as you start stitching the pieces together. Do you ever use a contact cement? I usually use cement to bond the welts of the sheaths before stitching. The contact cement is fairly flexible.

 

[BrownBear]

I'm an old time leather worker, long ago learned to use cement as you describe. But I tried it on shooting bags, and one problem led to another.

Since you're reversing the bag after sewing, it's easy to have "over-runs" of cement into visible areas. Worse, the cement prevents finish or dye from being picked up by the leather. I still love cement for things that aren't going to be reversed, but avoid it at all costs on bags.

TC Albert gives great advice in his book on where to position the temporary tie downs.

 

[Goldhunter]

Thanks, everyone for their input. I'm accustomed to sewing knife sheaths, so it's not completely foreign to me. I notice a couple of you guys tack a couple of stitches here and there to keep things together as you start stitching the pieces together. Do you ever use a contact cement? I usually use cement to bond the welts of the sheaths before stitching. The contact cement is fairly flexible.

I've used contact cement before, but quit using it when it got onto a spot that was to be stained, and the stain didn't take. It left a unsightly spot. Caviate, on a light weight leather lined bag, I did use a bit of glue to hold the liner to the leather. But no where near where dye would go (i.e. the edges).

 

[rabjr]

Yes definitely get T.C's book, thats what I did and how I learned.

Only time I use a thin layer of barge now is to hold a liner in place while I stitch. And I mean thin, or it will seep through pillow ticking or any other material you would use. But if you use a welt and stich it right, you will find there is no need for any glue for building the bag.