I am going to make a strike-a-lite pouch for a fire steel and flint. I always thought these were made out of soft leather like suede(I know- not PC) but I was looking over some Indian artifacts from the 1870's or later and harness leather seems pretty common as well as brain tanned skins and one out of rawhide. Maybe a lot of different types of leather were used. On a harness leather, it seems you would have to skive the leather down to make it thin enough to use. Any comments?
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Strike-A-Lite Pouch
- Thread starter crockett
- Start date
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A pouch to contain your fire starting kit can be as simple or fancy as you want. Questions to ask first are: What fits your outfit? Your time period and area? Ethnic origin and influences? How do you want to carry it - neck, belt, in hunting bag? Size requred? Just containing everything or also protecting it from damage or weather?
One of the simplest versions is a circle of soft leather or clothe, with a drawstring through slits around the edge. This style of pouch goes back throught the centuries to pre-historic times. Hotham's book Indian Trade Relics shows one attributed to the Chippewa - Great Lakes area. He also shows examples of some very fancy beaded and quilled pouches sewn up from brain tanned leather. Madison Grant's Hunting Pouch book shows some European influenced fire kit containers - in both soft and thick/stiff leather, tin, brass, and horn. Very fancy containers were made for the wealth - out of horn, brass, wood, silver, iron, and tin, as well as tooled leather.
So there are many options available to you. Personally, I would advise a small simple common pouch to fit your utilitarian fire starting kit - fit for daily use. Save the fancy work for those showy dress-up occasions. But that's just me.
Some humble thoughts to consider for your project.
yhs
Mike
One of the simplest versions is a circle of soft leather or clothe, with a drawstring through slits around the edge. This style of pouch goes back throught the centuries to pre-historic times. Hotham's book Indian Trade Relics shows one attributed to the Chippewa - Great Lakes area. He also shows examples of some very fancy beaded and quilled pouches sewn up from brain tanned leather. Madison Grant's Hunting Pouch book shows some European influenced fire kit containers - in both soft and thick/stiff leather, tin, brass, and horn. Very fancy containers were made for the wealth - out of horn, brass, wood, silver, iron, and tin, as well as tooled leather.
So there are many options available to you. Personally, I would advise a small simple common pouch to fit your utilitarian fire starting kit - fit for daily use. Save the fancy work for those showy dress-up occasions. But that's just me.
Some humble thoughts to consider for your project.
yhs
Mike
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Hey Crockett, here's a nice little kit that holds a flint and small tinder tube. The leather case is 2 1/2"x 2 1/2". The steel is 1095.
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I made it all. Have to be careful about saying more.
Mike Harper
32 Cal.
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They work great. I know because I set myself on fire with it while sitting in his living room playing with it! :rotf:
Mine now stays in my shooting pouch as a backup for the bigger one in my haversack.
Mike
Mine now stays in my shooting pouch as a backup for the bigger one in my haversack.
Mike
Guest
FWIW - the classic full-beaded with tinklers strike-a-light is generally regarded as a post 1840 item although some earlier examples do exist - (see Allen Chronister's article on pre-1850 beading in The Book of Buckskinning VIII)
but the style didn't really reach it's heighth during the 1870's-80's
For a history of tin cones see the Museum of the Fur Trade quarterly article by Dan Scurlock - winter 1982 vol 18, #4 - they date back to at least 1610 - in the early period they were almost all made by the Natives. Imports and the heavy use of tinklers came later - (post 1860?) and saw the most use in the south/central plains, but were used in the north by the Crows and others - just not to the degree that the Kiowa and Comanche used them. In later years many/most strike-a-light pouches were used for ration cards.
For pre-1850 western fur trade beadwork again see Allen Chronister's article in The Book of Buckskinning VIII. Includes info on early strike-a-light pouches and a good bibliography. Seed beads appear on most trade lists along with pound beads. Some existing examples are small - 13/0 and some even smaller. (see http://www.northwestjournal.ca/IV2.htm - this site also includes lists of archeological finds at HBC/NWC sites including tinklers)
Most of the early strike-a-light pouches were not heavily beaded and were not heavily decorated with tinklers. In all eras most, when made of brain tan, had the backs stiffened with rawhide. All of the harness leather ones I've inspected were post 1860's.
Here's one of mine - a late 1840's-1850's beaded in the Crow style (based on an original)
For other styles of northern tribal belt bags see the works of Rudolph Fredrick Kurz - his illustrations can be viewed on the Xmission site noted above or via the Library of Congress site. Several are also illustrated in the Allen Chronister article.
but the style didn't really reach it's heighth during the 1870's-80's
For a history of tin cones see the Museum of the Fur Trade quarterly article by Dan Scurlock - winter 1982 vol 18, #4 - they date back to at least 1610 - in the early period they were almost all made by the Natives. Imports and the heavy use of tinklers came later - (post 1860?) and saw the most use in the south/central plains, but were used in the north by the Crows and others - just not to the degree that the Kiowa and Comanche used them. In later years many/most strike-a-light pouches were used for ration cards.
For pre-1850 western fur trade beadwork again see Allen Chronister's article in The Book of Buckskinning VIII. Includes info on early strike-a-light pouches and a good bibliography. Seed beads appear on most trade lists along with pound beads. Some existing examples are small - 13/0 and some even smaller. (see http://www.northwestjournal.ca/IV2.htm - this site also includes lists of archeological finds at HBC/NWC sites including tinklers)
Most of the early strike-a-light pouches were not heavily beaded and were not heavily decorated with tinklers. In all eras most, when made of brain tan, had the backs stiffened with rawhide. All of the harness leather ones I've inspected were post 1860's.
Here's one of mine - a late 1840's-1850's beaded in the Crow style (based on an original)
For other styles of northern tribal belt bags see the works of Rudolph Fredrick Kurz - his illustrations can be viewed on the Xmission site noted above or via the Library of Congress site. Several are also illustrated in the Allen Chronister article.
GreyWolf: Back stiffened with rawhide. Was the back a seperate piece made of rawhide, was the rawhide sew on the outside(or inside) of the back piece? The carrying thong, if it went through this rawhide I would figure that would be very durable and not prone to breaking.
How many early designs had two strings for tying the flap down? What I was thinking of doing was start at the corners of the flaps with two strands of sinew, lacing shoestring style towards the middle. At the middle there would then be four ends that could be braided together. The bottom string was just going to go through the font panel and I was thinking about a rawhide button on the inside to prevent the string ripping through the front panel leather. I have no idea if any of this is PC. Thanks.
How many early designs had two strings for tying the flap down? What I was thinking of doing was start at the corners of the flaps with two strands of sinew, lacing shoestring style towards the middle. At the middle there would then be four ends that could be braided together. The bottom string was just going to go through the font panel and I was thinking about a rawhide button on the inside to prevent the string ripping through the front panel leather. I have no idea if any of this is PC. Thanks.
