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Just curious, do the skins have any holes in them - in the parts you will wrap around your legs?
Gus
Gus
Tips on making buckskin leggings
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No, actually. The few holes are towards the edges. I kinda of figured I'd be patching at least one or two, but the length I need is intact.
I talked to him today and he said his #2s are usually pretty good. When I ordered I asked if I should go with 1s, but he recommended 2s and offered to take them back if not up to my purposes. He was right, they'll work just fine
I talked to him today and he said his #2s are usually pretty good. When I ordered I asked if I should go with 1s, but he recommended 2s and offered to take them back if not up to my purposes. He was right, they'll work just fine
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Good for him and you! Not having holes in the "main bodies" of the leggings makes it easier to construct and longer wearing in high stress places.
Gus
Gus
Cut a pair of somewhat baggy pants and got my rectangles. Plenty of extra material on the sides. Project is halting until I get the Mocs and breeches. Messing with the pant legs I got a good idea of how it'll go. Cutting a rough pattern is a very necessary step I discovered.
Good to go so far!
Good to go so far!
You will note the horses got better after a police of bear fat and snake root, things that would have no effect on the snake bite. The slave who one his freedom with his cure most likly had some sort of poultice given to some one who didn't die of his bite.
You may note nobody died in these reports. Yet the fear of snakes was in exsitance . We have it as part of our genes. I'm not afraid of snakes, but all my attention is focused on one when its around. Evolutionary economics, what Barker called the evolutionary diner, would argue that snakes were pobibly a lower population back then. Reptiles can't compete with mammels unless the environment gives them an edge. 100 pounds of mammal needs enough food to support 1000 lbs of reptile. Europeans killing off foxes badgers wolfs and bob cats, reducing woods to wood lots and farm land decrease small prey, made it the perfect environment for snakes.
Seeing one rattled headed copper mouth in your camp or work site was akin to being surrounded and you survived just by the grace of God. In the event you were bit you survived due to the healing abilities of chewed tobacco mixed with opossum fat mixed during the dark of the moon by a 15 year old virgin with a widows peak.
I have an unusual build up of ear wax, as my father and his before him. I have to wash my ears often or my wife stats complaining that the tv is too loud. However wax in the ears saves you from Siriens. You don't believe it, well I'm 58 and ain't never been captured by a Sirien.
You may note nobody died in these reports. Yet the fear of snakes was in exsitance . We have it as part of our genes. I'm not afraid of snakes, but all my attention is focused on one when its around. Evolutionary economics, what Barker called the evolutionary diner, would argue that snakes were pobibly a lower population back then. Reptiles can't compete with mammels unless the environment gives them an edge. 100 pounds of mammal needs enough food to support 1000 lbs of reptile. Europeans killing off foxes badgers wolfs and bob cats, reducing woods to wood lots and farm land decrease small prey, made it the perfect environment for snakes.
Seeing one rattled headed copper mouth in your camp or work site was akin to being surrounded and you survived just by the grace of God. In the event you were bit you survived due to the healing abilities of chewed tobacco mixed with opossum fat mixed during the dark of the moon by a 15 year old virgin with a widows peak.
I have an unusual build up of ear wax, as my father and his before him. I have to wash my ears often or my wife stats complaining that the tv is too loud. However wax in the ears saves you from Siriens. You don't believe it, well I'm 58 and ain't never been captured by a Sirien.
Yu don't know what you've missed.tenngun said:
There can be no doubt snakes were more prevalent in colonial times, but that's not the point. In a time when people believed a horn snake strike could kill a tree in a few hours, they acted accordingly. They dressed according to what they believed the situation to be. The leggings would be the same whether worn because of a real need or a superstition.
If the state was willing to buy Sampson's freedom and give him an annuity for life, it was because they really believed his "cure" was important to the people. If the threat was as slight you suggest, I think they would have saved their money.
Your name isn't Thomas Tenngun, by any chance, is it? :grin:
Spence
A hint from some one who has made scads of buckskin clothing, a lot o it German Tan. Pre-stretch your hides! This will prevent most of the after construction bagginess.
done right stretaching will increase footage a bit as well as thin it.
done right stretaching will increase footage a bit as well as thin it.
From a view of natural selection I can't work out the economics of more snakes back then, but until Wells gets of his hind end and builds a time machine we can't know.
Irrational fears don't need a logical basis as much as hype. Cato's ten thousand feared the snakes and scorpions of North Africa more then those and short rations,, they didn't loose one to snake bite. Just knowing snakes were in the woods puts one behind every tree. When I was a kid every sporting goods store sold snake bite kits, I never met any one that used one.
Thomas Tenngun, I like that :haha:
Irrational fears don't need a logical basis as much as hype. Cato's ten thousand feared the snakes and scorpions of North Africa more then those and short rations,, they didn't loose one to snake bite. Just knowing snakes were in the woods puts one behind every tree. When I was a kid every sporting goods store sold snake bite kits, I never met any one that used one.
Thomas Tenngun, I like that :haha:
Can you describe your process for pre-streching?LaBonte said:
Is there wetting involved? Clamps or vices?
Howdy John - While some folks say don't dampen I do. With GT or BT it will stiffen a bit after stretching but as you work it will soften or you can "break" it by cabling it or breaking over the end of a piece of 1" x 4" ground to a rounded edge (any decent brain tan tutorial will explain further.
1) Dampen - I spread I out flat on a clean taro and use the sprayer in the hose until fully dampened but not sopping wet.
2) Let dry until still damp/cool to the touch but not too dry or wet (experience will tell you when).
3) Stretch - I either nail it around the edge to a piece of 3/4" thick plywood (combine two pieces if necessary) or build a 2" x 4" frame and using heavy twine (non stretch cord) and stretch in all directions. I start stretching nose to tail, cross ways about half the length up, and then in between until stretched in pretty much the shape of a hide. If the hide "bags" then pull up tight. If using a frame you can also stretch by building a "paddle which is a tool similar to a wahintke to stretch. Again a good brain tan tutorial will help explain.
Once stretched I set in a shady spot that will stay dry and leave for 24-48 hours.
This will give you the best stretch but is fairly labor intensive, so when feeling a bit lazy or when the hide is not real stretchy feeling while dry then I just use the plywood technique. If need just a small piece for making a bag, etc., and am feeling lazy I cut a piece of unstretched hide and use the ply wood method - this doesn't give you as much "extra hide" but I works if that's not a major concern.
If after the first stretch the hide still feel as if more stretching would help, the I re-stretch.
A hint - get you a hung strong whipper snapper interested in the process and let them do the grunt work.
Hope that help
1) Dampen - I spread I out flat on a clean taro and use the sprayer in the hose until fully dampened but not sopping wet.
2) Let dry until still damp/cool to the touch but not too dry or wet (experience will tell you when).
3) Stretch - I either nail it around the edge to a piece of 3/4" thick plywood (combine two pieces if necessary) or build a 2" x 4" frame and using heavy twine (non stretch cord) and stretch in all directions. I start stretching nose to tail, cross ways about half the length up, and then in between until stretched in pretty much the shape of a hide. If the hide "bags" then pull up tight. If using a frame you can also stretch by building a "paddle which is a tool similar to a wahintke to stretch. Again a good brain tan tutorial will help explain.
Once stretched I set in a shady spot that will stay dry and leave for 24-48 hours.
This will give you the best stretch but is fairly labor intensive, so when feeling a bit lazy or when the hide is not real stretchy feeling while dry then I just use the plywood technique. If need just a small piece for making a bag, etc., and am feeling lazy I cut a piece of unstretched hide and use the ply wood method - this doesn't give you as much "extra hide" but I works if that's not a major concern.
If after the first stretch the hide still feel as if more stretching would help, the I re-stretch.
A hint - get you a hung strong whipper snapper interested in the process and let them do the grunt work.
Hope that help
I stood on one end and pulled as hard as I could. They did not pull too much, though a little. I did notice there were new stretch marks. Might not be a concern.
Now, darkening these things a bit...that might be a different story. They are a gold hue at present. I made a small item out of this skin and it faded pretty quickly after much handling, though. I am averse to any type of dyeing, but may have to.
Mocs are in the mail! Breeches in probably a week, then sewing time.
(Updating so as to provide a reference for anyone)
Now, darkening these things a bit...that might be a different story. They are a gold hue at present. I made a small item out of this skin and it faded pretty quickly after much handling, though. I am averse to any type of dyeing, but may have to.
Mocs are in the mail! Breeches in probably a week, then sewing time.
(Updating so as to provide a reference for anyone)
For darkening I use walnut dye (oooh the Horror! :shake: )
this pair of botas was dyed with walnuts - as you can see it will make them light to quite dark.
One note: When ever using a high tannic acid dye they will stiffen a bit more so need to e worked bit more
this pair of botas was dyed with walnuts - as you can see it will make them light to quite dark.
One note: When ever using a high tannic acid dye they will stiffen a bit more so need to e worked bit more
Oh the horror indeed. After a good bit of reading on the subject I brewed up a pot of coffee and got them soaked in there. (They were already smoked, and didn't stiffen much at all.)
I got them darkened quite a bit, but could probably go darker by letting them soak a little longer than I did. It was really, really simple, and the weather today dried them quickly. They are just about exactly the color of the center seam leggings that Spence posted on the first page of this thread, though a tad more brown. Success! :grin:
I got them darkened quite a bit, but could probably go darker by letting them soak a little longer than I did. It was really, really simple, and the weather today dried them quickly. They are just about exactly the color of the center seam leggings that Spence posted on the first page of this thread, though a tad more brown. Success! :grin:
Doc Arroyo
Greybeard
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I pre-stretch hides dry. I set some plywood on a couple of saw horses and lay out a hide. Using small nails or tacks, the hide gets nailed to the board at the neck. I pull the hide taught over the length of the spine, then I pull in the side to side directions, and finish nailing it off. I don't make a drumhead, but pull the stretch out. That way the garment fits, and the length are right from the get go.
Progress thus far.
I used Gus' recommendation and punched a hole and looped some thread every 4 inches or so when they were on my leg. I did this both sitting straight-legged on the floor then got one parallel to the knee when I was crouching so as to ensure good movement. With the guide holes, I laid them flat, then taped a measuring tape onto it to get a straight line for punching the seam holes. Probably just going to use the finished left one to measure for the right.
A sharp awl is very helpful, making stitching easy. Trimming will be the very last item on the list. I have some extra material on the top to remove as well. Thanks for the help everyone.
I used Gus' recommendation and punched a hole and looped some thread every 4 inches or so when they were on my leg. I did this both sitting straight-legged on the floor then got one parallel to the knee when I was crouching so as to ensure good movement. With the guide holes, I laid them flat, then taped a measuring tape onto it to get a straight line for punching the seam holes. Probably just going to use the finished left one to measure for the right.
A sharp awl is very helpful, making stitching easy. Trimming will be the very last item on the list. I have some extra material on the top to remove as well. Thanks for the help everyone.
Mad Irish Jack
40 Cal.
had advice from graybeards back in the 1970's, when I started my journey, I like many start with Fur trade. They told me to use old pants that I was getting rid of due to split out crotch seam, tears, etc. These are patterns pre-made. And, you can adjust when making. VERY IMPORTANT RULES of tailoring/seamstress work; Measure several times for verification: cut and trim sparingly where and IF needed: Leather will stretch, cloth shrinks. So,to start, Cut the uppers off, cutting from the side seam front edge at the waist, down and around the crotch, through and up around buttocks and up to the rear side seam waist. Leave about 1" to 2" of the seam to attack ties. This would be for extreme coverage of western legging. Eastern woodlands pattern is above the knee and side or front sewn. They should be sewn with a welt to prevent stitch tearing. The western welt can also serve the fringe if wanted and pieces of scrap can be used. Woodlands are basically tubes, plain, with flaps fringe or VERY short and thin. Eastern would need an inside welt or a third flap I'm Eastern with flap and short fringed. I'm not a native persona so I have a pair with a 3/4" very thin fringe on form fitted leggings. Again, Leather stretches and wool and cloth tend to shrink. Everyone has their way to make them, so, you should do what works for you.
Western style View attachment 10240
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