AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Contemporary Accoutrements => Topic started by: David Rase on June 28, 2018, 06:07:57 AM
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Who would of thought that a plain rifleman's military style bag could amount to so much work. I think I actually have more time in this horn and bag set than any other bag I have made.
I used the Rifle Shoppe drawing to build this bag. The drawing was full size and included dimensions for all the rings and hooks and other hardware.
The horn attachment swivels are of my own design since I could not find any documentation on how the horn was attached. A flask was used in later years but I wanted something appropriate for my 1803.
The main body of the bag was made from 3 oz cow hide dyed with vinegaroon. Once the vinegaroon dried, I applied oil until I had a consistent black color.
The buff leather straps were made with an 8 oz cow hide belt blank and my block plane to skive the flesh side down to the suede. The buff center divider is also a piece of 8 oz leather that I skived with my block plane.
I am looking forward to this bag and horn set complementing my recently completed 1803 Harpers Ferry rifle
David
(https://preview.ibb.co/dZjCkT/front_ALR_post.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hYw3s8)
(https://preview.ibb.co/mOtoQT/back_ALR_post.jpg) (https://ibb.co/eJVreo)
(https://preview.ibb.co/ieH4zo/back_double_bag_view_ALR_post.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gN7RC8)
(https://preview.ibb.co/cvE1eo/spout_detail_ALR_post.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kdCnKo)
(https://preview.ibb.co/iQ4L5T/butt_detail_ALR_post.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nmgNKo)
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Sweet setup! The whole ensemble, rifle, horn and bag are simply incredible.
Greg
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Quality work and I like the attention to detail.
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Nice work, I like the looks of the slight tapper on the straps where they go through the hangers. How about an clearer Pic of the flap closure.
Thanks, Tim
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That is a very nice outfit and I like it. Great craftsmanship!
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Hi David,
Please forgive my ignorance. Was this one modeled after an original? I am intrigued by the rough-out straps with brass hook adjustment, as well as the strap attachment on the rear of the bag. Fine craftsmanship. I like it. The knob on the base of the horn has a suitably martial look. Well done. God Bless, Marc
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Lovely Dave!
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Hi David,
Please forgive my ignorance. Was this one modeled after an original? I am intrigued by the rough-out straps with brass hook adjustment, as well as the strap attachment on the rear of the bag. Fine craftsmanship. I like it. The knob on the base of the horn has a suitably martial look. Well done. God Bless, Marc
Marc,
Thank you for the question and the compliments. The double rifleman's pouch and strap are modeled after an original bag that the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry produced from 1803 to 1841 and was standard issue. The "rough out" straps you refer to are my interpretation of "white buff leather". As far as I can tell, white buff leather as it was used for this bag was not white, but was left its natural color. Others more fluent in period leather work like James Rogers might be able to provide a better information on buff leather. For my project, I took a standard cow hide belt blank and removed the stiff smooth flesh side of the blank using a block plane as I do not have a leather splitter to obtain the "buff" look. I think on the original the brass hooks are blackened as were the rings connecting the strap to the pouch. AS for the horn, I have no examples of what the original issued horn looked like so I mad a smaller version of an artillery priming horn in order to maintain the martial look.
David
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Buff as I understand it was made from oil tannage and then slacked(limed) and pumiced (buffed). Some was left natural and some for military use was also whitened. Real buff is quite costly and I only know of one importer (Booth & Co).
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Nice work, I like the looks of the slight tapper on the straps where they go through the hangers. How about an clearer Pic of the flap closure.
Thanks, Tim
Here you go Tim. I would of posted a pic sooner but my SDHD to USB adapter bit the dust. It is a tapered piece of leather wrapped around itself a couple of times and then I stabbed a chisel through the stack and pulled the bitter end through. The bitter end is just woven through three slits in the front panel of the bag.
Dave
(https://preview.ibb.co/gW8g1d/IMG_4918.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bFmC7J)
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Nice set Dave you done a grand job I think. I have used a belt sander to buff off the grain. It doesn't eat up leather as fast as I thought it would either.
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I have a question about the horn. Is the large "handle" in the base plug itself a threaded plug for filling the horn?
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Very nice setup.
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I have a question about the horn. Is the large "handle" in the base plug itself a threaded plug for filling the horn?
Yes Mark, you are correct, the base plug "handle" is threaded so it can be removed for filling. I show a picture of it in a separate thread featuring the horn by itself. http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=49726.0
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Very nice indeed and great craftsmanship ;) 8).
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Is there a reliable place to get the plans for this bag?
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This is sure a beautiful set you’ve done,’David. Thanks for letting us enjoy it.
Bob