In Part One we produced this belt bag, hand stitched, out of scrap 6-7 ounce cowhide;
Now we will wet mold the pouch. Fetch the original pattern and set it on a piece of pine so the grain runs up and down. Trace the pattern on the wood. Now you are working on the wood. It should look like this;
The outer red ink shows the bag pattern. The thick black line should be about half the width of the plank.
NOTE; IF YOU ARE MAKING THIS BAG INSIDE OUT AND TURNING IT, THEN MAKE THE BLACK LINE ABOUT A SIXTEENTH OF AN INCH ALL AROUND to TAKE SOME MORE WOOD OFF YOUR FORMS
The inside of that black line will be the cut line when working with your 18th century band saw. Note that, in the middle of the wood piece there is also a slim wedge drawn.
When you cut everything out, you should end up with something like this;
There’s a reason for all this. This bag width bulges at the bottom with a smaller neck. Years on the trail taught me that less stuff makes good an escape because of that neck, so I fancy bags with narrow necks. If you place the mold in the bag when you sew it, you’ll never get the wood form out.
Since you can’t win honestly, cheat. Do what boot makers do with their boot lasts. They make it in sections so it can be pulled out of the boot. Same thing here. Your form will go in and out again in sections.
Round the corners on the perimeter of the two forms so you don’t overly strain the leather where it is supposed to stretch around the forms. If you REALLY want to show off, add some rounded wood to the bottom of the forms and sculpt it with your sander so the bottom of the bag bulges outward.
Thoroughly wet the bag on the outside first. Making sure you soak everything, and then fill the inside of the pouch. Dump it after a few seconds. Now, like a bootmaker, get patient and gentle with your hammer and forms.
NOTE; IF YOU ARE TURNING THIS BAG INSIDE OUT, TURN IT NOW
Put the two side forms in their rounded corners in the bag first, firmly push and knead with your fingers until you get a snug fit. You’ll have a poor fit so far, so don’t worry. Now take the wedge and push it in with your hands as far as you can. Sometimes the cowhide will yield and you can get it all the way in. If not, then you are going to tap it in with your hammer while also tapping the rounded bag edges.
This is a touchy-feely part where you tap the wedge, the edges of the bag, the wedge and the edges of the bag until you get the shape you want. Keep going until you have a snug fit that just looks right. When you nurse the forms out you will have formed the pouch.
When you have the snug fit, do yourself a big favor and trim the stitched edges. Uneven sections get trimmed with your knife. Else, a little bit at a time, use your hammer to tap ( not pound) and flatten along the seam. When you get all the way around, RUB the face of your hammer or a bone/wood folding tool around the edge until you’re satisfied. You’ll notice also that the seams are partially buried by this process. When you are satisfied, let it sit and dry out of the sun.
At this point, your decision as to how to finish your bag needs considered. A well crafted, almost perfect hunting pouch will be finished one way and a bag focused on character and the natural flaws of the leather will be finished another. There are plenty of both on this forum.
For this belt bag I want to combine some character with some usage convenience ( the camp knife) that may not be perfectly documented. I’ll finish the edges and agonize over the the mistaken button hole.
I want irregularities in my dye without ugly streaks. They should add to the character of the bag without detracting from the quality of the hand crafted appearance. I want a suggestion of wear, an appealing patina that will age and already suggests that. I want blemishes already built into the leather piece without obvious flaws. If I flip it, I want someone gratified by buying it and if I don’t I want them wishing they could. Unfortunately, vanity does not come in a bottle.
Try these on a small project with veg tanned cowhide and see if they appeal to you;
Stay away from alcohol based dyes and use either oil based or the newer water based dyes.
Use a chunk of sheepskin with the wool on to apply the oil and dye rather than one of those round applicaters on a wire stick. You have more control that way.
Before putting on the color, use Neatsfoot Oil or something similar to saturate the leather. Don’t take any prisoners when applying it. In addition to acting as a spreading agent for the dye it will also show you the character of the leather and the flaws built into it. The sun and elements will gradually darken and wear on your bag respectively, and a good thorough going over with a shoe brush will clean off any excess dye that powders on the leather and add a pleasing patina
Next post will finish the edges, correct a mistake and add a back strap and a knife sheath. That is still one ugly button hole. It’ll be ready Tuesday…
Tight Stitches,
Capgun
