Pigskin Shooting Pouch

[Randy Hedden]

This is a small pigskin shooting pouch that I recently made.  The pouch is made from veg tanned pigskin. The trim is what ever thin leather I had laying around.  The pouch is fully lined with a nice  brown French linen material.  For something a little different I used a rolled welt on the pouch body. The pouch measures approximately 7-1/2" wide, at the widest point, and 6-1/2" long. It has a 1-1/8" wide pigskin strap and an antique harness roller buckle. The pouch strap measures 52" long at the middle adjustment and has 2" of adjustment each way. There is a small green pigskin hanging bullet pouch sewed to the inside back of the pouch.  I am 6 feet tall, 225# and when adjusted to the highest position the top of the pouch comes just to the bottom of my rib cage.

Randy Hedden

[Tim Crosby]

 Good lookin' bag Randy. I like the bottom bellows out a bit. Nice work.

 Tim C.

[El Lobo]

That is a darn fine looking bag.  I really like the hanging pocket.  Now do you cut the trim with pinking shears?  It looks great.  Thanks for sharing it with us.

Lobo

[Beaverman]

Nice looking pouch Randy!

[Randy Hedden]

That is a darn fine looking bag.  I really like the hanging pocket.  Now do you cut the trim with pinking shears?  It looks great.  Thanks for sharing it with us.

Lobo

The piece of trim that binds the top of the front panel of the pouch was cut with a pair of pinking shears.  The trim piece that is sewn across the top of the front flap is cut with a special leather working tool that I have, once again, forgotten its name.

Randy Hedden

[David G]

Nice work Randy. I like the colors and that one should mellow out real nice given the time. As far as the rolled welt what technique did you use? I did one once but it's a little cloudy as to how I did it. Basically, I think I folded the welt over and whip stiched it to the back panel of the bag to hold it in place and then stiched the front panel on. Doing this all in the inside out position. I think......

[george kevil]

Great job Randy. I like the rolled welt and the contrasting colors.Did you buy the red leather or dye it your self.
George

[T*O*F]

Randy,
I'd think that after all these years you'd quit stealing the neighbor kid's footballs for your projects.

Thanks for showing it.  That edging just reminded me that I've got a box of various colors of kidskin hidden somewhere that I should probably try to find.

[Randy Hedden]

Great job Randy. I like the rolled welt and the contrasting colors.Did you buy the red leather or dye it your self.
George

George,

I dyed the trim leather red with Fiebing's red leather dye.

Randy Hedden

[Randy Hedden]

Nice work Randy. I like the colors and that one should mellow out real nice given the time. As far as the rolled welt what technique did you use?

David,

This is the first time I have used a rolled welt on a pouch.  I have seen a couple of old pouches with a welt like this and noticed that some well known contemporary pouch makers have also used a rolled welt in pouch construction.

Years ago I owned an upholstery shop and reupholstered furniture as well as automobile interiors.  A lot of furniture as well as automobile interiors use rolled welts.

I just basically made a welt for this pouch like I used to make for furniture and automobiles.  I took some approximately 1/8" diameter hemp cord and cut a piece of leather that was wrapped around the cord and that left enough material to sew the welt between the front and back of the pouch.  I sewed the bag inside out with the welt between the two layers of leather.  At first I found this a little difficult to keep the cord in the leather strip while sewing so I spread some glue on the inside of the leather then wrapped it around the cord and let it dry.  I guess I could have whip stitched  the leather to the cord, but I rarely ever use whip stitching when making my leather projects.  When sewing the pieces together one has to sew the stitches right up against the rolled part of the welt so that when it is turned right side out the roll will be tucked right up into the seam.

I thought the rolled welt turned out really good and gave a nice look to the pouch. 

Randy Hedden 








   

[seesbirds]

Randy,

really nice job!

Mark

[Dancy]

Randy,

Just wondering why the ring so far up the strap, away from the pouch?

Nice pouch!

James

[Randy Hedden]

Randy,

Just wondering why the ring so far up the strap, away from the pouch?

Nice pouch!

James

James,

Actually, I seldom, if ever, find "D" rings on early pouches. In fact, I don't often see buckles on really old pouches either.  When building a small pouch you have two options to make the strap fit to the human body.  You can sew the strap ends on to the back of the pouch at an angle or you can put one or two "D" rings in the strap.  Sewing the straps at an angle or using a "D" ring allows the strap to spread out and form to the shape of the shooter's body.  It doesn't matter much where you put the "D" ring, within reason, on the strap because it will still serve the intended purpose.  I never do, but many guys like to hang things like vent pick and brush, powder measure, etc. from the strap buckle. However, I usually build my pouches so that the buckle is on the back half of the strap and lays on the shooter's back.  Therefore, since I sewed the strap ends straight with the body of the pouch, I added a "D" ring on the front half of the strap and fairly high up on the strap to allow for hanging accoutrements.  In the photograph the strap is adjusted to the shortest strap length.  There is 5" of adjustment so if the strap and buckle are adjusted to the last hole or the longest strap length the "D" ring would look and actually be slightly, 1" -1-1/2", lower when the pouch is worn.

When I am making a pouch "on spec" and not copying an original, I kind of make the pouch to my liking.  If I was making you a pouch "to order". besides discussing style, size, etc., we would discuss all aspects of the pouch including the use of "D" rings or not, and their placement, whether there would be a buckle installed or not and would the buckle be on the front or back of the strap.  

Randy Hedden

 

[Jefferson58]

Really nice pouch Randy. I particularly like the trim, binding and the welting. A nice size too. The pigskin looks good, but boy that stuff can be hard to work.

Nice job.

Jeff

[Dancy]

Randy,

Thanks for the explanation, I learn something new on here almost every day!

James

[hammerhead]

is pigskin a period  leather

[Randy Hedden]

The mainstay meat in many of the 13 colonies, especially the southern colonies, was pig/hog meat.  At the time cows were not usually raised for meat.  The most prolific cattle breed in the 13 colonies was the English Devon Red.  The Devon Red was a multipurpose cattle.  They were kept for milk and the dairy products that came from milk, and they were used as beasts of burden to pull plows and/or wagons.  The Devon Red was ideal because they survived and flourished on natural graze and did not require other food.

Randy Hedden

[Campchair]

Good work. More of the old pouches had welts than folks realise, especially if they were professionally made. Some home made ones did too. Makers simply copied the fabrication methods of items they had on-hand. Campchair

[mountainman]

 Nice bag!  - was just wondering where can I get that special leather working tool that you used to cut the trim piece along the top edge? I've been wanting one.

Steve

[Randy Hedden]

Nice bag!  - was just wondering where can I get that special leather working tool that you used to cut the trim piece along the top edge? I've been wanting one.

Steve

Steve,

You might be able to get one from Tandy or some other leather working company, but the problem is I don't know what they call this tool.  I have four in different sizes, all antique. Two came from a flea market and two came off of Ebay.  I know there are a couple of guys here on the ALR that use these cutters and should know the correct name.  Maybe one of them will see this and answer the question of what the proper name is for this tool?  All I can think of is a scallop cutter??

Randy Hedden