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  1. L

    Capotes!

    depends on several factors f who when and where..
  2. L

    alum leather belt bag

    Yes just like brain tanning the hide is technically not "tanned" without the introduction of aldehydes/tannins. In the case of brain tan this done via smoking, whereas tawing does not actually produce a skin that is stable in the wet condition, i.e., imputrescible in the wet state, and therefore...
  3. L

    Tips on making buckskin leggings

    I know you said you don't like dye but theses botas made of German Tan were dyed using walnut and by soaking for various lengths of time as well as rinsing you can get different shades without a lot of hassle.
  4. L

    Tips on making buckskin leggings

    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
  5. L

    Hunting clothes

    Spence that actually looks more like the badlands country along the Missouri in Montana. Which brings up a point of fact - that most of the hunting and trapping done by the 1820-40's mountain men was done at the lower elevations of the foot hills, high plains, and high desert, and not the real...
  6. L

    Tipi or not to Tipi?

    Also buried in the deep recesses of my memory there is a note of the Indians using cloth (hemp/sail cloth?) tipis at the big gathering of the tribes and whites while gathered for parley in 1851 near Forts Laramie, WY. Also on several trade lists old lodge skins were noted as being used for pack...
  7. L

    Tipi or not to Tipi?

    While doing some research last night and came across some info from the L & C Expedition - of course tonight I can't find all of them but here are some
  8. L

    Wood Grip Finish On Colts

    Gunstocks of the 19th Century, both long guns and hand guns generally used one of two types of varnish finishes: 1) Real boiled (heat polymerized) oil varnish You can make your own (let me know and I'll try and post the how-to) for the closest match; use Tried and True's Varnish Oil (IMO second...
  9. L

    Waxed Linen Thread

    With all due respect Dan but good quality hemp thread (not the cheap beading cord such a found at Wal-mart is just as HC/PC as linen. It is actually stronger than linen and was/is used on higher quality gear - even modern high quality bag pipes are made using it. Waxing as noted was/is done by...
  10. L

    Tips on making buckskin leggings

    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...
  11. L

    Tips on making buckskin leggings

    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.
  12. L

    Buckskins.

    or maybe the mythos began long before such as the 1860's-70's: painting of Jim Baker late 1860's: scout Charles Stobie and again Jim Baker only in his working clothes: Buffalo Bill's hunting coat 1860's Frederic Remington 1880's
  13. L

    Half stock hawkin flintlock time period

    Why not the term used at the time - mountain rifle (what collector's now call plains rifle and yes there might be confusion with the Southern Mountain Rifle.) A Hawken Shop ad from the 1850's lists mountain and California rifles for sale. (always wondered if those California rifles were designed...
  14. L

    Jim Bridgers first rifle.

    The "blacksmith" that Bridger apprenticed under was famed gun and high quality lock smith(both flint and percussion) Philip Creamer. The majority of 1800's era gunsmiths also did a lot of blacksmithing, including many mundane tasks such as making tires, knives, axes - both from scratch as well...
  15. L

    beading videos?

    This is one of those myth conceptions that just won't die. While it's true that seed beads became more popular after 1840, the facts show via trade lists as well as archeological evidence that small beads were known and used prior to the later periods, on some pieces in particular some by the...
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