Crocodile belt, flint wallet and ball bag.

[Shadowalker164]

I got my hands on a smallish 4/5 foot Viet Nam fresh water Crocodile hide. I used the bulk

of the hide on a hunters belt.

The belt started out a 3” wide cow hide belt. I cut it down to 2.5” wide. I then glued the outside face of the belt with 3.5” wide Crocodile, using the extra width to wrap around to the inside of the belt. Then I laced the top and bottom tightly using waxed leather working cord, wrapping everything up nicely. The belt is now approximately 2.75” wide and a little over 60” long. I think it looks good, but critics and comments welcome.

With the remaining material I made a 6 flint wallet, loosely based off an example in the Longhunters sketchbook. I used some of the more horned/plated hide from the shoulder area for the hasp on top. Again I think it looks good, but input welcome.

The hide came legs on, so I used one of the hind legs to build a shot bag. Using the last of my curly maple on the top, using the period correct clothes pin style stopper. Finished with silver nails and a buckskin lanyard.

I am attempting a 1750 Hunter/skinner in the southern colonies. I hope to be as correct as possible for an Indian trader in the black water swamps on the Georgia/Florida line.

As always comments welcome.

 

[windini]

Nice work! That ball bag is creepily delightful or delightfully creepy, one or the other!

I think your new accoutremont (pl?) ... kit suits your persona very well. "Trader jumps up croc on trail; new gear ensues." It would certainly up your trail cred with the warriors of the tribes you trade with.

 

[Kodiak13]

Beautiful work and very innovative!

 

[Jim K]

I like the heck out of that!!

 

[Shadowalker164]

Thanks guys for the kind words.
There is a miccosukee trading post on Alligator alley, the longest stretch of dead flat and arrow straight road I have ever driven. At night, you can see headlights miles ahead, and watch them coming for 20 minutes. Spooky!
I hope to add to my kit with this tribes craft work. The Miccosukee were a nation before Spanish, French, and English arrived. And my persona traded with them in the Okefenokee swamp in 1760.

 

[FishDFly]

Ball bag is nice, I enjoy working with alligator.

Who sells the hides here? Would not mind having a foot to make a bag.

 

[Shadowalker164]

I found it in a google search it is a Viet Nam fresh water croc tail to shoulder maybe 50”-60”
A little pricey

 

[FishDFly]

Maybe I do not need another ball bag.

I have made stuff using the elbows of alligators.

 

[Shadowalker164]

I could use Seminole craft work, there is a Hard Rock casino here in Tampa (Seminole Nation) with a gift shop, but the Seminole as a tribe/nation did not exist in1760.

 

[FishDFly]

I read a lot and was amazed to read that the Seminole's were major slave holders and one of the conditions of them leaving Florida was that they were allowed to take their slaves with them. In fact the major 5 civilized tribes were slave owners.

 

[Shadowalker164]

True that, Native Americans held slaves, but made crappy slaves themselves for white folks. A black slave may run off, but a red slave may run off with your scalp on his belt!

 

[smo]

Kinda like the Miccosukee at the casino….
They’ll skin your wallet for sure!

 

[FishDFly]

It is amazing what you learn reading books that no one else talks about or knows.

Indians owning slaves sure was not taught in any of my history classes.

An interesting book is "The Five Civilized Tribes" by Grant Foreman.