Beaver Tail Pouch

[primitivepaulette]

This is a project in the works.. I found some red wool AFTER I dyed the welt with a not so permanent marker!

Well anyway I really need to get a flap and liner and closure added AND extend the straps! Guess it's time to GET OFF the PC.. and get some sleep.. and wake up and FINISH this project!

[chamookman]

Be sure to post some pics of the finneshed bag - that's cool ! Bob

[Outbackbob48]

That is one of the nicest pouchs that i have seen, Do you have beaver tail on both sides? I really like that one an to think I gave 45 tails away last year.  Bob

[primitivepaulette]

Thanks.. I did the fleshing not so primitively on this. Same with the coyote.. but I guess when you figure out how easiest to do this you vie for that rather than to kill yourself well, let's just say that if I HAD to do it primitively.. I would know what needed to be done. like using a wahinkta.. I think I could just keep scraping away until the skin is thin as you can see the scales on the flesh side.. bumpy like, y/k? Guy that trapped the big beaver below the pouch was telling me that I might wake up to a box of the tails on my porch.. boy would that be nice.. lol.. well anyway I pickled these tail skins in citric acid and while the skin was drying out I kept bending it so that it won't BREAK.. I have worked them a lot softer..but scales came off the one I did like that and ended up PAINTING the brown color.. someone told me that I could put some stuff from tandy's on it to help it stay pliable rawhide.. I have it soaking in a glass of water.. lol. to soften up the top of it to sew in the liner.. it was just too tough to stitch.. I plan to line it with cotton and add a flap to it. I was thinking to just heat up a needle and bore holes in the skin to make stitching anything into the rawhide easier..so.. hmm? I'm just playing around with it.. learning mostly..
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v117/1braintanner/beavertail%20pouch/ 
I have 15 more pics on my photobucket page for the beaver tail pouch.   

I used an electric fleshing machine and then a bench grinder to get what I was afraid I'd cut my fingertip skin if I kept on going with the that fleshing wheel blade. It's been fun learning on it anyway.. thanks for the comments.

[bowtarist]

  I like that. dpg

[Josh Wilson]

Wow! Very good work!

[sadiejane]

wow, i love this pouch. thanks for sharing!!

[stickbender]

     Beautiful job, on some very tough material!   If you have a Dremel, or even a regular drill, you can get a very small drill bit, and mark out your sewing spacing, and drill the holes.  A whole lot easier than using a hot needle.   Not primitive, but neither is a metal rasp, or electric sander.   And if our ancestors had them, they would would have used them.   You can get some very small diameter drill bits.
That is a beautiful job.  Lets see some more.

                                                  Wayne

[primitivepaulette]

Well it is coming along.. STILL not DONE!
Definately need to modify that antler closure.. I made the loop too big and need to stitch is narrower. Need to cut the antler shorter and drill an eye near the end maybe.. and also I might make another 4 strand round braid with which to attach the 'peg' piece of antler to it.. and then also finish running stitch the lace in the thickly folded braintan skin strap extensions.. I made it to wear on a hip.. think it's just the right length now at least! remaking a new braided strap might have been an easier way to get that done!
well just thought I'd share see what you all think.. I made it for a guy.. he didn't say that he didn't like the flowers print on the liner.. I hope he doesn't mind the design on that fabric.. it was either that or the striped print I think the colors matched the outside better than the white stripe design.


this picture was taken a couple of days ago.. lol.. yep.. that antler was a bit TOO gangly!


btw..Happy New Year

[Scowler]

Other than the antler tip being a bit large it looks great.

[primitivepaulette]

  Thanks Scowler.. Think I'll cut that down about about 1 3/4's or two in. maybe and drill a hole and start off my narrow 4 strand round braid right there and put the 8" or so braid right into the right side of the pouch. details details

[Pappy]

Very nice pouch,beautiful work.
   Pappy

[JW_Halverson]

If that feller had the bad taste to not like this project because of the floral pattern, refer him to historical documents indicating floral patterns were common and well accepted in the fur trade era.  And if he still doesn't like it, send me a private message and I'll work out a trade for that lovely piece of work. 

I've always wanted to do a double beavertail shooting pouch for my muzzleloading, this isn't helping me get over it. 

[primitivepaulette]

thanks Pappy and JW,

I think Billy likes the pouch a LOT. He offered to bring his chainsaw over when he comes to pickup the pouch and help me cut up about 3000lbs of wood from a bundle I picked up the other day. He must like it a lot to offer to do that!

I made a small crack on one side of the pouch today getting a little too anxious to rehydrate it again... I let it stiffen after the last time i wet it and well it might be okay to do it but really they are most delicate in the transition stage! so I will do my next pouch like all the other pouches historically.. as just a decoration on the flap or something. .. I will definately keep moving it as it dries but if this guy gets this rawhide tail skin wet.. and then it dries and he goes to bend it or something.. it could turn to more than two pieces of rawhide beavertail! And that's just not cool! so. really the skins are best left a bit thick and wrapped around something to dry fast like a bow grip or like a sheath cover.. something not meant to be used as a leather itself.. just nothing much to them.

I found a buckskinner's forum today.. couple of em on yahoo.. just waiting to join.. not really a part of any group. I've been tanning hides for 10 yrs or so, I think? time does fly.. especially the older you get! 

[swamp yeti]

That is very nice,like it a lot.