"New Age" traditional/colonial tradecraft

[MNFarmHunter]

Quick back story to give context:

Looking for a winter hobby and being rebitten by the muzzleloader bug, I broke out the leather tools and started leatherworking and started the thread here:

Leatherworking Thread

This is the thread for questions, tips and humble (or not so humble) brags. I got bit by the muzzleloader bug this fall which naturally means I had to break out the leatherworking tools to make the necessary accouterments for muzzleloaders. Here's what I've made for the past few days...

saddlehunter.com

Continuing down that rabbit hole, I've gone all in on 1700's hunting/bushcraft/tradescraft...with the caveat that I'm looking for the finished product while learning new skills without necessarily going full colonial, thus the name "New Age traditional/colonial tradecraft". This goes beyond simply leatherworking and goes into blacksmithing, textiles, camping, etc. while using what we all have available around the house to get there.

In the end, the goal of this thread is to bring together different traditional skills that anyone can do with stuff you probably have around your house or at the local hardware store. In my short adventure so far, I've already "discovered" that many products my family use around the house or while camping/hunting/outdoors activities can be made yourself for cheaper along with the pride that you made it yourself. Essentially, all useful skills to learn and pass on to future generations.

Once I pull photos off the phone (so much for colonial), I'll individually post how-to's for different things. Please feel free to post your own that you've done.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Fix'n wax

Fix'n wax was the original Snoseal and made out of nothing more than beeswax and a fat such as bear grease or deer tallow, all readily available. Fix'n wax, depending on the recipe, could be used for:
- Muzzleloader patch lube
- Traditional bow string wax
- Lip Balm
- Salves for cuts
- Waterproofing for materials such as leather or canvas
- Just about anything else

To make, the basic recipe is 50/50 between beeswax and fat/oil. Traditionally, an organic fat/oil such as bear grease, tallow or plant oil would be used. Modern times adds mineral oil to the options. The benefit of the latter is that it won't degrade or go rancid like an organic oil/fat. The negative is depending on how "authentic" you want to go, mineral oil is at the bottom of the list.

To make this, you'll want to setup a double boiler. I used a small canning pot with a grate to keep it off the bottom of the pot and surrounded by water. I use a mason jar as they're readily available and I can put a lid on any excess for the next need.

For a basic recipe, mix the beeswax to oil/fat at 50%/50%.

Once liquefied, simply pour it in whatever mold you want. A muffin tin and muffin wrappers work well. As this is a "traditional" setup, I poured the liquid in a stripped (all paint and markings removed) airgun pellet container. That way, I can lube patch cloth, use as a salve for burns or mix with Yarrow for a styptic for bleeding wounds.

The nice thing about this is that you cannot ruin a mix. If it's too hard, simply remelt and add some mineral oil (or natural oil/fat). If too soft, simply remelt and add pure beeswax.

I cannot say what the "ideal" mix is and made a bulk of 50/50 of beeswax and mineral oil. The end result was a soft wax comparable to a chapstick that has been in your pocket all day. Going up to 1.5:1 (beeswax to oil/fat) gives a hard mix like a bowstring wax.

What I found works best is to make a quart sized batch of 50/50 mix. It'll be soft but gives you a starting point. Then, simply add some of this mix to pure beeswax into a pint jar and test the mix. If too hard, remelt and add more premix. If too soft, remelt and add more beeswax.

In this pic, I have the beeswax and mineral oil in the mason jar within the pot of water. The pot is a pressure cooker and came with a tray to lift the interior items off of the bottom of the pan. Once fully liquefied, pour into whatever mold you want (airgun pellet tin shown) or leave in the jar and allow to cool. As an aside, you can use acetone (nail polish remover) to strip the paint and labels off of these tins for a more authentic appearance.


Here's another pic showing the Fix'n Wax molded in a cupcake tin. While this worked fine, I found a sealed tin such as a pellet or shoe polish tin works better. The wax on the left was used to lube patches for the muzzleloader.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Char cloth.

Char cloth was the first true ready made tinder for fire starting. It's also so stupidly simple to make that this post involved exactly 1 photo.

Any 100% cotton item will work for char cloth. For this, I used scrap canvas that I had left over from other projects. To make char cloth, you need the following:
- Shoe polish or Altoids tin
- Heat source
- 100% cotton

Step 1: With whatever tin you're using poke a SMALL hole in the lid. As explained on various sites, the hole should be big enough to poke the lead of a sharpened pencil though but not big enough to poke any part of the wood though.

Step 2: place the cotton flat into the tin and close the lid. Make sure there are no folds or crumples in the cotton.

Step 3: Place on heat source and allow to smoke or flame until all smoke/flame are gone. Remove from heat and allow to cool.




Here's the entire char cloth making kit. I'm a huge fan of the SnoPeak stove as it's small, lightweight yet puts out alot of heat. On top is a shoe polish tin with a small hole poked in the top and filled with canvas. Total cook time (outside as this will produce alot of smoke) is under 10 minutes. Once cooled for a few minutes, you'll be left with char cloth (small black squares).

The char cloth readily will take a spark and these 1.5"x1.5" clothes will hold an ember for about 2 minutes.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Blacksmithing

I'd love to have a full forge but that's yet another expensive hobby I cannot afford nor have the room for. However, there are many things out there you can do without needing a full forge.

To begin with, Here is a video on how to make a small forge out of a soup can:

How to Make a Soup Can Forge

How to Make a Soup Can Forge: The above video details the process I used to create a simple and inexpensive propane forge from commonly available materials. In the video below this forge is put to use for the first time making a small fixed blade knife.

www.instructables.com

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Oiled cloth.

From what I've been able to research, canvas was the first true "weather proof" material. Sailors found that their sails worked better when wet but were ungodly heavy. Eventually, they started coating their sails with various oils which were lighter than water. In turn, they started making other things out of this oiled canvas which largely continued until the advent of modern synthetics like gore-tex.

Traditionally, canvas would be oiled or waterproofed with things like whales oil or linseed oil. The process would be to combine this oil with a thinner/evaporator and a solid like finely powdered rust. The combination would color, waterproof and seal the pores. From what I've been reading, however, modern boiled linseed oil will eventually eat or rot out cotton.

There is an alternative, actually two, the work equally well and are readily available: Fix'n wax or Snoseal. The Fix'n wax listed above would work perfectly fine for this but since I had Snoseal readily available, it is what I used in this posting. For this, I was making a waterproof pouch for my firestarting kit.

Step 1: Using cotton canvas or canvas duck, make the bag or pouch and dye using whatever method you choose.


Step 2: Once the canvas is fully dried (to include any interior seams), liberally apply the wax to all surfaces and work it in the best you can.


Step 3: At this point, you can use a hairdryer to melt the wax into the canvas. Unlike leather where you want to preheat the leather prior to applying the wax, cotton is porous and absorbent enough that this doesn't matter. I have an unused toaster oven which works far better in heating articles though if you use it for this purpose, don't cook food afterwards.


Step 4: Once fully melted in, remove the article and with a paper towel, wipe any excess wax. Note that the color will be darker so take that into consideration when dying the canvas.


As proof, here's water beading up on the now waxed (oiled) canvas.

 

[TexasCountyMo]

Blacksmithing

I'd love to have a full forge but that's yet another expensive hobby I cannot afford nor have the room for. However, there are many things out there you can do without needing a full forge.

To begin with, Here is a video on how to make a small forge out of a soup can:

How to Make a Soup Can Forge

How to Make a Soup Can Forge: The above video details the process I used to create a simple and inexpensive propane forge from commonly available materials. In the video below this forge is put to use for the first time making a small fixed blade knife.

www.instructables.com

don't waste your time. will not get hot enough or hold heat long enough to be effective for anything. scrap yard for a larger piece of pipe is what we did. soup can is a waste of time.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

To give an idea of what and why I'm doing this.

I already have the static display of the Constitution, flintlock and powder horn but want to put together a full 1700's hunting/militia kit that is both a static display and a functional setup to grab and head to the woods. The caveat being I want to make as much of it as possible and not simply buy it. Most of what I do won't be found for sale, not that anyone would want to buy it, but it was done by my hands.

Here's the overall setup.

Starting at 12:00 and following the clock:
-Pedersoli Frontier (plan Pennsylvania) flintlock
-Leather loading block
-Hawkens hunting bag
-Static display (the lantern will be replaced with a period correct betty lamp)
-Hawkens rifle
-Powder horn

For the static display:

Same clock starting at 12:00
-(eventual) betty lamp
-Patch kit containing a tin of fix'n wax and cotton cloth sitting on a waxed canvas bag
-Deer antler/horsehair pan brush
-Forged vent pick
-Flint wallet and a Mosin Nagant screwdriver/flint knapper. Both will be remade in the coming months
-Round ball bag
-Deer antler awl
-Firestarting kit, currently containing a tin and char cloth

Yet to make/do:
-Waxed canvas haversack for the non-shooting items
-Complete the firestarting kit with a flint and steel
-Complete the sewing kit
-Create/forge a cooking/eating kit
-Make a better flint wallet and forge a screwdriver/knapping hammer
-Make some form of canteen. Most likely, I'll buy the canteen but make the leather holder
-Make a Kentucky flintlock pistol from a kit
-Medicinal needs
-Whatever else comes to mind, depending upon how long the winter is.

 

[gcr0003]

Did you make the sling for the hawkens rifle?

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Did you make the sling for the hawkens rifle?

Good eye and no. Pretty sure that was bought at Cabelas 17 years ago.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Fix'n wax

Fix'n wax was the original Snoseal and made out of nothing more than beeswax and a fat such as bear grease or deer tallow, all readily available. Fix'n wax, depending on the recipe, could be used for:
- Muzzleloader patch lube
- Traditional bow string wax
- Lip Balm
- Salves for cuts
- Waterproofing for materials such as leather or canvas
- Just about anything else

To make, the basic recipe is 50/50 between beeswax and fat/oil. Traditionally, an organic fat/oil such as bear grease, tallow or plant oil would be used. Modern times adds mineral oil to the options. The benefit of the latter is that it won't degrade or go rancid like an organic oil/fat. The negative is depending on how "authentic" you want to go, mineral oil is at the bottom of the list.

To make this, you'll want to setup a double boiler. I used a small canning pot with a grate to keep it off the bottom of the pot and surrounded by water. I use a mason jar as they're readily available and I can put a lid on any excess for the next need.

For a basic recipe, mix the beeswax to oil/fat at 50%/50%.

Once liquefied, simply pour it in whatever mold you want. A muffin tin and muffin wrappers work well. As this is a "traditional" setup, I poured the liquid in a stripped (all paint and markings removed) airgun pellet container. That way, I can lube patch cloth, use as a salve for burns or mix with Yarrow for a styptic for bleeding wounds.

The nice thing about this is that you cannot ruin a mix. If it's too hard, simply remelt and add some mineral oil (or natural oil/fat). If too soft, simply remelt and add pure beeswax.

I cannot say what the "ideal" mix is and made a bulk of 50/50 of beeswax and mineral oil. The end result was a soft wax comparable to a chapstick that has been in your pocket all day. Going up to 1.5:1 (beeswax to oil/fat) gives a hard mix like a bowstring wax.

What I found works best is to make a quart sized batch of 50/50 mix. It'll be soft but gives you a starting point. Then, simply add some of this mix to pure beeswax into a pint jar and test the mix. If too hard, remelt and add more premix. If too soft, remelt and add more beeswax.

In this pic, I have the beeswax and mineral oil in the mason jar within the pot of water. The pot is a pressure cooker and came with a tray to lift the interior items off of the bottom of the pan. Once fully liquefied, pour into whatever mold you want (airgun pellet tin shown) or leave in the jar and allow to cool. As an aside, you can use acetone (nail polish remover) to strip the paint and labels off of these tins for a more authentic appearance.
View attachment 78120

Here's another pic showing the Fix'n Wax molded in a cupcake tin. While this worked fine, I found a sealed tin such as a pellet or shoe polish tin works better. The wax on the left was used to lube patches for the muzzleloader.
View attachment 78121

Is there any benefit to add pine pitch to this?
The leather waterproofing product called Montana Pitch Blend adds pitch to beeswax (not sure what other ingredients are in it).

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Is there any benefit to add pine pitch to this?
The leather waterproofing product called Montana Pitch Blend adds pitch to beeswax (not sure what other ingredients are in it).

No idea. My guess is that the pine pitch would replace the beeswax as you'd still need a solvent/thinner for the main ingredient. What I do know about pitch, my guess would be it would be best for static features and the beeswax for mobile/moveable items.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

No idea. My guess is that the pine pitch would replace the beeswax as you'd still need a solvent/thinner for the main ingredient. What I do know about pitch, my guess would be it would be best for static features and the beeswax for mobile/moveable items.

This is from the Montana Pitch Blend site. Seems like pine pitch might be something for you to experiment with.
I do know pitch is a pretty good fire starter.

Amber Pine Pitch

Pine Pitch is the key ingredient that makes our leather care products perform so well. Pine Pitch is the golden amber exuded by pine trees when healing the trunk of wounds usually caused by insects. This natural substance is incredibly water-repellent, antibacterial, and a strong preservative. Utilized by ancient and native peoples in treating topical skin wounds, sealing canoes and boats, and in the preparation of natural soaps and ointments, Montana Pitch-Blend benefits by blending it together with pure mink oil to create exquisite premium leather care products. Using pine pitch in leather care products offers unique benefits to help preserve and protect the skin while repelling water effectively and adding staying power.

• Leather stays conditioned and supple longer because pine pitch causes the oil to stay in the skin and fibers resulting in optimal performance with less reapplication of product.
• Leather's resistance to water is greatly enhanced and doesn't fail in extreme climates and conditions because of pine pitch's strong naturally water-repellant properties. Leather is shielded from environmental conditions (grease, fuel, chemicals, etc) because of the superior staying power of pine pitch.
• Leather resists sagging and stretching because pine pitch oil has subtle adhesive qualities not found in plain oil on its own.
• Leather is protected from premature decay due to the naturally antiseptic qualities of pine pitch that inhibit growths of bacteria, mold, mildew, and fungus which will deteriorate leather.
• Leather doesn't smell artificial or unpleasant because the scent of pine pitch is a natural and mild pine tree aroma which dissipates after application leaving the earthy smell of natural leather behind.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

In terms of medicinal value, I do know that pine needle tea provides enough Vitamin C to stave off scurvy. Come to think of it, maybe add medicinal plants to this thread.

 

[Iron_llama]

Blacksmithing

I'd love to have a full forge but that's yet another expensive hobby I cannot afford nor have the room for. However, there are many things out there you can do without needing a full forge.

To begin with, Here is a video on how to make a small forge out of a soup can:

How to Make a Soup Can Forge

How to Make a Soup Can Forge: The above video details the process I used to create a simple and inexpensive propane forge from commonly available materials. In the video below this forge is put to use for the first time making a small fixed blade knife.

www.instructables.com

I can't recall the title of the book - I think it's "The $50 Home Knife Shop" - has plans for a fire brick forge. Basically, take a fire brick, drill 1 hole lengthwise, big enough to fit your blade, and another hole in side to intersect with the first, for your torch. Wrap the whole thing with wire to prevent it from splitting. Sufficient to temper/anneal/etc. reasonably-sized knife blades.

 

[Iron_llama]

Quick back story to give context:

Looking for a winter hobby and being rebitten by the muzzleloader bug, I broke out the leather tools and started leatherworking and started the thread here:

Leatherworking Thread

This is the thread for questions, tips and humble (or not so humble) brags. I got bit by the muzzleloader bug this fall which naturally means I had to break out the leatherworking tools to make the necessary accouterments for muzzleloaders. Here's what I've made for the past few days...

saddlehunter.com

Continuing down that rabbit hole, I've gone all in on 1700's hunting/bushcraft/tradescraft...with the caveat that I'm looking for the finished product while learning new skills without necessarily going full colonial, thus the name "New Age traditional/colonial tradecraft". This goes beyond simply leatherworking and goes into blacksmithing, textiles, camping, etc. while using what we all have available around the house to get there.

In the end, the goal of this thread is to bring together different traditional skills that anyone can do with stuff you probably have around your house or at the local hardware store. In my short adventure so far, I've already "discovered" that many products my family use around the house or while camping/hunting/outdoors activities can be made yourself for cheaper along with the pride that you made it yourself. Essentially, all useful skills to learn and pass on to future generations.

Once I pull photos off the phone (so much for colonial), I'll individually post how-to's for different things. Please feel free to post your own that you've done.

So how much time and money are you spending at Track of the Wolf? That's a dangerous store; almost lucky most of their catalog (at least, the stuff I want) is out of my reach.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Medicinal Plants.

Disclaimer. I am not a botanist and at best can identify a pine tree from not a pine tree and a dandelion. For this, I'll lean heavily on other's postings but I do know Yarrow, AKA Soldiers Wort or Blood Wort.

There are many plants that have similar looking flowers but this is the only one I know of that has the fern-looking leaves. For cuts and bleeding wounds, you can bruise and press the leaves into the wound to stop the bleeding or can be harvested, dried and ground into a powder. I can personally attest that powdered yarrow leaves will stop a flowing bleed. Mix it with fix'n wax and you've got a wound care ointment.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

So how much time and money are you spending at Track of the Wolf? That's a dangerous store; almost lucky most of their catalog (at least, the stuff I want) is out of my reach.

Thankfully, I have yet to step foot in that store though I do frequent their website for ideas. Sadly, Tandy and JoAnn's take alot of my hobby money.

That's also part of the reasoning behind this thread. Track of the Wolf, Townsend and Sons, Dixie Gun Works and October Country are all dangerous websites but when you study the actual construction, you can make many of it for far cheaper.

For example, the pan brush showed in the prior pic. I have several sets of otherwise unimpressive antlers laying around doing nothing. I cut a point off one, drilled a hole, then epoxied horsehair shoe brush hairs into the hole. Total cost $3 for the epoxy, the rest I had laying around. Simply looking around the house, there's so much that can be repurposed with just a bit of imagination and determination.

 

[Red Beard]

In terms of medicinal value, I do know that pine needle tea provides enough Vitamin C to stave off scurvy. Come to think of it, maybe add medicinal plants to this thread.

If love to hear about medicinal plants

 

[Nutterbuster]

If love to hear about medicinal plants

My favorite is Ilex vomitoria. I use it regularly to combat fatigue and scatterbrain.

I've chewed green Salicaceae bark in the swamp for a headache. Not sure if there was enough salicin to actually do anything or it was just a placebo.

Nicotiana tabacum was a favorite for anxiety once upon a time. Side effects can be gruesome though.

I've heard Psilocybe cubensis is good for depression, anxiety, and existential angst. Side effects may involve acute paranoia in those who don't partake.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Have you thought about getting a mold and casting your own round ball? It's pretty simple and can really make you self-reliant. Use pure lead for the balls for muzzle loaders. On a similar vein you can make your own powder. The formula is pretty simple, and the ingredients are readily available. You might not want to do it regularly, but just like making a fire without matches, it is a good think to know how to do in a pinch.