Hey, used to do the Renaissance faire circuit here. A tiny fraction of advice, if you'd be willing to hear it... During the forming process, use the wooden tool you have to pack the wet canteen with dry pearl barley, refill and pack more, as tightly as you can in your container. This will do a few things: such as give you more to push the wet leather out with, potentially providing a uniform stretch and more rigidity to the inside of your container as it dries. Also, you'll end up with a product that has the potential to hold significantly more liquid. Once completely dry, knock out the pearl barley with a large drill bit/stick/spoon as needed. I find a handful of nuts/bolts gets the stragglers of pearl barley out of the corners well, but I'm sure a few cleaned rocks would serve the purpose well, in a pinch. Once all the pearl barley is out, seal as usual. Hope this helps and possibly inspires a new living history/experimental project for you. :)
@@divchief07ut if you've done this enough times before, you know that sand is messy (and not really something I want to be drinking with my drinking water)... Use another grain if you can't find pearl barley, but for your sanity: don't use sand.
@@deemushroomguy, the pearl barley is a good idea. I've never used pine resin/pitch for sealing canteens, I have used beeswax to seal all leather water containers with no problems. And then rubbed a beeswax/flaxseed paste onto the outside for a bit of extra protection.
from direct personal experience, boxcutters and other utility knives are sharper but they don’t give you the control and stability as the leather knives…they might be good for long straight cuts but angled or shaving cuts they’re dangerous or likely to go off to the direction or even snap the blace
@@bostonrailfan2427 you can use an angled straightedge like a miter if you need to make due with what you've got. also works on curved cuts, i like to use coffee cups and tin cans when i need a nice round piece
When I've made these, after wetting the sewn costrel I would fill it with lentils and beans and then use a dowel to keep stuffing down the dry goods to expand the shape outwards and get a more round base. Great tutorial, I would just advise anyone taking these steps to also expand the leather outwards to contain more volume using rice or lentils to stuff it while it dries. Great project!
I used sand to shape the canteen I made. Easy enough to force it in, to form the leather, but getting it all OUT was a major headache! Some of it seemed to set like concrete! I used parafin wax to seal it, because when I tried using pitch, the stuff cooled off almost immediately, losing its liquid state, and I couldn't get any of it into the canteen!
@@Reximusprimebeta Actually anything larger than lentils will give a pebbled appearence on the outside. Once the lentils (my grain of choice) are dry, they are easy to get out with a stick. Filling the inside gives you a LOT more volume.
@@ericwilliams1659 As I'm sure you are already aware one of the great things about saddle stitch is how easy it is to start off a new thread. Something I learnt the hard way from making belts and bandoliers was you don't try to work with just one looong thread it's ok to run multiple threads I usually start in the middle of a long stitch line working outwards to a lead edge as it's easer to tie off the lose ends (sorry if I'm writting something you already know and good luck with your projects)
@@simonfreeman8233 You might be writing something someone might already know, but this is the internet and someone who doesn't know can come along and read it like me.
@@jf13579 Well.... and if there is a high enough demand for it. Plus, even if there is; you have to market yourself (advertise) and your products. If people don't know your business exists, they can't spend their money on your products.
@@NGMonocrom of course. I was saying is that if you are good enough at doing anything (drawing cartoons, making leather goods, singing, dancing, anything you can imagine) you can get paid. I should have added IF you are promoting yourself or being promoted correctly too but still doesn’t negate my point.
@@ericdee6802 Hahaha, the SG is the evil Gibson with those devil horns, right? I don't know too much about them other than the fact I had to do a bunch of research on which model of ES Gibson my brother wanted for his birthday. He just had a daughter, and since he's 35 and has house payments, the addition of a daughter means he can't splurge on guitars anymore. 😂
I was taught that the best way to finish off a saddle stitch was to just backstitch about 4 more stitches and cut it off. I've done that on all the leathercraft I've made (just my personal gear) and after 20-years of service it's never come undone.
@@christopherbackus5578 Not really. I've done it with 9 oz. leather. It's no different than the first stitches except the hole is a smaller. Still easy to do with saddle stitch needles because they don't have a sharp point to get stuck in the side of the hole you are trying to put it through. Don't try to do saddle stitching with sharp needles because they'll get caught in the edges of the holes.
@@chadcooperconsulting Yeah, I am NOT a fan of tying a knot and trying to hide it in the leather. Back-stitching 3 or 4 stitches works very well and is extremely secure. When I start to saddle stitch leather together, I will typically start 4 holes from the end; stitch back to the end; and then stitch forward over those back-stitches and continue on with the rest of the item to the end. Then I will back-stitch 3 or 4 holes on that end to finish, stretch the thread a bit and cut off with a razor if I have one nearby. A really sharp knife works OK too. That makes a very clean cut with no fraying on waxed linen thread (period correct for the 18th century) and the thread contracts a bit when the tension is released, burying the end of the thread into that last hole in the leather. So there are no frayed ends to worry about.
I used to make very similar canteens with my dad when we would go camping. A good way to while away the hours sitting by the fire. I still have one though I didn't maintain it well so the leather cracked and won't hold water anymore. I think this has motivated me to make a new one in his honor.
Leatherworking has always facinated me, I mean I've seen people work in the forge and handle metal but using hide to craft items that'll last for quite some time is just amazing to me!
The tanning process changes the chemical structure of the hide into something different than it was raw, that's the main reason leather lasts so long. Skillcult has a video about it. Very interesting stuff.
I think I just figured out why videos like this, the canoe-building episodes, and the cabin-building episodes are my favorites. I thought it was just that watching pleasant people work natural materials with their hands in a natural setting is exceptionally relaxing. But Aaron's (and probably others') camera work keeps the visuals interesting without losing the quiet focus that the person or people involved must have to complete the task, and Ryan's beautiful, wistful guitar really brings it all together and makes it even more quietly artful. While the artisan is creating something beautiful and tangible, you all work together to create an experience for the viewer that is immersive and emotionally satisfying. It's hard to just be present while watching lights flickering on a screen, but these videos make it easy to be here now, even if we aren't there then.
Google leather costrel pattern and you can fond many different styles and sizes of patterns for these or design your own shape but use the things shown in this...
Makes you think of the tastes and smells that people were used to back then (besides the gross smells), John had brought up the fact that food had soot, dirt, char marks etc... Most things we don't have on our food today!
Making one of these about 10 or 12 years ago was how I found Townsends. I was searching for beeswax and brewers pitch to line a leather canteen and leather tankards that I was trying to make.
The diversity and incredible variety of information of this channel never fails to baffle me. I'm an amateur leathet crafter and I'm truly grateful for this idea. You rock!
I just discovered this channel like 3 days ago. Ive been missing out on pure gold. I'm off to buy a mug to support you kind people. im thinking the white and blue mug with the ship on it. yea, that one
The whole time I was like “how does this work if water and leather = bad” then he added the pitch to seal the leather from the water and it all made sense haha
I have one of these but it's not for water, it's a rifle ball bag! Neck is the perfect size to dispense single .54 cal balls right into your palm, no fiddling with an open top ball bag using potentially frozen fingers
@@bostonrailfan2427 This one he made in the video is about 4 or 5 times the size of mine haha! Mine is about the size you would make for a neck or belt flask, holds about 40 rifle balls or about 6 ounces of liquid
@@LiquidLuke they are more in the ballpark of $150 - $200, the materials alone are over $50 unless someone knows a better leather supplier than I do, lol It's been awhile, but I believe it took me at least 4+ hours to make a similar one.
@@nessamillikan6247 it puts a unique twist on the water but while it may taste bad its still "clean" water and will hydrate and it will probably last longer since you wont like the taste but thirst is thirst.
oh yeah that'd work. I find it interesting that in most of history their water containers (made of skins and stomachs and bladders and such) weren't perfectly waterproof, because slightly sweating water helped keep it cool.. and if life or death hinged on that LITTLE loss, you were probably boned anyway.
As a historian and leather craftsman myself i LOVE to see traditional tools and means of making something historical like this.... this is gold. Support from Serbia!
Townsends... THE place to get pine pitch! When I make my bottels, instead of forming it with a tool I stuff it. I force as much dried popcorn kernels into it as I can. This stretches the leather and gives me some good volume. Making one of these was the first video I posted to RU-vid back in 2017.
@asdrubale bisanzio you CAN, if you are skilled enough to do so and know what youre doing, but that adds an hour or more of planning if youre not, even more if youre OCD, when a printable pattern is fool proof and at least gets you something and gets you making, which is the hardest step. if youve made one and want a bigger/smaller one you can upscale/downscale it with ease, making a new template from scratch? that takes a lot more work.
Funny you said "patience" - every time in my life I hurried something it didn't turn out well. I learned fairly early that speed is something not very desirable in most cases and that's not even limited to crafting something. I learned a lot of things in my life from metal working to computer programming and nothing I learned benefits from being in a hurry. Even cooking is better done organized so you're not in a hurry when putting a dish together. So yes, take your time, be deliberate and the end result will be much better.
the past few years have really taught me to appreciate this stuff. nowadays all I hear is "just throw it away and get a new one". People have forgotten how to appreciate.
Thanks for the video, it was informative and a joy to watch. Brandon is a good teacher. This is a project that I would like to try and I am a beginner who has never picked up a piece of leather but I quickly found myself feeling like I was missing steps in the process you taught. To make the a little more beginner friendly would it be possible to put in the description box a list of all the ingredients, materials, and tools used to make the canteen? In the video you briefly showed the basic items you would need, but I felt like along the way you kept bring out new ones for example to two different tools you used to make the holes. Also please add the quantities, lengths, diameter & amounts needed to create the same exact canteen as you are making. Also, if there are links to the pattern/materials/tools (18th century or modern versions) that you used and talk about the different kinds to use, like pine resin what grade to use or stay away from. Or a link if there is a Townsend project kit, or materials to make getting the items for the project easier. To me obtaining and making the pattern is the most important part and without it I would have no clue where to start. Also, some parts where seemed to be edited or unclear like the first saddle stich, I would have liked to seen the first 5 or 6 stiches to make sure I was doing it correctly. Also, since we were not using one long thread for the job, it would be nice for you to show how to tie off the ends when the string is used up and how you start the new thread so it is seamless. I also had questions on why you ran the thread through the beeswax and who you twisted the ends of the thread. All and all a great video and something I would love to try.
@@friedrichjaeger367 dude your Name is Jäger, that is german and means hunter lol yea theres no more leather so i have to wait for monday :(((( in my country all shops are closed on sunday
Question for The Assembled: how does one clean this? I'm assuming hot water is a bad idea. Mild soap seems logical. But, what kind? Other suggestions? I'm making one currently for a young man I know who's getting into re-enactments. A good lad; I'd like him to live a long and happy life, unmarred by nasty germs in something I made for him....thanks!
If you only keep water in it for short periods of time, and dry it out nicely when not in use, you shouldn't really need to clean it. this sort of thing isn't meant to store water in it for weeks at a time. if it does eventually get gross, i'd clean it with warm water and a clean scrub, and then reseal it with more brewer's pitch.
You can't carry strong spirits in one (trust my gagging experience), wine is ok for a day or so in cool weather, water is fine. I just rinse mine and let dry with teh stopple out.
Love it! Watched from start to finish, wished my dad could have been here to watch this channel and see youtube; all these wonderful resources for how people lived in times before now that was a major part of his love/passion in life, getting back to ancestral ways, natural workings with our surroundings, we're missing so much basic things that would make life easier/cheaper nowadays that our ancestors knew as throwaway knowledge.
I made my first of these a few years ago. It's extremely satisfying. And that brewers' pitch sold at the store really is the best substance you can use. I literally bought some a decade ago; I keep it in a tiny dedicated cast-iron pan, it lasts forever, when I need it, I just melt it back down and pour it in. I see these things sold for over $100, when it's really closer to $20 in materials plus knowledge of saddle-stitching, which you can do while zoned out watching RU-vid vids.
I just had a drink with my dinner, and I can't help but wonder how beer/whisky would taste if you stored it in that thing. Bad right? Maybe good, but probably bad.
I love these how to videos describing how to make items like this. Useful not just for historical reenactment, but for everyday life even today. One never knows when they can save money or need to make a lantern out of necessity.
This was a really neat video! I've always loved the idea of using things like this or bottle gourds to just make your own canteen. Thank you for the video!
Lovely little project indeed! And well presented, Brandon. I'll add this to my list of things to try. After doing some leatherwork for knife sheaths, I think this would be a fun and useful item to tackle. Thank you for the inspiration!
Really enjoyed this video/tutorial as I enjoy all you're other videos! Would definitely watch more like this one. Also nice for the rare Saturday upload
Him. "An easy project that the average, common person can make" Me: watches video also Me: realistically pictures The ugly, leaky, misshapen atrocity of a leather "canteen" that would result if I tried to make this.
The only leatherworking project I've ever made was an axe sheath I designed. It's not pretty but I learned how not to do things... and it is functional.
A tip, if you need to take 10hours to do it, take 10hours, if you need to cut your stuff in several goes, cut it in several goes, if youre doing something for fun, take. your. time. working fast is fine, but never rush.
Fascinating! Lifelong crafter, but leather work is not something I've ever thought to try. You may have inspired me! As skilled seamstress of many decades, some of the processes and techniques of this are familiar.
Nice video…. With the saddle stitch a knot is usually formed on each stitch which prevents unraveling. I take it is not necessary for this type of item. I also back stitch about 2 stitches at the beginning and end to include high stress points as needed. Thanks for posting!!!
I watch a lot of Townsends and love the history, information, food, and music. That said I was rewatching some older movies with one of them being Gangs of New York. The wholesomeness from this channel definitely rubbed off whenever I heard a violin from that movie.
