Beavertail Pouch

[mrsbraintan]

Well this is a first and kind of a rush job! Making it for a friend of mine that traps a beaver now and then. I hope he likes it.. I can see how NOT to do this in the future! I think all I need to add is maybe a buckskin strap with an old buckle perhaps.. not sure about a flap.. maybe.. Well anyway,,,,,

I used a permanent marker to color the braintanned buckskin welt.. it 'ran' so now the leather around those tack thingies is slightly pink.. well some real men wear pink    and my tacks are real disorderly. Gosh.. you'd think I was out in the trail.. I stitched the buckskin piece with the tacks to the buckskin welt using a running stitch and an awl.. and then, I added the  beaver's tail pieces using a wrap stitch and a glovers needle.. and I can see some stitches.. well the tail pieces are rawhide and it was starting to dry (along the edges first naturally.. I tried to make them as close as possible.. like every 16th of an inch.. and pull them tight as could be but still I see 'em and well that looks like I did that out somewhere on the trail in the freezing cold or something too!

My board form that I'd planned to insert probably wouldn't have fit because of the taper on the top half of the tail skins so I thought .. oh the hell with it and just loaded the sac with some navy beans that were all spilt in my cupboard anyway.... Killing a couple of birds here with one stone! and I keep thinking that i'm not that talented.. I was a bit discouraged yesterday after turning this skin inside out and having a look at what I'd fashioned.. hmm.. kind of a hurried mess if I don't say so myself but today it looks a little bit more attractive to me and well now I just need to put a strap on it.. the scales of the beaver tail skin are still in tact and there is a spot on the opposite side that I really need to touch up with some brown paint maybe.. character already..I accidentally hit a small area.. (like a couple of beavertail scale size.. Small with the Dakota Pro fleshing blade.. better it than my fingers, I know that! I hope to NEVER touch my own flesh to that horrid blade.. From what I understand cuts made with one take A LONG TIME to stop bleeding profusely.. so yeah better a slight imperfection there!    I don't know about lining it.. might be a good idea..  I was thinking to use deer rawhide for that.. but lots more work and stitching and no more glovers needles and lots more time.. that I just don't have.. this was a bag in a week project.. so kind of a rush thing..I just don't know how much more time I want to invest in it.. not a lot more.. I'll just chalk this one up as a learning experience and vow to do better in the future!  so what do you all think?
Oh and the dye I'd hoped to use made the leather purple so.. not the right shade.. Guess that bit of braintan skin's junk now! Too bad.. had a great patina.. well maybe I could redye that with some walnut shell pieces. hope so.. I worked hard on that skin at one time!




working on tanning this big beaver at the same time as making this pouch.. pretty isn't it? it's definately not that tail from the same beaver.. this beaver fur is from one that weighed in just over 50lbs.. the tail pieces I'm using were from just  small beaver. Had I tried to soften the tail pieces I am sure I would have lost it's scales by thing that kind of effort needed to cable them and so I would have probably been forced to paint the skin just to make it look like it HAD scales.. so that's why I kept it RAWHIDE.. Boy my lab sure would like to get ahold of this POUCH!.. this fellow will need to keep this well out of 'harm's way'!!

I have to smoke it well.. it smells a bit like pickled fish.. 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

I think the Pouch that you made turned out really nice ... there IS such a thing as 'too perfect'; the piece should look like it was made around a campfire at the end of a day .... 'cause that was when mending, darning and leatherwork got done ...

'Too perfect' and it begins to look like it was store bought ... or at least made professionally ....

Great work!

[mrsbraintan]

Thank you WWE.. I got to thinking that, too, I had the just get 'er done thing in my head for a small part.. it took me quite some time just to stitch the beaver tail pieces on to the buckskin, then after I'd turned it right side out I started getting a little possibly over critical of my work and thought. dang this looks kinda crappy! and then This morning after looking at it from a distance felt that well it doesn't look half bad and well yes I think it looks a bit better because the mistakes are no longer right in my face! I'm the one that can stitch this stuff but can't replace a button, btw! anyway thanks for your comment.

Think I'll piece together some buckskin scrap and repurpose an old buckle as I just don't know what size strap it should be? I think it does need a flap.. too.. wouldn't want to spill any more beans!

tks again.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

 mrsbraintan,

I have a friend ,,,, a woodworker by hobby .... who used to say that if a person pointed out your flaws he probably wasn't your friend anyway ... *S*

[GunClick Rick]

Let me know when ya get my beaver faced hat done Juust make it a size 7

[GunClick Rick]

I wonder if putting the tail in a pickle like rattlesnake skin would help retain the beaver tail scales.That what ya do to keep the scales on is put them in a pickle of vinegar water and non iodine salt so you can tan them out.
Also to make it more pouchy,the indians would pour hot sand in buffalo testie sacks to make them full and not shrink
tamping it down as they went,you had the right idea with the beans,but use hot sand..

[ChurchandSon]

Very nice.....

[mrsbraintan]

Thanks for the comments and compliments!
Rick.. I dumped the beans out and thought.. uhoh.. looks kinda DUMB! so I decided to bend and twist and work this skin this way and that just to try to get it pliable as can be. it also looks like the pickling I gave it gave the scales a bit more adhesion to the tail pieces.. GOOD.. accidently did something right.. lol.   all I got done on it today was a braintanned woven strap..naturally the darn thing is TOO SHORT! lol.. oh well I wii have to make it look like I did that on purpose!  any yep.. needs a flap for sure.. anyway just another pic

[GunClick Rick]

What is the width and length on it now.From the picture it looks knife sheath size.

[mrsbraintan]

It is 8 1/2 x 4  Rick. Still in limbo presently!

[mrsbraintan]

Hope to get this pouch done VERY soon.. it is a one of a kind, 



going to cut a piece of the end off the antler and drill and eye in the end of that to start yet another rawhide 4ply round braid with which to secure it to the bag.. that way there's no worry about dropping and losing it. A little more lacing on the end and I'll finally have this complete.. ended up taking me 3 x as long as I'd anticipated.

[GunClick Rick]

Pretty dern cool,i like the lining,done the old fashion way,i have a pair of old beaded guantlets with cloth lining

[mrsbraintan]

  thanks Rick.. I betcha they're beautiful.

[GunClick Rick]

Thanks,i think they are,wished i could figure out what the design ment,gotta represent somethin

[mrsbraintan]

They ARE very cool.. thanks for the pic. the rawhide lariat looks fascinating to me too. Looks beautiful in the pic.