Recent content by walkswithnomoccasins

Awesome work my friend :D I really like that!

Hi, after a lot of research over the past 12 months I am Currently looking for a smith/cuttler to make me some accurate early trade knives (english and french "scalpers", Boucheron etc) I would be looking to purchase blades only as i wish to handle, quillwrap them myself to go into some sheaths...

Nice work my friend. I have a couple of beaver and muskrats coming over in trade from an associate in the states:)

all items are made on my home tanned brain tan. the drawstring bag has been dyed using black walnut hulls

Hello guys. I have recently been having a crack at some more woodland indian crafts. first up is painting using traditional pigment paint made using fish roe. Unlike using a tempera, fish roe paint is far more flexible when dried so will not crack and flake away from the leather. First up I...

Hi chaps just thought i would share a few pics of some quillwork ties i have recently completed. They have been made with naturally dyed porcy quills which have been plaited around a rawhide core then finished off with tin cones i have made myself using tin sheet and a mandril. I made them as a...

awesome :D

Yep i had forgotten about that.:P. Have had to do a fair amount of research into dye plants that are present in the north east. My main area of interest is the woodland peoples. Due to similarities in climate a lot of the woodland plants can be grown on our bleak shores :)

I have done some over-dying in the past trying to get a naturally dyed black. but in the end found out the iron and wood ash trick from a friend in the USA. Soon hope to do some early 19th c style floral work so will be overdying some form of yellow with indigo (probably golden rod). I try and...

hey toddy These were just simmered in distilled vinegar for 30 mins before going in the dye bath. If you use Alum it gives you the slightly more red spectrum orange on the pouch

HI thanks guys, BB i use them for quill embroidery on leather. (and hopefully soon birch bark). This is a little strike a lite i am working on at the moment. The quills have been dyed with madder (orange) and the black is logwood (with iron and wood ash)

Here is some Naturally dyed porcupine quills. These have been dyed with Rhubarb root (yellow) and Cochineal (red). In the near future I will be dyeing quills using native north American dyes (Bloodroot,Golden Rod, Osier dogwood etc)

another major problem is pigs have skin rather than hide so all hair folicals are between the base of the fibre matrix and the membrane of the hide. When you flesh the hide you have to be very very gentle so as not to pull all the hair through the hide

not only do they reek to the high heaven but are also one of the greasiest hides i have ever tanned. had 1 failed attempt now the next hide i will be washing with petrol on the flesh side otherwise it will block the brains from being absorbed

Thanks for the kind words guys. For the pigment paint I currently use egg tempera. You separate and egg discard the white. roll the yoke around in dry hands for a few seconds until the yoke is dry enough for you to split the membrane. This leaves you with just the yoke itself. I then add a...