Mini Leather Tankard - testing skills

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Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
Just a little post for a little Tankard

The recent post by Eric on making a leather flask got me wanting to try. I only have some 1.5-2.0mm leather at the moment and was not sure about waxing leather so tried to think of a project to test the skills.

So a tankard it was. But with such thin leather and limited time and wax, I went for a mini one?

Google got me a pattern and away I went. Bit of a fiddle as it's tiny, but it turned out ok. Waxing wise I have no desire to set up a double boiler and gather enough wax to hot dip, so had to be creative. Oven was suggested but I saw horror stories of burned leather. So I tried hairdryer to heat the leather and melt the wax in. Took a little while and a little longer to clean up after :eek:, but it worked.

One little leather tankard shot glass :)

image.jpg

Next is the flask for the whisky to put in it :p
 

Baelfore

Life Member
Jan 22, 2013
585
21
Ireland
That's quite nifty! ! And it worked fine with a thinner leather?

I've wanted to make a tankard for a while, but have loads of 1-2mm veg tan at the mo and don't want to spend more money till I have to.

Ste
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
The 2mm stuff was a faff, for some of the box stitching as it's a bit thin to attack with the awl at too acute an angle. That's why the bottom is just whipped. But it holds it's shape well and now waxed its a lot tougher. I'd maybe only go up to half pint size on so thin leather. Need some 3mm or bit thicker next time I source some veg tan.

Little leather hip flask here we come :)
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
Downloaded a pattern at random from google for the general layout then just shrunk the image. Have seen tutorials in the past so had an idea but thought I'd go random and make it up :)
2mm leather. The seam in the body was marked and the holes put in with a thin awl. As below, you can overlap the seam, but wanted to try sewing it butted to test the skill for making a tube.
Handle went on next which is a strip which was wetted to fold it round and sew it up, then bend into shape and let dry. Then sewn on the body.
Again as below the bottom is traditionally wet formed to a dish shape and sewn in. But again, I wanted to test capping a tube so it was cut to size awls marked and sewn straight laced (whipped) on.
Waxing was a learning curve. I've no double boiler, but this would have been far quicker, easier and less mess. I had a beeswax candle and a hairdryer. Oven was considered but seen burned leather before. So heat with hairdryer, rub with candle and keep going until it's saturated. Slow and a lot of cleaning up after :eek: but worked. Then melted a bit more on the inside and rolled this round to fully coat it.

Did you follow a tutorial? if so which one?

If not could you give me a few pointers?

I want to have a crack at something similar.

Thanks

Dave

It was fun to try, and makes a great tot tankard.

If I went bigger, I'd probably do it the proper way and overlap the seam and dish the bottom. But the skill learning was useful and on this little fella I'm quite chuffed with how well it works. I'd like to try a bigger one now, but need to wait to get some leather sorted. :)

Nice work:)

I've made a few little Tankards mostly for children and a Xmas tree decoration.

Thin leather is best. I usually lap the side joint and make the bottom dished so you can stitch it round the base.

Richard
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
Thanks a bonny dinky wee flagon that. Really cool, and the bonus of a small tankard is that you get to fill it more often without feeling guilty! (And spillage isn't such a crying shame!)

Turned out really nice.
 

Big Stu 12

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 7, 2012
6,028
4
Ipswich
Did you follow a tutorial? if so which one?

If not could you give me a few pointers?

I want to have a crack at something similar.

Thanks

Dave

Sliver Fox on youtube has a tutourial that he made some TAnkards from one in Bushcraft MAgazine a few years back.. have a look on you tube :)
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
And I get to fill it with stronger stuff to make up for its small size.

So it got christened with port and has stepped up its role as a single malt drinker :)

Thanks a bonny dinky wee flagon that. Really cool, and the bonus of a small tankard is that you get to fill it more often without feeling guilty! (And spillage isn't such a crying shame!)

Turned out really nice.
 

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