My Covid-19 and later projects

  • BushMoot: Come along to the amazing Summer Moot 31st July - 5th August (extended Moot : 27th July - 8th August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Project 114

Linen Trousers

I made these Summer weight trousers using my usual (home made) pattern and some Linen I was given (many thanks Mary!). They will be great to wear in hot weather but as it is freezing outside the photos are just indoor shots in front of our back door curtain ... hopefully I will be able to edit in better photos when the weather is warmer ....

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Project 114

Linen Trousers

I made these Summer weight trousers using my usual (home made) pattern and some Linen I was given (many thanks Mary!). They will be great to wear in hot weather but as it is freezing outside the photos are just indoor shots in front of our back door curtain ... hopefully I will be able to edit in better photos when the weather is warmer ....

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Hi John,
A quick question: I think I can see what looks like knee pad pockets on the front; however, the seam does not match up on the back leg, as it runs in the middle of the cargo pockets. I was just wondering if there's some assembly secret at work here?

Hope you had a good Christmas and have a happy New Year.

Regards
 
Project 115

Camp Camo

My old DD 5x5 tarp died of old age, spark holes and tape detachment - so I repurposed it to renew and make camo covers for my onsite storage (blue barrels, grey water barrel and a black and yellow storage box) plus a more weather resistant door for the wood store than the rusty bit of wriggly tin that we had been using.

At the same time I upgraded the camo of the toilet area, to make that less obtrusive, using home made and commercial camo nets, rags and patches of old tarp, bits of hessian, natural foliage etc... just something to do to stave off boredom over Xmas...
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Project 115
Camp side table

My old side table at my permanent camp gave up to rot and age just before Xmas - so when I found a straight(ish) bit of Ash in my firewood I decided to make a new one. I used a hatchet to split out the table top and set the hazel legs with hidden wedges in auger-cut sockets but did not go for a high finish ... as I discovered a bit of rot and a short split (which I stapled closed). To give the table the chance of a decent lifetime I scorched, oiled and waxed it all over.
I do not expect it will last long but it will hold my tea and biscuits until I find a better bit of wood to work with!
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Project 167

Re-dyed olive Linen shirt.
From the same pattern as the last one but in a heavier and more "slubby" linen - which came in a rather "not -to-my-taste" shade of green. I re-dyed it with Dylon Olive Green which did not take very evenly but is OK for field use. Thanks again to Mary, for the fabric :)
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Project 168
Herring bone twill linen trousers

Made to my usual pattern, but this time using a very "soft handle" linen. Again I had the fabric from Mary,(for which many, many thanks) and this fabric came in fawn and brown colour - which I redyed with Dylon olive green. The dye took better on this fabric than the shirt!
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As with all the projects I have had to photograph indoors recently, I hope to get better shots outside when the weather improves!
 
That is a very much improved colour !

I see what you mean about the dye, but honestly, it looks good, it looks intentional on that kind of shirt and it might yet soften out a bit with wear and wash.

That linen was a truly too bright colour, but it's lovely to wear.

Nice shirt :approve:
 
Project 169
Tool rolls and mask
I have recently started learning how to turn dead trees into something more useful than firewood and have started reviving old tools that I have inherited or been given or bought cheap...
I inherited the Brace and Bit set from my Grandfather but it has languished in an old plastic bowl for the past 5 decades so a major refurb was needed ... the ancient rust was removed with Coke and elbow grease and (once I have been shown how) the sharpness will be revived with the set of diamond needle files that date back to my figurine modeling days - which also needed a new holder...
The files and rasps got their own tool roll and the chisels theirs - lord alone knows when and how I got these (some of the chisels are down at the workshop awaiting regrinding) but some were in better nick than others that seemed to want a new life as pry bars or landfill.
The draw knife I got from Aaron (Biker) at a Moot some years back ...
So far I have only produced a "Rounders Bat" or "Wife Tenderizer" on the Pole Lathe but I can truely say that that tool is very hard on my shot hip and knee so I am currently looking at more "comfortable" work on the Shave Horse ...
Most of the leather came from old sofas but the chisel and draw knife are clothed in leather from an old pair of riding chaps.DSCF0001.JPGDSCF0002.JPGDSCF0003.JPGDSCF0004.JPGDSCF0005.JPGDSCF0006.JPGDSCF0007.JPGDSCF0008.JPGDSCF0009.JPGDSCF0010.JPG
 
Project 170

Palm Drill

My take on the tool that Ben was showing at his WinterMoot workshop.It is basically a drill bit glued into a handle for field use ... I added the T piece for extra torque and made a case for the tool as well.

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John you said you removed the rust with coke. Is that coca cola or coke as in coal. How does that work? cheers DD x
ps lovely work
 
Phosphoric acid in coca cola eats rust - a 2 day soak followed by a wire brushing cleaned red rust with ease :)
I knew it was acidic but didnt know it could do that. I wonder what it does to someones insides. Think Ive only tasted it twice in my entire life. x
 
Project 171

Getting into green woodwork meant that I needed some new tools and something to carry all the kit in...so this is what I made!
Everything is made from "second use" materials - the bag was made from bits of an old sofa and the rope handle from one of my old hammock rigs, details such as the whipping are willow and leather home spun cord. An old Spanish handbag gave the leather for the rope fixings as well as an ax mask while old riding chaps made the straight draw-knife mask
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My sharpening kit needed a new strop so I made one large and one small one - from old chopping boards and those chaps again.

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Larger kit - like the mallet (from firewood...) tucks under the rope.
 

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