Leather water bag : How I make mine for the Black powder hunt

**Gert Odendaal** · 25-02-2019, 10:06

Good day to all members. I believe all is well and good on your side? I commenced making my own leather water bag/bottle for the 1885 Era Black powder hunt ( 2019) . Since I have enough leather and is busy making velskoene I thought making a leather water bag is something I always wanted try making...

Step 1:The design.
I took a piece of paper /pencil and draw a design , nothing fancy, as practical as possible.

Then refine the design:

Cut the design out, trace it onto the thick leather ..

I used a carpet knife to cut along the pencil lines :

Using a vineer I scribe the lines all along the sides of the two leather panels ...determining the stitching lines

Since I already worked out where I want the two holes for the carry string needs to be I punched it out ..

Step Two will follow soon, glue and stitching the two leather panels together...

**Gert Odendaal** · 28-02-2019, 20:45

Step Two : Gluing the two leather panels together . Commenced stitching the first line around the outside of the leather water bottle.
Reason why I used glue to glue the two panels together is to have a better opportunity to do better stitching work..the glue do not have any other purpose ..
Glued together:

Drawing furrow into the leather for better stitching work:

Shaping the sharp edges of the leather panels to ensure better burnishing of the edges

Stitching the two panels together

Next step is to complete all stitching work ..

**Ds J** · 01-03-2019, 18:36

Which type of glue is it, Gert?

**Gert Odendaal** · 01-03-2019, 21:47

Ds. J it is wood glue..as pointed out the wood glue serves only one purpose , to keep the two leather panels together for better stitching by hand.

**DeVilliers** · 02-03-2019, 07:44

I was wondering the same. Won't the glue affect the water? It's not like you can get it out afterwards.

Cool project by the way.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

**drie57** · 02-03-2019, 10:02

Would like to see the steps following and the finished product. Only for water? Asking for a friend.

**Ds J** · 02-03-2019, 11:55

Originally Posted by drie57

Would like to see the steps following and the finished product. Only for water? Asking for a friend.

Gert will give final answers. To my knowledge the leather is water proofed with a mixture of bees wax and olive oil. Anything that can harm this sealant should not be put into the bag.

**CorditeCrazy** · 02-03-2019, 13:41

Gert I really enjoy watching your projects

**Gert Odendaal** · 02-03-2019, 14:16

Correct, I will seal the inside stitching using a mixture that has been heated up containing Pine pitch or pine resin mixed with some beeswax ..this you pour into the bottle and let it run all along the stitching seems in the inside of the bottle...the after this you can melt some clean beeswax , pour this in the water bottle to seal the rest of the bottle in side...after this step you need to heat up the bottle without scorching the leather so the sealant will cover all surfaces in and at the outside of the bottel..
Then the process is completed ...I only pour water in my water bottles and nothing else..

**Gert Odendaal** · 03-03-2019, 20:22

Originally Posted by CorditeCrazy

Gert I really enjoy watching your projects

CorditeCrazy, it really is a privilege to me that members make time to follow these threads and projects, if I can not share this with someone it just make no sense at all, therefore I am fortunate that you and other members follow the progress done on the making these items . Members, thank you kindly again for making the effort to follow these threads, it really is a much, much appreciated by me...