Doc Paul's Salt Horn.

One of the best replica salt horns I have seen, lovely work. Not too flashy, but tasteful.

Photo & horn by Paul J Schonbrun.

The Aboriginal Heritage Museum and Keeping Place.

http://www.aboriginalheritage.org/museum/

Augers & Gimlets.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/254146992/Tools-Braces-Drills-Augers-Gimlets#

Useful Australian Plants.

A bracket fungus, Ryvardenia Cretacia. Near Armidale New England NSW. Used as tinder for fire lighting (Photo By the author).

Whether Historical Trekking or working at home, it is useful to have some knowledge of Australian plants. Many of us prefer to interpret life in the New World, but in order to fully experience the lifestyle in the 17th & 18th centuries, we must use the materials available here in Australia.

http://www.mountgambier.sa.gov.au/docs/environmental/natural/indigenous-plant-guide-LOWRES%20FINAL%20Edition%201_2013-07-23.pdf

http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens/pubs/aboriginal-plantuse.pdf

http://www.arrawarraculture.com.au/fact_sheets/pdfs/14_Leaves.pdf

Education in the America (17th & 18th centuries)

Courtesy: The Free Library of Philadelphia

Colonial schoolmaster and student. The Carpenters' Company not only helped educate children of deceased members but often found them positions as apprentices.

The Indian Hide Canoe

Moose Hide Canoe ~ 1968 from Ferdy Goode on Vimeo.

More Here: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=1adokGCe08oC&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=indian+hide+canoe&source=bl&ots=uWVV0GUNgL&sig=IW484oJwZYv1aZUOoO5kdCANfzI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6J_7VK6rKInZ8gWU2IGIBA&ved=0CEoQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=indian%20hide%20canoe&f=false

Early Settlers of New England (Salem 1626-1629) Complete 1940 Encyclopaedia Britannica Films

Making A Simple Leather Sword Scabbard Frog. Short Video.

No special tools used during this construction. I made my own awl, and I cut the leather with my clasp knife. I used a fire log to place the leather on to make the holes. It took me about an hour to make.

Yeoman's Leather: Improved photographs

This blog belongs to one of our group members.
Keith.


Yeoman's Leather: Improved photographs: Hi all, I recently got a light tent which will allow me to take some better pictures of my projects, here are a couple for you to enjoy. ...

Second Hand French Butcher Knife Conversion.

This is a good alternative for a Living Historian who can't afford to purchase a custom knife or even one off the shelf. This conversion takes it from a riveted 20th century knife to a pinned 18th century style knife. 

 Before.

 Before.

 Before.

 The tang after the removal of the 20th century handle.

 After. The new handle is pinned with hand forged nails.

 New handle rubbed with lindseed oil. I think I will soak it in lindseed oil.

 

Butcher Knife Conversion Part 3.

Making a Bark Liner for a Knife Sheath. Video

How To Make Wool Buttons. A Link.

Ready to wear (1640s style)

http://thegoodwyfe.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/how-to-make-wool-buttons.html

Wax Tablets.

The use of wax tablets for writing goes back to the middle ages. The early ones were sometimes in book form, the hinges being of leather thong. These were wooden pages, inletted to allow the pouring of wax. These pages of wax-filled wood could be used over & over because the wax could be smoothed over ready for new writing.

These beeswax tablets could be of plain beeswax, or they were some times coloured black, green or red.

This wax tablet book is undated.

Late 17th century. The writing stylus for this wax tablet book is shown below.

Note the top of this stylus is shaped for smoothing the surface of the wax tablet, erasing previous writing.

This is an early 17th century German wax tablet leather case with tablets.

http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~37057~102693:Writing-tables--manuscript-,-late-1;jsessionid=6B2AEACB7224F34CA6CE9E80B36832A4?trs=5&sort=Call_Number%2CAuthor%2CCD_Title%2CImprint&qvq=q%3Atablet%3Bsort%3ACall_Number%2CAuthor%2CCD_Title%2CImprint%3Blc%3AFOLGERCM1%7E6%7E6&mi=4

http://classes.bnf.fr/dossisup/grands/ec011a.htm

How to make wax tablets: http://www.randyasplund.com/pages/article/waxedtabletstylus.html

A Nice Legging Knife Made By One Of Our Forum Members.

This image is COPYRIGHT Vieuxbois
Vieuxbois lives in Quebec & made this lovely legging knife from an old cleaver blade. This is my kind of knife, I love it.

18th Century Brooch For Securing My Half-Blanket.

A close-up of the brooch I made from a brass ring which was a part of an old halter I had. I just added the brass pin. This is a copy of an 18th century original brooch.

On the right this brass pin is bent around the ring. If you are going to make one, do not heat the brass to bend, it will break. Always bend brass cold.

Some info on Grease Lamps on Frontier Carpenter.

http://frontiercarpenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/imagine-how-much-we-depend-upon.html

Editor's Note: I used to melt our fat in water to make the tallow. Sometimes changing the water several times after letting it cool. Salt & heavy particles sink to the bottom, leaving the refind tallow on the surface. We lived for 20 years or so without electricity & used tallow candles & fat lamps for lighting. These were the days of early to bed & early to rise.

Keith.

That Time of Year.

That Time Of Year.

Had I not been in hospital, I should have written this way before Xmas. Never mind, better late than never.  For some of us this is the season for historical trekking, regardless of whether you are in the Northern or Southern hemisphere. Personally I dislike trekking & camping in summer in Australia, I prefer the winter, though actually right now there is a cool breeze blowing through the forest & it is very pleasant out.

  For me this is a time to check over my gear in readiness for winter. There are rarely any repairs to do these days, because I tend to repair items of gear & clothing whilst in camp. But for many newbies there may still be period items to improve on or add to your gear. Not that I am recommending that you add more stuff, but some small items are indispensible. Such as thread winders.

Copies of originals are generally not expensive, and they are very easy to make yourself from bone or horn. In the 18^th century linen and silk thread came in skeins, and for use they required winding on to a thread winder. Of course you could just use a piece of stick, but a proper thread winder takes up little room in the sewing kit and looks good as well.

My sewing kit or "housewife". Another easy item to make. The pin cushion on the end I stuffed with natural greasy fleece. In the pocket I have beeswax, more linen thread, and sinew for repairing the soles on my moccasins and some spare bone buttons.

There are various styles of thread winders, but this style I found the easiest to make. I made this one from horn.

Spools of silk thread a close friend sent me as a gift. I need to transfere some of this thead on to thread winders. Silk is very strong and can be used as fishing line. Traditionally it has been used for making fishing flys. Some of this will go into my fishing kit.

Trailer-Cobbling Soles on Moccasins & Shoes.

There are two videos on Cobbling Soles on Moccasins & Shoes, and both are on my Primitive Skills 2 DVD. This is just the first half of the first video.

Hurdle Making.