Now that we live in Linstock House, this chore is not so easy. I have to place my moccasins under the wood burning stove to dry & warm, & I have to place the grease in the open oven to melt. The hardest part is not getting the grease all over the slate kitchen tiles! Not a comfortable chore anymore, but I get the job done.
"Their Shoes,when they wear any are made of an entire piece of Buck-Skin; except when they sow a piece to the bottom, to thicken the Soal. They are fasten'd on with running Strings , the Skin being drawn together like a Purse on top of the Foot,and tyed round the Ankle. The Indian name of this kind of Shoe is Moccasin"
Chapter One: Of The Indians & Their Dress.
The History and Present State of Virginia,in Four Parts:
By Robert Beverly, 1705
By Robert Beverly, 1705
2 comments:
Hi Le Loup! Thank you for this fantastic blog. I want to become a woodrunner her in Norway, where the nature is still rough. To start I will make myself a pair of buckskin moccasins, but know I wonder how often I have to grease them. Do I need to grease them whenever I have dried them by the fire? What is the ratio you use in your grease? 50% tallow & 50% beeswax?
Hi Daniel. Much depends on the weather, I grease them more often in wet weather. Yes I would say you are right, every time you dry them out (slowly, low heat!), give them a greasing.
The ratio is up to you really, but 50/50 is good. The more beeswax the longer it lasts.
Regards.
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