My Projects This Week.

I made a hammer boot/cap for my pistol, & I made a loop stitched to the inside of my waist belt to better secure the short barrel on my pistol. I have not copied this from any period source, but it seemed a reasonable thing to do to solve the problem of my pistol falling out of the belt.
I oiled my waist belt, belt bag, fire-bag & moccasins, all were well overdue. I was amazed at how much the leather had dried out since its last greasing.

My Belt Pouch & Contents.

Belt pouch, fire-bag, tinderbox, fire steel, sundial compass, & fishing tackle tin.

Leather Pouches or Bags.

I have several leather pouches made to contain different materials. Drawstring pouches are good for any items that do not have to be kept dry. The closure on a drawstring pouch will not keep water out.
The easiest way to make a waterproof leather bag is to gather, fold and tie the top of the bag, or roll the top of the bag and of course grease it.

This drawstring fire-bag will work fine, so long as water can not get into the top. If submerged in water by a fall in the creek or the boat gets swamped, then the contents will get wet.

This fire-bag when the top is rolled down becomes half the size, and it will keep water out.

This gunpowder bag top has been gathered, folded over and then tied. Whether it contains gunpowder or spare tinder, it is important that no water gets inside. Food bags can be made and secured in the same fashion.

Part 2 of Getting Started in Historical Trekking.

How To Get Started In 18th Century Historical Trekking. Part 2.



You will need something to make fire. I suggest you make a fire-steel out of a piece of broken file. These items actually were used in the 18th century, either broken files were shaped by a blacksmith into a knife blade or a fire-steel, or the average person could use the broken piece to make a fire-steel as is.

This is one I made. I simply heated to cherry red in the fire, and let it cool slowly. Then I filed one edge smooth, heated to cherry red again and cooled it fast in water. It works very well, great shower of sparks.


A tinderbox is used to contain your tinder, it is also used to prepare plant tinders, and you can make fire directly from the tinderbox.

Here you can see two tinderboxes, my brass one on the left, and a lolly tin being used as a tinderbox on the right on top of a leather fire-bag.


This is my greased leather fire-bag which I keep my tinderbox in along with some small pieces of kindling and a beeswax candle stub. This is made out of clothing weight leather, which you can pick up at the op-shop in the form of leather coats, jackets and skirts etc.

My fire-bag is carried inside my belt pouch which is with me all the time, but you could start of by carrying yours in your knapsack.

This is my belt pouch which I made out of second hand bag leather. The brass buckle I found second hand at the local saddler’s. The belt I also bought at the op-shop. My fire-steel is tied to the pouch buckle and kept in the pouch.

It is always a good idea as Anne Bailey reminded us in a recent post, to carry some spare tinder in another container. I carry my spare tinder in my gunpowder bag when it is empty. When using it for gunpowder, I carry the tinder in another greased leather bag in my knapsack.

My gunpowder wallet or bag. This is clothing weight leather which you can get from second hand leather clothing in an op-shop. It is easy to sew.

The Gun, The Knife, And the Axe, Oh and don't forget the Tinderbox!

The gun, knife and axe have always been the symbols of the woodsmen and pioneers, with these tools they could/can survive in the wilderness indefinately. I suppose the tinderbox was taken for granted as it does not get a mention, or perhaps these hardy people depended on the flint lock for making fire. Certainly many old cabins still have the bullet holes in the interior walls to the left of the fireplace, this from people who forgot to plug the vent on a loaded gun before making fire with the lock. One spark to find it's way into the vent is all it took to fire the gun!
Fire has been important to man since it was harnessed/used in the paliolithic period. It cooked meat which helped older people eat and therefore they lived longer. Fire meant warmth in winter and it kept carnivourous animals away from the camp and sleeping places. It is said that fire was responsible for the first social groups, the warmth and protection bringing people together. Fire is still important.

"Fire and candle" was a term used in the 17th century meaning one's home or dwelling:
"And if any ffreeman should bee absent out of the Citty a space of Twelve moneths and not keep fire and candle and pay Scott and lott should lose his freedom."

"The Pattent with the rest of Papers needful Given to the Jury, and the Sheriffe sworn to Keepe them from fire & candles & etc untill they bringe in their verdict."
Colonial American English; Words and Phrases Found in Colonial Writing, now Archaic, Obscure, Obsolete, or Whose Meanings Have Changed. Richard M. Lederer, Jr. A Verbatim Book, Essex, Connecticut. 1985.

Not being able to make fire in the wilderness at best could mean a very uncomfortable night, and at worse, death.
“…rain began hammering down so heavily that, one hundred miles from the nearest trees, and with nothing available but moss, nobody could start a fire.”

Samuel Hearne, 1770.
“Fierce winds and blowing snow reduced the men to huddling among large rocks, unable even to start a fire.”
Samuel Hearne, Canada, 1770.
“This induced me to resolve not to travel more by land without my gun, powder and shot, steel, spunge (punk wood) and flint, for striking a fire…”
Patrick Campbell, 1792.

So the ability to make fire is important, so we should do all we can, even when using primitive methods, to make sure that our equipment is first class. Here are some things you can do within historical boundaries to ensure that you can make fire under the worst conditions.
1) Learn the skills involved in primitive fire lighting, whether it be flint and steel or some other method. Learn where to find dry kindling in wet weather, and what you can do if you run out of prepared tinder.
2) Make sure you are carrying with you: Dry prepared tinder; a small amount of dry kindling in the form of dried grass and twigs; keep your fire works in a greased fire-bag to keep them dry; and make sure your fire works are always with you even when you are not carrying your main pack.

My greased leather fire-bag which contains my tinderbox, some kindling, and a small beeswax candle for helping dry out damp kindling and making it burn.

My gunpowder bag which when empty of gunpowder contains spare tinder. This bag or wallet is also greased to make it water resistant.

“ takes fire readily from the spark of a steel: but it is much improved by being kept dry in a bag that has contained gunpowder.”

Samuel Hearne, Northern Canada, 1772