Killin' time
  Some say retirement will drive a person crazy.
I was lucky .. I was already half way there.  At first
I was fine.  Weather was warm, fish were biting and
deer season was just around the corner.  That's all
behind me now.  Boat is in storage, deer season ,
although loads of fun, was uneventful.   The fear
of having to finish up some projects I started around
the house had me searching for a new pastime. 
   Enter muzzle loader season.   I have always had a
passion for the olden times.  Buckskinners, trekkers,
mountain men and their ways always interested me.
So naturally, spending a week running around the
woods with an old black powder rifle and missing way
too many deer sorta lit the fuse.  Off to the hobby closet
I went to retrieve a couple projects I had started quite a few
years ago.  A few trips to Craft 2000, a few swipes of the
debit card and I'm back in full swing.   Deer antlers no
longer hung idly in the basement.  They became
knife handles, buttons and such.  Old leather welding
aprons went under the knife to become possible bags
ball bags and all sorts of stuff.  Nice clear oak boards I
had planed down for drawer sides for my train cabinet
were put under the saw for tinder boxes and such.   Period
lighting was need of course so candle lamps were next
on the list.  Nothing was spared.  I even had to cut up one
of my tee-shirts for cotton material to make char cloth.
(FYI must be 100% cotton..Don't ask me how I know
polyester blends don't work at all )   The Internet is full
of ideas and I felt the need to try them all.  The one thing
I did struggled with (yet unfinished) was the sewing part
of the bag making.  Did fine with the leather but  in trying
to make a pillow ticking liner for the bag .. the sewing
machine turned me everywhere but lose !  I think I'll
finish that project by hand.  (they probably didn't have
Singer machines in the 1800's anyway )  I'll include a few
photos if they turn out but don't expect much.  not exactly
craftsman quality but serviceable and I had fun and that's
what it's all about !    Hopefully I'll be able to do some
primitive camping this summer and try some of this stuff out.
Just in case ,for the last two days I've been assembling a
survival kit and a pop can alcohol survival stove simply
because I know the limits to my 'mountian man' skills.


                       Patch Knife .. worn around neck to trim the cloth patch on the round ball   (bullet) 
                                                                 when loading a  muzzle loading rifle.

 

Tinder box .. holds Char cloth and a small bag of dry tinder for starting a fire

with flint and steel.

                 Candle lamp .. with tin reflector.  not a very good one..lol  better ones coming I hope

 

Misc knives, pipe and such

                          Cooking char cloth in airtight box.  used to catch sparks for fire making