Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Craftsmanship => Accoutrements => Topic started by: The Miner '49er on June 03, 2023, 04:05:12 PM
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Would anyone know a source for a small piece, maybe 10"x10" and 1/8 to 3/16 thick of rawhide? I'd like to try my hand at wetting the hide, forming it, and letting it dry to fashion a petunk. All my online research, Tandy, etc., offers larger pieces at about $30. And completed petunks are about double that. Much too $$$ for a wild hair project. AFAIK tanned leather won't form and harden near as well as rawhide.
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What's a "petunk"? :)
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I figured that would be the #1 reply! :) I never heard of or saw one until I went to the Grassy Run, mini rondy, in Goshen, OH a few weeks ago. A petunk is a hard leather bottle shaped container with a wooden stopper. It's used to carry and dispense balls. My idea is to first buy a pocket flask of my fav whisky, enjoy that, and then use the bottle to form the wet rawhide around it in a clamshell. After drying and removing the glass, it would just be some punching, stitching, and then strap and stopper making. Voila, petunk, slam dunk! (sorry, I couldn't help myself).
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I guess I've made dozens of "petunks" over the years and didn't even know it. :bl th up :laffing
I use wet rawhide to form a pouch and fill it with sand until it dries, then I dump the sand out and carve a plug to use as a "stopper".
I've got these made up to hold round balls, as well as shot. :)
I've never bought a small piece of rawhide so I can't help you regarding that, as I buy whole hides.
Rawhide is VERY useful for many many things. :bl th up :bl th up
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I'd try a local arts and crafts store, i.e Michael's or Hobby Lobby. They often have small pieces of leather for projects.
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That's a good thought, but our local Michael's and Hobby Lobby stores, as well as the local native American shop, just have tanned, supple leather pieces. I expected that most stores would have the nice leather for sale but didn't expect that the less processed raw leather would not only be hard to find but also would have a higher price tag. Maybe I ought to rethink this. I can buy a plastic pocket-sized bottle of hooch, drink it, cover it with a piece of tanned leather, refill it with booze, as needed, and continue to use a screw top pill bottle for the lead balls. :P That might be a win-win solution as long as I don't drink and drive or drink and shoot! :o Before someone gets concerned, I'm just kidding. :laffing
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Depending on the size of the bottle shape you want.... an extra large rawhide bone for dogs may work, they're pretty cheap, drop it in a bucket of water for a couple 3 days, then peel it apart, take the pieces you want to use and staple them to a board so they dry flat and your off and running, regular 6/8 oz veg tan leather works very well for ball bags, i have made 300+ using veg tan and it holds form very well, can always be jacked to be made harder.
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Beaverman beat me to the punch :toast; I too suggest going to the pet section at your favorite box store and pick up an extra large rawhide dog chewy. One of my neighbors does that on a regular basis for self bow handle wraps.
~Kees~
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Beaverman, Winter Hawk, and No Powder all have suggested the dog bone, so I started soaking one yesterday. I bought a white one w/o the knots at the ends. I have unrolled it and it appears to be smooth and of uniform thickness and more than large enough if I cut it properly. Time will tell if my princely $3.79 cash outlay can be turned into something resembling the $50 petunks. If successful, I'll post some pics.
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:hairy
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If you don't succeed
https://www.etsy.com/listing/678416303/goat-rawhide-skins-unbleached-goatskin?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_d-books_movies_and_music-music-musical_instruments-drums_and_percussion-other&utm_custom1=_k_EAIaIQobChMIqtfh0_Gs_wIV197ICh2JJw40EAQYBCABEgIZB_D_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_12573075961_119955083696_507798477321_pla-314551267820_c__678416303_14319171&utm_custom2=12573075961&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqtfh0_Gs_wIV197ICh2JJw40EAQYBCABEgIZB_D_BwE
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Thanks PetahW, if the dog let's me down I'll try the goat. At this point in time I have the hide formed and clamped around a liquor flask that I remembered was a gift from many moons ago. It is drying in the sun and appears to be taking shape as I had hoped. Time will tell.
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The petunk project turned out to my satisfaction. I recently read that rawhide was the native American and early settlers kydex, and that sure is true. When that soaked dog chew dried it became amazingly hard and stiff. The attached pics tell most of the story of how it was made. If the stopper strongly resembles a champagne cork, there's a reason for that. BTW, after it dried and I removed the flask, I used a 1/16" bit to drill holes for the stitching. It would have been impossible to do it any other way. Thanks to the guys who suggested the dog chew.
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Well done ! ! :hairy :bow :toast
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Well, that explains how you got the bottle out! I had visions of it being one piece wrapped around the bottle, and wondered how you were going to remove the form. Definitely well done as PetahW put it!
~Kees~
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:hairy :hairy 2 thumbs up!