Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: 4dog on June 14, 2013, 12:00:29 pm
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Made me quiver out of cowskin , (hair still on it), i have a question ,, what is the best way and quickest to waterproof it, went out for squirrels and rabbits the other day , live in texas so it was warm, lol, anyway, sweated on the strap and on the part across my back, needs waterproofed, any ideas?
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Here is the quiver , dont look at the arrows,, lol
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I heard that people used to harden leather with beeswax. Maybe that waterproofs also?
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Mink oil
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Mink oil,, lol,, i knew that, no really, thanks ;D
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Do you have prickly pear cactus in your area? The juice makes a pretty good waterproofing agent. Not quite as good as mink oil though. Josh
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4dog...One solution to that I've done is to make your strap out of a woven vegetable material.Instead of leather.Solves that problem of it getting sticky etc. sliding over your skin.Dries out quicker too.
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Gundoc,,,its growing in a garden outside my backdoor,,didnt know it had this use,,lol,,ya never know! Lol
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I know what you mean. It's always a good thing when you find another use for stuff growing in your yard! Josh
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The juice from prickly pear was traditionally used by Plains tribes as a waterproofing for rawhide containers.
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didn't know that about prickly pear juice as a waterproofer.
was speaking with a Seminole craftswoman some 15 years ago or so who brain tans deerskins and uses eyeballs
for a water repellant in her tanning process. butchers gave weird looks when she asked for a bucket of eyeballs.
I don't remember how they were used in the process, but she said it made rain just bead off braintanned clothing and evidently was a tradition among her family.
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:) Man I would like to hear more about the eye ball thing, like how many and when they were used. :)
Pappy
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And maybe do they help ya see whats behind ya,,that would be a plus....lol
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:) Man I would like to hear more about the eye ball thing, like how many and when they were used. :)
Pappy
Never heard of that technique, I'll have to keep an eye out for it on other forums, too! :o
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didn't know that about prickly pear juice as a waterproofer.
was speaking with a Seminole craftswoman some 15 years ago or so who brain tans deerskins and uses eyeballs
for a water repellant in her tanning process. butchers gave weird looks when she asked for a bucket of eyeballs.
I don't remember how they were used in the process, but she said it made rain just bead off braintanned clothing and evidently was a tradition among her family.
Coolest thing i ever heard of :o
And it puts a new meaning to eyeballin something ;D
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About the prickly pear juice... I object! ::)
It is NOT waterproof, nor does it make anything waterproof. In fact, the juice is highly soluble in water. It makes a nice skin lotion, though... so you will have nice soft skin in the area that touches the quiver.
It was used on parfleche to make the colors stand out. It makes the surface nice and shiny, like the glossy stuff they put on photos.
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Beeswax is your best bet. It's what the Romans used to waterproof their hide tents.
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Thinking im gonna need a boatload of beeswax,the quiver is not tapered,its my first quiver, didnt post it ,but will,hair is inside for stealth,its a good quiver ,but in texas now its africa hot,,lol,, as i sweat it drenches the strap.
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You can mix the beeswax half-and-half with some cheap paraffin wax, if you don't mind losing a little "primitiveness". :)
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Was that a crack at those crappy arrows , ignore em shootin wood with turkey fletch no >:Dw buddy!!.... >:D
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No, no wise cracks from me... this time. ;)
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Lol im learnin ,,im learnin.
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If i ever meet her again, i'll ask more about the eyeball thing too. She had quite a system of softening her buckskin too
afterbrained and wrung she'd put it in an old dryer with cedar chips and tumble it dry. not exactly primitive but definitely "some good NJNuity" :)
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I just turned an old Anorak into an Oil Skin Jacket by applying a mix of 500ml of raw linseed oil, 250gm of beeswax or paraffin wax, 50ml of mineral turpentine. It worked beautifully. This preparation was used in Centuries past to Waterproof Tarps, Leather etc. When used on Cloth it does stiffen the Cloth some but it does loosen some. On Leather it will stiffen it slightly but not enough to be of any concern
You apply the mix when it has solidified by rubbing it over the area to be waterproofed then heat it, a paint gun turned down on Low works well. AA Hair Dryer will work just fine also
It will stink of Linseed for a couple of weeks and a slight odour of Linseed will always be present but I like the smell
regards Jacko
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Wonder if that affects hunting at all? The linseed odor.
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Good question. BTW go to your local health-food store. Most likely you can get beeswax about .50-1.00$ per oz. I got a 10 oz chunk for $5.
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cotton wood smoke, this will make the quiver repellant to water but not water proof!
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4dog.....I hate saying this because I've had people say it to me but this leather getting sticky to your skin on a hot day thing could have been avoided by constructing the quiver with the hair side out.Your arrows in there would be just as quiet.In fact a quiver like yours is one of the quietest types made.Now about water proofing this paticular project.If your leather was chemically tanned anyway smoking it wo'nt make any difference and most any type wood used for smoking works.I've used hickory bark on countless brain tanned hides.Without smoking white brain tan it will turn back to rawhide when it gets wet.It's the tannin in the smoke that water proofs it and most woods have that in it.The leather will absorb moisture and be wet after a rain shower on it but after it dries out you can scuff it against itself and it will soften up again.Just use your quiver.If it gets wet let it dry and scuff it against each other and it'll be fine.Everybody wants a gaurantee on things.Things do not last forever and that's the bottom line.Enjoy it for years while you own it.Melting beeswax into your leather will help to a certain degree.
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Beadman, I made it to be reversable , and to an extant it is, i just havent put a strap on the hairside, the reality is i will most likely beeswax it, and put a strap to the hairside so i can in fact reverse it , just been doing other stuff, the hair is black, darkbrown, and white, should be plenty camoed, thanks for all the advice guys. Will post a pic of it reversed soon.
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Naturally, you know that prickly pear pads resist being messed with. We've removed about 1500 sq ft of them from our extended front yard. Seems someone before we owned the property thought getting rid of them was as easy as running over them with a brush hog. Not the way to do that job, honest. ;)
Waterproofing, I'll have to try that. I guess you skin off the green part and let the glue-like sap drip into a container?