Classic Leather Water Bottle, from Make: Blog

[von Corax]

Spotted an article on today's Make: blog, which links to a rather interesting phototutorial on the Bushcraft USA forum on how to make a leather water flask. It's my impression that the tutorial author uses this process to make flasks for sale.

How-To: Classic Leather Water Bottle

Hope someone finds this useful.

[Dove]

That.Is.Awesome.

Now I'll have to make a flask to match my field guide books (that still needs to be made!) I bet the creative people here could come up with some amazing things!

[Prof Marvel]

Thanks for the link - it is an excellent tutorial for the construction of the common leather flask which is historically correct for use from the Victorian era back as early (at least) as the 1600's.

I myself am most familiar with them as powder, shot, or tobacco flasks  as used by the Spaniards in their early invasion of the Americas, and the usage spread thence throughout North America; Similarl leather containers were in widespread use anywhere leather was crafted.

I do take exception to using a leather container (even wax or pitch coated) as a drinking flask. I have found that the waterproofing seems to leave an unpleasant flavor. An expediant I have used it to make a similar leather device, but to construct it as a "wrapper" so to speak around a glass bottle. It disguises the bottle, provide carrying strap attachments, and lends a much better  flavor.

As an aside, Whilst I understand that Native Americans and Japanese have used hollowed and dried gourds as beverage bottles, I have yet to have used one succesfully since any waterproofing seems to lend such a flavor.

yhs
prof marvel

[MistressMagpie]

Prof. Marvel: What sorts of waterproofing have you tried? Does beeswax v. paraffin make a difference? And have you ever messed with any polymer sealants? I've got a half-hide of 10oz that needs projects... I think it might be a bit (a lot) heavy for this one, but it might be good for larger vessels... Anyway-- yes. I am curious, and you seem to be significantly more knowledgeable about this than I.

[Prof Marvel]

Greetings my Dear Mistress Magpie -

My experience so far has been with beeswax, parafin, some sort of cactus juice, and an unknown polymer. These were  flasks belonging to other's ,
and usually during hot summer weather in the Rocky Mountain regions, where ambient summer temperature can exceed 100 deg F.  The parafin was the least unpleasant, but in that heat still left a ... parafinny flavour. Over time as the flasks continued to be used there is also the possiblity that the lining becomes cracked or otherwise compromised in some manner

Interestingly I have not found issue with correctly made wooden vessels (of appropriate woods) such as wooden milk/water bucket or wooden canteens.

Whilst parafin and beeswax are known to be rather inert I have even found some commercially available plastic whiskey flasks to leave a flavour in water. Specifically designed plastic water bottles do not seem to bother my pallet, and  Aluminum and Stainless flasks are not too bad so it is entirely possible that I am simply too delicate :-)

yhs
prof marvel

Why Professor - you're no daisy at all. Poor soul, you were just too high strung. ...

[grimnir]

Hmm, just found this one - Eric is UK-based and does custom leather work. He's also a Mountain-Man era re-enactor and really good bloke all round. You can find him on bushcraftuk.com as well as the USA site. You should see his tooled leather flasks...

[Professor J. Cogsworthy]

it is pretty easy to do.....

[Uncle Arthur]

Brewers pitch is the common product for waterproofing leather flasks.
http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?products_id=373