Yard Sale finds today.

[Adam Helmer]

Today I stopped by a local yard sale and spent $3.00 for 3 cow's horns. Two were large and one was small-just right for a priming horn as in days of yore.

I took the horns to my shop and fiddled about measuring, scribing and sawing wood for a plug on the big ends of the horn and making a plug for the small ends. I glued in wood plugs and then installed 3 brass screws around the perimeter to secure the glue joint on each horn. The glue dried ok and my whittled small plugs are now secured on the small ends with rawhide thongs. I fitted longer leather thongs to each to make a neat powder horn for the field.

I like powder horns and if I leave powder long-term in a horn, I put it inside a large plastic bag to ward off moisture. I use a .45/70 brass cartridge case attached to each large horn for a powder measure.

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Dang it, Adam! You come across some pretty cool things at the garage sales in your neighborhood......all we can find around here are baby clothes and glassware.:p

You have all the luck.....I bet you could fall in a sewer and come up holding a 25 lb Largemouth!

Enjoy your find.....looking forward to the finished product.;)

[Johnny Reb]

Boy, some people just have all the luck. Good find Adam

[Adam Helmer]

Today at a yard sale I picked up a nice leather shoulder bag (purse) and a canvas purse that neatly double as possibles bags. They cost me $.25 each.

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Today at a yard sale I picked up a nice leather shoulder bag (purse) and a canvas purse that neatly double as possibles bags. They cost me $.25 each.


O.K., now your just rubbing it in...............

[Johnny Reb]

Adam, I'm going down to Gettysburg in 2 weeks and I go through Mansfield, looks like I'll have to stop and shop around at some Garage sales. I'm sure my wife won't mind.

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

If you want my canvas possibles bag, the cost is 25 cents! LOL. Send me a PM with your home address and I will send you the canvas bag because I have enough bags to share with a pal. I have 8 possibles bags on establishment and one less will not matter to me, especially if I can donate a bag to a nice fellow.

Be well.

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Hello Adam;
Thanks for the kind offer, but I was just kiddin' yah.....I plan on trying to make my own this summer; the latest issue of "Backwoodsman" magazine has an article on how to do it.

[buckhunter]

Those aren't possible bags the are modern Man Purse's.

[Adam Helmer]

buckhunter,

Yes, you are right, "They are modern Man Purse's." They are now and were way back when the buckskin trousers had NO pockets. I read accounts of the linen shirt held close to the midsection by a belt so the individual could put tow, jerky, tobacco and stuff inside his shirt and not have it hit the ground. The "Possibles Bag" got that name because it was "Possible" to find about anything in it.

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard/read somewheres that the "possibles' bag is NOT the same as the shooting bag....the latter held the hunter/trappers ball, spare flints/caps, cleaning gear, patch, patch knife, ect. The possibles bag held other items such as playing cards, tobacco, flint & steel, maybe some trade silver, some sugar, tea, or salt, ect.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Those aren't possible bags the are modern Man Purse's.

....and they are not man purses; they are European shoulder bags (to borrow a line from the progressive insurance commercials):D

......and if anyone wants to try making fun of my beaded shooting bag, all I can say is I need to try out my new scalping knife that I made.:p

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,
Good question about bags. The Eastern Longhunters that I read about going to Kentucky travelled light on foot with maybe a pack horse. Most carried a bullet board-a wooden holder of 6 or 8 patched roundball on a thong around their neck. They carried a powder horn, and in some cases also had a small priming horn. The possibles bag held the spare flints, tools etc. I will now do more reading on my favorite era, the French & Indian War, on the Pennsylvania frontier.

The later era of Mountain Men were generally mounted on horses and may have had both types of bags that the horse carried along with the Longhunter.

Adam

[Ontario Hawken]

Not sure if this is a find, but I went to the local fabric store and found shoe canvas material that is very close to pillow ticking in thickness and weave. It cost $8.00 per metre (plus 40% off on sale). Once I told the clerk what I needed, and compared it to the sample patch I brought with me, it for she was very helpful and found what I needed.

I'm going to try this new patch material over the weekend and see how it compares to the ones from Traditions.