Varnish

Sunday, January 20, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ 7 Comments

The next step in finishing the pack frame…

Here’s a detailed photo of the naked frame with an initial coat of oil & pine-tar coating. This will weatherproof the whole thing and make the rawhide less appealing to critters (I caught my dog licking one of the lashings this morning). This mixture is about 60% boiled linseed oil and 40% Stockholm pine-tar, an ancient coating used on just about everything in pre-industrial northern Europe. It should dry in a day or two and be ready for a second thin coat later in the week.

Field Testing

Wednesday, January 16, 2013Wednesday, February 27, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ 7 Comments

Field testing the nearly finished rucksack. It still needs a few closures and bits but is essentially as finished as anything I make. It’s poorly packed for a quick hike and not very full. More pictures to follow when I get some time off to tramp around with it.

Features: Heavy, waxed canvas truck tarp with 10-12 oz leather straps and all brass hardware. It has an axe sleeve, two long, exterior pockets, small flap pocket, two narrow pen-type sleeves, interior valuables pocket, compression D-rings on sides, D rings for shelter roll, and loops for carabiners.