Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
I think of this type of bag as a forager bag, mainly because it is the type I carried in the late 80s while working on a High Adventure summer program teaching outdoor skills. It's really just a classic shooting bag; the type that could be found just about anywhere in North America or Europe … Continue reading Hunter’s Pouch
Images from Mendel, A.D. 1425. I'm dedicating the next few weeks to my small leatherwork business. When I'm making things with my hands and simple tools, I feel a real connection with our ancestors. It's nice to get lost in the projects and learn new techniques along the way. When I'm away from this portion … Continue reading Leatherwork is Timeless
I like to add a little character and variety, even if I'm just making the same thing again and again. I want to believe that this is what my ancestors would have done, toiling away in the craft to make a living. It keeps things interesting and more human than the soulless, mass-produced consumables. Here's … Continue reading Catching Up
I decided that my kit bags, although nearly perfect for their function, could use a little more room. Outdoorsmen and women can never have too many nooks and crannies about themselves to store little necessities. With this in mind, I have made the bellows sides bigger to accommodate about an inch in thickness. It might … Continue reading Improving on a Design
These Flint and Steel Fire Kits are hard to keep in stock. Since I don't mass-produce things, I'm pretty slow at filling the shop. We did well enough last year that I still haven't caught up but hope to in the coming weeks and months. Please check out the shop and consider making it a … Continue reading Fire Kits Again
The shop has been a little slow with outside projects and day work taking over my hours. However, I do get a few things done along the way and some projects are coming to a completion. I have a load of FLINT & STEEL fire kits on the way for late winter purchase and have … Continue reading Fire Kits on the Production Bench
Here are some throwback photos from Ghillie shoe making classes from 2009 and 2011. The first pair is from a small class at the Bois d'Arc Rendezvous in southwest Missouri (note the lush green of late summer). Maybe not as sexy as the arrow-making class but it is a very real and useful skill. I … Continue reading Ghillie Shoe Class
This post came from looking through a few class photos from Rabbitstick several years ago based on an inquiry. This is one of the years I taught my favorite sandal design, an ancient one though still cleverly marketed as a modern style. I call them saint sandals as they look like something you would see … Continue reading Sandals
I'm happy to say that I will be heading to the annual primitive skills gathering known as Winter Count down in the Sonoran Desert. Thankfully, it has moved to a more remote location further into the desert and far away from the Phoenix sprawl.I will be teaching a course that I have been doing for … Continue reading Winter Count is Coming
I've been working on a new hand reel to keep in my pack with my travel fishing kit. I didn't have much of a plan when I started so I drilled out a couple of one-inch holes a little further apart than the width of my hand and started from there. The wood came from … Continue reading Fishing Reel
I've added a photo gallery in the sidebar to the right of the main blog feed. I think nearly all these projects have been shared here over the years but this makes for easy viewing. I'll continue to add images and re-post some older work as I get time so please check back feel free … Continue reading Photo Gallery
Sewing I do quite a bit of sewing and I feel it is an essential skill for nearly everyone. My sewing includes new buckskin trousers, cotton shirts, shoes, a few leather bags, backpacks, and repairs to clothes to name just a few projects. All this has caused me to think about sewing without manufactured goods. … Continue reading Primitive (but useful) Sewing Kit
I made it out for a brief stay in the eastern Ozarks this week. The rain and cold came back just in time for my outing making it a little less comfortable than it could have been but I still enjoyed the time out. I chose to stay fairly low-tech with the exception of a … Continue reading Cozy Camp
https://www.youtube.com/embed/i0foHjPVbP4?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent The existence of ovens like this is easily documented for the 18th century. In fact, just about every ancient culture had a very similar oven. There’s one particular wood cut illustration from medieval times depicting an earthen oven built on a wagon. There are references in 18th century literature and also archaeological evidence that … Continue reading How to Build an Earthen Oven — Savoring the Past
Something to keep in mind when learning a new skill. A Primitive Technology Disclaimer. I firmly believe that in Preindustrial Societies, the onus of learning was on the pupil. Anyone who wants to succeed will find a way to learn. Real learning is an active endeavor. We learn best by carefully observing and doing. There … Continue reading Disclaimer
One of the many things taught at Winter Count this year was shoe making in the form of carbatina or ghillies. These are relatively simple shoes notable for their one piece construction and generally involve very little sewing. I am interested in how things are learned and for me, the process is more important than … Continue reading Ghillie Making at Winter Count 2014
There’s been a noticeable increase in crafted products over the last 5 years.
From Artisan Bread, Chocolate and Beer to handcrafted bicycles, bags and belts. Crafts have been celebrated in books, documentaries and Design fairs. Artists like Joana Vasconcelos have adopted crafts such as crochet and lace for their chosen media, and even graffiti has taken a crafted turn with new techniques in stenciling and knit-bombing. With significant developments in progressive crafts such as digicraft, many industrial designers are also turning to craft values instead of the traditional industrial ones.
But why is it that in today’s increasingly technological culture is there also such a strong crafts vibe?
A successful exhibition titled POWER OF MAKING at the V&A in London recently celebrated this craft resurgence and presented some reasons for it. A few of the exhibiting artists, designers and craftspeople like Ji Yong-Ho and Demakersvan have already…
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I am very interested in the European Upper Paleolithic. There are many amazing artifacts of antler and bone known from good archaeological contexts. Having lugged a load of antler and bones around over the last several years, it seemed to be time to make some new goodies. I went through a phase 15-20 years ago … Continue reading Antler Points
The culture of off-beat primitive technology gatherings has grown and morphed into many forms around the continent and I suspect, around the world. Certainly, when I was a school kid, I didn't know of anything approaching the types of gatherings we enjoy today. I guess the closest thing we had were Larry Dean Olsen's practical … Continue reading Primitive Technology Gatherings
And in some spare time, I carved a spear thrower inspired by the an Old World Upper Paleolithic design. This one is made from seasoned shagbark hickory (carya ovata) from my old farm. It would certainly be handy as a multi-purpose tool to a hunter-gatherer and could easily serve as a club or throwing stick … Continue reading Spear Thrower
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 