Middle Earth Ranger Forum

When I make bottles, I use an air compressor rather than packing it with sand. It blows the sides out and dries it in the same process. Speeds up the work.

Interesting concept. Could you provide pics or a video ?

Rysgil wrote:When I make bottles, I use an air compressor rather than packing it with sand. It blows the sides out and dries it in the same process. Speeds up the work.

I use a simillar technique, air compressor & ballons.

I've been putting off doing one of these because of the sand and mess. This solution resolves that so I'll have to give it a whirl.

Not at this time except for maybe a an unfinished bottle. When I moved last year to VA, Pops took possession of my compressor and hasn't given it back. But I'll see what I can come up with.

Sand? Messy? There are messier things, that's for sure...

The "barrel" type of leather canteen looks like it was pretty common in the middle ages.

Another (less messy) historical technique was the use of wooden molds. I recall seeing some that look like their molds were made on a lathe, giving the finished canteen a "disk-like" appearance. I can't find the pics and webpage at the moment, but you get the idea.

Here are a couple of folk who made costrels without sand:
https://leatherworkingreverend.wordpres ... er-bottle/
https://sevenstarwheel.wordpress.com/20 ... d-testing/