Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Fall is coming on fast, which means our three meat goats are shortly heading into the freezer.

I'm intending on processing the hides as well, and I've been thinking about making a real old-time waterskin from one of them.
I know the bladder was sometimes used as a liner - has anyone seen how-to's on that part of the process? I've made hardened waterbottles from leather, and even a bota-type waterskin using a modern platypus type bottle as a liner, but I'd like to experiment with the real thing.

Any leads from you fine folk?

Thinking about some deer bladders kicking around somewhere, I wonder if other stretchy, smooth muscles (uterus? pericardium?) might work as containers. From what I've seen, buffalo or cow bladders look to be about liter sized when full.

However...here's a great video of Spanish bota making. Looks like the skins are tanned hair-on! (But what tanning method???) Lay out the pattern, cut out piece, then clip the hair short around the 'seam allowance'. Pieces are trimmed to fit, machine sewn & serged, and turned hairside in. Then the waterproofing substance--brewer's pitch? pine tar?--is allowed to coat the (hairy) inside, excess poured out. Put the spout in the opening and tie it off tightly.

My bladder doesn't seem to hold water very long...........then again I'm 59.

One member of my Viking group led a class in making leather water bottels. Here's what I can pass on:
- Choose belly hide, which is the most stretchy part of the cow skin. It's usually the cheapest as well.
- Sew the halves together as well as you can. "Double" everything of course.
- Soak the leather in water.
- Pack it full of sand to stretch it into a globular shape.
- Let it dry like this.
- Empty out the sand.
- Melt pitch and beeswax 50%/50% and coat the inside of the bottel.

I had a web page on this, once upon a time. Here's one picture from it:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/114841859220996838/

While this method, Kortoso, works well (called a Costrel, among other names) and is used by a number of us on the forum here, myself included, I think what Elleth is looking for is an alternate means, more in-line with the use of actual organs, or whole goatskins, etc., as was common. Good information, nonetheless.

Thanks all!

Well.. the meat is hanging to cure, the hides are stretched.. the offal.. rmm. Decided not to do anything with that. Perhaps it would be different if we'd starved the sweet dears first for a day or so, but we decided against it. I'd rather they be happy and content right up to the end.

Anyhow - yes Greg, that's right. I've tried a leather water bottle before - did okay, but always wanted something a little closer to Sam's waterskin.

Udwin - that is PERFECT! Thank you thank you thank you! I'll have to watch that a few more times, but I think that's the process I want exactly.

More skin processing and a lot of butchery later today.
But first - time to get out for one more walk before the leaves are all gone.