Sami Style Sewing Kit

As I was surfing the net the other day I came upon some photos of Sami style sewing kits that had been posted on Bushcraft USA. They were made from hollowed out sections of antler or bone and contained needles and thread. To make a short story shorter, I liked them and decided to make one for myself.

Sami refers to the indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. They are often refered to as Laplanders, but most Sami find this term perjorative.

To begin, I found a white tail antler shed in the shop and culled my pieces from it with a hacksaw. I then proceeded to hollow out the interior of the antler with a variety of drill bits and then finished the pieces with some sandpaper. I found it best to use a random orbital sander to get the smoothest and roundest edges possible.

The only piece of antler big enough to use had a tine protruding from it, and I realized it would make the perfect place to use as a needle push. How fortuitous! So I removed the tine with the hacksaw, to later be used as a toggle for a bag, and made a small indentation to hold the needle centered. It works perfectly, plus the contour of the antler makes for a solid grip and even has a small place for your thumb. The whole kit is just the right size to hold the needle and handle simultaneously.

The lanyard is made from artifical sinew that has been twisted together twice to made a very stout cordage. The kit itself contains two sharp needles and about five feet of easily splitable artifical sinew.

Carpenter's Hatchet

I have always wanted a good carpenter's hatchet. They just have a certain look that I find appealing. Pragmatic crossed with nostalgic. I don't know, but I needed one. I had been thinking I would find one at a random time in life, someplace like a garage sale or pawn shop. Well I got impatient, like I tend to do, and just bought one at an Ace Hardware. Then I proceeded to modify it.

The freshly purchased tool was covered in a glossy lacquer and VERY roughly shaped edges around the hammer side of the head. When I say rough, I mean I could have cut myself on the burrs. Plus it was embossed with an ugly "ACE" on the head and handle. It was $14. That's what you get I guess. So a few minutes with an angle grinder with a wire wheel, then a sanding disk smoothed out the head to a suitable condition. The handle was then stripped of it's gloss, and logo, as well.

Next was a degreasing and a bluing of the head with gun bluing. Just something to patina the steel a little. Then a couple coats of tung oil on the handle. A sharpening, some oil, and a quick axe mask later and there you have it. Something worth toting around. Maybe someday I can use it to build a cabin.

Leather Mora Classic Knife Sheath

While working to entertain myself the other day I decided to make a new leather sheath for my buddies Mora Original. Upon completion I informed him I was trading him for my Mora Clipper with Kydex sheath (It was a "Gentleman's" trade). So needless to say I was pretty happy with the outcome.

The sheath was wet formed around the knife. I did not stain the leather and did a simple coat of mink oil in it when I was finished. If I had some SnoSeal I would have used it.

I used artificial sinew for all of the stitching and cordage. I did a two strand twist to form the cordage used for the neck loop and an additional four feet worth of it wrapped around the sheath for the hell of it. There are a couple loops at the end of the cordage pieces for attaching little things that might need to be tethered to you. All in all, a success.