Daniel Howell on the revival of folk crafts and traditional skills | Muzzle Blasts Podcast

Daniel is a young father in the Western United States.

We're talking with Daniel Howell this week. Daniel has been involved in rendezvous out west for many years now, but in adult life has transitioned into studying and living by "primitive skills". A woodworker by trade, Daniel has continued to travel back in time, so to speak, re-learning what our forefathers and mothers lived by. 

Daniel is from the western US, so we get into some of the history and differences between what he studies, versus what someone like me from east of the Mississippi river studies. We talk about the skills and craft behind muzzleloading, as well as its history in the United States and how muzzleloaders went hand in hand with skills like foraging, woodworking, blacksmithing and more.

Get 10% at the NMLRA store using the code "Podcast10" "

This week's episode is brought to you by Muzzle Loader Magazine. Since 1974, MUZZLELOADER has been the leading magazine devoted to  traditional black powder hunting and shooting. Each issue is jam-packed with articles on hunting, shooting, gunsmithing, do-it-yourself projects, living history,  American history, book and product reviews, and much more!

Links to topics discussed

Folk Craft Revival 

Daniel on Instagram

The Folk Craft Revival Podcast

Daniel's Suggested Resources for any newcomer

Find out more about the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association at our website - NMLRA.org

Muzzle Blasts on Instagram 

NMLRA on Facebook

NMLRA on Youtube

Muzzle Blasts Podcast

A special thanks this week to the guys at Primitive Pursuit for sponsoring the podcast! Primitive Pursuit was founded in 2017 to  be an outlet for learning experiences as a traditional bowhunter.

We couldn't have this conversation, the podcast or anything here at  the NMLRA without the support of our members. Everything we do is made  possible because of their generosity. Thank you.

Find out more about being a Member

Traditional Leather Hunting Gear - from "The Leatherman" Traditional Craftsman Spotlight

For our first NMLRA Craftsman spotlight, I’d like to feature “The Leatherman” from the NMLRA Commercial Row vendor space. Gary, of The Leatherman Traditional Leather Products Inc, has been a staple of Commercial row for many years now. If you’ve been to a traditional muzzleloading shoot or living history event, odds are you’ve seen his work quite a bit.

 “Our line of muzzle loading leather Possibles Bags and muzzle loading accessories is our main business and continues to grow with the continued interest in the arts and crafts of the Pennsylvania Long rifle and associated accoutrements of the 17th, 18th and 19th century’s. We have supplied countless hunters, re-enactors and collectors since 1997 with authentic representations of this American and European art form. “

The Leatherman Traditional Leather Products Inc. has been making leather muzzleloading products for the muzzleloading shooting sports since 1997 and in 2007 started developing a line of shotgun leather shooting products.

Source

An interview with Jeff Luke of Po Boy Gear on his new class, leather working, and more.

This article was transcribed from a video interview with Jeff. You can see the video with more information here

I got started in leatherwork about 12 years ago. Started off doing motorcycle seats, bags and so forth. I had a pretty good run but I just wasn’t passionate about it.Then I kind of fell into the affliction of being a part of the muzzleloading scene. I started buy and building muzzleloaders, and trying to figure out how I could take that leather and make it fit. I started doing bags, knife sheaths, flint wallets and really enjoyed it. I started researching the history of it and so fourth and now about 3 or 4 years later we’re going to be doing a class at the NMLRA Education Building in Friendship, Indiana. 

Jeff Luke of Po Boy Gear

We’re going to talk about the history of hunting/shooting bags, talk about the differences between those and say a possibles bag/haversack. Then we’ll go through and build a bag!

It’s basically kind of a no frills bag, kind of bag you might have seen in the 18th century on a frontiersman all across the country here as we were expanding west. We’ll start off with veg tanned leather, some thread, and a little time and patience and we’ll end up with a finished bag. 

This first class will be capped at 10 students, we might do a second one depending on the response of this first round and the outcome. 

Students don’t need to know anything about leatherworking whatsoever before taking the class. This will be an absolutely basic course for anyone with no knowledge or with a little. I’ll be doing some of the work for you, cutting out the main pieces. We’re going to let the students cut out their own choice of flap.Then we will go through the dying process with a few options of color there as well. We’re hoping that beginners as well as students with some experience can all enjoy the class and learn something new. 

If you’d like to see more of my work, you can look me up on facebook. I have a page “PoBoy Gear” where you can catch up with what I’m doing and what keeps me out of trouble. 

This is something I’m really looking forward to. I spend a lot of time on leatherwork, trying to refine the craft and improve with every piece I do. I thoroughly enjoy it. 

I’d like to thank the NMLRA for what they are doing to promote this hobby, this passion, this history, I think that is an important thing as we move forward and I appreciate all the work they are doing. 

Click HERE to register for this class.