Restoring and Preserving our Heritage in Somerset County, Berlin, Pennsylvania thru Colonial Crafts and Gifts.
This muzzloader long-rifle is an early combination Dickert Style muzzleloader. I know this era may a bit early for German Silver hardware.
This muzzleloader long-rifle was built upon customer request, also with no carvings.
It has a Green Mountain Barrel and a .54 cal. Dale Johnson Lock by Chambers, re-modified. This muzzloader long-rifle is Sold.
This 50 Caliber Lancaster County Schimmel Longrifle , Steve made from curly maple. The Lancaster County Schimmel has a Swamp Rice Barrel and a Jim Chanbers Siler lock. This Lancaster County Schimmel Longrifle is Sold.
This Muzzleloader, a Replica of a John Brooks Longrifle was built by Steve. This 50 caliber John Brooks Longrifle has a Swamped Getz Barrel. This John Brooks Longrifle is made from curly maple wood and has a Siler Lock . Click on each picture of this replica of a John Brooks Longrifle to see the details of Steve’s carving and engraving on this muzzleloader. This Replica of a John Brooks Longrifle is Sold.
This 45 Caliber Muzzleloader English Pistol, Steve carved from a piece of black walnut. This English Pistol has an Octagon to Round Ed Rayl Barrel and a Jim Chambers Queen Ann Pistol Lock. Click on each picture to see the finer details of this English Pistol Flintlock. This English Pistol has been SOLD to Steve and Sarah’s happy nephew!
Steve has built a Replica of a John Noll Longrifle. This John Noll Longrifle is a 50 caliber muzzleloader made from curly maple wood and has a Green Mountain Swamp Barrel. The lock on this John Noll Longrifle is a Siler Lock. Click on each picture of this replica of a John Noll Longrifle to see the finer details that Steve has engraved or carved on this replica of a John Noll Longrifle. This Replica of a John Noll Longrifle has been 
Sold.
This Isaac Haines 50 caliber muzzleloader is hand carved from curly maple. This muzzleloader also has a 38″ swamp barrel, a siler lock, an engraved patch box, and no extra carvings. This Isaac Haines 50 Caliber Muzzleloader is now SOLD …. We are leaving the pictures of this Isaac Haines 50 caliber muzzleloader here for you to see the kind of workmanship that Steve has when he builds his muzzleloaders. …. SOLD ….
We have assorted sizes of hand stitched, hand-made, leather hunting pouches or leather possible bags.
The bear lard, bear oil, and leather dressing is posted after the leather pouches and possible bags. The bear oil is used for gun oil while the bear lard is used in our homemade leather dressing.
Our leather possible bags are also known as a man purse.
Our leather hunting pouches or leather possible bags are made from assorted leathers, deer, cow, goat.
The leather possible bags that are lined have a 100% cotton lining.
Our possible bags are hand stitched with linen flax thread.
Our possible bags are antiqued.
Our hand stitched leather possible bags have either antiqued brass or hand forged iron buckles.
If our hand stitched leather possible bags have a button, we have used an antiqued brass button, pewter button, or buffalo horn button.
Contact us for pricing, custom orders and the availability of what is on hand of our possible bags.
These are the hand-stitched, handmade leather possible bags that we have on hand or have sold.
As our possible bags are handmade there may be a waiting time until we get your custom leather possible bag completed.
There are more haversacks in the making…
Thank-you for understanding.
Special Orders …
Sold to another satisfied customer Tim Sanner, who ordered my first double hunting pouch, with a knife sheath added.
Sold to another satisfied customer Tim Sanner, who ordered my first double hunting pouch, with a knife sheath added.
Sold to another satisfied customer Tim Sanner, who ordered my first double hunting pouch, with a knife sheath added.
Sold to another satisfied customer Tim Sanner, who ordered my first double hunting pouch, with a knife sheath added.
I did a repair job on an old pouch for a customer
We made a copy of a very old bag and surprised a customer, Jeff Payne with it.
A fellow contacted me to make a replica of a bag he made years ago, as he wanted a new one…
We use bear grease / bear lard in our homemade leather dressing.
I think the bear grease has more of the bear oil in it then the bear lard but I am using it interchangeably here in my article.
The gun oil is used in different aspects of the long-rifle use and care.
The gun oil is the oil which comes to the top of the bear grease / bear lard and is then poured off.
With the making of bear grease / bear lard and gun oil I use bear fat that I trimmed off all the trimmings and discarded the trimmings.
I then ground the bear fat into teeny pieces with my meat grinder.
With that finished I was ready to rendered the bear fat to make the bear grease / bear lard.
I placed the bear fat into an electric roaster or my roasting pan in the oven and cooked the fat for hours. As the membrane which holds the fat together is separated from the grease or oil it turns to cracklings. When the bear grease / bear lard is finished, the cracklings will turn brown and sink to the bottom and float back to the top.
I needed to keep stirring the bear fat periodically so the bear fat wouldn’t burn.
When I decided the bear grease / bear lard was all cooked I strained the cracklings from the bear grease / bear lard and put it thru my lard press.
Then I put the bear grease / bear lard in jars and seal it.
The cracklings are good to eat for a snack or to put out for the birds.
That was the process of turning the bear fat into bear grease / bear lard.
The ending product of the bear lard is no better then beginning product of the bear fat.
The bear fat must be made immediately into bear grease/ bear lard.
Bear fat will spoil in less then 3 days unless it is frozen until you can get the bear fat processed.
Depending on what the bear was eating the bear fat will not be good.
If the bear fat smells bad the bear lard will smell bad.
When I rendered out the bear lard my house smelled like I was making homemade donuts!
Bear grease / bear lard is very very greasy and does make the best popcorn, pie crust, biscuits and fried chicken or fried eggs!
I am not providing bear lard and bear oil as a food item even though I process the bear lard in a clean environment. We do use the bear lard in cooking when we have an abundance of the bear lard and don’t need it for our leather dressing.
Bear grease / bear lard can also be used for medicinal purposes and for hair oil, hand lotion, or for chapped lips. An old folk lore has it that if a man greases his head with bear oil he will grow an abundance of hair!
There can be several layers in the bear grease when you process it.
The bear oil comes to the top, and then the bear grease / bear lard is heavier so it is at the bottom.
After the canned bear grease / bear lard sets for awhile is when the bear oil comes to the top.
There is a mystery with bear lard. The weather has a lot to do with bear grease / bear lard and bear oil. You can use the bear grease / bear lard to tell the weather as some folks use bear grease as a barometer to tell the weather. I have a chart for telling the weather posted below. It is free upon request with any order ( or you may copy it yourself.)
If the oil clouds up it can be heated again and it will turn back to the bear oil state.
I try to get the bear oil as pure as possible but bear oil is hard to predict!
Our leather dressing is only made with the bear lard and pure beeswax.
I use our leather dressing to waterproof our leather pouches and leather possible bags, ball pouches, flint wallets, and frizzon covers. Our homemade leather dressing can also be used for hand lotion, chap stick, hair grease, or on your boots.
Our Bear Fat, Bear Oil, and Leather Dressing products are available with supply and demand and at this point I have plenty available.
Thanks for being patient with us!
We also have the empty metal containers available. We have six sizes of the metal containers with a cap lid and two sizes of the metal containers with
Sales tax and shipping will be added to the price.
These products are available with supply and demand.
Thanks for being patient with us!
Quick loader, Lead Ball Block
What a handy quick-loader, a lead ball block for your muzzleloader rifle.
These seven hole lead ball block quick starters are designed to be used with a shooting patch.
A customer requested us to design a muzzleloader rifle seven hole lead ball block quick starter.
This seven hole lead ball block quick starter is now our most popular lead ball block muzzleloader rifle quick starter design.
We make these lead ball blocks for several sizes caliber muzzleloader rifles, including for 45, 50, or 54. Other sizes may be available upon request.
These seven hole lead ball block quick starter are handcrafted from curly maple.
These seven hole lead ball block quick starter are hand stained and finished to bring out the most in their curls.
As each block of wood is different no two lead ball block will be identical.
Lead balls and shooting patches are not included.
The seven hole lead ball block muzzleloader rifle quick starter is $26.50 Sales tax is included. Shipping will be added to the price.
As our items are handmade there maybe a waiting time till we get an item/items completed.
Thank-you for your patience!
Duck Bill Lead Ball Bags in a Flat Bottom or Round Bottom Design.
Our lead ball bags are duck bill lead ball bags.
These duck bill lead ball bags are hand-stitched with flax thread.
These duck bill lead ball bags have a squeeze type opening made with a thicker leather at the top of the lead ball bags.
We have these duck bill ball bags in a round bottom style or in a flat bottom style.
The duck billed lead ball bags are antiqued.
We have both styles in three sizes of the lead ball bags made with vegetable tanned leather or goat skin.
The different coloring is due to the different kinds of leather, and the antiquing method that we use in hand making our lead ball bags.
The sizes for the round bottom lead ball bags is 4 1/2 inches long, the medium one is 3 5/8 inches long and the smallest is 3 inches long.
The sizes for the flat bottom are as follows: large:4 1/2 inches long; med: 3 3/4 inches long; and the small is 3 1/4 inches long.
The lead balls are not included.
Price : $22.00 each. Sales tax is included.
Shipping will be added to the price.
As our items are handmade there maybe a waiting time till we get an item/items completed.
Thank-you for your patience!
We have two sizes of Flint Wallets.
Our Tool Flint Wallet with two tool pockets
These hand made, all leather flint wallets will hold 6 flints in individual pockets. The flint wallets have one pocket for small tools.
The tool flint wallets have two pockets for tools and three individual pockets which will hold up to three of the one inch flints.
The leather tie wraps around the hand-stitched leather flint wallet and the tool flint wallet for the closure.
Our flint wallets and tool flint wallets are designed so the flints and tools can not fall out of the pockets until the flint wallet is untied and opened.
Our hand-stitched leather flint wallets and tool flint wallets are made with goatskin or vegetable tanned cowhide and hand-stitched with linen thread.
Our flint wallets are antiqued.
The different coloring on our flint wallets and tool flint wallets are due to the type of leather and the antiquing process.
The flints and tools are not included.
We have flints available -ask for the sizes and prices of the flints.
Our hand-stitched leather flint wallet and hand-stitched tool flint wallet are $22.00 each. Sales tax is included.
Shipping will be added to the price. .
As our items are handmade there maybe a waiting time till we get an item/items completed.
Thank-you for your patience!