I start off the grind with whole wheat berries from my storage area. This bag indicates that this is Organic Summer (OS) wheat packaged...

Bread is a little more involved than most of the other things I bake or cook. Mostly I just throw things together in the pan and it turns out fairly well. But not bread. It needs to follow a specific recipe, because if it’s too wet, the dough may not rise. If it’s too dry, you end up with a mouthful of flour and a loaf that doesn’t hold together. Everything is mixed together in precise measurements to form a really delicious bread after baking. So here’s my recipe for a dark

It was such a nice day, I decided to load up the sidecar Harley with me, the dog, and some chow. We rode over to a lake where I knew they...

Oak leaves and acorns is one of my favorite patterns to carve into leather. It’s a pattern that has Germanic influences and is used on a...

Modern sport shooters of black powder revolvers don’t realize that paper cartridges were the thing back in the day when these guns were...

Some folks will forge these out of a block of steel . I prefer a quicker and cheaper method. To make my hatchet or tomahawk, I draw out a...

I decided I needed some new cooking tools for my fire pit. I ended up getting talked out of my older ones by someone. I looked around the...

I know, I know. You’re going to roll your eyes and say — does this nut actually brew his own beer ? Yes I do when I have the time. Beer...

What lover of fine brew doesn’t eventually play around with brewing their own beer ? Once you hang around breweries and develop a taste...

Pattern welded Damascus for knife making is made from two types of material forge welded together. Using high heat and fluxed with borax...

Bread with visual appeal

I won’t go into detail about this rifle, except to say that there’s quite a few of them on the surplus market today. Most of them are in pretty decent shape considering they were made in the 1870’s and on, but there’s a reason they are not worn out. The ammunition is impossible to find since these guns utilize a rimfire blackpowder cartridge. So if you want to play around with the guns, you have to convert them to centerfire and make your own ammunition. I’d like to remind yo

There’s all sorts of newer gee whiz gun oils on the market these days. To me, one is about as good as another, based on my usage...

Modern guns are pretty awesome. What’s not to like ? With modern smokeless powders and non corrosive primers, you can shoot your favorite...

I like to turkey hunt with my old Colt 10 gauge double. It ’s the perfect thing for Fall gobblers in Maine. But it’s truly difficult to...

For this summer’s hiking season, I decided I wanted a slightly different approach to backpacking. I opted for something different. I’ve lightened my load considerably and I built myself a new back pack to carry everything in. I’m going “retro” so I decided I wanted an 1860’s Trapper Pack and Frame. I made my frame out of solid red oak for strength. According to the instructions this frame is rated for up to 120 pounds of freight. As for me ? I only carry about half that weigh

I start off with stiff paper and design the holster. I can wrap this around the gun itself to see how it will fit, and I can make changes...

To go along with my new bows, I needed some arrows as well. I start off with Port Orford cedar ballasters for staircases from the local...

This outlines the shaping and finishing of the traditional recurve glass backed hunting bow I made. A copperhead snakeskin pattern...

In a previous blog, I showed how I did a glue up of a bow in a homemade bow over. It is a simple wooden box that has a heat lamp wired...