Making a Simple

( anachronistic )
Wax Hardened Leather Bottle
Tools and materials:
Leather – veg tanned - 7 to 16 oz. Leather ( see below )
Wax – Beeswax, paraffin or a blend of paraffin and beeswax ( 2:1 )
Waxed leather stitching cord or artificial sinew

Enough unpopped popcorn or dried beans/lentils/peas ( or sand ) to fill the bottle.... this depends on the
size of your bottle ( I have two plastic jars of popcorn just for this …. make sure it is completely dry
before putting it back into the jars )

Razor knife Ladle

Stitching awl Funnel
Pencil ( not too sharp ) Disposable brush
Ruler Masking tape
Tooling stylus Tamping dowel or a section of wooden broomstick
Over stitch wheel A few scrap blocks of wood to use as supports
Edge beveler
2 large needles ( Use a cheap double boiler set up, funnel, ladle and
Scissors tray. They will end up covered in wax. Easier to get
'Doubleboiler' ( to melt the wax ) a cheap one than to clean the ones you want to use
Heavy duty aluminum foil later for food in your kitchen )
Cheap metal baking tray
Some scrap blocks of wood

And a FIRE EXTINGUISHER... ( just in case..... wax is flammable )

Deciding on the shape:

 The two piece 'teardrop' shaped bottles are, unfortunately, an anachronistic shape. If you find
one represented in a period source, please let me know.... But they are simple and a good place to start
for your first bottle. You can learn a lot of the techniques you need for the more period shaped bottles.
( and the fit inside Syr Ullr's 10% improvement category ) This is where we are starting. They still look
a lot better than a plastic jug or water bottle.
Your first decision is the basic shape you want. Variations in the shape and size of the bottle are
easy and can give you more room for any tooling you might want to add to the bottle. Look at a few
examples online and see what your options are. ( You may even find a ready made pattern ) Sketch out
a few different shapes and pick the one you want to go with.
Remember that you need to include a seam allowance around the bottle. If you use thicker
leather and you glue the two halves together with contact cement AND you take extra care when
waxing the bottle you should be able to get by with a single line of stitches around the bottle. Most
period vessels use a double line of stitches to help seal the bottle. Eventually all bottles have a chance
of leaking. They are easy to re-seal ( I will cover this in the care and feeding of your bottle section ) so
for a simple bottle like this it is generally safe to go with a single row of stitches. If you want to go with
a double row be sure to include a larger seam allowance to account for that.

I recommend at least a 3/4” diameter spout. That will need ¾” to 1” ( 3/8” to 1/2” each side )
for the seam allowance and at least 1 ¼” for each half of the opening. ( There will be a little stretching
when you shape/stuff the bottle. Thinner leather stretches more than thicker does. ) That adds up to 1 ¼
to 1 ½ ” across the end for the spout.

I use manila folders for my patterns. Fold you pattern in half and trace out a copy of it onto the
folder. Remember the tabs for the strap. Remember the seam allowance on the tab when planning the
size of that tab. You want some leather left all the way around the hole for the strap so that the stitches
are not too close to the hole. ( if it is too close to the stitches that makes a potential place for it to leak )
Place you sketched out pattern along the fold of the folder and trace out half the bottle. Cut it while
folded and you have a symmetrical pattern. If you want to you can make a second pattern that is 3/8”
smaller all the way around to make it easier to mark the location of the seam. I also recommend a
pattern to make the inner stitch line for the strap tabs.
Transferring the pattern and cutting the leather
Veg tanned leather is your material for the bottle. Use leather that is at least 7 - 8oz. leather. If
you want to add a tooled design use thicker leather. ( You are going to be cutting part of the way
through the thickness of the leather, thicker leather leaves more uncut leather to make the sides of the
bottle. If you want a sturdier bottle... use thicker leather. 16oz. leather ( 'armor leather' ) is probably the
thickest you would ever want to go with. Unfold your pattern and place it flat onto your leather. Make
sure you can cut two out of your leather before you go further. Use your stylus or a slightly dull pencil
to trace around the pattern. You do not need too much pressure. Just enough to make a mark you can
clearly see. ( once you have made a mark with the stylus it is basically permanent..... take your time to
avoid slips. ) Try to work around flaws in the leather when positioning your pattern. Try to place the
pattern so that the entire piece will have mostly uniform thickness and stiffness. Thinner and softer
leather could stretch unevenly when you stuff your bottle to shape it. The front half and the back half
can be different thicknesses as long as they are relatively close but a bottle half that is softer/thinner on
one side than the other could result in a lopsided bottle.... still usable.... but lopsided.

Using a SHARP razor knife and ( something to use as a cutting board ) carefully cut out your
bottle halves. If you have to force the knife through the leather you are probably trying to cut too deep
in one pass. This is another place to take your time. ( This is also a place to remember that you are
made from untanned leather and you are easier to cut than the leather is ) Check to make sure you have
cut two halves that will line up evenly and trim if necessary.

Once both halves are cut out pick the nicer looking ( or the thicker side ) and call that one the front side
of the bottle. This matters most of you are tooling the bottle to decorate it. Mark the line around the
perimeter of the bottle and the strap tabs on one half for the stitching.

If you are tooling to bottle use masking tape to hold the design in position ( making sure it fits well
within the seams lines ) and trace it out onto your bottle. ( see remarks above on stylus, take your time )
I recommend printing your design with lighter lines and using a dull pencil to trace it out. That will let
you see the pencil marks and know when you have traced the entire image ( getting the image lined
back up after you remove it is not the easiest thing to do. Removing it to check to see if you are
finished is not a good idea. ) At this point 'case' ( dampen ) the leather and SHALLOWLY cut the main
lines into the leather. DO NOT CUT DEEPLY. If you cut too deeply the leather could split when you
stuff your bottle. ( or you could accidentally cut all the way through the leather ) The tooling of the
leather will happen after you stuff your bottle. The stuffing process stretches the leather and you would
have to retouch or retool most of it anyway.

See this link for more info on tooling leather.... that could be a series of classes itself.
https://leatherworkingreverend.wordpress.com/

If you cased the leather to cut a design into it you will need to stop and let the leather dry before
continuing.

Once the leather is dry use either hide glue or contact cement to glue JUST THE PERIMETER of the
bottle together. DO NOT GLUE THE SPOUT SHUT.... ( that would be embarrassing to have to explain
later. ) Once the two halves are glued together use an over stitch wheel ( or a ruler … no closer than
1/4” apart ) to mark out where the holes for the stitches will go. Here you have an option to speed up
the process a little.
After you mark where the seam is going to be you can use a edge beveler to relieve the square cut
corners of the leather. Once the bottle is waxed they get pretty stiff and beveling the edges makes the
edges less...sharp?

Stitching the Bottle:

You can use a stitching awl to make the holes to sew the two halves of the bottle together
( period but time consuming ) or you can use a drill bit that is the smallest size possible to get the
needle through ( too big a hole is asking for leaks ) and drill holes for stitching. ( You can also use a
smaller bit to drill the holes and then use an awl to stretch the hole slightly bigger... this will let the hole
close up a little when you wet the bottle for stuffing it. But again do not make the hole any bigger than
you need it to be... )

Use a saddle stitch to sew the bottle together. Cut a length of your cord about twice as long as you will
want to deal with ( too short and you will have to re-thread and restart more often, too long and you
will be dealing with tangled cord ). Thread a needle on each end and pull about three inches through
each needle's eye. Starting at the opening push one needle through the first hole and pull half the cord
through so you have an equal amount of cord and one needle on each side of the bottle. Stitch through
the next hole from each side ( with the needle on that side ) and pull it tight. ( there are lots of sources
online that can offer a more in depth explanation of how to do a saddle stitch... here a quick reminder
picture if you need it )

A small pair of needle nosed pliers can help here with pulling the needle through a slightly small
hole.... which is not a bad thing. Be careful to pull straight out from the leather or you may snap off the
eye of the needle.... and then you have to go buy more....

Stuffing and Shaping the Bottle:

Once you have completed the stitching it is time to stuff and shape the bottle. Clean out your
kitchen sink ( and clean the sink ) . Put the stitched bottle into the sink and add COOL water to cover
the bottle by about an inch. Let it soak for at least 2 hours ( longer for thicker leather )

Unless you like cleaning up popcorn/peas/lentils stuff the bottle outside. They bounce when you
drop them and will end up everywhere. If you have a funnel that the popcorn/peas will easily fit
through use it, it helps. Push the tamping dowel into the wet bottle and move it around to open up some
space inside the bottle. Put the funnel into the neck of the bottle and pour in some of your filler. Use the
dowel to tamp it down to make room for more and repeat. Over and over.... The wet leather will stretch
out and give you a rounded bottle. Keep going until you achieve a shape and size you are happy with
( or until you cannot get anymore in ). Thinner leather will stretch more ( and more easily ) than thicker
leather. Once you have the bottle stuffed you need to let it dry. Use the wooden blocks to hold the
bottle by supporting it along the seams so that you do not get flat areas as it dries. You can speed up the
process by using a fan to keep air moving around the bottle. Once the bottle is mostly dry remove the
filler and then let it dry the rest of the way.

If you are tooling a design into your bottle, do that now while the bottle is still stuffed and wet.

If you are painting the tooled bottle do that while the bottle is still cool to the touch ( almost, but not
completely dry ). Keep the paint even and only apply it as thickly as you need to get good coverage.
Simple 'craft store' acrylic paint is a good choice and comes in a rainbow of colors.

1 red6 green11 gold

2 orange7 light blue12 brown
3 yellow8 purple13 white
4 black9 grey14 flesh
5 blue10 silver15 pink
YOU WANT A COMPLETELY DRY BOTTLE BEFORE YOU START WAX HARDENING IT.

Wet leather, heat and wax are a bad combination for a leather bottle. You can get uneven
shrinkage or you can 'cook' the leather making it brittle and/or wrinkled. If you are in doubt if it is dry,
wait another day. ( It should not be cool to the touch. )

While the bottle is drying carve yourself a stopper that almost fits into the spout. You want it to be
JUST a little too big.....a slight taper to the stopper will help it stay in place. A hole drilled through the
stopper lets you tie a cord to it so that it stays with the bottle and does not get lost.

Waxing the Bottle:

Make a 'tray' from your foil the will completely cover the burner on your stove and catch any drips or
spills of wax. ( much easier to clean up this way and you do not drip wax on a hot burner ) Set up your
double boiler ( two lightweight pots.... that fits one inside the other ) and melt the wax. Beeswax has a
melting point of 144 to 147 °F so a low setting and some patience is all you need. A double boiler set
up helps to prevent the wax from burning and getting too hot. Once the wax is mostly melted turn you
oven on its lowest setting and put the bottle, supported on the seams on the blocks onto a metal tray
( covering tray with foil helps clean up.... Make sure the tray is large enough to catch potential drips
from the bottle. Wax in your oven smells bad and could potentially catch fire.... And you do not really
want it dripping on the oven's heating element.

Use the funnel and ladle to pour some of the liquid wax into the bottle and turn the bottle to coat the
entire inside surface ( work over the tray so you do not spill wax anywhere ) Take your time, you want
the wax to both soak in and to slightly solidify and coat the side of the bottle. Pay attention to the seams
to make sure you get good coverage in those areas. Carefully pour the excess back into the pot and
place the bottle on the supports back into the oven. Rotate the bottle to get wax completely around the
spout as you pour it out.... You do not have to get all of the spout covered each time, but you want an
overall even coat as an end result. Your goal is to have the oven temperature just warm enough to
liquefy the wax ….slowly.... ( turn the bottle over from time to time and let it warm up with both sides
facing up )
Repeat this until you have wax soaked through the bottle from the inside covering most of the
bottle. ( it will make the leather look wet ) Once you have gotten this far start brushing the wax into the
bottle form the outside. If it solidifies as you go, great... That lets you get a little more wax into the
bottle to soak in. Repeat this process until you do not have the wax soaking into the leather completely
each time. Wax soaking in looks dark and wet. Completely saturated leather the melted wax stays on
the surface and is shiny.

Once it looks like the entire bottle has absorbed as much wax as it can turn off the oven. Let the bottle
rest and cool for about 5 minutes and once more pour a little more wax into the bottle. Here you are
trying to get a surface layer of wax coating the entire inside of the bottle. Rotate the bottle, pay extra
attention to the seams.... Take your time but do this in at least 3 or 4 rounds. Don't let it build up to
much in the spout. If you are getting a thick coat you can work faster.... ( this is harder to describe than
it is to do )

Now while the bottle is still a little soft and warm, push the stopper into place. This will stretch the
leather a little and allow it to cool and be the exact size you need it to be.

Turn off your double boiler wax pot and clean up....
Check for Leaks:
Now you need to let the bottle cool completely. Once it is cooled completely test the bottle by filling it
with cool water. If you have no leaks you are done with the wax.
If you have a leak you need to dump out all the water and let the bottle sit empty until you are
sure that it is completely dry. ( Remember where the leak was and pay extra attention to that
area. )Then re-coat the inside of the bottle with wax and test again.

I have not had a bottle leak at this point, you probably will not either.

Once the bottle is waxed and does not leak, take a clean rag ( that you do not want back after ) and buff
the bottle to polish it.

And you are done.

Tips for Use and Care of your Bottle:

Do not leave the bottle in a hot car.

Do not use for hot drinks
Do not leave the bottle empty sitting in the sun
Do not pack with heavy stuff on top of it.
I use my bottles for just water... nothing else. I do not want something funky growing inside the bottle.

Store with the stopper out of the spout. ( this makes sure it can dry if any water is still in the bottle. )

Rinse the bottle out with clean water before storage.

The spout with the stopper in will probably leak a little. Expect that and don't lay a filled bottle on
something you do not want to get wet.
( Hanging the bottle by the strap when it is full is the best choice )

I have never tried it but I have heard that distilled alcohol can make the wax break down faster.... Your
call on that one.

If your bottle starts leaking ( a possibility ) all you need to do is re-line the inside with wax.

( Please let me know if something in this handout does not make sense to you went you look back at it
later.... Right now it is meant to go along with a class, but I will probably continue to tweak it until it
can stand alone. I will take your comments into consideration as I do that. There will also be more step
by step photos on the version that will eventually get posted online somewhere...)

Contact me if you get stuck or need advice on Facebook - Jim Hart ( easiest and probably fastest )
or by email ConalOhAirt@gmail(dot)com