Old World Effectiveness - Single Candle Holders

Single Candle Holder in Glass Vase

Well touring Scotland in 2017 we happened upon a small roadside cafe and gift shop, (Goodbrand & Ross Tearoom on the A939. www.goodbrandandross.co.uk.) In this shop we purchased three single candle holders. The shop was on the way back from visiting Corgarff Castle.

The simplicity of this design appealed to our taste. I, also thought of local craftsmen/women in our part of the world who could understand this design and craft their own version for local markets.

The single candle holders cost us 2.50 GBP (Great Britain Pounds) and once home we purchased the glassware for $3.00 each and the candles were $1.25 for five candles. So, to have one operational unit would cost about $10. A fair price for light on a Winter's eve.

I will include a few photos and close ups for those who work metal. 

Merry Christmas All!!

Mountainman.

Sideview of Candle Holder

Detailed Sideview of the Three

Dollar Store Candles $1.25

Should Be Sheltered Once The Flame is Below The Rim

Three in a Row 

Cloak Pin Re-Finished in Burnt Bronze Cerakote by The Shooting Edge

Cloak Pin in Burnt Bronze Cerakote Finish by The Shooting Edge

Recently, I had an opportunity to change the look of my cloak pin, so I took a chance....happy I did.

When I purchased this cloak pin at a shop in Edinburgh, it had a brushed steel finish, although nice it did not match my other accoutrements, which have an antique brass look on the metal parts. So, one day at work I find out the new coating shop needs projects to practice on before they open the service to the general public. After a short chat with my co-workers everyone sounds excited to add a burnt bronze colour to the cloak pin. 

The finished look works very well with the rest of my Great Kilt accoutrements. Thanks to The Shooting Edge in Calgary. The new coatings shop is part of the gunsmith shop and will open to the public early in the new year, 2018.

Until next time.....don't throw it away refinish it!!

Mountainman.

Cloak Pin with Great Kilt Accoutrements - Belt, Sgain Dhu & Sporran

Cloak Pin Sporting a New Burnt Bronze Cerakote Look

Cloak Pin in Brushed Steel Finish - Inside the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle

Update 03 March 2018

Link to Edge Customs: http://edgecustoms.ca  

Down & Dirty Type II Smoke Grenade Single Pouches

Type II Single Smoke Grenade Pouch for EG25's

Very successful weekend indeed. This is the third style of grenade pouch designed and prototype produced by SATAS Co.

The Type II Micro Smoke Grenade Single Pouch is constructed of a mixture of 3", 2" and 3/4" webbing. Best part about webbing is once the you melt the cut edges there is no need to follow up with seam tape to finish the edges....which means, one less step under the sewing machine and quicker completion time. Economy of scale, with everything else being equal a pouch made from webbing should be more affordable to make and/or purchase.

Type II Smoke Grenade Pouch - Hook & Loop Belt Loop

So, one pouch employs a snap hook for quick attachment to packs, vests or clothing. Both make use of a hook & loop adjustable belt loop .

Until next time....make some gear!!

Mountainman.

Type II Micro Smoke Grenade Single Pouch Plans

Lots of Styles for Packing Micro Smoke Grenades

Micro Smoke Grenade Triple Pouch

Micro Smoke (EG25) Grenade Triple Pouch Designed by SATAS Co

Second post in one day. Life is good. Riding the wave of creativity as long as it will last....

May I introduce the Micro Signal Smoke Grenade Triple Pouch, designed by SATAS Co. This pouch like the single pouch is designed to carry the EG25 Micro Smoke Grenades from Enola Gaye ( Enola Gaye . Com). 

Triple Micro Smoke Grenade Pouch (Flaps Closed) - Designed by SATAS Co

Triple Pouch Plans

A more tactical colour spectrum for this build, but it seems to work. A bit more webbing was employed to allow more options for attaching this pouch to a wide variety of gear - packs, vests, vehicles &/or clothing. A 3/4" snap hook was also added for quick attachments to gear or clothing.

It is a bit trickier making multiple pouch flaps from a single piece of material, but it is possible. Patience when sewing really helps as does a pair of locking forceps to allow for something solid to hold on to when the sewing gets tight.

Triple Pouch with Flaps Open

Triple Pouch - Back 

I have included the mathematical measurement, as well as, what I actually used for the pouch portion of this project. The skinny number would work, but....

The making of the pouch is improved by doing a very thin top stitch seam to define the pockets the grenades will sit in, thus we start with a ditch, then two top stitch seams followed by a ditch and this pattern repeats. The ditches are sewn to the back piece of fabric. I usually just work my way across the pouch - edge(ditch), ditch, ditch and finally the far edge(ditch). Then I close the bottom. 

Be sure to centre the side release buckle before closing the bottom. Finish with seam tape. Burn all lose threads and ends of webbing or seam tape. This will allow your project to last a few years more.

As the triple smoke grenade pouch is wider than the single pouch, I employed two belt loops that close with hook & loop tape. Although, there is minimal weight to deal with, the wider pouch will be more stable with two contact points. As you can see from these photos the snap hook was mounted in the centre to allow for quickly mounting the pouch by just clipping it onto a pack, vest, jacket or an ATV. 

Until next time.....buy good kit and make anything you need to make it better!!

Mountainman.

Triple Micro Smoke Grenade Pouch - Belt Loop Open

Micro Smoke Grenade Single Pouch

Single Pouch for EG Micro Signal Smoke Grenades

I have found a new (to me) product to recommend. The Enola Gaye Micro Signal Smoke Grenades. EG25's. (www.enolagaye.com/product/eg25-micro-smoke-grenade/) These very compact signal smokes are available in seven colours of smoke: red, green, blue, yellow, purple, orange & black. With a 30 second burn time. Pretty good for such a small device.

The primary use I can see is for signaling for help when lost, injured or in a motor vehicle collision requiring an air ambulance. 

A secondary use I can see is part of your Bear Safe kit when hiking in the Rockies. Wild animals in general do not like fire and animals generally associate smoke with fire. So, I can see deploying one of these Micro Smokes before having to resort to your bear spray or firearm. A 30 second burn should be an effective method to delay a charging grizzly so you can access your bear spray or firearm from their holster or scabbard. 

Single Pouch with Flap Open

To facilitate a quick response and deploy your Micro Smoke, you need to have your grenade very handy. To this end, I have designed a single micro smoke grenade pouch. 

This pouch can be mounted on a belt or on a shoulder strap of a rucksack be means of a belt loop and a belt loop that has hook & loop tape to fasten around almost any object or strap. (Photos at the bottom of the post.)

Side View of Single Pouch

Like I said these devises are compact: About 1" in diameter & a bit over 4" tall. Weighing less than 1 ounce (28 grams), there is no reason not to carry one when you venture into the back country.

Plans for the Single Pouch

So, if this is small and light enough to carry when hiking, why not add a few to your vehicle safety kit. Highway flares are great for getting attention at night and these Micro Smoke Grenades can achieve similar results during the day. If, you ever encounter a crash on the highway, a signal smoke sure would help the pilot of an air ambulance quickly locate and assess conditions so they can land faster.

I work off some pretty simple plans and I share so you can build your own gear. I may replace this one later when I can get a better quality scan. For now I hope this helps.

So, until next time....find new gear and make it better.

Mountainman!!

Belt Loop on Back (Closed)

Belt Loop on Back (Open)