I made the baldric utilizing veg-tanned leather that has been "tanned" (a term which in the 18th century context often meant black leather - black leather accoutrements were typically "tanned" or dyed on just one side). The buckle is a reproduction of an original dug from a Continental Army site - very similar to many British buckles of the period. Brass buckle and iron tongue.
These pics feature some items from my late 1760's/1770's kit / which doubles as my hunting gear. The rifle is .50 caliber with a round-faced "Queen Anne" styled flintlock and an early brass "patch" box- very deadly to deer and squirrel alike. I made the horn and the shot pouch was crafted by James Rogers based on an original pouch with likely 18th century VA provenance. The buckle is based on one dug here in my home town. Home-made frontier-type pouches are difficult as it is hard to pin down a date on extant items, however professionally-made (by saddle maker for example) are easy with the myriad of hunting scene paintings from the period. I have home-spun pouches but this one is my favorite.
If anyone is interested, I can get a better picture of the knife in the picture now that I think about it. Made by Ken Hamilton. It is an absolute dead ringer for the prototypical circa mid-18th century English butcher/scalper knife. The blade profile and stone-ground finish is right, the Sheffield touch marks are right... Even the "cutler's cement" is right (brewer's pitch and brick dust mixed to fill in gaps and create a strong adhesive). Anyhow, this post is about the sword, so here goes:
