Help With An Anzac Ammunition Pouch

[Tinneal]

I've started making the ANZAC ammunition pouch from the Sept/Oct 09' issue of Leathercrafter's & Saddler's Journal. I have all of the pieces cut and dyed, but I'm not 100% sure on the assembly of it. There isn't much detail or pictures on the final assembly featured in the article itself... The belt loop and main body I can figure out from the pictures offered, but what I'm not fully understanding is how the middle divider piece attaches. I haven't been able to find exact pictures online.

Has anyone here made it? Or does anyone have any suggestions or can point me in the direction of where I could find more info?

[DJ1935]

Hi Tinneal

What type of ammo pouch are you making? Is it the British "picket fence" type? I dont have the book so am in the dark.

Thanks

Donna

[Tinneal]

Oh dear... I'm not sure what a 'picket fence' type pouch is, and Google was of no help there. I haven't even been able to find a picture online that's anything like the pouch in the article. I'll take a snapshot of the photo in the article and post it tomorrow, when I have better light. Thanks for your help, though! At least this is giving me ample time to fiddle with the finish and make sure the edges are nice and smooth until I can get it together!

Hi Tinneal

What type of ammo pouch are you making? Is it the British "picket fence" type? I dont have the book so am in the dark.

Thanks

Donna

Edited May 4, 2012 by Tinneal

[Tinneal]

Alright. After 3 attempts at this pattern, I think I've finally got it!

Attempt 1: Didn't have the recommended 4/5 oz veg tan leather plus lining. Used instead some 6/7 oz... Turned out to be too thick (surprise!). The leather used was scrap belly leather, and didn't have consistant thickness and pliability... Decided I didn't want to fight with it, so I threw it back into the scrap bin.

Attempt 2: Cut each piece twice, from 2/3 oz veg tan leather, laying them together, smooth side out. The thickness was good, but when I started putting it together, I realised the pattern itself wasn't symmetrical, and so the case wasn't turning out symmetrical and things weren't lining up where they should... So I scrapped that attempt. Thank goodness this is a hobby and not something were I need to be making a certain $ per hour.

Attempt 3: Traced the pattern again on paper, folded it down the middle and averaged out places that were not symmetrical. Glued the pattern to cereal boxes, cut them out, etc... Pieces were cut, dyed, sewn, etc. When all three pieces were complete, and triple checked for mistakes along the way, I decided on how I would put the middle divider in. There were no instructions on how exactly this divider went in, except for the pictures in the article photos (not on the pattern itself) that showed where some holes had been punched in the divider. Using this as a reference, as well as a friend who is an Enfield enthusiast, I decided on how I would put the divider in. I put everything together with copper rivets, and put the 2 Enfield clips in. Turned out the middle divider was too long, and wasn't behaving as it should when the clips were in it and both flaps were closed. Only solution I found was to take all the copper rivets out and try to put the divider in differently - which I did.

Pouch now closes similar to the picture, although it still seems to be about 50% too wide for the Enfield 5-round clips. Also, I wasn't able to recreate the way it buttoned closed. The article author made his own hardware for it, since he didn't have anything that would work. I chose to just use what I had, but be a bit more creative with it.

Also, my tiny little 11 lb anvil couldn't reach far enough into the pouch to set the copper rivets at the bottom, so I had to use Chicago screws... They look terrible and were a nightmare to put in, but they serve the function I need!

Pictures can be found HERE.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Tinneal