On Mon, 6 Sep 2010 10:49:41 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:
"Pete Keillor" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 6 Sep 2010 09:44:14 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:
"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
More than a couple years ago (25? 30?), when I was getting into
hunting
I made my own game bag for birds. I took some left over medium weight
canvas and made a simple deep bag with a shoulder strap. That's still
pretty easy as long as the wife doesn't catch me messing with one of
her
fancy sewing machines. I think I sewed the original by hand.
I used the metal closer out of an old fishing bag in the top. It was
wonderful. If one of the birds I dropped in the bag started flapping
again it couldn't get away. When I opened the bag the
spring/mechanism
would hold the bag open, and when I closed it the thing would be held
closed. It really was the best possible game bag for small migratory
and upland bird hunting. And even as bad as I shoot it would hold all
my empty shells so I didn't have to stuff them in my pockets.
My son expressed an interest in doing some bird hunting last year. I
wasn't sure if it would stick since he only dropped one bird and he
lost
it in heavy brush, but he again expressed an interest this year. We
have been out three days, and we shot limits on two of them. (When I
broke down and headed out to my old stomping grounds on the second
day.)
Now I am thinking about that old game bag of mine. I had stored it
with
lots of other stuff from that time in my life in an old metal storage
shed at my dad's house. A metal storage shed that has long since
blown
away. So I am looking at making a couple game bags like that one. I
considered buying a couple of those fishing bags and cannibalizing the
spring mechanism out of them, but they are all plastic now, and they
don't have that nice crisp snap to hold open and snap to hold closed
like the metal ones.
Any suggestions for an alternative?
I've got some 0.080" stainless spring wire, and I am sure if I coil a
couple springs in it that it would make an adequate closer, but if it
gets over stressed on opening it will quit being a good closer. Also,
there are times when you WANT your game bag to stay open and it
definitely won't do that just made up as a simple mechanism.
P.S. Before anybody suggests it, I have had a couple hunting vest and
I
just do not like them. In rough country birds can fall out and a
stunned
one that comes back to life can be a real adventure in and of itself.
I had a fishing creel with that kind of mechanism. I got it 51 years ago
and just tossed it around 2006. g
I woulda paid you a couple bucks for it just for the mechanism. LOL.
I looked for them before. Maybe ten years ago, so I don't think they have
made the metal ones for a long time.
The simplest breakover spring mechanism I've seen is the retaining
loop on some small clevis pins. this is just a split ring with the
ends inserted in offset holes in the head of the pin. You could
substitute a flat strap in the place of the pin for sewing into the
bag.
Pete Keillor
Took me a minute to get the picture in my mind of the pin you are talking
about. It's the same pin I use for hold implements on the three points of
my tractor. Ok, got that. How do I adapt that. I'm having trouble
picturing what you have in mind. It is a good mechanism though and very
simple.
Replace the pin with a flat strap to be riveted or sewn into the back
of your bag. Make a small block with the offset holes to be welded or
riveted to the strap. Make a loop of piano wire or whatever of a size
to fit your lid flap to be attached as you see fit, maybe thread
through a sewn sleeve. Spread the ends enough to fit in the holes.
I don't know what angle or how far apart to place the holes to get the
closing action you want. If it was me, I'd experiment with that part
first.
Pete Keillor