My Leather Cauldron

[NickB]

9073
I became a little obsessed about making a leather cauldron. I'd heard some references to them in a few books over the years and really wanted to give it a go. So when I found an old leather jacket in a bin I knew what to make with it.
Now you can find old leather jackets in charity shops from £15 and up but very few of them have one piece backs to them so you have to glue a strip of leather over the seams to make it water tight. I think I used copydex glue.
I used a coat hanger pushed through holes that I punched through the leather with a sharp piece of copper piping. The coat hanger wire is a little flimsy so needs improving.
I hung it up in the cockpit of my boat, filled it with water and put my gas stove under it. Only when I lowered it so the flame was almost touching it did the leather become affected, it started to harden it.
I'm hoping that after I've cooked in it I can take out the wire, open the leather, and scrap it clean.
But I haven't had to do that yet.

[Tigger004]

This idea is new to me, it will be interesting to get a follow up on how it all goes

[Humakt]

Tell us more about leather cauldrons.
Are there any online links to them, or how they are made/used?
I'm intrigued.

[NickB]

Well, before we had metal and for that matter long after it too, we had had to cook in other things. We had water tight baskets, birch bark containers and the not so well known leather cauldron.
The idea is that food and water boils/ cook at 100c but leather burns much higher. So leather with water/ food in it will be kept cooler than burning point.
I've always thought they may have existed long before Terry Pratchett mentioned them in one of his books. Think of how heavy an iron cauldron would be to carry around. Also, up until mass production bought the cost of steel down it would be very expensive. Lastly, Think of the shape of an iron cauldron and look how similar it is to a leather one.
So it's a lighter, cheaper alternative to steel. It's also good for carrying vegetables in while travelling.
Just about all this I have worked out by myself as there is so little information out there about it.
There are no on-line links to any that I have found, in fact, I may have the only one in the world for all I know.
So when everyone has one, just remember where you heard it first.:campfire::rolleyes:

[BJ]

Fascinating idea, T^

[Wardy]

That's brilliant nice one

[Ehecatl]

T^

[Goatboy]

Sounds great, reminds me of the boiling water in a paper bag over a Bunsen burner in first year at school. I suppose you could use the hot rocks technique too?

[Ashley Cawley]

Amazing! I'm not sure I would eat out of the cauldron pictured not knowing what the leather might have been impregnated with and the glue etc. but the idea is a great one well worth experimenting with. I've not heard of similar attempts so good on you for trying and keep us updated on your progress.

[Ashley Cawley]

Sounds great, reminds me of the boiling water in a paper bag over a Bunsen burner in first year at school. I suppose you could use the hot rocks technique too?

We did some crazy shenanigans like that; a fry-up In a brown paper bag over the fire in this video: http://youtu.be/JFIOfKUPBsg

[NickB]

Amazing! I'm not sure I would eat out of the cauldron pictured not knowing what the leather might have been impregnated with and the glue etc. but the idea is a great one well worth experimenting with. I've not heard of similar attempts so good on you for trying and keep us updated on your progress.

I'm a little more concerned about the dyes myself as copydex is a fairly benign glue.
However, I'm Very impressed with the fry up in the paper bag. I was hoping that with a larger ring at the top it could be opened up into more of a wok shape for frying. But I figured it would just burst into flames... which is a little too exciting for me.
Really though, it is only a prototype, just to test the idea. The next one will be much better.

[Mountain Goat]

Looks pretty good. Will make one myself.

[biker-bri]

Garment leather uses CHROMIUM sulfate in the tanning / dyeing process, if the dye or tanning solution should leach it could be poisonous :eek: - I am sure I saw a documentary about
American injuns cooking over a fire using a RAWHIDE type of cauldron ?
BTW veg tan uses "as its name suggests" vegetable matter in the tanning process, a lot of veg tan leather is tanned with the bark off of felled trees some of which could also be toxic if ingested.
Cheers Bri