I turned a point in my life about two months ago. I realized that there`s almost nothing I have use for that I can`t just make myself. So I`ve begun hoarding scrap materials, needles and thread for my own little projects. They invariably finish ugly as sin but tough enough for my purposes. So this is the project I`m most proud of:
I`ve always liked the old Soviet drop cases for folding AK pattern rifles but have been having trouble justifying the price tag for a surplus case. I got on google and found a few good photos of them opened and closed and set to work. I used a cannibalized pair of Austrian surplus BDU pants and a Swiss rubberized rucksack from which I cut webbing and buckles. The overall look of my case would be a bit cleaner if I hadn`t been working on another project before. I was originally making the pants into a set of gaiters but decided to scrap that, that`s why the muzzle end of the case looks terrible, because it was originally intended to be a tube.
I pleasantly surprised myself with this project, all told it took about 6 hour`s solid work (4 hours one evening and about two the next day, excluding a bit of touching up around the edges). I still have a lot to learn (for example I do most of my stitching with waxed dental floss because it`s easier to thread) but I have a lot of fun doing it.
Anyways, here are a few progress pics:
EDITING TO ADD:
About 3/4 of the floss used on this one was Mint flavored. For a while afterwards my fingers stunk of menthol, as did my bedroom. Only reason it`s not totally mint is because the roll ran out. It seems that green gear with white stitching has become a bit of a trademark.
