This flask case looks very nice. The principle of its manufacture is very simple. The biggest difficulty is finding laser machine for cutting leather. You can simply order this service or do similar perforation manually. The last option is very labor-intensive and requires great care, but if you really like this kind of framing, it’s worth it.
Materials
To make a leather flask case with your own hands you will need:
- the flask itself;
- two pieces of leather (black and burgundy);
- sharp knife;
- awl;
- needle;
- waxed thread;
- laser machine;
- leather glue;
- leather wax;
- nail polish;
- cotton pad;
- acetone;
- soap;
- water;
- computer and photoshop;
- sheet A4;
- Printer.
Step 1. The flask had previously been framed in a leather case, but it became leaky over time, and it had to be urgently replaced, since the container itself was quite fragile and could be damaged if dropped without such a case. Before work, the old leather layer and all remnants of its fastening should be removed. To do this, the skin must be completely torn off, the remaining glue must be cleaned with a cotton pad soaked in acetone and the surface cleaned. After this, the flask should be washed with soapy water and wiped dry with a waffle towel.
Step 2. Take measurements of the side walls of the flask. Be sure to take into account the few millimeters you will need for the top perforated piece of leather. If you don’t take them into account, the workpiece will have to be redone.
Step 3. Choose an image in black and white with a perforation pattern. Process it in Photoshop, filling the cutouts with black and making their edges as clear as possible. After that, adjust the image to the parameters you need. Mark the seam slots along the edges. Print the image on paper.
Step 4. From a black piece of leather for the base layer, cut out a blank of the appropriate size.
Step 5. Send the piece of red leather along with the prepared paper template for perforation to the laser machine. Set the appropriate parameters before work.
If you decide to do everything manually, be sure to stock up sharp knife for leather and awl. You will make the perforation slots first, and the seam holes second.
After creating the workpiece, be sure to process the edges of the slots and the product itself. During laser treatment, the skin will have bad smell, wipe its surface with a damp toothbrush and lay the material out to dry on a paper towel. Pre-flatten it, but do not stretch it.
Step 6. Using waxed thread, sew the perforated piece along the long sides of the rectangle. You can secure the ends of the threads with transparent nail polish on the reverse side.
Step 7. Apply glue to the black piece. Attach it to the flask, first straightening it so that there are no creases. Work with leather and glue carefully so that the piece of leather does not become deformed.
Today we will talk about flasks: what and how these things are made of, what sizes they come in, how best to choose a flask, what to pour into it, how to care for it. Let’s also remember a few basic rules of “flask etiquette” and make a short excursion into history.
“Portable bar”, “combat 100 grams”, “kindling liquid” - whatever people call a flask. A small container with precious drops of alcohol is an essential piece of equipment for any alcoholic aesthete.
Wherever you go: fishing, on a hike, for an interview, to the theater - your personal little box in your pocket will make you independent from bars and shops, will give you the opportunity to relieve stress at any time, warm up, tune in to the positive, and relax. We should not forget that a flask is an indicator of style, a pretentious attribute. In short - “You may not drink at all, but you must have a flask!”
What is a flask and where did it come from?
The word “flask” itself is German, derived from “Flachmann”, which in translation means just “flask”. “Flyakhmans” were used mainly by soldiers - during World War I they were made of glass and covered in a fabric cover. They fought, as if they were running - just imagine how much schnapps was spilled on the battlefields by the Kaiser’s troops!
But, of course, containers for alcoholic substances appeared long before the Imperialist era. Leather, mended stomachs of livestock, wood, the shells of some fruits (for example, coconut) - portable “bottles” for wine and other drinks have been made from all of this since their appearance.
The flask began to acquire its modern appearance, presumably, in the eighteenth century, in good old France. It was at this time that the flask left the category of a practical everyday item and moved into the plane of a design element, even luxury. Silver, gold, luxurious ornaments, inlays with gems, family coats of arms, engravings, icons are proof of this.
The main surge in the popularity of this device occurred in the States, in the 1920s. During this time, alcohol could only be sold under the counter. Some future Al Capone came up with a special type of liqueur known as a "gas station." The meaning is simple - a worker eager to wet his throat enters a certain establishment. Drinking on the spot was not allowed for reasons of secrecy - the bootlegger poured only “to-go”.
Anyone who wanted to refuel needed a “gas tank,” or rather a “tank,” which could be hidden in a pocket or behind the boot and carefully transported to a safe place.
After the repeal of the dubious Eighteenth Amendment, flasks remained a part of the everyday life of ordinary Americans. For example, they were often found on the bodies of US soldiers who died on the fronts of World War II. They were taken to both Korea and Vietnam. It must be from there that it is convenient and useful item penetrated the vast expanses of the USSR.
Capacity and material
Many years ago, having bought my very first flask, I was still surprised that the capacity on it was indicated not in milliliters, but in some mysterious “OZ”. In fact, there is nothing surprising here - Americans measure the volume of alcohol in ounces, equal to 29 ml - just a small shot. The minimum volume is usually 3 ounces, the maximum is 12.
But there are also exceptions. For example, miniature flasks-keychains. My friend’s uncle worked at some mysterious flask production - so he kept everything, from vegetable oil to moonshine, in Mastadont 3-5-liter flasks.
The choice of volume is a personal matter for everyone. I like 9 OZ - 255 grams. Just enough cognac to relax a little and treat a friend. A smaller, 6-ounce flask will come in handy on a hike - you can pour 98% alcohol into it, which is good for starting a fire in the damp, disinfecting a wound, and getting a group of 2-3 adult men drunk.
Just keep in mind that alcohol, especially strong alcohol (alcohol, absinthe, undiluted liqueurs) should not be stored in a metal container for a long time - there is a risk that the drink will change its taste and become “iron.”
And, by the way, another life hack - “for warming”, not brandy or vodka is much better suited, but strong wine - port, Cahors. Tested in practice - at one time I had to work a lot in the cold. Wine makes you feel warmer without compromising your intelligence. And to relieve stress, it is recommended to take no more than 50 ml, especially in extreme conditions– on a hike, etc., where it is important to maintain dexterity and clarity of thought.
Now about the material. As already mentioned, flasks are made from just about anything - even glass and polymers. We will focus on metals.
- Stainless steel- the most common material. Beautiful, suitable for engraving, corrosion-resistant. The character is flexible. Flasks made of soldered stainless steel are most often found on sale. If you want to completely protect yourself from tin, lead, acid and other elements of solder, it is better to look for one welded with argon. Aerobatics - seamless stainless steel. But you will have to pay accordingly for the exclusive.
- Aluminum- is also not subject to corrosion, lighter than stainless steel, but is prone to deformation, which is why the caps begin to tighten worse and precious moisture begins to leak. But I don’t recommend aluminum for other reasons - it noticeably spoils the taste of alcohol, and not just strong alcohol.
- Regular steel. There are no options here - straight into trash.
- And finally silver. This, of course, is chic - silver not only does not spoil the taste, but, according to many reviews, can slightly improve it. Of course, I can’t imagine an adequate person who would spend over 15,000 rubles on such a trifle. But as a gift to your boss or business partner, it’s just right.
And one more thing – it’s worth paying attention to the accessories for the flasks. For some flasks they make glass stoppers - maybe it’s more convenient for you to drink, but I think that the stopper should be attached to the body on a hinge - otherwise it will be 100% lost. If you don’t like to effectively drink from your throat, it is better to purchase a set of metal shot glasses in a separate case. Take thicker ones - they bend quickly.
But a watering can is a very useful thing, especially when you pour the remains of booze into a flask in the morning after drinking. I personally don’t see the point in special cases - unless, in addition to a flask, it can hold, for example, a tobacco pouch or a cigarette case.
Care secrets and flask etiquette
There are several unspoken rules that flask owners follow. For example:
- Cocktails are not carried in a flask.
Only pure alcohol, only hardcore! Do you like ""? Carry rum with you and mix the rest in a glass. Agree, “Bloody Mary” in a flask is not entirely aesthetically pleasing, and it’s also unhygienic.
- Only you and your closest friends can drink from the bottle.
It's in bad taste to serve unfamiliar characters from your own flask. An alternative is portable glasses.
- Do not touch the neck with your hands.
And in general, the flask must be kept clean, thoroughly washed every time after it is emptied.
When not carrying alcohol, the flask should be kept clean and dry. The inside cannot be washed with soap or detergent - only plain warm water.
As a last resort, if some very aromatic or sweet, fatty drink was stored inside, you can use citric acid or a weak solution of vinegar, after which the container must be rinsed again several times and dried well with the lid unscrewed.
You can also wash your flask... with rice! Rice is a good adsorbent; it perfectly absorbs odors and tastes. A few grains need to be poured inside, add warm water and let it sit for half an hour, then rinse the vessel thoroughly.
The outside of a simple metal or wood-encrusted flask can be washed with soap or a neutral dish soap. For leather, regular shoe products will do, only those that don’t smell. You can rub the tin with a mixture of vinegar, flour and salt, let the mixture dry on the surface and rinse with warm water.
It is also necessary to rinse the new flask several times immediately after purchase, then dry it and fill it with vodka or other alcohol that you don’t mind. If within a couple of days the drink has not changed its taste and smell, then you have purchased a good vessel!
That's all!
The article partially used materials from the furfur website.
In this master class you will make your own flask from a bottle decorated with polymer clay and putty.
The stylish design hides simple glass and turns ordinary containers into beautiful accessory– a worthy gift for a man. The flask is decorative in nature and can withstand minor ingress of water. To ensure that the product can be washed and actively used for its intended purpose, coat it with two layers of yacht varnish.
Decoration materials
A flat bottle is suitable for decoration, since the decor will not look so impressive on a rounded surface. It is better to use a round one for making. You can make an unusual one from another similar vessel.
Materials for decorating a bottle with polymer clay:
- polymer clay of different colors;
- latex putty – 200 g;
- gouache;
- starch or mortar 4 tbsp. l.;
- dishwashing liquid;
- old eye shadow.
Tools: stacks with rubber tips, nail scissors, video clip.
Equipment: modeling mat, wet wipes.
If you want to make a flask with your own hands from leather, see our other step by step lesson. We also have one for transforming unnecessary vessels into masterpieces.
How to turn a bottle into a flask
First, cover with jasper. To do this you need to get different shades of clay.
Carefully knead the plastic of brown, yellow, red, black and green. Divide the brown mass into four parts and add the colors listed separately to each.
You should get four shades of polymer clay.
Roll each piece randomly with a roller into layers of different thicknesses.
Place one layer on top of the other and twist the rope.
Cut the tourniquet into pieces with a knife, pull each piece out a little. Lay out the resulting elements into a canvas. Roll out lightly with a binding roller. Jasper is much easier to obtain than it is to make.
Place the resulting canvas on the bottle.
Cut the workpiece into an oval shape with a knife. For decorative element– bull figurines, you can draw an image on paper, attach the silhouette to light brown clay rolled out into a layer and cut it out with nail scissors.
To obtain a more impressive relief image, mold a figurine. From the mass rolled into a ball, pull out the part for the head and legs.
Sculpt the legs, head, tail. Decorate the body of the animal with a stack.
For effect metal surface Apply eyeshadow from a bottle using your finger to a flask.
Make a random pattern with a stack and send the flask to bake under the conditions specified in the instructions for thermoplastic.
A gift for a man should be brutal, so you need to add rough jewelry. For a mixture simulating masonry, pour plaster or starch into the putty to form a plastic mass.
To prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands, pour in 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid and stir. Add a little black, yellow and green gouache and mix again.
Cover the bottle with the mixture to a thickness of 0.7 cm, excluding areas covered with plastic. Stick around the lid of a flask to get a stone effect.
Apply a “stone-like” pattern in a stack. Smooth out uneven areas with your fingers dipped in water. Leave the flask out of the bottle to dry for a day or two.
If you need a sweet gift for a man, pay attention to sweets - no one will remain indifferent to such a gift. Don't be afraid to give guys homemade surprises, even if they aren't executed perfectly. The recipient will definitely appreciate the amount of effort you put into your work.
A master class on making a decorative flask for a man with your own hands was prepared by Natalya Neustroyeva, idea and photo by the author.
Making a distiller yourself is the best solution for those who consider its purchase an unjustified investment. However, you can make a moonshine still from a flask, and the necessary “”, the same refrigerator, or even buy it separately.
Many in their dachas, especially in private homes, have perfectly preserved 38-liter aluminum milk flasks. This was the most popular size during Soviet times. They were inexpensive, but were (and remain) very practical due to the ability to be hermetically sealed.
And to be honest, even then these cans were actively used by home distillers for their own purposes: they put mash in them and successfully distilled them. It is worth noting that today there is even more choice: you can buy a flask from 5 to 100 liters.
In Europe and China, flasks are mainly used stainless steel. Probably the main reason is that medical studies interpret the use of aluminum ambiguously. Allegedly, when interacting with an aggressive environment (which is), especially when heated, it oxidizes. This releases substances harmful to humans.
Even today we continue to produce aluminum flasks and pots.
Reference. Not a single case of poisoning associated with the use aluminum cookware, has not been reported worldwide. That is, the conclusions of scientists are only theoretical.
However, for those who are worried about the material, there is an alternative - buy a stainless steel flask. They are made in China and European countries and sell from us.
note. To save money, you can order a flask from China yourself required size through online platforms, the same Aliexpress, for example.
Although European ones are much better in quality. But why bother then, if for the money paid for a European flask you can buy a quite decent one made in Russia.
Advantages of milk cans
- This is an almost ready-made cube that requires minimal modifications. And even then, if you plan to heat it on a stove (gas or electric), only the lid will require changes; the can itself can not be touched at all;
- flasks are made of thick metal and have a large margin of safety;
- do not rust, durable;
- in the same vessel you can put mash;
- aluminum heats up quickly, transferring heat to the mash, thereby speeding up distillation;
- voluminous neck, which allows you to track and also easily wash the can.
The disadvantages include the presence of a special rim near the bottom of the can. It is difficult to heat such a flask on an electric stove, but for gas stove, steam generator, heating element, it doesn’t matter.
Safer with valve
One of the main reasons is blockage of the steam pipe with foam or even solid particles contained in the mash. At the same time, the pressure inside the cube increases and when the material of the tank cannot withstand the pressure, an explosion occurs. Sometimes the force is so strong that the windows in the house fly out, the moonshiner receives serious injuries and may lose consciousness. At this time, a fire breaks out due to alcohol vapors escaping.
Therefore, under no circumstances should we leave the device unattended during the haul and accept additional measures security. The main one is safety valve installation.
Attention. Many moonshiners explain their reluctance to equip the distillation cube with a valve by the fact that in this way, they say, some of the alcohol vapor will “fly” into the atmosphere.
Will not be! With proper distillation, it does not occur in the cube. overpressure, alcohol vapor rises through the outlet tube, and the valve “does not work.”
Remember how a pressure cooker works (and a multicooker too). Steam begins to come out only when the liquid inside boils. During distillation, the mash never reaches the boiling point and no steam is released through the valve. But the presence of a valve saves in case of unforeseen situations.
You can choose from the following options:
- valve for a compressor that operates at a pressure of about 10 atm. This is a bit much; the material of the flask may not withstand it, especially if it is far from new. Price from 140 rubles;
- Chinese-made safety valve that “turns on” at 1.6 atm. Price – 500 rub. and higher;
- pressure cooker valve. Its price on Chinese online sales sites is 70 rubles;
- thermometer in an open (not sealed) capsule.
To do this, drill a 10 mm hole in the wall of the flask at the top or in the lid, into which a stainless steel tube is hermetically secured. A conical rubber band from a dropper is inserted into it, and then a bimetallic thermometer is inserted.
Its probe is inside the cube, and the round scale is outside. In distillation or rectification mode, the thermometer informs about the temperature inside the cube. But if an emergency suddenly occurs and the pressure jumps sharply, it will simply push the thermometer out and be released through the tube.
Drain valve and steam generator
You will need a drain valve if you have a large flask. For a 10-liter bottle (which actually holds no more than 7 liters of mash), there is no particular need for it. And for the convenience of emptying a 40-liter container of stillage, it can be very useful.
It is better to use a faucet made entirely of brass with a rotary lever. You can even connect a garden hose to it and drain the used mash either into the sewer or onto compost heap in the garden.
If you want to equip your device steam generator, with the help of which you can distill even very thick wort, which will certainly burn during normal heating on the stove, it’s not difficult. A fitting is screwed into the can 3 centimeters above the bottom, ensuring its tightness.
WITH inside can (this is when a wide neck is important), a bubbler or spiral is installed on the fitting, reaching to the middle of the container. A steam line is connected to the outside.
Electric heater
In many cases, the use of heating elements is advisable, and their installation is not difficult.
It is enough just to make two holes - exactly the size of the connection for the heating element and secure the heater in the flask, retreating approximately 5 cm from the bottom.
As a rule, everything connecting elements– gaskets, nuts – come complete with heating element. For a can up to 20 liters, a 2 kilowatt heater is sufficient, or two, installed one opposite the other, but of lower power. For a 38-liter one, you need a more powerful heating element - 3.5 - 4 kW.
Peculiarities. Using a heating element, clean, strained mash that has no sediment is distilled.
When trying to distill a thick wort containing particles of the product, it will certainly burn, deteriorating the quality of the moonshine.
How to do it yourself?
Having decided how you see your future moonshine still, start creating it.
Important. If you plan to use purchased additional products: , or distillation column, it is better to order them in advance and make all the connections already under the existing “awnings”.
- Making a sealed lid. A standard flask lid already has a seal, but it is rubber, which means the final product, which we strive to make crystal clear, will taste like rubber. New seal can be made from silicone hose . It is reliable, durable, not afraid of heating up to 250-300°C, does not enter into chemical reactions with the chemical elements of the brew.
- Making a hole for the steam pipe, insert the fitting. As an option - a hole for a distillation/strengthening column. It needs to be made of a larger diameter, focusing on existing equipment.
- In the lid or top of the can, preferably secure the safety valve and which will help clearly divide the distillate into fractions: up to 78°C - heads, from 78 to 85°C - body, higher - tails.
- If planned drain valve or steam line– we do it, not forgetting that all connections must be airtight. In addition to gaskets we use silicone sealant, fum tape for plumbing work, heat-resistant sealant where there are threaded connections.
- Having installed the heating element, be sure to protect ourselves from electric shock, reliably isolating the wire connections. Wire cross-section is at least 2.5 cm. Very good installation thermostat, uninterruptible power supply or rheostat. This will help you regulate the heat for best results.
- We provide for the presence of a coil and a refrigerator– without these “parts” no distiller will work. You can buy a refrigerator in specialized stores or make it yourself.
Everything else is at your discretion. Do not forget that in those compounds that come into contact with alcohol vapors and moonshine, you can only use
