Uniform care and storage

[Southernboy]

Friends,

I am relatively new to the hobby and am in the process of putting together my first Confederate impression (Greg Starbuck kepi, Tim Allen Theo Frank, Ben Tart NC Depot, MB&S brogans, etc.). As things started coming in I began to think about storage and care. I realize generally an authentic persona would most likely be wrinkled and dirty but at the same time I would like my things to last (they are a significant investment to me). I was wondering if any of you would pass along how you store your gear and any care precautions you take with them. Just general uniform, cover, shoe & such care along with any tips you feel are important.

Thanks in advance!

[RJSamp]

Wrinkled and dirty uniform means next time you are inspected you get to ride the wooden horse or stand on a barrel....enjoy!

Period dry cleaning: sprinkle your wool uniforms with baby (talc) powder, brush out with a clothes brush. The talc absorbs odors, the brushing clears out the goobers, debris, and dendris....and the talc. Hang in an enclosed moth free area with generous shoulder friendly hangers (wooden)...and either have CEDAR lining the closet or cheese cloth bags of cedar chips.

Period wet cleaning: boiling tub of water to kill the lice....... ever wonder how come they didn't shrink or fade after boiling? Must have been some pretty decent fabric/dyes to begin with...

For us Federals, Balsam Fir boughs in the cedar closet will impart a pleasant smell to the fabric....Rosemary sprigs are also super....

Jasmine based potpourri catchets anyone?



RJ Samp

[King47thAL]

Just my opinion, but if unless you're constantly doing garrison duty you really don't have to take a whole lotta care of your gear inbetween events. I would say the most you'd have to worry about is your gun, and your canteen. You don't want either of 'em to rust up on ya. For your rifle, clean it immediately after use. I find, if I take a few minutes to clean my rifle at the end of the event before going home, then I won't forget it and wind up being days before I get around to it. Your canteen, if'n it's tin, clean it as soon as you can as well. Was it out with baking soda several times, and then allow it to air and drip dry. Then when completely dry, store it with the stopper in to prevent oxidizing.

As far as your uniform and traps, not too much care needs to be given there.As long as your stuff isn't damp, or muddy, a little dust won't hurt anything.

I always just hang my stuff up to air out and dry for a day or two, and then into my box it goes. Make sure there's no way any critters can get to it and make homes, especially brown recluses, if they're in your area.

You may want to get some type of oil (can't say what, though) to keep your leathers from drying out.

I've been reenacting for 10 years, had good gear for about 6, and havn't had any problems. If you're stuff is made right, you should have no problems.

Just my thoughts, disagree if you will,


J B King
47th AL.

[SteelCityZouave]

Everything that has been said, I highly agree with. As far as your gun and getting a good cleaning on it (which is top priority), you should do a quick clean at the event you're using your gun at. I usually use some of my left-over canteen water and pour it down the barrell of the gun after a battle while it's still hot, so it can get a majority of the powder out of there and you won't have a bunch of "blackpowder pudding" later on. Then you should do more of a thorough cleaning of your rifle when you get home.

As far as your leathers, I use a product called "Neatsfoot Outdoor Leather Oil" on them which can get the job done and keeps them from drying. Also, it would be a good idea to hang up your clothing after events to dry them out along with your brogans and socks, etc.

I hope that helps!

[courier]

Clean gun after each event..........uh oh.That was May! I had better get on it soon.Seriously though,hang those trowsers and coat out in the wind for a couple days to thoroughly dry out and air and they won't stink.I am opposed to dry cleaning,removes some of the natural oils from the wool.Review David Jarnagin's paper on leather care.Do not use petroleum products of any kind on your leathers.Take a stiff brush and water and get the mud and dirt off the shoes,then lightly oil the surfaces and put shoe trees in them.Use saddle soap and Kiwi polish on your belts and cartridge box.Wash your cotton shirts and drawers and air out your wool shirts(don't wash wool).Hang up for the season,as suggested on wooden hangers and place cedar chips in and around garments.Now you are ready for next season.
Regards,Rick Harris

[Alamo Guard]

Wool can be washed in cool or cold water by hand. Never use a washing machine and for gawds sake never use a dryer. It helps if you know what type or brand of wool was used. Certain wools can will shrink under normal conditions like getting your feet soaking wet and then not changing your socks all weekend and allowing them to dry on your feet.
If jeancloth gets muddy just a damp rag to get off the clumps, let it air dry and then a brush later will get out most of the dirt.
Lastly as far as my tin canteen goes I ensure its drained, hang it upside down in a dry area and leave it without the stopper. If you dont have a dry area of course like mention rust will eat it alive.

[RyanBWeddle]

Most of use hangars for our storage of our uniforms, shirts, etc. (I'm trying to quit)

While hangars were used in the mid-19th Cen. more often than not clothing was folded for storage. This was a more common way to store your clothing in chests, etc. And how was army clothing transported? In massive wagons of swaying hangars? NO! It was folded and bundled or bailed.

How many closets do you see in 19th Century homes/rooms ? Not very many at all for clothes storage....

I would suggest after your events, after lightly cleaning / airing out your clothing that you fold and box/store it that way. Make sure of course your stuff isn't going to shrink, mold, etc.

So stay away from hangars - hangars can leave jackets/shirts with odd looking shoulder indentations and trowsers with un-needed creasing....

Fold fold fold! It's the 19th C. way to do it!

[Michael Semann]

I agree that the average campaigning soldier of the time had little opportunity to lavish his clothing and gear with the utmost in cleanly habits, however two things are important to maintain by the modern reenactor: one, as mentioned above, leather MUST be kept free of excess moisture and mud/dirt, this will rot the leather quicker than anything. Two, clothing should be spot cleaned and brushed from time to time. I highly recommend getting either a cedar lined chest/wardrobe as mentioned above, or at the very least a cedar block or chips to ward off moths etc. I have too many pards who have had nasty damage done to their kit by those troublesome critters. :(

[Bill]

Since I'm more interested in removing my stink, then removing dust and mud, I turn my jacket and trousers inside out before I hang them outside to air out. I also put one or two of the old fashioned moth balls in a few of the pockets on my uniforms before I put them away. I keep a few of the moth balls in the bottom of the box where I store my blankets. I try to remember to hang the blankets out for a while before packing for the event!

If you are using a wooden canteen, I would suggest you fill it with water before putting it away.

[SCTiger]

I have been informed that a small amount of white vinegar will sterilize your wooden canteen and won't damage the wood or the beeswax. I added the vineagar to my storage water and it seemed to work rather well. I was reluctant to use chlorine or clorox, even in small amounts. I have used Mink oil on the leather and thinned it out with a hair dryer set on "low">

I wouldn't use machine washing on the finely sewn or handsewn stuff. Some of my "period threads" have disintegrated with the use of modern detergents. I use the low powered baby soap or hand soap and wash the underwear, socks, shirt in the tub and air dry in the sun. The modern detergent will burn your hand off if you hold it long enough. Dry cleaning? As they say up north.
Fergeddaboutit!

[Bill]

I have been informed that a small amount of white vinegar will sterilize your wooden canteen and won't damage the wood or the beeswax. I added the vineagar to my storage water and it seemed to work rather well. I was reluctant to use chlorine or clorox, even in small amounts." Fergeddaboutit!

The vinegar won't sterilize you canteen, but it does seem to make the stuff that grows in the water "clump up". I put a small amount of Clorox in my canteens at the beginning of the season. (About a shot glass of Clorox in a quart of water) It will kill all the bacteria that clings to the interior of the canteen. It's important to change the water three or four times before drinking from the canteen. The Clorox can kill you too, not to mention making the water taste like something that came from the washing machine!

[JCbluegrassrifles]

I've thought about the same. If you have the money, try purchasing a cedar box or possibly making one. I'd like to make one for myself. Uniforms were stored in cedar boxes with cedar chips in them. The chips would help stop any mold or mildew during storage. In that way your gear would be stored somewhat like the period and at the same time you would have a safe method of storing them away from anything modern that might come in contact with your uniform that may cause damage. My method of cleaning consists of soaking uniforms in cold or room temperature water (Let them drip-dry) as that is probably the only way soldiers in the field could have cleaned their uniforms until they were issud another (anything warm or hot, water included, shrinks wool and takes it toll on period fabric). Period Lye soap is the only soap I would reccommend if you plan on using any type of soap. Same with the brogans. Don't soak them by any means purposely, but nock the dirt and mud from them and place them somewhere that moisture cannot get to them. I periodically apply bacon grease to my brogans because soldiers would do that from time to time for extra protection of the leather from moisture (Remember, periodiclly, bacon grease can take its toll on leather if overused). I've always gone by whatever methods I can that apply to how soldiers would have done it. That way you know that you won't damage your kit with modern things and at the same time keep your uniform items somewhat clean and ready for the field.

[JCbluegrassrifles]

Sorry I failed to mention this. Do let you gear air out prior to storage. If wet, be sure it has had good time to dry. As far as tin goes, I do all my business with Otter Creek Tin. John Peterson is kind enough to enclose literature for taking care of my tin goods with all my purchases. If you would like, I can run you copies of the ones he sent me with my canteen and tin cup. As far as a tin canteen, I believe some afor mentioned info is wrong. I may be wrong about this, but placing the stopper in the spout during storage allows little air to get in and dry completely. Then not only will you get rust, but mold. Just be sure to look after tin very cautiously, because it is delicate, but it is what is period correct. Keeping tin dry is the number one thing when taking care of tin products. And by all means, do not scrub it harshly or with any polishing agents, this is BAD! Anyway, shoot me and e-mail and I'll send that literature off to ya by snail mail.

[Southernboy]

Thanks to all of you for your responses! You have helped me very much.

[Alamo Guard]

One quick little fact about folding clothes. Folks back in the 1860's avoided creases in new clothes. It gave them the impression that they could not sell and consequently had been sitting on the store shelves.
I just have the space in my home to have a Civil War Room, with a large closet. My uniforms are held up on pegs with cedar moth repellants. Dont forget to change these repellents at LEAST every six months.

[nmilbury]

Hello, gentlemen,
I never really thought this was a problem. I purchased a shelf just so I could keep my uniforms out of a damp closet and out in the open, and keep them in cardboard boxes (along with other repro uniforms I own). My uniform pieces are dusted off and occasionally washed outside in a bucket, and let out to dry before bringing in, and my accoutrements and Booties are just dusted off and cleaned with a cotton towel. I find that keeping your uniform in a box and not in a closet prevents any threat of moth damage and add to that no worry of hanger creases. As for canteens, I just let them dry out in the sun with stopper off after each use, and havn't had a problem with rust yet.
My two cents in this topic :rolleyes: ,
Nathan Milbury

[BorderReb]

Here is something I do that isn't period correct but cheap and it works. I buy cedar bedding at the pet store and stuff an old sock full of it. The sock allows the cedar to breath but keeps your stuff neat. This keeps away the critters and goes great with the campfire smoke smell we all love.

[BCIDick]

Soldiers are always expected to present a neat, clean, military appearance. This is despite the fact that Federal Soldiers were only encouraged to change underwear "...once per week", whether they needed to or not. Keeping arms and accoutrements clean, free of rust and serviceable was obviously priority #1, whether in garrison or on campaign.

The fine, white ash at the bottom of your camp fire makes an outstanding mild abrasive which when rubbed onto your musket or bayonet will remove light rust. I always wipe my metals clean and applt a light coat of oil before storing them.

Mink oil worked into your boots will soften and preserve them. I use a stiff brush to remove dirt and mud and then black them with plain old boor black. Danner's or Kiwi works well. Boots were required to be kept blacked, but not necessarily shined. This works well on your other leathers too.

Pvt Bob Firth
25th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
"Why, they couldn't hit an elephant at th..."
- Maj Gen Sedgwick's last words before being shot by rebel sharpshooter"

[Parault]

I have a 10 X 12 storage shed that I purchased just for my CW clothing, leathers and everything else that I have. On one side I have a closet hanger pole with cedar particle board (closet linner) that I placed, for the purpose of keeping those critters out of my clothing. I have pegs and period boxes for all the rest of my things. I store my weapons in the house at the back of my closet for climate control. I clean my things after every event. I too have spent lots of money on items that I wouldn't want to replace. I hear some of my guys say " man you need for that to have a weathered look" My things get that look after being used for several years,not by just throwing them in the closet after an event. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't take care of these things.

[Rob Weaver]

I hang my uniforms in a closet in our cellar. (Yes, my wife loves me!) My leathers and gear I hang in our garage. At the beginning of each season, I clean and polish all of my leather, and polish all of my brass. Then I let it age again during the season. The only parts of my uniforms I launder regularly are my shirts, socks and drawers. I have handwashed my trousers, but I can't remember the last time. Keeping my musket clean is very important. Anyone who owns a 61 Springfield knows you don't even talk of rain within earshot of it. I have always found it convenient to hang canteens upside down with the stoppers out, that way they dry out and stay dry.
I see no reason to beat up your equipment to "make it look authentic." It will acquire that appearance in time as you use it, more quickly if you use it in nasty weather conditions. This stuff is expensive, though, and there is no reason, unless you won the lottery, to make it wear out before its time. Take care of it. I still have the first set of leathers that I purchased when I started doing Civil War, and just sold them. They're in great condition.

[Charles Heath]

I see no reason to beat up your equipment to "make it look authentic."

That one line is good enough for a POTM nomination.

[aetius123]

In addition to folding my uniforms I now use a hat block between events so my hat will retain its shape and size. I have a Clearwater slouch hat that I used on a rainy event and it shrunk considerably.


John Winkler
Co K 6th TX

[Rob Weaver]

Thank you! I thought I was losing my mind several years ago when after a rainy season, my forage cap no longer fit me and would only fit my then five-year-old child!

[LibertyHallVols]

I have always found it convenient to hang canteens upside down with the stoppers out, that way they dry out and stay dry.

Another approach to the canteen storage issue:
A few years ago, someone on these boards had the brilliant idea of putting paper towell "twists" into a canteen so that they touch the bottom of the canteen while it is hanging upright and sticks out the spout.

Moisture is wicked up by the paper towell. I change the paper towell every day our so until it comes out dry (usually only one or two changes). I have had great luck with this technique and found it minimizes rust in my tin canteens and I have had no "funk" in my wooden canteen.

Enjoy!

[Bill]

Another approach to the canteen storage issue:

Moisture is wicked up by the paper towell. I change the paper towell every day our so until it comes out dry (usually only one or two changes). I have had great luck with this technique and found it minimizes rust in my tin canteens and I have had no "funk" in my wooden canteen.

Enjoy!

John,

If I read your post correctly, you treat your wood canteen the same as your tin canteens. IMHO, if you dry out a wood canteen on a regular basis, eventually you will have a canteen that won't hold water anymore. Every time a wood canteen dries out, the wood shrinks. For some reason I can't explain, eventually the wood loses it's ability to swell up again, when you refill the canteen with water. I am most familiar with cherry and cedar. Other woods may react differently.

It's been my experience that a wood canteen which is kept filled with water between events should normally last between five and eight years. I think that's longer service than most people get from their tin cantens.

[KarinTimour]

Gentlemen:

What a terrific topic, it's fascinating to read all the ways that people have come up with for taking care of their uniforms and gear.

In reading through them, I found that some of you are a little unclear about the actual mechanics of shrinkage and moths and how to avoid both.

As a knitter, I"ve got quite a stash of wool yarn at my house, and have done a lot of reading about moths and shrinkage so as to be able to keep my stash safe.

Why does wool shrink?
Wool is a natural fiber, and each strand of wool is covered all over with microscopic "scales" which are hinged on one side. When dirt gets into wool, it will snag on the edges of the "scales." When wool gets wet, the scales start to swing open on their little hinges. The wetter the wool gets, the more the little "scales" open up. If the wool is being soaked in water (like to clean it), the dirt which was caught on the edge of a scale will float or sink into the water. While the wool is wet, if it is then pounded, or twisted, the open "scales" will catch on each other and tangle permanently. If the wetness and the pounding continue, the wool will start to mat and break down, forming felt. When a hatter wanted to make wool felt, they took unspun wool from the sheep, and intentionally wetted it, tangled and pounded it until the felting occurred. This is also what happens when wool shrinks. You've unintentionally started the process of forming felt. "Felling" was the commercial process of intentionally doing this, because wool that has been tangled and partially shrunken will be much warmer and airtight. There were "felling mills" in our time period which were commercial establishments which would take blankets or other woolen goods, get them wet and pound them to achieve the felted airtight fabric.

When you march in wool socks, your feet sweat, getting the wool wet, the pressure of each step acts to start the felling process. If you look closely at the bottom of a pair of wool socks, you'll notice the spots where your foot's pressure has started them felting. Over time this will happen with all socks, but the time it takes will be affected by a) whether you twist or wring your socks when you wash them; b) whether you put them in the dryer (NOOOOOOOOOO!); c) what breed of sheep the wool came from (some breeds produce wool that felts very easily); d) how tightly the wool was spun -- sock yarn, for instance was tightly spun so that it would resist felling and wear well; e) whether you "shock" the wool item by moving it quickly from hot to cold water, or vice versa.

If you wash your wool items, whether knitted drawers, undershirts, socks, uniform pants, it's much better to dry them flat, rather than to hang them up. If you must hang them, first get as much water as possible out of the item -- water is heavy and wet wool is vulnerable to being pulled out of shape. If you hang it up dripping, the water will pull it out of shape permanently, and then it will dry in that shape.

When you must, what should you use to wash the item?
I prefer the following cleaning agents in order of preference: a) Orvus b) Euculan Wool Wash; c) Woolite.

Orvus is designed to wash live show animals -- cattle, horses, etc. and as such it will not strip the lanolin out of the wool. Lanolin is the natural oil from the sheep that gives well made wool it's water repellant properties (ever seen a little bit of water just roll off wool? that's lanolin in action). Just as you want to keep your leathers oiled to keep them supple, the more you strip out the lanolin, the faster your wool will become stiff and cardboardy. Ever had an old coat that got dry cleaned too many times? The surface can feel like sandpaper.

You can purchase a 15-20 lb. tub of Orvus at a stockman's store (anywhere they sell cattle feed, sheep shears or horse halters) for about $15-25. I'm sure you can also purchase it over the internet. I got a tub for $25, but I suspect the guys in the feed store had me sized up for a non-farmer -- you can probably do better. Museums don't like to wash artifacts, but I've heard that if the Smithsonian HAS to spot clean something wool, this is the stuff they use. I use it on all my woolens and handwashables and they feel great.

Euculan wool wash can be purchased through the internet or at just about any yarn store, but it's pretty expensive.

Woolite you can get in the grocery -- but it's a detergent and over time it will strip out the lanolin and shorten the life of your woollens.

I don't use lye soap on my woolens. If you are using lye soap, because it was a period cleaner, keep in mind how they used it. My understanding is that they didn't get something wet and then rub the bar of soap on the item. Instead, they shaved soap flakes into the water, got it to dissolve in the water and only then ADDED the item to be washed. Sometimes this involved getting the water hot, dissolving the soap into it, then letting the water cool. Will go dig up some of my old laundry manuals and see what they say about using lye soap on wool.

How do I wash?
1. I fill the sink/bucket/whatever with cold water and dissolve the Orvus into it. Then I put the socks in the water and let them soak, undisturbed, for 20-30 minutes.

2. If there is considerable dirt in the water, I carefully scoop the socks against the side of the sink, drain the water, and refill with the same temperature, not letting the water that is filling the sink fall on the wet socks (remember, pressure starts felting). When the sink is full, I release the socks into the water and let them soak some more. I may swish them gently around, but I don't scrub or wring them.

3. Scoop them to one side of the sink, drain the water, refill with cold water and rinse. Swish the socks around in the rinse water. Repeat the process 2-3 times, until the water is clear when the socks have been swished and all the soap is out of them.

4. Drain the sink one last time. Lay a sock flat in the sink. Carefully roll it from the toe up, pressing the growing roll against the side of the sink as you go. This will get much of the water out, without twisting or wringing. Repeat with the other sock.

5. Lay a dry towel flat. Unroll each sock and lay it flat on the towel. Roll the towel up from the end, rolling the wet socks into the towel. Leave it like that for 30 minutes. The dry towel will wick much of the water out of the socks.

6. Lay a second towel flat somewhere where it can be undisturbed for a day or so. Unroll the first towel, and transfer the socks to the second towel. Leave them flat on the towel until they are dry.

7. Some folks recommend sock stretchers -- personally I dislike them, because the life of my socks is in the ribbing. Sock stretchers stretch wet wool, and my experience is that the more you stretch wet wool, the higher the likelihood for distortion. The largest thing that your sock ribbing should ever go around is your leg. If your sock stretcher is larger or pulls your ribbing to be larger than that, sooner rather than later the life is gone out of your ribbing, and you have to blouse your socks, or tie them up with your drawer legs to keep them up.


Why worry about cleaning wool?
Answer: A 5-letter word starting with "M": Moths

Moths eat both wool and silk, so if you have a flag, a sash or a cravat that is silk, you need to protect them as well as your woollens.

Moths are attracted to clothing that has been stored, whether in a closet, a box, or on a shelf. Moths don't care about your container -- if it's not airtight, they can get into it. They are especially attracted to clothing which still has odors or body oils on it. Smell of horse? Smell of smoke? Smell of pork fat? Smell of pine tar? Smell of unwashed guy? Moth heaven.

Lots of you have correctly stated that a good brushing to remove dust and mud (let the mud dry first, then brush it off) and an airing is all that uniforms need under most conditions. Period clothes certainly were washed much less than modern ones are, and if you are wearing completely period clothing from the skin out, it's a system that is designed to limit the number of places that your skin touches your uniform. Period underclothing (and I include shirts as underclothing) was meant to be washed much more often and will cover your body almost completely, thus protecting your pants and coat from the oils in your skin.

Hang your uniform up, preferably outside on a clothesline for a day or two, brush it, and then store it with moth repellant. Whether that is moth balls or cedar chips. Cedar oils, lavender and rosemary are all fragrant and will REPELL moths, not kill them. Moth balls will both repell them and kill them. Ever looked at an original coat and found an ancient cigar in a pocket (or two or three in different pockets)? It wasn't forgotten there, the housewife who stored it was using the tobacco as a moth repellant. I can't remember at the moment if tobacco (unsmoked) is effective or was just believed to repell moths. However, be forewarned, cedar oils dry out over time. So if you've got cedar chips in socks stuffed in your coat sleeves, remember to replace them every year or so. Cedar closets will likely need to be resprayed with cedar oil (you can get bottles of this stuff in places like "Bed, Bath and Beyond"). You can also get cedar blocks with little hangers on them, just hang a few in the closet, or they can be laid in the drawer with folded wools. The cedar blocks need to be sanded every year or so, to bring the cedar oil to the surface and keep the moth repellant properties available.

If you already have moths living in your closet, drawer, house, first you need to empty that area, wash it down, and repeatedly vaccum it to get up the moth eggs. I'm told that they look like sand or grit, and can be dark or light in color. They can adhere to dust bunnies in the bottom of the closet, or to any flat surface. Moth balls can help, but repeated cleaning is a necessary part of nipping this in the bud.

The moth larvae break out of the eggs and eat your wool to survive. They then form a little cocoon and reemerge as the adult moth, to lay eggs and continue the cycle.

Anything that has moth holes in it needs to be frozen. Don't see any moth holes? Hold it between you and a light source and look again. Especially if the moth damage is just starting or the item is dark colored it can be hard to see them at first.

If you've got something with moth damage, it's likely got live moth larvae living in it. Stick it in the freezer for a week, then pull it out and leave it at room temperature for a day, then stick it back in the freezer. The break is to encourage any larvae that may be dormant in the eggs to come out now that it's warmer, and then zap you stick it back in the freezer and kill them. A recurrent myth that I keep hearing is that microwaving something for 10 seconds kills the moths. No it doesn't -- freezing is the answer.

Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Warm. Durable. Documented.
Come see me at McDowell in May -- I'm bringing the famous "sock line."
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Bill]

Karin,

My wife is a pretty good sport. I've got a crock of salt pork taking up space in the refrigerator right now, but I know where to draw the line. Sticking the old frock coat in the freezer is way over that line, especially to kill bugs!

[tsgalloway]

Karin,
Thanks for the great insight. It will be a great cleaning manual for me.

-Tristan

[KarinTimour]

Dear Tristan:

I'm glad it's useful.

Bill: There's another option if freezing is out of the question -- take your frock to the cleaners -- dry cleaning will also kill moths and moth larvae. On the other hand, if you think she'd be upset by having the frock in the freezer, think about how she's going to feel when the moths move from your uniforms to her fine woollens, silk scarves, blouses and other expensive clothing.

Again, someone doesn't have to freeze or dry clean their coats unless they are seeing damage -- if you ignore it and just shove it back in the closet, you'd be amazed how much damage can be done in just 4 or 5 months. One of my clients brought a coat in to show me -- in one winter, the moths had eaten almost perfect 7 inch circles out of both armpits.

Sincerely,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Warm. Durable. Documented.
Come see me at McDowell -- I'll have the sockline with me.
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[LibertyHallVols]

If I read your post correctly, you treat your wood canteen the same as your tin canteens. IMHO, if you dry out a wood canteen on a regular basis, eventually you will have a canteen that won't hold water anymore. Every time a wood canteen dries out, the wood shrinks. For some reason I can't explain, eventually the wood loses it's ability to swell up again, when you refill the canteen with water. I am most familiar with cherry and cedar. Other woods may react differently.


Bill,

You are reading my post correctly. I had heard that about wood shrinkage, as well. However, it is still water-tight... so far. Any recommendations on keeping them filled without "funk" or bleach? I hate the idea of bringing bleach into the equation because I enjoy the taste of the water from a wooden canteen.

[Knapsack Matt]

I was always worrying about Moths so I have two large Cedar chests.

Matt

[Bill]

Bill,
Any recommendations on keeping them filled without "funk" or bleach? I hate the idea of bringing bleach into the equation because I enjoy the taste of the water from a wooden canteen.

John,

Heck, what's wrong with a little "funk" between friends. As was mentioned earlier, a little white vinegar will cause the stuff that grows to clump up. I use baking soda to neutralize the vinegar. Dump out the vinegar water, then refill, put in a a couple of spoons of baking soda, shake it around. Pour out and refill. I normally give my canteens the bleach treatment at the beginning of the season. I use about a shot glass of bleach in a canteen of water, shake it around and pour it out. I then change the water about four times. Bleach can kill you, as well as the germs! I have found that a little Southern Comfort does an outstanding job of removing any bleach taste from the water!

Oh, before I get beat up for suggesting that people take canteens full of Southern Comfort to the field. Put a little of your favorite alcoholic beverage in the canteen, shake it around, then pour it out. I understand a little wine works well too.

[Gallo de Cielo]

A few years ago I spoke with Sam Doolin, he of wooden canteen fame, as he was shipping out several to me in trade for some sewing work. He indicated that they were being shipped full of water and should be stored that way. He also said that any worries of canteen funk could be eased with about a half-cap from the Clorox jug filled with bleach, mixed with a bit of water, swished around extensively, and then rinsed with repeated fillings of water.

Is it safe to grab the Clorox and fling it over your finger and chug it like a jug of sour mash? Nope. Will a tiny bit, thoroughly rinsed after applied, aid you in not contracting a swamp inside your canteen? Yep.

Regards,

[LibertyHallVols]

That settles it!!! I'm going to keep it full of Whisky!!! :)

[Rob Weaver]

"Water is the strong stuff that carries whales and ships,
But water is the wrong stuff; don't let it get past your lips.
It wets your suits, rots your boots, puts aches in all o' your bones.
Dilute the stuff wi' whiskey, aye, or leave it well alone."

(A wise piece of advice I picked up somewhere during my wretched forgotten college years.)

[Charles Heath]

Nic Ellis gave an excellent Power Point presentation at one of our COIs a couple of years ago about a variety of insects of interest to reenactors, and among those featured were critters that think your gear is a buffet meant especially for them. An email and a kind word may get an informative presentation in your mailbox. Just a thought.