New Gardner Canteen

[courier]

Gentlemen,
I just recieved a new Sam Doolin Gardner canteen and I was curious to ask about the care and feeding of a new wooden canteen.Should I fill it up with water until the next event or just leave it dry?Does the Cedar flavor the water?If so do I need to put in baking soda or vinegar? Your thoughts please.
Regards,Rick Harris

[MarionRifles]

Re: New Gardner Canteen

If the canteen was lined with beeswax or brewers pitch, just be sure to store it in a cool place away from the sun. A friend of mine has one that's not lined and I believe that he gives it a good soak prior to use. It DOES give the water a cedar flavor, but in some cases that's a plus!

[Bruce MacDonald]

Re: New Gardner Canteen

Rick,

I had the same questions when I recieved my wooden canteen made by Mr. Doolin. I emailed him and has response was to keep water in it and to add a few drops of clorox to the water to keep any science projects from starting.
I rinse it out throughly before an event and I have had no problems. Also he said to give it a light coating of linseed oil from time to time to the outside of the canteen. It is a great canteen and is one of the best investments I have made. Bruce MacDonald

[26th NC]

Re: New Gardner Canteen

Gentlemen,
I just recieved a new Sam Doolin Gardner canteen and I was curious to ask about the care and feeding of a new wooden canteen.Should I fill it up with water until the next event or just leave it dry?Does the Cedar flavor the water?If so do I need to put in baking soda or vinegar? Your thoughts please.
Regards,Rick Harris

I have two of Sam's Gardners (I gave one to a friend who had an outlandish sutler row canteen). I keep water in it year round. I put five drops from an eye dropper of Clorox bleach in it to keep the bugs away. I rinse it before an event, put a little baking soda in it to swish around and then fresh water. Never had a problem. Keep it out of the sun to prevent wax meltage (is that a word?) and you'll be OK. Great canteen. I store mine in the basement where it is cool.

Layton Pennington

[Bill]

Re: New Gardner Canteen

Rick,

I had the same questions when I recieved my wooden canteen made by Mr. Doolin. I emailed him and has response was to keep water in it and to add a few drops of clorox to the water to keep any science projects from starting.
I rinse it out throughly before an event and I have had no problems. Also he said to give it a light coating of linseed oil from time to time to the outside of the canteen. It is a great canteen and is one of the best investments I have made. Bruce MacDonald

Mr. Doolin gave you excellent advice. The one sure way to ruin a Gardner pattern canteen is to allow it to dry out between use. For some reason, I can't explain, wood will eventually lose it's ability to swell up after drying out. My guess, and it's just a guess, is that the pores in the wood get clogged up with minerals over time. I repaired one canteen that I had to take a half inch out of the bands to make it water tight again. Given the fact that 1/16 of an inch is the difference between a tight and loose band, a half inch is a huge varience.