AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Contemporary Accoutrements => Topic started by: sonny on May 13, 2013, 05:41:12 PM
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I am so tired of leaky wooden canteens , leather brewers pitch lined hip flask/canteen , copper off tasting canteen(tin lined of course), an now willing to leather cover a small rounder glass bottle with just the mouthpiece sticking out. How rev period correct would a canteen be of this type be ?, or will I be singled out for a, "no such thing was used", during the rev war?......I am thinking about leather covering a six pack of coke but can't figure how to get the pull tabs to look period correct.....nae.....just kidding there!........but would like a leather covered bottle canteen.....anybody tell me the rev war reinactors take on this?......sonny
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So far as I know, the "Louisbourg Canteen" is the only existing period item that MIGHT be a leather cover for a glass/pottery bottle. I think the jury is still out on whether it is, or whether it is a "leather bottel". ???
Years ago, I made a leather covered stoneware bottle for myself. It's pretty neat, I think, but I really don't know how much something like this would ACTUALLY have been used 225 years ago.
And I have had no problem at all with my copper canteen (NOT tin lined). Water keeps and tastes fine. Though I know that a copper canteen is NOT historically correct either! Copper would have cost a fortune then.... heck, it costs a fortune now!
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TC Albert did a great article in a past Muzzleloader magazine on covering a bottle with leather. Or was is Muzzle Blasts? I get both, and can't remember which it was. He writes a great article, and I look for'd to all his palavering.
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Alternative suggestion: have you ever tried a gourd? I had one as a kid and the water always tasted musty, but then it was an old one and could probably have worked better with a good cleaning or a coat of beeswax inside.
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A well made wooden canteen, properly cared for, does not have leakage problems.
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awwww common!......I know that guys are using leather covered bottles in rev reenactment....$#*!! I know three or four guys myself. I cannot imagine that somebody who found a beer bottle or a small medicine bottle didn't cover it with leather to make it hard to break during rev war period.....sonny
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Yea, gave that a try. Lasted one reenactment whereupon a few hours work met its demise against a strategic rock. I can chuck my leather jack against a tree and its fine. Plus the beeswax is a nice flavoring agent.
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Sonny...I can give you instructions on how to cover a bottle if you like...
its pretty straight forward...all you need is the bottle, some masking tape...
cardboard for the pattern...veg tan leather...awl, needles and cord.
If you decide you want to make one, I will be happy to walk you through it..
(note: p.m. sent)
tc
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A friend of mine just bought one from Colonial Williamsburg You can view it at this site. http://wulffsrangers.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSCF7563.jpg
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timber, that looks incredibly close to what I made......is it excepted by rev war reenactment units?...I worked my tail off making this darn thing an I sure would like to use it without side looks.....sonny
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T.C.-----..........thanks for the heads up on bottle question, an thanks for the option to buy yours. I have already made my leather covered bottle an learned a few thing about doing it.....I love the look of it, but hope the unit leader won't give me a thumbs down unexceptable with it!.........sonny
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Way to go on making up your own Sonny...thats the way to do it...
if the leader gives you a thumbs down, just plug the vent on your musket
fill it with good rum, tompion it shut, and trade snorts for water...
see if he likes that approach better..
I would bet thats pretty P.C. ;D
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Sonny,
My friend and I both do F&I, Matt dose a lot of research and found that that they carried them then so they would of had them in the Rev war. Not as a regular, but militia or farmer or such.
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I made a gourd one and covered with leather and melted some beeswax and lined it. I used it a couple seasons before It found a rock. The thing to remember is to always store it dry. Let it drain out after each use and store with the stopper out and it won't get musty. The water always tasted sweet like honey. I saved the seeds when I made it. I need to plant some. I've got a tin one now but I miss my gourd.
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thanks everybody for the heads up.......I am portraying militia so the bottle will fit....thanks.....sonny
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Hi guys, could someone recommend a good tinware seller/producer for F&I or Rev War canteens and other tin ware?
Yesterday I almost ordered one from Westminster Forge because they have really nice stuff and a good sortiment. But then I saw here in this thread that copper is not authentic...bummer.
On topic: Recently I bought a glass bottle allegedly from the 1850īs, which was blown into a mold. Not sure how old this technique is and if this bottle could pass as an 18th century item.
It will be covered in leather. But risking to break it during historical bushcrafting would be plain stupid.
And since I will need one or two vessels to cook in, Im looking for an authentic tinware seller nonetheless.
(https://i.ibb.co/nnG7jg0/s-l1600.png) (https://ibb.co/9VDbW8v)
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https://www.hotdiptin.com/
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Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for.
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I use a classic pottery clay corked beer bottle (from Townsends) to carry water. I had a friend's granddaughter do 18th c sailors knot netting cover around it. It has served me very well for years now. The netting and knots protect it very well. I often carry it in my haversack, but also have a loop on it that can be used to hang it.
K
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I also have a Gourd drying on the heater and when I think about how I would carry it, a net came also to my mind. Well...the next new skill to learn.
But as I said, I need cooking vessels too, So why not getting all together and from one material?
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The "Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American" by Neumann and Kravic, in the canteen section, pictures what is described as a hand blown glass water bottle carried by Robert Bradford of Haddam, Conn. Also shown is the item excavated at Fortress Louisbourg that Stophel already mentioned.
Another, or maybe it is the same one, glass bottle reportedly used as a canteen is pictured in "The Book of The Continental Soldier" by Peterson.
Take Care,
Kevin
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So far as I know, the "Louisbourg Canteen" is the only existing period item that MIGHT be a leather cover for a glass/pottery bottle. I think the jury is still out on whether it is, or whether it is a "leather bottel". ???
Years ago, I made a leather covered stoneware bottle for myself. It's pretty neat, I think, but I really don't know how much something like this would ACTUALLY have been used 225 years ago.
And I have had no problem at all with my copper canteen (NOT tin lined). Water keeps and tastes fine. Though I know that a copper canteen is NOT historically correct either! Copper would have cost a fortune then.... heck, it costs a fortune now!
Tom Brown of Westminster Forge claims that his copper canteen is based on one found at a historical site. I've had one and carried it for years, but for day hunting, I much prefer my leather bees wax lined canteen. It's quiet , even when walking or jostled. I would imagine that any glass container , probably a smaller one, would have been utilized for carrying a drink/water. Also, it more than likely would have been simply carried in a pocket
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A little more information on this particular bottle:
It was found by a diver at the bottom of some Bavarian lake. Its a typical bottle in which Franconian wine would have been exported, at least all over the Christian world.
It did not arrive yet but here are some more pictures from the ebay auction where I bought it.
(https://i.ibb.co/VmsDZhj/x.jpg) (https://ibb.co/VmsDZhj) (https://i.ibb.co/nL9zhxZ/v.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nL9zhxZ) (https://i.ibb.co/H7b6V6G/b.jpg) (https://ibb.co/H7b6V6G)
The cork is still INSIDE and I will have a lot of fun getting it out without breaking the bottle.
And here the Gourd which will need a net or at least a bag to be carried in.
(https://i.ibb.co/N3Tb0sq/20231202-081249.jpg) (https://ibb.co/N3Tb0sq)
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You may be able to gently cut the cork with a long arrow chisel type blade.
Bob
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This is what I wanted to try first. And if theres too much resistance because the blade is too thick, I will try to cut an old style razorblade into narrow pieces and attach one to a stick.
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A snapped-of piece of razor knife blade fastened to a dowel might fit in the neck. It would have the advantage of being pointed, in addition to being thin and sharp.