Author Topic: Period correct oil or cleaning fluid container  (Read 1017 times)

Offline Scout

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Period correct oil or cleaning fluid container
« on: August 24, 2019, 05:59:29 AM »
My question is what type of container can I put in my bag to hold oil/cleaning fluid or patch lube that would be period correct for the mid 1700s in colonial America?
Glass bottle, metal of some type ? I'm at a loss on this one.
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Offline Bob McBride

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Re: Period correct oil or cleaning fluid container
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2019, 06:19:26 AM »
A small brass vial with an male screwed lid and a cork ring for a seal would have been readily available.

Follow this link to see an example.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=26975.0

I also wouldn’t be surprised to have seen a small travel sized cork top glass inkwell wrapped in pillowticking or a piece of leather either. Though it wouldn’t have been carried on day to day hunts. Perhaps longhunting or traveling. My guess would be the most common would have been a grease soaked rag tucked in the corner of a bag or in the patchbox for a little wiping oil and patch material. I’ve seen examples of small pieces of hickory or other hardwood hollowed out with a softwood plug that would hold a few ounces of bear grease or some such that could be made in a few minutes of whittling while drinking a flagon of Spruce beer on the porch of an evening. Virtually anything that was available and cheap or easy to make would have been used for such a purpose.
« Last Edit: August 24, 2019, 06:43:02 AM by Bhmack »