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new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:05 pm
by Udwin
The board has seemed a little 'dead' of late (is it the weather?), so I thought I would share my latest bit of adventuring gear.

I'm certain I've found a reliable replacement for my water gourd: this WWII-era British enameled canteen! The design is practically identical to a colonial-era tin canteen found at Ft Ligonier in Pennsylvania (the pattern is in Sketchbook ’76 on p47.).
It holds just over a liter, but unlike my gourd canteen, I don’t have to worry (too much) about this one freezing and rupturing, being stepped on, acquiring an ‘off’ taste, or shattering if looked at the wrong way... Plus, I can put it directly in my campfire to heat water, which hypothetically could remove my need to carry a kettle.
After carving a hazel stopple, I stitched up a rustic outer cover of goatskin and a liner made from an old wool sweater. My intention with the liner is for use as a ‘hot water bottle’—I can boil water in my canteen before I go to bed, cover it in the wool, and keep my toes or hands toasty in my bed. In high summer, I could also soak it in water for ‘evaporative cooling’ of my canteen.

The carrier is suspended on a strap of wood-nettle fiber, which I harvested, processed, spun (drop spindle!), and wove myself.

As for Middle-earth provenance, although this canteen is made of enameled iron and not tin (of which historical canteens were typically made), both materials and glass (the source of enamel) were all known at the end of the Third age, and so I am inclined to think this is probably ‘of dwarvish make’.

These things are all over the place on ebay (and usually for less than 30 dollars, including shipping!); if you're currently using a non-period(ish) water container, there's no reason for you not to track one down.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 6:53 pm
by bjaurelio
That is a very nice canteen. It looks great.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:34 pm
by Eothain
Very nice Udwin!

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 11:06 pm
by grimwulf
i like that, that is a great job. gives me some ideas.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 3:07 am
by Ringulf
Very nice! the wool around the metal, under the leather, very nice touch!
Do you think it will keep the metal from condensation or soak up moisture when it is hot out?
I am curious in seeing wich way it goes. The blanket canteens I have used you wanted to get wet so the evaporative wicking reduced the temerature of the liquid inside as you said, but if the wool is insulating the metal it might not condense on the surface in the first place.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:59 am
by Ursus
You really knocked that out of the park! I really love all the work you put into that strap, is it adjustable?

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 2:31 pm
by Udwin
Ursus wrote:I really love all the work you put into that strap, is it adjustable?
...Ish. As-is, it's just long enough to bump on my hip, but I can fold a section over itself and put a locust thorn through to pin it, and make it shorter. (that's what's happening on the right side of the strap in the picture^)

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 6:12 pm
by Ursus
Udwin wrote:
Ursus wrote:I really love all the work you put into that strap, is it adjustable?
...Ish. As-is, it's just long enough to bump on my hip, but I can fold a section over itself and put a locust thorn through to pin it, and make it shorter. (that's what's happening on the right side of the strap in the picture^)

That's really neat. I must say I'm a big fan of how organically resourceful you are with your kit and outlook on trekking as a whole.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 10:09 pm
by Greg
Very nicely done.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 2:46 am
by Manveruon
Frankly, I'm blown away by this. I think it's absolutely brilliant, and I may have to try something similar myself down the road.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 1:45 pm
by Taurinor
That is some incredible work! I love how you just say "after carving a stopple..." - I tried carving a stopple once, and it was not something I would mention so casually. Is there any particular reason you picked this canteen over a replica of an earlier style like you mentioned? It seems like this one might be more durable.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 4:50 pm
by Udwin
Taurinor wrote:That is some incredible work! I love how you just say "after carving a stopple..." - I tried carving a stopple once, and it was not something I would mention so casually. Is there any particular reason you picked this canteen over a replica of an earlier style like you mentioned? It seems like this one might be more durable.
Thanks! The stopple is still tricky but at least I'm learning--this time I left a 'handle' of wood to hold onto while carving the stopple end. But my hazel pieces were all just a hair smaller than the mouth of the canteen, so unless the leather collar is swelled with water, the stopple could conceivably drop inside. Gotta be careful about that when it's dry.

I went with this canteen over a stainless (which also wouldn't be 'period') or tin canteen of the same pattern from say, Townsend, because
1) the price was right;
2) the design was right;
3) the enamel coating, while not 'period', prevents rusting (thereby eliminating the need for lining with pitch or wax which would further reduce the volume in a tin canteen),
4) and the enamel allows me to put it in the fire (which also wouldn't be possible with a pitched tin canteen).
and besides, it spends most of its time in the carrier and isn't seen; it definitely passes the 'three foot rule'.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 7:25 pm
by Taurinor
All very practical reasons! I think the enamel makes it look kind of "rustic" the way a shiny metal one wouldn't, and it's practical, to boot.

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:43 am
by Ringulf
BTW I believe enameling was very much in period (depending on what period you may be refering too) but enameling on weapons, jewelry, scabards and armor was done in much of the medeival period and many examples of enameled jewelry exist in the Byzantine style as well as oriental peices. (so you should not exlude period correctness of this lovely peice of work on that regard.)

Re: new enameled canteen + carrier

Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 9:19 pm
by Udwin
Oh definitely, Ringulf. Enamelling metals artistically has been around since antiquity. And there are lots of examples of fine Anglo-saxon jewelry that include enameled cloisonne--likely learned from the Romans via the Byzantines. I just meant that this kind of application--enameled sheet-iron vessels--doesn't really show up until the mid-1800s.