Gum blanket questions

[Progressive88]

I just have a few additional questions that I could not find while searching the site and other sources regarding gum blankets.
1.) How thick is the rubber material on these supposed to me? Mine seems very thin.
2.) What is the base layer onto which the rubber is mounted? Is it canvas?
3.) Where can an exact reproduction be found?

I purchased a gum blanket about a year and a half ago, after using groundcloths until that point. Unfortunately, I think my version is completely incorrect. It seems very thin compared to those pictured in books, and the base layer almost seems thin enough to be like a pvc (GASP!) material which maintains its starch-like whiteness no matter what I do to it. (Fear not, after seeing it in person I don't dare bring it to events). Any help is appreciated

[Charles Heath]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Pick up a copy of "India-Rubber and Gutta-Percha In the Civil War Era: An Illustrated History of Rubber & Pre-Plastic Antiques and Militaria" by Mike Woshner, circa 1999. This book should be available via interlibrary loan. John Tobey's widely distributed article on the subject is very good, too.

[Mutt]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Mr Kloos,

I'll dare to asked: Where did you purchase this gum blanket? IMHO and with not seeing it, it sounds like a different animal then a correctly reproduced gum blanket. Read what Mr Heath suggested for sure, they both give wonderful overviews and the info your looking for as far as construction.

Where to get a good one (please don't let my head roll for answering :():
- A friend just got one from Nick Sekella, for a price, but it's great!
- I have one from Jarnigans - yes, I know, not an approved vendor, but it's well made, looks great and was the ONLY suggested vendor in the Columbia Rifles Research Compendium.
- Not any others to my knowledge.

Hope I've helped a tad.

Best,

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Mine is from Jarnagin and I've had it for years. I have been interested in getting one from the guy in Jersey but I gave up. The Jarnagin gum blanket is made of fairly light-weight fabric, also a muslin, with the rubber evenly adhered to one side. I always thought that it was fairly heavy and maybe a little too substantial until I got my hands on an original. The weight of the original was surprising; it was very similar to the Jarnagin gum blanket. I cannot attest to the similarities between the Jersey guy's gum blanket and originals but I presume it's close if not spot-on.

The one thing lacking in a lot of reproduction gum blankets is the absence of the deep black sheen the originals have. I can't remember where I read it, but someone once wrote that treating your reproduction gum blanket with Armor-All will add to it's longevity and give it the proper gloss.

For industrious members of the community who like to experiment on their own, some industrial belting supply companies offer rubberized cotton sheeting, drill, or canvas yardage. I've gotten samples in both black and gray which compare nicely to originals. The gray stuff was intended to be used as an early war knapsack but that's another story.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Brian,

Any luck with dark or Navy blue sheeting? Not that I'm planning on an Ol' Blue Light impression or anything.

[fire_zouave]

Re: Gum blanket questions

The only gum blanket I've ever seen that had that "sheen" that you see in pictures- i.e. Ronn Palm's picture of the crouching soldier in EOG and the quartermaster photos was the gum blanket that E.J. Thomas was selling for awhile. It was vulcanized, though I doubt with sulfur.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Charles,

I haven't looked into rubber sheeting colors other than black, white, and gray. It was a challenge finding the stuff starting about four years ago when the companies offering the stuff either went under or stopped making it available to the public. My primary interest then was a short run of gum blankets for my mess and the rubberized gray knapsack in Troiani's collection (for my non-existent early war New England impression, of course). After viewing the John Henry Kurtz collection up close last November my interest has been renewed...there were many rubberized haversacks and knapsacks that I'd love to try my hand at.

If Dan Wambaugh is reading this, he may be able to provide photographs of the original we viewed late last year. I don't remember if we have multiple photos of the whole thing or just of the maker's stamp. It was used or at least aged from improper storage, and wasn't the washed-out flat blackish-gray color that many current reproductions have. Not sure if that has something to do with the composition of the rubber itself or if it's some kind of powder used in manufacturing/storage.

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Gum blanket questions

It also must be kept in mind that many differnt makers sold "gum blankets" to the government. Some used the Goodyear patent technique some used other receipes for vulcanizing the rubber, so there must have been a variety in appearance, shine and thickness of fabric and coating. Original are a valuabvle help if you have the chance to examine them. The more the better.
There is a picture taken by the QM department in 1866 with the small bearded guy wearing a big (60") wide poncho. That material is very shiny and falls very smoothly. I have seen some rubberized fabric from Pakistan being very similar to it. However they are not able to make the ponchos or gum blankets in the correct manner meaning that their reinforcement pieces are glued to the fabric and then the whole thing is rubberized. As far as I know that was not the way theiy did it in the war.
Unfortunately Woshners books tells very little about how exactely the ponchos and blankets were made.

[Slouch]

Re: Gum blanket questions

I was able to examine an original rubber blanket at the Kurtz auction. I was very surprised at how thin the material was. Every reproduction I have seen seems way too thick and heavy. The original is half the weight of reproductions (similar to the difference in weight between orginal and repro muskets).

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Well as I have said, some of the Pakistan material looks really very close to this, also pretty thin and not even weighing 2 pounds per blanket but alas with detail mistakes.

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Gum blanket questions

After a long wait I recieved my N* S****A Rubber blanket and it looks great to me. It was worth the wait and price in my humble opinion. His supplier uses a vulcanized rubber on canvas and even adds the correct stamps etc.
It compares dead on to the one pictured in the book "Echoes of Glory - Arms & Equipment of the Union" on top of page 215...as a side note when photographed it appears shiny and when it is wet it is without question shiny to the eye.

[Benedict]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Is anybody able to give a comparison of the available "authentic" gum blankets, i.e. material, construction, etc.?

[BrisbaneReb]

Re: Gum blanket questions

I don't mean to keep turning this discussion into 'who makes the best thingie' but someone mentioned the thinness of Pakistani gum blankets. While there is definitely a medium of how thick a period gum blanket is and should be, a streamer friend of mine learned the mistake of how much Pakistani blankets varied. It was so thin you could hold it up to sunlight and see through it. Not just that but the rubber hadn't even been set properly - so when trying to unfold it, it was like unfolding wet paper.

[Tom Dodson]

Re: Gum blanket questions

It has been a long standing opinion that Jarnagin makes THE gum blanket.
I would buy a $19.95 gum blanket from Pakistan, Iraq, Mongolia or a monk in Tibet before I bought anything from N--- S-----.
Tom Dodson

[Jimmayo]

Re: Gum blanket questions

Shown is a pistol cartridge box from my page which has been repaired with a piece of gum blanket. The material is very thin. Where the box flap has been pressing on the material for many years it shows a twill pattern of the backing fabric.