Marking Gear

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

OK...I plan to mark my gear in such a way that it will be identifiable by me. Are there period methods for marking leathers, trousers, and jackets? Some type of embroidery on the inside of a jacket? Just looking for some recomendations...

Thanks,

Paul B. Boulden Jr.

RAH VA MIL '04

[RyanBWeddle]

Re: Marking Gear

From period examples I have seen most articles of clothing were marked with INK. See attached marking in the sleeve of a Union Officers Frock "Capt Haight"

Blankets, etc. were marked with an inked stencil or sewn initials, etc.
see Union Echoes of Glory p. 214

Cartridge boxes I have seen were crudely carved.

http://www.ldhaning.com/thaxton.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2226064348&category=36035

The Echoes of Glory Series has many examples of marked gear, I would consult those books. They are available everywhere, even most local libraries....

OK...I plan to mark my gear in such a way that it will be identifiable by me. Are there period methods for marking leathers, trousers, and jackets? Some type of embroidery on the inside of a jacket? Just looking for some recomendations...

Thanks,

Paul B. Boulden Jr.

RAH VA MIL '04

[Nor'easter]

Re: Marking Gear

If I do this right, hopefully it will show you a camp scene of the 4th Vt. The blanket in the photograph has the owner's name written in the lower corner.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Marking Gear

One of my pards has a brass stencil kit with the correct size and font. Does anybody know were I can pick one up? Or can anybody tell Evan Jones to call me? I dont have his latest number anymore :angry_smi

[County Militia]

Re: Marking Gear

I've read accounts that as the war progressed, the soldiers wised up, and just before a battle, they would sew or pin a piece of paper or cloth to the inside of their jacket. Accounts vary, but the soldiers would either take a pencil and write their names on the paper, or in the case of cloth, would write their name with ink.

Soldiers more skilled with a needle would sometimes sew their names into their jacket.



I once saw a photo of a butternut colored jacket worn by a Missouri Confederate. If I remember correctly, his name and his battle honors were written directly on the lining of his jacket in ink. Does anybody know of the photo I am speaking of?


As for gear, I have seen numerous pictures of the men painting their name and unit onto thier canteen, haversack, knapsack etc.

[Jimmayo]

Stencil kit

Here is an original stencil kit. It is the less common one with only the soldier's name and not the regiment or company. It contains two stencils with different type lettering which are still wrapped in original paper, two bottles of ink, one a replacement and still in the wooden mailing tube. One stencil brush marked with makers name from Boston and with paper wrapping marked "US 1862" . The items are contained in a tin box.

The Stencil has the name S. H. Weeks. A check of the CW soldiers and Sailors page shows possible identifications all with no MI listed. Tentative ID said he was in the 24th Mass but I would like to verify that. The kit came from the New York area.

If anyone has rosters of the 6th Maine, 24th Mass, 77th NY Inf. 23rd PA Inf. or the 39th NY Inf. please check to see if the name Samuel with the middle initial given appears in any of the rosters.

[Pvt Peck]

Re: Marking Gear

Jim:

Thanks for those photos! I have a bunch of sheet brass in the garage I think I will try to make up a stencil of my own based on those you have shown.

Bob:

Randy talked to Evan this weekend I'll see if I can get him to get you Evan's latest info, if I can make a stencil do you want one too?

Ted Parrott

"120 grains of FFF powder and 1 large onion, two great tastes that taste great together"

[DaveGink]

Re: Marking Gear

I always thought this was interesting...

From: CONGDON'S CAVALRY COMPENDIUM

• ACCOUTREMENTS AND EQUIPMENTS must be marked with the letter of the company and the number of the owner.

• To MARK A BLANKET, trace the letters and numbers required with a little gun-powder, then ignite the powder, and the blanket will be permanently marked.

• Company commanders will usually supply stamps to mark on leather, &c. &c.

[ScottCross]

Re: Marking Gear

Attached is an image of a stencil used on a blanket in the collection of the Oshkosh Public Museum. Sorry, but I forgot to measure the letters when I cataloged the blanket, but the letters are quite large 1" or 2" high.

William Howlett, Jr. resided at Black Wolf when he enlisted there on February 2, 1865. He was assigned to Company C, 46th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and was mustered out on Aug. 26, 1865. The regiment preformed guard and patrol duty at Athens, Alabama along the Nashville & Decatur Railway.

[Mutt]

Stencils

That reminds me, I'll have to remember to grab the two stencils I found in a small antique store a good while back. They have simply the names of the individuals, one with leaf-type designs around it. I wasn't sure how common the stencils were in everyday use in the mid-19th-century, outside soldier use, or if it was just one of those things predominant to soldiers IDing their posessions.

Anyway, I'll get a hold on them soon and post pics.

Best,

[Trish Hasenmueller]

Re: Marking Gear

Mr. Parrott, if you are successful in making stencils, you may have stumbled onto a gold mine. Since I have seen quite a few stencils of this type...the most recent that of G. K. Owsley, proprietor of the Mammoth Cave Hotel in Kentucky (at the top of each page of the 1864 hotel register), I think they were common. The ones I've seen are flat rather than indented as in the above photo of the kit. They run about the size of a business card with rounded corners and are very thin metal. I know someone who found one in a Bible.

I was just recently telling some friends that if we could figure out how to make them we could fill a needed niche. Maybe that is your fate.

Trish Hasenmueller

[Pvt Peck]

Re: Marking Gear

If only it were my fate to be a stencil maker, that would be a great first person occupation! I will see what I can do and keep the forum posted on my adventure.

What I'm interested in is how the stencils look like they were made, in other words does the brass sheet look like it was "punched" with pre made dies? Is it etched like a printers metal plate? From the look of the photos posted in this thread the stencil maker used a universal blank that then had the persons name "punched" into the plates, and also was embelished using another set of dies for the shapes around the letters. There are some great shots of the Union Pacific crews building the transcontinental RR that shows tents with the makers name stenciled on them that look similar in style to the stencil shown in this thread.

My thought on this is to use thin brass sheet for the stencil, create the stencil art using a computer program, convert this artwork into a "negative" image that you transfer to the brass sheet using a "ground" then etch the plate until you have a stencil. This would be a lot cheaper than having a set of custom dies produced to "stamp" stencils with. I actually have two neat old brass stencil "kits" in different sizes with interlocking letters & numbers of the style shown on the marked blanket. Well I'll let you know it all turns out and hopefully I can knock out some examples of the winter and post them here.

If anyone else on here has any good examples of period stencils on gear or stationary, manufactored goods etc.. PM me and send images if possible, if this works it would be neat to have a few different styles we could use...

Ted Parrott
ummm stencil maker to the stars?

[MPDoughBoy153]

Re: Marking Gear

I have seen it written inside jacket sleeve, and have even just seen intials.

[Bummer]

Re: Marking Gear

Uh oh, seeing this discussion on stencils makes me decide to let out a secret I have kept for many years.
Many years ago I bought--and still have--a sutler's stencil making kit wherein I could make endless personal stencils of all kinds. It came complete with all the dies, rolls of sheet brass and sheet nickel, patterns, different sized frames, samples, bottles of ink (most of which were dried out), a whole box of the little brushes, some posters to hang up advertising his work--showing various designs and formats etc., and even his account book where he sold soldier stencil kits: plain ones with name and regt. for ten cents, fancy ones with name in patriotic flag patterns etc. for 25 to 50 cents.
Years later I saw in a friend's collection some leather gear marked with a stencil made from my very kit--I looked it up in the sutler's account book and found that that original soldier had bought an extra brush with his kit. Was kind of a cool thing to run into.

I have always stashed the kit quite deep to keep from being tempted to make and/or mark stuff with 'tasty' soldier's names etc. (Medal of Honor winner's waist belt anyone?); and I have never done this.
Yes, I made a couple stencils to learn how to do it--and they came out perfectly like the photos Jim Mayo posted, but I have never done one of an original soldier--nor do I intend to. However, of anyone has a question or two about how they are made etc. I will be most happy to try to answer them.

Spence Waldron~
Coffee Cooler

[styler]

Re: Marking Gear

Nails (preferably square-cut or forged for that truly authentic experience) can be used to scratch or indent one's initials into canteens, cups, and utensils. I've seen markings that ranged from simple deep and multiple scratches to small "dots" made from the point of the tool on original items. Considering how much time the boys had on their hands I'd lean towards taking your time and making what you do look as artistic as possible. Letter styles tended to have serifs.

I wonder if this will make CCG.