Mud...

[robwall1861]

So, I oiled/put leather conditioner on my accoutrements after Chickamauga this past weekend and washed my tinware (as everything was drying out after the rain) and I'm going to clean my musket this weekend (as well as oil the leather sling on that too) but I looked at my brogans and noticed that had a nice caking of Georgia mud on them....what is the best way to get the caked mud off, etc so I can get my shoes back to normal :).

Thanks in advance,
Robin

[Murph]

Re: Mud...

While staged in the cornfield at Chicka-mud-a on Sunday, myself and a few messmates took the opportunity to clean the excess mud off our boots with corncobs. It got the worst of it off very efficiently, and after some passes with a stiff brush and a good saddle-soaping, they're ready to be oiled up!

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Mud...

Hallo!

Lads have their personal methods and favorite techniques.

Basically, they appear to fall into two broad camps- wet and dry.

Dry involves letting the shoes dry out slowly in the open as dark closets, etc., confine moisture and since there are mold spores in the air most all the time.. "seeds," water, and "food" (leather) start them growing. Then knocking off the large stuff, and brushing away the remnants.

Wet involves judiciously running them under a stream of water from a garden hose (more nuclear) or if one's wife or significant other is not around, in the kitchen or bathroom sink. :)

Either way(s), drying out slowly afterwards is a key. Also, mold and fungus do not much care for sunlight.

The key to preserving leather goods, especially footwear is to maintain a decent level of moisture in the skin cells of the leather. Soakings and dryings tend to swell and shrink the skin cells leading to cracking and falling apart as they move out of cellular alignment and/or the cell walls burst. A key to drying is not to keep them confined in the dark, and not t let them dry out too fast such as from excessive heat from say too close and too long to campfires.
A slight or very light application of Neats Foot Oil (not compound but that is also a topic of differences of opinion) afterwards is good for maintaining moisture levels in the leather. IMHO, tallow type "grease" is superior to oil.

Others' mileage will vary...

Curt

[robwall1861]

Re: Mud...

Hallo!

Lads have their personal methods and favorite techniques.

Basically, they appear to fall into two broad camps- wet and dry.

Dry involves letting the shoes dry out slowly in the open as dark closets, etc., confine moisture and since there are mold spores in the air most all the time.. "seeds," water, and "food" (leather) start them growing. Then knocking off the large stuff, and brushing away the remnants.

Wet involves judiciously running them under a stream of water from a garden hose (more nuclear) or if one's wife or significant other is not around, in the kitchen or bathroom sink. :)

Either way(s), drying out slowly afterwards is a key. Also, mold and fungus do not much care for sunlight.

The key to preserving leather goods, especially footwear is to maintain a decent level of moisture in the skin cells of the leather. Soakings and dryings tend to swell and shrink the skin cells leading to cracking and falling apart as they move out of cellular alignment and/or the cell walls burst. A key to drying is not to keep them confined in the dark, and not t let them dry out too fast such as from excessive heat from say too close and too long to campfires.
A slight or very light application of Neats Foot Oil (not compound but that is also a topic of differences of opinion) afterwards is good for maintaining moisture levels in the leather. IMHO, tallow type "grease" is superior to oil.

Others' mileage will vary...

Curt

Curt,

Right now my shoes are sitting about a few inches from each other drying out in the garage (been in the 70's during the day all week and 50's at night-Garner, NC). I looked at them yesterday when I was putting oil on my accoutrements and noticed all the dry caked mud on it. So, from what I can understand from your post...I can either wash them down with the hose and let them air dry in the garage for a day or two and then put some neatsfoot oil on them or banging the shoes together to knock off the caked mud, brush off the rest (as best as one can) and then put neatsfoot oil on them.

Thanks again,
Robin

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Mud...

I am working on the "full meal deal" per Missouri Boot & Shoe's recommendations on their website.

I let my boots dry thoroughly and knocked of what I could. Then used a stiff brush to get off more. The left-overs I tackled with water and scrubbing with a rag. Then, again, I let them dry thoroughly.

Last night I cleaned them with saddle soap and greased them with Huberd's this morning.

Next comes polish and buffing.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Mud...

Hallo!

I render down my own beef, mutton, deer, or bear tallow for my beeswax and tallow mixes, but...

I also agree, and endorse, Huberd's as the best convenient and readily available stuff out there to come out of a can.

Curt

[Huck]

Re: Mud...

Mine are sitting in the basement on a towel after being washed in the utility sink. Tonight I will use saddle soap and brush to get the deep dirt/mud and also it it with Huberd's tomorrow.

Saddle soap, NEATsfoot oil, huberds and period (like shoe polish) is the key, that and inspect your gear from time to time and clean and repair as need.

[P. M. Cunningham, Tinner]

Re: Mud...

Dry, then scrap/brush.

Soak and heavy brush.

Saddle soap and scrub. Make take a few hits.

Good coat of oil (Don't forget the soles)

Polish

i get modern walk in traffic once a month like this and the cure works.

Pat Cunningham

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: Mud...

You can mix 8oz of tallow, 1.5 oz of cedar oil and .5 oz of bee's wax and that will give you a nice period leather conditioner to use after cleaning them. It works really well. so good in fact my feet stayed dry at Chickamauga until water went above the tops.

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Mud...

So, I oiled/put leather conditioner on my accoutrements after Chickamauga this past weekend and washed my tinware (as everything was drying out after the rain) and I'm going to clean my musket this weekend (as well as oil the leather sling on that too) but I looked at my brogans and noticed that had a nice caking of Georgia mud on them....what is the best way to get the caked mud off, etc so I can get my shoes back to normal :).

Thanks in advance,
Robin

I don't understand how dirty boots aren't normal.

[Murph]

Re: Mud...

I don't understand how dirty boots aren't normal.

I don't think its a question of normality or authenticity, but rather the fact that dirty boots quickly become damaged boots.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Mud...

Yeah, boots get dirty quickly. I typically do more detailed "maintenance" on my foot wear if they get soaked at an event. If its simply a matter of "dirt", I'm not that concerned.

Chicamauga was the first event for my boots. When my feet got wet in newly greased/polished leather, I knew I'd be cleaning and greasing them when I got home. I'm using it as an opportunity to see if I can do a passable job at a period pollish.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Mud...

Hallo!

It has not come up for discussion in a while, but..

In Reenacting and Living History, on the Sliding Scale of Imperfection... lads are divided between the reality of field use of kit in the Civil War which was NUG supplied at the government's expense according to desired (if not achieved) rates of issuance and schedules AND the Modern desire to see kit last for a longer period of time than was NUG CW because they pay for it themselves.

In Reenacting we have an advantage, or may be disadvantage based upon one's Mental Picture, in that we spend hours, days, weeks a year total in our kit versus a CW soldier having to live in his daily.

Not speaking for anyone else. but for me.. my kit is "newer" than I like it to be for my concept of Believeable Image. So, I just "maintain" stuff once or twice a year. What does that mean? While I make sewing tears and rips or burst seams a camp chore often that evening, and brush off mud and dirt and leaf mulch as soon as possible... .. or fire ash polish things for tomorrow's inspection...
Or at home.. dry out a canteen after an outing or event... or see to the drying out in sun and air of rain or snow wetted clothing or leather items... or dry out my gun..

I do not obsess, fret, or fuss over things.. or send out my uniforms to the dry cleaners to be dry-cleaned and trousers steamed pressed. Or disassemble my gun and put it on the buffing wheel. Or use modern chemicals to strip down my bore. Or BRASSO my brass buttons and plates.

Anyways, it can be hard to know where a lad falls on the Sliding Scale of trying to doo things as CW did, in order to look like they did. versus the other pendulum swing "extreme" of artificially modern obsessing about being mirror bright and antiseptically spotless.

Others' mileage will vary....

Curt

[robwall1861]

Re: Mud...

Hallo!

It has not come up for discussion in a while, but..

In Reenacting and Living History, on the Sliding Scale of Imperfection... lads are divided between the reality of field use of kit in the Civil War which was NUG supplied at the government's expense according to desired (if not achieved) rates of issuance and schedules AND the Modern desire to see kit last for a longer period of time than was NUG CW because they pay for it themselves.

In Reenacting we have an advantage, or may be disadvantage based upon one's Mental Picture, in that we spend hours, days, weeks a year total in our kit versus a CW soldier having to live in his daily.

Not speaking for anyone else. but for me.. my kit is "newer" than I like it to be for my concept of Believeable Image. So, I just "maintain" stuff once or twice a year. What does that mean? While I make sewing tears and rips or burst seams a camp chore often that evening, and brush off mud and dirt and leaf mulch as soon as possible... .. or fire ash polish things for tomorrow's inspection...
Or at home.. dry out a canteen after an outing or event... or see to the drying out in sun and air of rain or snow wetted clothing or leather items... or dry out my gun..

I do not obsess, fret, or fuss over things.. or send out my uniforms to the dry cleaners to be dry-cleaned and trousers steamed pressed. Or disassemble my gun and put it on the buffing wheel. Or use modern chemicals to strip down my bore. Or BRASSO my brass buttons and plates.

Anyways, it can be hard to know where a lad falls on the Sliding Scale of trying to doo things as CW did, in order to look like they did. versus the other pendulum swing "extreme" of artificially modern obsessing about being mirror bright and antiseptically spotless.

Others' mileage will vary....

Curt

Curt, etc...

As to the "scale" you refer to, I will be the first to admit that I slide all over the place on that. I'm short on $$$ right now so I like to take care of my stuff (Maybe get a bit OCD (as my parents/wife have said) but I've had all my US stuff since '99 (still in good/very serviceable shape) and my CS stuff I've had since '04 (still in great (being newer)/very serviceable shape)). If I get home from an event and it was sunny, with no rain/wetness, over the weekend then I air out my clothes/brush off my shoes, dry out my canteen, wash my tinware, clean my musket and put it away a few days later. However, if it was a wet one like this past weekend (or even at G'burg back in June) I leave my stuff to air out a bit more and also go the extra step to take my musket barrel off to check underneath...add extra oil, etc. I also oil my accourtrements and shoes too....

Oh, forgot to mention, I also air out my blanket/shelter half/contents of knapsack too (regardless of rain or no rain during an event :)).

My .02 worth.
Robin

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Mud...

Hallo!

Just a quick comment...

I was not ignoring the argument(s) and side discussion(s) that we as a "Hobby" tend to value, prize, and admire the well seasoned, experienced, worn, veteran "look," of the hard campaign/fighter versus the newly minted, fresh fish "look' of the new recruit or bandbox soldier.
And that there are differences in looks between the newly formed regiment newly mustered in, versus the unit marched for months and miles and chopped and shredded to bits in this battle or that engagement.
And that CW soldiers did get resupplied with new stuff from time to time...

I don't like to replace clothing and kit every 2, 3, 6 months. ;) :)

Curt