Leaking Nuckells Canteen

[nofarb38]

Gentlemen,
I'm sure this has been asked before.....I used the search feature to no avail. I got two Nuckells canteens that belong to a friend of mine that leak really bad. Not a couple drips....the water actually pours thru the seams. Anyhow, I tried filling them and soaking them for about 24 hours. That didn't work. Anyone have any ideas? It will be appreciated. Thanks.

[CJDaley]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Gentlemen,
I'm sure this has been asked before.....I used the search feature to no avail. I got two Nuckells canteens that belong to a friend of mine that leak really bad. Not a couple drips....the water actually pours thru the seams. Anyhow, I tried filling them and soaking them for about 24 hours. That didn't work. Anyone have any ideas? It will be appreciated. Thanks.

Soaking a Nuckolls can't won't make it hold water as the parts are held together by nails and not bands. By soaking a leaking Gardner canteen, that will make it expand and plug up the leaks. Not sure what else to suggest regarding the Nuckolls other than contacting the maker.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Just curious as to what you tried to fill the seams with....

Paul B. Boulden Jr.

RAH VA MIL '04

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Pitch (brewers pitch no taste after application)if you can find it.
It may not work well but it is a period fix.

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Here is an example with pitch inside and out.

[nofarb38]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Brewers pitch....hmmmm. Wonder where you can find that? It would work I'm sure. Some of the gaps are pretty big in the seam. At first i thought I could do the bees wax thing in the inside...no way of keeping the canteen warm enuff....

[DukeRPSC]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Gentlemen,
I'm sure this has been asked before.....I used the search feature to no avail. I got two Nuckells canteens that belong to a friend of mine that leak really bad. Not a couple drips....the water actually pours thru the seams. Anyhow, I tried filling them and soaking them for about 24 hours. That didn't work. Anyone have any ideas? It will be appreciated. Thanks.

Pard:

If you're going to get the canteens to swell and seal themselves, I believe it will take more than a mere 24 hours. Instead of just filling the canteens, sink the both of them in a bucket of water and keep completely submerged for a few days. If they are made well enough, they will eventually seal themselves. If they won't seal after 3-4 days, then you have problems that should be addressed by the maker.

Once sealed, they need to be kep full of water at all times to keep them from drying out. On the other hand, if it has been the case that these canteens have dried out previously, they may be damaged to such extent they just can't be made serviceable.

I've had this experience with wooden barrels and casks. Once they dry out, some of them cannot be returned to service. They are just ruined. I hope this proves not to be the case with your canteens.

[Spinster]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Duke is right--a short soak won't fix this problem. I have a number of all wood buckets, and their care and feeding requires about the same level of attention as a four year old child. Wooden canteens are not much different.

To speed your soaking process, fill the bucket, sink or bathtub with HOT HOT water, and sink your item. You may need some rubber gloves. If parts are too loose, you may also have to move them into proper position, gently working the pieces as the wood swells. Leave it in about a week, and put a big rock on it to hold it under the water. Floating accomplishes nothing. You might want to add a bit of vinegar to the soaking water to keep it from getting swampy.

Once reswollen, always keep it filled with water. You'll need to empty and refill every week or so, again to avoid the taste of swamp water,

If you have to resort to brewers pitch or rosin, you've still got to keep it wet. Likely it will be a marginal fix at best. Pitch does work better than beeswax though its equaly messy to melt and coat. Both can be purchased from James Townsend.

By the by, don't use your wife's good double boiler to melt this stuff--use an empty coffee can inside a pan of water. And it better be an old pan.....

[Yellowhammer]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

I think a lot of this advice is good for Gardner canteens but not for Nuckolls.

The Gardner canteens were made using coopering techniques. As such, the old "once wet-keep wet" addage applies. Nuckolls canteens however are much like two wooden bowls nailed together and a spout applied. The seams are generally sealed with bees wax on the inside and varnish of some sort on the outside.

From the sound of your dilemna, it sounds like either the canteen was left with no water in it in direct sunlight and the wax melted and cleared the seams or, the two wooden discs were never properly fitted in the first place and are coming apart. It is also possible that both of these happened.

If the canteen is still nailed together properly and you have gaps in the wood, you are very likely screwed. You can try soaking it but I don't think you'll have much success. If you do try the soaking method, the advice above is solid.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

The Gardner canteens were made using coopering techniques.

If done properly it will not leak even when long dry. The canteen I posted above is still very tight after years of neglect and storage. I'm not sure why the pitch was added but there seems to be a small crack in the side, as if someone had stepped on it.

[Canton Zouave]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

I will have to agree with Yellowhammer on this one.

The Nuckoll's Canteen, being a turned canteen, needs to have the two matching surfaces fitted quite tightly.

Me and my brother have been in the process of making a couple. We have used wax between the two joints, and then set the nails while the wax is curring. As mentioned, if the sides are tight, and the canteen still has noticeable gaps, then your options are few and far between.

Assuming that you wish to stay true to the original product then you may try relining the canteen with melted bees wax. The capilary affect should draw the wax into your open gaps. You can then use Brewers Pitch, are a hide glue, or any period glues to seal around the outside. Before any of that, take and re-set all of your nails. Place the edge of the canteen along a piece of flat bar, or anvil and use a punch to re-set the nails.

Since you are probably trying to avoid a costly replacement, there are some modern expanding water activated glues that may solve your problem. Gorilla Glue being on that comes to mind. Use a needle applicator to get into your gaps. However, try the period remedies first. If all else fails you could always try to disassembled the canteen, true up the joint and rebuild.


I have included some side views of a new Nuckols that I have.

[nofarb38]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Gentlemen,
I appreciate all the advice. I'm afraid these canteens have been left dry for a while. They are relatively new and I know they were made by reputable makers. I did soak them full and weighted down in warm water, I guess not long enuff.....Let's put it this way, the gaps are big enuff in spots to get a knife blade in between them....I don't think all the soaking in the world is going to fix that. I may have to resort to filling the gaps with some form of sealant. Pitch or something to that effect. I want to keep them period correct. I'll play around with them and see what happens. Thanks allot.

[Bill]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Chris,

All the soaking in the world won't solve your problem. As was stated earlier, Gardner pattern canteens are made like a small barrell, and the wood staves will expand against the iron bands, and will, in many cases, seal the canteen. My only suggestion is to take the canteen apart, and let the two halves dry out. After they have dried, lay each half on a sheet of sandpaper that is glued to a flat surface, and rub them around until the edge of each half half is completly flat. I would recommend you glue the two halves together, using one of the modern waterproof glues, before you replace the nails. I know this isn't "correct", but only you will know. And, unlike the original users, you purchased this canteen, rather having it issued to you. You don't have the luxury of throwing it away, and picking up a Federal issue canteen that doesn't leak.

BTW, brewer's pitch is sold by Charles Townsend.

[Bill]

Re: Leaking Nuckells Canteen

Chris,

I was thinking some more about your problem. After you get your Nuckolls canteen back in shape, and not leaking, you want to keep it that way. My suggestion is to make it really waterproof. Your problem is the wood is not expanding equally when it gets wet. That's really to be expected, since wood expands at different rates, depending on the grain and denisity. The solution is not to allow water to reach the wood.

Put the dry canteen in a oven at a low temperature of about 150 degrees. Allow the canteen to stay in the oven until the wood is hot all the way through. Pour in a few onces of melted bee's wax, stopper the canteen and swish it around until all surfaces are covered, and the majority of wax has been absorbed into the wood. The idea is to completly line the inside of your canteen with bee's wax, so that water cannot be absorbed into the wood.

I think this would also work with brewer's pitch, but you'd probably have to use a slightly higher temperature. Brewer's pitch has a higher melting point then bee's wax.

Do not attempt this if you own a Gardner pattern canteen. They are designed to swell, and making them water proof on the inside will eventually cause them to leak on the outside!