Is Tinware Dangerous?

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

Hallo!

"Maybe I should look into cyber campaigning"

Nope. Cyber Campaigning is frought with dangers such as vision loss due to staring at monitors for hours at end, carpal tunnel syndrome from using a keyboard, brain tumors from the radio frequencies used by wireless keyboards and mice. And last but but not least all manner of cancers from sitting too close to electric radiation fields found in wiring and electrical devices.

Plus numerous mental illnesses and disorders such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Tourrette's Syndrome, Overt Anger/Chronic Anger syndrome, Intermittant Explosive Disorder, Multiple Personality Disorder, Mood Affective Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Peter Pan Syndrome, Unit Founding Father/Benign Dictator syndrome, etc., etc.

Minor dangers include withdrawal, social isolation, lack of exercise and even movement,
relationship problems with significant others and family, problems with missing work, and general debt and financial difficulties caused by on-line purchases of reenacting stuff.

Just to name a few.

Dr. Curt

[Poor Private]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

Lead solder is still available. It is and can be used in non food aplications.
Next a few question? Since use of lead free solder is required by the FDA, May I ask who is testing all the canteens? Is there a FDA rep present to test when the canteens are manufactured, or shipped? How about all the tin cups, and plates, and lets not forget the cookware. Do the manufacturers ship a lead free label with each piece manufactured? If no inspection is required or done by the FDA how do we know it is lead free? I hope the all manufacturing firms have decent liability insurance, just in case of suits.

[RJSamp]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

Hallo!

"Maybe I should look into cyber campaigning"

Nope. Cyber Campaigning is frought with dangers such as vision loss due to staring at monitors for hours at end, carpal tunnel syndrome from using a keyboard, brain tumors from the radio frequencies used by wireless keyboards and mice. And last but but not least all manner of cancers from sitting too close to electric radiation fields found in wiring and electrical devices.

Plus numerous mental illnesses and disorders such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Tourrette's Syndrome, Overt Anger/Chronic Anger syndrome, Intermittant Explosive Disorder, Multiple Personality Disorder, Mood Affective Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Peter Pan Syndrome, Unit Founding Father/Benign Dictator syndrome, etc., etc.

Minor dangers include withdrawal, social isolation, lack of exercise and even movement,
relationship problems with significant others and family, problems with missing work, and general debt and financial difficulties caused by on-line purchases of reenacting stuff.

Just to name a few.

Dr. Curt

Dear Doctor:

Please send us some of that global warming this away....it's freezing in Chicago and I'm on my third gallon of 40:1 mix for the snowblower. I have a feeling it would be even colder here without the global warming?

[tenfed1861]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

Hallo!


Plus numerous mental illnesses and disorders such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Tourrette's Syndrome, Overt Anger/Chronic Anger syndrome, Intermittant Explosive Disorder, Multiple Personality Disorder, Mood Affective Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Peter Pan Syndrome, Unit Founding Father/Benign Dictator syndrome, etc., etc.


Just to name a few.

Dr. Curt

I think Ted from Scrubs says it best."Hey...he's right".But you can also get those fun mental disorders from regular reenacting.

Or maybe that comes from years of all the farbs?

[tsgalloway]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

Chris -

Actually, I think the worry is that low levels of lead would make you stupid long before you'd ever keel over. The Hatter's syndrome.

So do I trade in my tin reproduction bought in 1999 for a new stainless steel repro from Sutler Row or not? I've been called stupid.

- Dan Wykes

The Mad Hatter actually went mad from mercury poisoning.

[Goldendale George]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

Well TMD isn't going to run out of canteens anytime soon if I have anything to do about it. And I do!
I make them, look all I can say about the junk from Pakistan is well it's junk. You can go to any Hard ware store and buy a Lead test kit, it just takes a little water. I buy Stainless canteens from Sutlers all the time, almost everyone I test has Lead in it. They can sell them in this country because of the tag attached to each item, it says These Civil War canteens are NOT made for drinking.
Have you ever seen that tag on one??
I make Quality Lead Free tin ware, you can't beat Pure tin. My advice, stay away from the junk from Pakistan.

As for getting the wax out of the canteen, set your oven to 150 put the canteen in on it's side for about 15 minutes. Then take it out and tip it over and let the wax run out.

[SouthernMag]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

For about two years, hubby and I used an antique tin coffee pot from the 19th cenutry for reenacting. I always told anyone who wanted a cup of coffee from it that it was a real, 19th century pot and therefore the soldier was most likely lead. No one seemed to care, we drank a bunch of coffee from it and none of us are any crazier (or stupider) than we normally are. BTW, I have since replaced it with a reproduction pot from Village Tinsmiths and now we only use the antique pot to heat water to clean muskets and wash dishes.

Maggie Reese

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Is Tinware Dangerous?

Folks,
I think this thread has run its course. We've had input from a couple of fine tinners on the issue. Lead is bad. Lead can hurt you. If you're worried about lead in your canteen, then (if the information in this thread is correct) you can purchase a test kit and check it for yourself and/or contact the vendor who sold the canteen for more product information.

Regarding stainless steel: Some sites welcome discussions of the benefits of Civil War reproductions made from 20th/21st Century materials. This is not one of those sites.

Thanks, folks!

[Danny]

Re: Cleaning a Rusty Old Tin Cup

A little iron in your water won't do you any harm. Better for you than the lead in the solder.

According to an earlier thread on solder in reproduction canteens (search for "canteens"), makers of the repros say that anything made in the U.S. or imported properly from a legitimate source outside of the U.S. would not have solder with a lead leaching risk. Apparently the current state of the art no longer has heavily-leaded solder sources anymore, and not for decades. Please can somebody either verify that or deny it in this thread?

Several reenactors that I know have exchanged their first purchase reproduction tin canteens for stainless under pressure of rumor that the tin canteens had potentially harmful solder, when in fact the new stainless canteens don't have any better guarantee of materials used in constructing the seams either.

Benefit is that some, in the know, get more authentic canteens and other tin wares from their pards as cast-offs as a result of unfounded rumor.

Dan Wykes

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Cleaning a Rusty Old Tin Cup

According to an earlier thread on solder in reproduction canteens...

Originally Posted by jdanner723
I have an original tin cup from the civil war...

This doesn't address his question.

[13thnhv]

Re: Cleaning a Rusty Old Tin Cup

Mr. Danner,

S&S Sutler of Gettysburg carries a wonderful assortment of tin cups of various sizes and shapes. I own one of each, they are well-made and sturdy, and affordable. My favorite is the officer's/civilian size. Please give Tim a call. Good luck.

[Danny]

Re: Cleaning a Rusty Old Tin Cup

This doesn't address his question.

But it does address Jim Mayo's quoted comment about solder, as intended.

Dan Wykes

[jdanner723]

Re: Cleaning a Rusty Old Tin Cup

I stopped by Tim's today. He said he just sold his last one. I'll check in with him in a few weeks. He had a few cups that I really liked so I'm sure holding out and waiting will be worth it. Thanks!