Uniform destroyed?

[JacobReichwein]

Ugh, mother nature got me good this time. I had my uniform on the ground from after an event and it rained....you know the drill. Everything is drenched. It was a brand new uniform. Is there any hope?

[ACo.]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Put it on and wear it until it is dry, no problem.

[DJCasey]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

But DO NOT wear it in the sun.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Sheep survive rainstorms all the time. It really shouldn't be a huge problem.

Let it dry with good air circulation, after using your hands to press/squeeze as much water out as possible. Wet wool is heavier than dry wool, so make sure it's nicely supported, and turn it frequently.

If you do wear it until it dries, and it's a hot day, anticipate some degree of felting in high friction areas, such as under the arms and the inside legs.

Once dry, use a natural bristle brush to brush out any dried mud.

Otherwise, be reassured--wool is a great fiber, and CAN BE WASHED. Sheep do not shrink after a storm, even if they rub up against things. Wool can even be boiled clean (though, generally, live sheep should *not* be boiled to clean them.)

What you don't want to do is toss your uniform into hot water with soap, rub it around a lot, then toss it into a cold water rinse. That will give you Ken Doll Uniform Pieces.

The Originals did get soggy. They dried off. They brushed off the mud. They kept going. No biggie. This is a great chance to experience How Textiles Work. :)

[Gary of CA]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Real soljers gawt rained upon during the war, why not your uniform?

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Hallo!

Rule No. 1: It rains.
Rule No. 2. One gets wet.
Rule No. 3: The sun comes out.
Rule No. 4; One gets dry.
Rule No. 5: It will rain again, some time.

Wool shrinks (and gets fuzzier) by two methods: heat and/or agitation. Getting wet will NOT, in and of itself ,cause shrinkage or fuzzying. Heat, and/or agitation will (even agitation in cold water.).
This was actually done on purpose in the manufacturing of woolen textiles, and was called 'fulling." Blankets were fulled, sometimes several times over, which causes the "scales" on the wool fiber to pop out, and for the fibers to expand and intermesh to cause a denser mass with more trapped air spaces- and this improves its warmth or insulating factor.

Curt
Wooley Bare Mess

[JacobReichwein]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Thank you all :)

[Tom Craig]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

At a recent event I was scouting out a place to water our horses. The only place I found that was accesible had steep banks and an uncertain footing. When the horse stepped into the creek he sank quite a bit and got startled by the muddy bottom. He freaked and in the process managed to toss me off and into the creek. Gear and all I hit bottom about 3" under water. When I came up for air water poured out of my carbine barrel and my hat nearly floated away!

On reaching solid ground I had to dump out the 3"+ of water in my boots, drain my haversack and pour out the water that had entered my cartridge and cap pouches. My coat and trousers were covered in sticky dark mud and everything I had on my was saturated!

After taking a few minutes to laugh at my misfortune and dry off a bit I put everthing back together and rode for the rest of the day. Fortunately it was a warm night so I stayed pretty warm, but my sack coat was still soaked the next morning!

Once I got home it was time to clean my weapons and gear. My pistol had turned to a solid piece of rust, much of the bluing came off my carbine barrel in the effort to remove the rust. My original sabre fared well with only some surface rust on the scabbard. I put my uniform on the line to dry for a few days and took a stiff brush and a rug beater to the coat to remove the ground in mud (some of which is still there). The best part was my cartridge boxes. All the rounds had turned to a putty like substance, and in each pouch there was close to an inch of dried up mud, despite the pouches being closed and buttoned up at the time of the fall.

Long story short, after some drying, oiling and TLC all my stuff is in just as good a shape as it was before it got wet...so yes a little rain on your uniform won't hurt!

As for me falling in the creek like that is probably one of the most authentic things I have done in my reenacting career! :tounge_sm

Take care,
Tom Craig

[1st Maine Trooper]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

As for me falling in the creek like that is probably one of the most authentic things I have done in my reenacting career! :tounge_sm

Take care,
Tom Craig

Not to mention it was d _ _ n funy!

Dave Myrick

[Parault]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Getting the uniform wet would be very authentic, especially wearing it while it is drying. Personal experience spoken here. It is not that bad. The suggestions made here are very good. I like most here have,and will get our items wet. Just make sure you clean everything properly when you get home.

[toptimlrd]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

For me personally, it takes quite a heavy rain for me to worry about putting my gum blanket around me since it gets in the way more than anything IMHO. Wool keeps you warm even when wet so as long as you don't mind a few pounds of water on you it realy doesn't hurt the wool.

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Hurricane Katrina added a great deal of "character to my kit. I don't think that it ruined my uniform, seeing as I am still wearing it to this day. It just looks like I have gone through a few months of mud and rain without washing. The stench dosn't quite smell like a decaying raccoon, so It worked out well.(the 16 feet of water was a bonus, I guess.)

[Spinster]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

When the 'stank' factor becomes too great, it can be remedied by the application of white vinegar, then allow the uniform to air and dry throughly before storage. This will also inhibit mold.

[Dreamer42]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

Got wet then, got wet now, too. When my Engineer unit was in Central America we discovered it was actually easier to forget the rain gear, let it rain, get wet, then dry out when it warmed up again. Many of us do the same while reenacting WWII, as well. as mentioned, your uniform will just look that much "better." Not bad once you get used to it.

- Jay Reid
Dreamer42

[Bummer]

Re: Uniform destroyed?

This thread is a joke, right?