Quick clarification: Tinware like tin cups and tin plates are not actually made out of tin. Tin is a very soft metal with a low melting point. They are generally made from some form of sheet iron/low steel, which is then "tinned", or coated in a thin layer of tin for protection and corrosion resistance. This is why if the tin coating is rubbed off, like through too aggressive cleaning/scrubbing, they will start to rust. Also, be careful using modern cans as boilers. Many/most cans no longer use solder, but instead a rolled lip with a polymer sealant. Most cans are also lined with a polymer/plastic coating to help prevent the contents from reacting with the metal. These *might* be ok at boiling temps (though I have my doubts), but any sort of frying is likely going to start breaking them down. Even if the seal doesn't fail, all of that stuff is going to get cooked into the food.
You remind me of myself 1st Sgt. even when there’s no event, I got the gear out seeing what I can do and how it works. Good tips for the newer soldier!
Two tips from a unit mess sgt. 1. It may be farb, but apply a little bit of liquid dish soap to the bottom of your cooking vessel to ease soot removal. 2. Crisco shortening or cheap vegetable oil should be reapplied to cast iron or other rust prone metal cookware after full cleaning and rinse. Coat all surfaces inside and out, then bake in for a few minutes. Set aside to cool- a fantastic nonstick finish and rust proof. PS- never had to worry about crisco or vegetable oil going bad.
Great info on tin and how to properly "patina" stainless... I'm ditching most of my collection of FARBerware and getting more authentic after 16 years. Love y'all's channel. We CS Marines had things a bit better than the Army in the field. We were mainly based at Drewry's Bluff and had good access to Richmond and it's "riches". I stepped down from Company command last year and I'll be returning to the rifle pits along the James; so, a little rougher life is now due.
May your overly shiny belt buckle get a scratch too deep to polish off, not big enough for others to notice, but just big enough that you know it is there, and feel self concious about it.
Yes I have a Mucket, bought it too go with the kit I bought, when I went to Shiloh for the 150th anniversary. I actually use mine still today. Yes its stainless, but it looks old because I use it alot.
Well done, young man! Your presentation was clear, precise, informative, & considerate of folks with limited financial assets, or who ar new to such events! At age 82 & a CW & Rev. War re-enactor for only 20 years, I am still learning. At least 5 of my ancestors (all great-great grandfathers) served in the Civil War. In my opinion, the mess gear you highlighted could be used for both military & civilian impressions. You mentioned the smooth-sided tin cans; are you familiar with the well-known "Peach Tin" that was commonly used during the C.W? I think that at one time Dixie Gun works had the Peach Tin in their older catalogs. By the way, one of CW ancestors was in the Georgia Sharpshooters! I am seriously considering subscribing. Thank you for sharing, and may God bless you, sir! The Old Preacher/Chaplain
I don't usually leave comments on your videos, but as this one was geared specifically to new people I feel it's important to point out that there is a whole lot of information here that is based in reenacting lore and common bad habits and very little of it based in any kind of research for Fidelity to historical authenticity
As a Boy Scout 60 years ago, we used a large (half gallon) tin can with a wire bail to cook our supper in over a camp fire. As I remember we had hamburger meat, potatoes and tomatoes in it. I made the fire and another Scout did the cooking and food prep. All I know is it was good.
I’m starting to re-enact soon, this will be useful but the battle only last minutes ( kids one ) but eh I’ll see if I can join the main one because kid soldiers were a thing
Awesome, Sarge. More outside by a fire videos, please. I camped out in nonstop rain this weekend. The lid on my mucket came in handy. Thoughts on me, as a civilian, using cast iron pans and Dutch ovens?
Pvt. Soderling is right. Our company mess has a large tin pot we got from Townsends. Large tin is really under-represented and has the benefit of being lighter. Townsends and a growing number of blacksmiths are offering period correct sheet iron skillets (including folding ones) and spiders that would really pop an impression. The Liberty Rifles also recently posted an article on Confederate cast iron and contractors. Other than that, there's nothing inauthentic about using cast iron especially for a civilian.
Thank you 1st. Sgt. I think by you doing these videos it will help bring new reenactors to the hobby . I’ve been away from it for many years but am coming back to it. I definitely believe in always striving to be more authentic the longer I’m in it, Although I never forget what it’s like just starting out. As long as they show they care & try to do better when they can.
Another hint for stainless cups/pots: Cook in them, eat out of them, and then when you clean them, DO NOT use Scotchbrite pads. These clean too well, and will take off the SS oxide haze and carbon soot you've been building up. Use a plastic bristle brush instead.
Wonderful tip! We have a young reenactor whose mom snuck into his "dirty" gear and scrubbed it all bright. He was so bummed when he got into his kit at his next event.
I just want to revist some fond ole memories so ld off all my kit, so " LCpl Hodgepodge" reporting for duty 😉 So any help getting the most inexpensive gear would be helpful.
the unit i am in uses pie pans for loaner gear that i think are alloyed between tin and aluminum, they had to be bought in a pinch as we were expecting a good number of newbies, we bought 15 of them and in a season well...you can guess what happend to half of them xD. Good info, ill be using it to improve not only my, but my comrades impressions as well.
Awesome video! I love your channel so much, I can’t wait for it to grow. I would love to start re-enacting very soon, your channel has helped a lot and motivated me. I have some close friends who would also love US Civil War history want to reenact, the only problem is that we can’t seem to find a unit anywhere. We live in Utah, what should we do? Thanks! Keep it up fellows
You could always start your own unit. Historic sites, museums, parades, and local events are good ways to participate with a small group until you can organize a battle event. There's a WWI group that just started with a few people up here and is continuing to grow by doing small events and good use of social media. Lots of organizations have their information and safety rules posted online to guide and educate you on your journey. Keep asking your great questions.
Company D 2nd USSS I have thought lots about doing just that, the area I live in is very rich with history from that era. I live about a 5 minutes walk from Fort Douglas, which is a location built in 1862 as a military stop for volunteers and troops moving east from Camp Floyd, California, and Nevada. The first commander, Col. Connor was a Mexican War veteran and was sent to suppress the Mormon rebellion and to control the Indians in the area (which didn’t go to well for the Indians, who were more than a little beat down in the battle of Bear River) anyway, the point is I think I could get a lot of support from staff of the museum that exists there now and it would be super cool to form a unit based on local history. Thanks for the help!!
Try doing some google searches for "civil war reenactment groups in Utah." I also saw one civil war reenactment event that you could go to and find a group. Also try neighboring states. I know there are groups in Colorado and New Mexico, plus original battlefields in New Mexico.
I purchased a spoon made of bone for my confederate impression, and I wanted to know if that kind of spoon would be considered farby? Thanks for the video, love the content on this channel!
I'm definitely no expert on Confederate gear. I'll dig through my reference materials and let you know if I find something. My default answer, is that it would depend on your unit's history. If it was from or near an urban area of the South than it would be pretty unlikely. However, if it was found or recovered on a campaign then it could be plausible. Keep looking around, there are some really knowledgeable Confederate historians out there. Sorry I couldn't be of more help but thanks for putting that great question out there.
Thanks for sharing. While we know about rations we're not experts like the people at Civil War Digital Digest and the 11th OVC. We mostly just dabble in rations.
That's a good idea. Several of us use tin canteens and they work great. You just need to make sure they're thoroughly dry when you're done with them. I think there's an old video on RUclips about how to recoat the inside with beeswax. If not, I'm sure there's a post on it on the Authentic Campaigner forum.
Don't let the tin go rusty.... Clostridium tetani .... it's where stainless beats tin (on a practical level). Be scrupulous about rust prevention and you'll be fine, particularly in your canteen if your wax liner has broken down..... brown water anyone? ;) . But if your of the 'rushed' kind of reenactor getting back at dark in the morning and going to work the next day, forgetting the post camp clean up ........ well maybe stainless, and patina the heck out of it..... ;)
Hey sgt i know that this has nothing to do with the mess kit but if you were to have a bugler in your unit what would be some basic and common calls he or she would need to know. Thanks☺ (for berdan sharpshooter)
Well, whatever's in the manual. For sharpshooters, we use a lot of the stand up and lay down calls and retreat and advance as skirmishers. Oh, and deploy as skirmishers, too. Hope that helps.
Hello Great video. I would suggest any newbie to reseach with the Unif they want to portray reenacting with regarding the required equipment for that unit First ! Secondly , don't buy stuff just because someone said it used during Civil War era. You'll end up with stuff that you won't use. Thanks.
Those are a thing? I thought the tinning process like most coating processes like nickel or chrome plating required bare metal for adhesion. High quality tin ware, like from Ulrich, is actually quite durable.
Good luck with that. You will probably work harden the metal and crack it. It will need to be anealed (heated to the point a magnet won't stick then slow cooled) often.
I have done that before, it’s depends on your restful thinking on technique . I just tryed hammering it out. Not perfect but sure looked rugged & somewhat original. But keep in mind many cans have a coating inside which in some small studies say it’s cancerous ? Normal usage probably no problem but if you hammered the H*#! Out of it then you’ve really stored the pot. Just watch out for the coatings.
It depends quite a bit on the unit and year of the war. In the book, "A Taste for War," some units didn't receive much of anything individually and barely anything for the company early in the war. Then you have some units like ours that received elaborate multi-piece mess kits that were way ahead of their time. I'd look into your unit's history and see what that reveals. One thing we see time and again is that just because an army manual says such and such equipment was standard issue, doesn't mean soldiers received it. For example, Co. F, 2ndUSSS didn't receive shelter halves until after Fredericksburg. For general reenacting, as long as it's quality tin, the choice is kind of up to you.
@@Joseywales414 I honestly haven't seen then used that much, I think I'm the only one that uses them in my units. I have heard of diary entries describing canteen halves being used a lot. Not trying to start an argument, I just enjoy talking about these kind of things
Best item of the whole video was that little stick hanging from yur tripod. Excellent hack! Worst item would be wiping yur gear down with mineral oil. Yuk. I personally, have never oiled any of my tinware. Cup is over forty years old, still going strong. Still, a very good video. Enjoyed it.
@@CompanyD2ndUSSS I oiled my tin different times and a couple things not. The olive oil saved mine. A couple other things were almost not restorable. Depends on moister & storage location I know but still,,,.?
Quick clarification: Tinware like tin cups and tin plates are not actually made out of tin. Tin is a very soft metal with a low melting point. They are generally made from some form of sheet iron/low steel, which is then "tinned", or coated in a thin layer of tin for protection and corrosion resistance. This is why if the tin coating is rubbed off, like through too aggressive cleaning/scrubbing, they will start to rust.
Also, be careful using modern cans as boilers. Many/most cans no longer use solder, but instead a rolled lip with a polymer sealant. Most cans are also lined with a polymer/plastic coating to help prevent the contents from reacting with the metal. These *might* be ok at boiling temps (though I have my doubts), but any sort of frying is likely going to start breaking them down. Even if the seal doesn't fail, all of that stuff is going to get cooked into the food.
Thanks for sharing such great information! I'd only add to your notes the difference between hot dip tin and electroplate tin.
You remind me of myself 1st Sgt. even when there’s no event, I got the gear out seeing what I can do and how it works. Good tips for the newer soldier!
I see that y'all are fans of Jas Townsend as well.
I recommend not cooking or boiling in modern cans they line them with plastic
Two tips from a unit mess sgt.
1. It may be farb, but apply a little bit of liquid dish soap to the bottom of your cooking vessel to ease soot removal.
2. Crisco shortening or cheap vegetable oil should be reapplied to cast iron or other rust prone metal cookware after full cleaning and rinse. Coat all surfaces inside and out, then bake in for a few minutes. Set aside to cool- a fantastic nonstick finish and rust proof.
PS- never had to worry about crisco or vegetable oil going bad.
Great info on tin and how to properly "patina" stainless... I'm ditching most of my collection of FARBerware and getting more authentic after 16 years. Love y'all's channel. We CS Marines had things a bit better than the Army in the field. We were mainly based at Drewry's Bluff and had good access to Richmond and it's "riches". I stepped down from Company command last year and I'll be returning to the rifle pits along the James; so, a little rougher life is now due.
Good to hear commander. I’ve been out of it for several years but coming back to it. We need to get more youth involved & into the hobby.
May your overly shiny belt buckle get a scratch too deep to polish off, not big enough for others to notice, but just big enough that you know it is there, and feel self concious about it.
Yes I have a Mucket, bought it too go with the kit I bought, when I went to Shiloh for the 150th anniversary. I actually use mine still today. Yes its stainless, but it looks old because I use it alot.
Well done, young man! Your presentation was clear, precise, informative, & considerate of folks with limited financial assets, or who ar new to such events! At age 82 & a CW & Rev. War re-enactor for only 20 years, I am still learning. At least 5 of my ancestors (all great-great grandfathers) served in the Civil War. In my opinion, the mess gear you highlighted could be used for both military & civilian impressions. You mentioned the smooth-sided tin cans; are you familiar with the well-known "Peach Tin" that was commonly used during the C.W? I think that at one time Dixie Gun works had the Peach Tin in their older catalogs. By the way, one of CW ancestors was in the Georgia Sharpshooters! I am seriously considering subscribing. Thank you for sharing, and may God bless you, sir! The Old Preacher/Chaplain
I don't usually leave comments on your videos, but as this one was geared specifically to new people I feel it's important to point out that there is a whole lot of information here that is based in reenacting lore and common bad habits and very little of it based in any kind of research for Fidelity to historical authenticity
As a Boy Scout 60 years ago, we used a large (half gallon) tin can with a wire bail to cook our supper in over a camp fire. As I remember we had hamburger meat, potatoes and tomatoes in it. I made the fire and another Scout did the cooking and food prep. All I know is it was good.
I’m starting to re-enact soon, this will be useful but the battle only last minutes ( kids one ) but eh I’ll see if I can join the main one because kid soldiers were a thing
Awesome, Sarge. More outside by a fire videos, please.
I camped out in nonstop rain this weekend. The lid on my mucket came in handy.
Thoughts on me, as a civilian, using cast iron pans and Dutch ovens?
Pvt. Soderling is right. Our company mess has a large tin pot we got from Townsends. Large tin is really under-represented and has the benefit of being lighter. Townsends and a growing number of blacksmiths are offering period correct sheet iron skillets (including folding ones) and spiders that would really pop an impression. The Liberty Rifles also recently posted an article on Confederate cast iron and contractors. Other than that, there's nothing inauthentic about using cast iron especially for a civilian.
Thank you 1st. Sgt. I think by you doing these videos it will help bring new reenactors to the hobby . I’ve been away from it for many years but am coming back to it.
I definitely believe in always striving to be more authentic the longer I’m in it,
Although I never forget what it’s like just starting out. As long as they show they care & try to do better when they can.
Another hint for stainless cups/pots: Cook in them, eat out of them, and then when you clean them, DO NOT use Scotchbrite pads. These clean too well, and will take off the SS oxide haze and carbon soot you've been building up. Use a plastic bristle brush instead.
Wonderful tip! We have a young reenactor whose mom snuck into his "dirty" gear and scrubbed it all bright. He was so bummed when he got into his kit at his next event.
"If ya'll plan on actually using your equipment." Gotta Love it!
I just want to revist some fond ole memories so ld off all my kit, so
" LCpl Hodgepodge" reporting for duty 😉
So any help getting the most inexpensive gear would be helpful.
Great video Jared, just discovered this channel yesterday and I’m loving the videos
Thanks so much!
the unit i am in uses pie pans for loaner gear that i think are alloyed between tin and aluminum, they had to be bought in a pinch as we were expecting a good number of newbies, we bought 15 of them and in a season well...you can guess what happend to half of them xD. Good info, ill be using it to improve not only my, but my comrades impressions as well.
Are the tin plates a one piece stamping, like from a die in a press
Very nice video hope you keep posting content.
I had a question on the mug is it a 12oz or 28 oz?
1st Sgt. How do you get that hatchet so sharp
Awesome video! I love your channel so much, I can’t wait for it to grow. I would love to start re-enacting very soon, your channel has helped a lot and motivated me. I have some close friends who would also love US Civil War history want to reenact, the only problem is that we can’t seem to find a unit anywhere. We live in Utah, what should we do?
Thanks! Keep it up fellows
You could always start your own unit. Historic sites, museums, parades, and local events are good ways to participate with a small group until you can organize a battle event. There's a WWI group that just started with a few people up here and is continuing to grow by doing small events and good use of social media. Lots of organizations have their information and safety rules posted online to guide and educate you on your journey. Keep asking your great questions.
Company D 2nd USSS I have thought lots about doing just that, the area I live in is very rich with history from that era. I live about a 5 minutes walk from Fort Douglas, which is a location built in 1862 as a military stop for volunteers and troops moving east from Camp Floyd, California, and Nevada. The first commander, Col. Connor was a Mexican War veteran and was sent to suppress the Mormon rebellion and to control the Indians in the area (which didn’t go to well for the Indians, who were more than a little beat down in the battle of Bear River) anyway, the point is I think I could get a lot of support from staff of the museum that exists there now and it would be super cool to form a unit based on local history.
Thanks for the help!!
Try doing some google searches for "civil war reenactment groups in Utah." I also saw one civil war reenactment event that you could go to and find a group. Also try neighboring states. I know there are groups in Colorado and New Mexico, plus original battlefields in New Mexico.
I purchased a spoon made of bone for my confederate impression, and I wanted to know if that kind of spoon would be considered farby? Thanks for the video, love the content on this channel!
I'm definitely no expert on Confederate gear. I'll dig through my reference materials and let you know if I find something. My default answer, is that it would depend on your unit's history. If it was from or near an urban area of the South than it would be pretty unlikely. However, if it was found or recovered on a campaign then it could be plausible. Keep looking around, there are some really knowledgeable Confederate historians out there. Sorry I couldn't be of more help but thanks for putting that great question out there.
@@CompanyD2ndUSSS Your welcome. I will definitely research this.
Metal utensils would be more common. If you want a more rustic look have a blacksmith make you a spoon.
A video on the soldiers rations at the time would be great to see
Thanks for sharing. While we know about rations we're not experts like the people at Civil War Digital Digest and the 11th OVC. We mostly just dabble in rations.
I can see that you have stuff, but I can't see the stuff that you have. Throw in some close-ups.
Will there be a video on caring for canteens? I’m on the fence whether to buy traditional tin or stainless. Thanks.
That's a good idea. Several of us use tin canteens and they work great. You just need to make sure they're thoroughly dry when you're done with them. I think there's an old video on RUclips about how to recoat the inside with beeswax. If not, I'm sure there's a post on it on the Authentic Campaigner forum.
Don't let the tin go rusty.... Clostridium tetani .... it's where stainless beats tin (on a practical level). Be scrupulous about rust prevention and you'll be fine, particularly in your canteen if your wax liner has broken down..... brown water anyone? ;) . But if your of the 'rushed' kind of reenactor getting back at dark in the morning and going to work the next day, forgetting the post camp clean up ........ well maybe stainless, and patina the heck out of it..... ;)
Tetanus is not caused by rust, if you haven’t been storing damp soil or manure in your canteen, you won’t be contracting tetanus that way.
Hey sgt i know that this has nothing to do with the mess kit but if you were to have a bugler in your unit what would be some basic and common calls he or she would need to know. Thanks☺ (for berdan sharpshooter)
Well, whatever's in the manual. For sharpshooters, we use a lot of the stand up and lay down calls and retreat and advance as skirmishers. Oh, and deploy as skirmishers, too. Hope that helps.
Hello
Great video. I would suggest any newbie to reseach with the Unif they want to portray reenacting with regarding the required equipment for that unit First !
Secondly , don't buy stuff just because someone said it used during Civil War era. You'll end up with stuff that you won't use.
Thanks.
Any body have any thoughts, ideas, opinions about stainless steel cups, plates, etc that are coated in tin?
Those are a thing? I thought the tinning process like most coating processes like nickel or chrome plating required bare metal for adhesion. High quality tin ware, like from Ulrich, is actually quite durable.
You should make a quick video showing some of the younger people how to tell stuff made from tin then from other metals
I am curious if it's worth while to try to remove the corrugation of the modern cans.
Excellent question. I've never tried it. If you do, feel free to post a pic on our Facebook page.
it'd honestly probably be easier to make your own can.
Good luck with that. You will probably work harden the metal and crack it. It will need to be anealed (heated to the point a magnet won't stick then slow cooled) often.
I have done that before, it’s depends on your restful thinking on technique .
I just tryed hammering it out. Not perfect but sure looked rugged & somewhat original. But keep in mind many cans have a coating inside which in some small studies say it’s cancerous ? Normal usage probably no problem but if you hammered the H*#! Out of it then you’ve really stored the pot.
Just watch out for the coatings.
Was the tin plate or the canteen half more common for Union soldiers?
It depends quite a bit on the unit and year of the war. In the book, "A Taste for War," some units didn't receive much of anything individually and barely anything for the company early in the war. Then you have some units like ours that received elaborate multi-piece mess kits that were way ahead of their time. I'd look into your unit's history and see what that reveals. One thing we see time and again is that just because an army manual says such and such equipment was standard issue, doesn't mean soldiers received it. For example, Co. F, 2ndUSSS didn't receive shelter halves until after Fredericksburg. For general reenacting, as long as it's quality tin, the choice is kind of up to you.
The canteen half is MASSIVELY over represented, you can’t go wrong with a tin plate.
A damp handkerchief works great for grabbing hot items as well. And less bulky then gloves.
I heard somewhere and tested that a wet rag conducts heat WAY faster than a dry rag.
@@brandonerickson1193 steam burn city. Use a dry rag.
@@brandonerickson1193 that’s what I thought about the wet rag one.
Can you heat the tin plates?
I think it is what we refer to as "Tinned plates"
They are made of steel. They've just been dipped in melted tin for rust protection.
I was under the impression that the government didn't issue eating utensils?
Why didn't you include canteen halves, just curious
Canteen half’s are over used/represented also. I hear it’s more of a *reenactorism. * ?
@@Joseywales414 I honestly haven't seen then used that much, I think I'm the only one that uses them in my units. I have heard of diary entries describing canteen halves being used a lot.
Not trying to start an argument, I just enjoy talking about these kind of things
Just over-represented generally speaking. Billing’s (Hardtack and Coffee) talks about guys using their plate with a split stick.
Links please
Subbed
Best item of the whole video was that little stick hanging from yur tripod. Excellent hack! Worst item would be wiping yur gear down with mineral oil. Yuk. I personally, have never oiled any of my tinware. Cup is over forty years old, still going strong. Still, a very good video. Enjoyed it.
Great comment and thanks for sharing! The other upside to mineral oil is its laxative properties. :)
@@CompanyD2ndUSSS I oiled my tin different times and a couple things not. The olive oil saved mine. A couple other things were almost not restorable. Depends on moister & storage location I know but still,,,.?
Cool!
Umm
Hoi