John Wedeward sackcoats ????

[kration44]

Does anyone know if John Wedeward is still making Federal sackcoats or not ?

Thank You in advance !
Kration44

[Craig L Barry]

I think he is still making sack coat kits. If you want him to make the sack coat it will be six months wait.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

It seems that he still is in business according to his website www.cwquartermaster.com (updated 12-09). I can't speak for his delivery time, but he does make a fine fatigue blouse. I would also look into Wambaugh, White, & Co., Chris Daley, NJ Sekela, and Joe Blunt (mudcatsgt@earthlink.net) for other excellent blouses.

[doughboy]

Also makes an excellent blouse. Generally available at S&S Sutler in Gettysburg
Christopher Wilson

[unclefrank]

and it was very nice

http://www.kabar44.com/federalItems.htm

[Craig L Barry]

I have two of Wambaugh & White's Federal sacks, one lined and one unlined. The color on the lined coat is really odd, it appears to have faded badly in patches. A bad batch of wool cloth perhaps because the other is faded but not to the same degree. I thought the beauty of Indigo is that it did not fade with exposure to the sun?

I made a sack for myself, which was a waste of some of the last Family Heirloom Weavers flannel and my son has a CJ Daley unlined sack which is still primo after five years. Wedeward's sack got a great review in The Watchdog about ten years ago, and presumably nothing about them has changed for the worse.

[unclefrank]

Didn't Dan do a recall of some of his Federal Sack coats not too long ago? The material didn't hold up well. I too have a couple of his Union sack coats and they are still doing well after about five years.

[GreencoatCross]

Craig,

A few years back we were having trouble with our flannel in that one-half of it was being dyed slightly darker than the other half. This flaw ran the entire length of the fabric. It sounds like the lined blouse you have could have been made from this material. Both Dan and myself are unaware of any fading problems with our flannel...I'm curious, do you mind sharing pictures of your coat via email?

Our fatigue blouse recall was enacted because of the same batch of material. Fortunately our current stock is evenly dyed, finished correctly, and we have not had any problems with it in some time.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Craig,

A few years back we were having trouble with our flannel in that one-half of it was being dyed slightly darker than the other half. This flaw ran the entire length of the fabric. It sounds like the lined blouse you have could have been made from this material. Both Dan and myself are unaware of any fading problems with our flannel...I'm curious, do you mind sharing pictures of your coat via email?

Our fatigue blouse recall was enacted because of the same batch of material. Fortunately our current stock is evenly dyed, finished correctly, and we have not had any problems with it in some time.
I'll vouch for the new flannel they're using. I got several yards of it recently and it is some stellar stuff. I'd go so far as to say its as good or better than the old Pat Kline/Family Heirloom Weavers stuff.

[Craig L Barry]

Well Ross, that is high praise indeed. I will see if I can get pics that show the fading. It doesn't affect the serviceability of the coat, it just looks a little funny. Worst sack is still my homemade.

[cjdaley]

Some talented people mentioned in this thread for sure. Sekela, Wambaugh, Wedeward, Hanes and Blunt. Can't go wrong with any of those boys, all talented guys and great to deal with.

As to Wambaugh's recall, that was years ago and should speak volumes about the pride he has in is products and how much he cares about his customers. A voluntary product recall like that can set a business back, but he did it and should prove to you that you can buy with confidence from that man.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Some talented people mentioned in this thread for sure. Sekela, Wambaugh, Wedeward, Hanes and Blunt. Can't go wrong with any of those boys, all talented guys and great to deal with.

As to Wambaugh's recall, that was years ago and should speak volumes about the pride he has in is products and how much he cares about his customers. A voluntary product recall like that can set a business back, but he did it and should prove to you that you can buy with confidence from that man.

I hadn't thought of it til you mentioned all the names again, but finding a quality Fed sack coat isn't as hard as it used to be with all the players in the game . Its alot harder to find vendors for a multitude of other clothing and accoutrements, but not for a good Fed fatigue blouse. Sometimes its harder finding quality flannel than it is to find someone to make the coat...

[RJSamp]

and it was very nice

http://www.kabar44.com/federalItems.htm

Tad light for a Federal blouse navy blue?

[cjdaley]

Tad light for a Federal blouse navy blue?

DON'T LET THIS COMMENT DISSUADE YOU FROM BUYING FROM SCOTT HANES!!!

I've seen Scott Hanes' sack coats and the color is dead on to several originals I've seen.

PLEASE EVERYONE: Don't look at a picture on a website and make a judgment call on color. Depending on your monitor adjustments and how the image of the coat was downloaded/edits, the color WILL be very different from the actual garment.

I've been running my website since 1997 and am very frustrated that the color displayed on my website isn't representative of my actual garments.

ALSO: Want to see the color variety in original sack coats? take a look at this image from John Wedeward's website:
http://www.cwquartermaster.com/sack_coats_colors__smths.jpg

Again, Nick Sekela, Dan Wambaugh, Joe Blunt and Scott Hanes are great guys who make great products. Buy from any of them with confidence boys!!

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Tad light for a Federal blouse navy blue?

In Brown's "For Fatigue Purposes", there is a great modern photo of several original Fed blouses stacked side by side with the various shades of blue, showing the contrast. The amount of variance on originals is staggering. They run the gammut. With that, Scott Hane's blouses aren't far off at all in comparison.

[cjdaley]

In Brown's "For Fatigue Purposes", there is a great modern photo of several original Fed blouses stacked side by side with the various shades of blue, showing the contrast. The amount of variance on originals is staggering. They run the gammut. With that, Scott Hane's blouses aren't far off at all in comparison.

Shared Brain Ross? Looks like we posted the same info within seconds of each other. Great minds my friend, great minds!

[harley_davis]

Some talented people mentioned in this thread for sure. Sekela, Wambaugh, Wedeward, Hanes and Blunt. Can't go wrong with any of those boys, all talented guys and great to deal with.
Well, if no one else will say it, I will. Mr. Daley is recommending products from other makers, an admirable action indeed. This speaks volumes to Mr. Daley's integrity if you ask me. Not to malign the integrity of the others at all, far from it. IMHO this just proves the high regard that we consumers have for all these makers is well deserved. Thank you all, for the fine products you provide to this hobby.
Respectfully

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Well, if no one else will say it, I will. Mr. Daley is recommending products from other makers, an admirable action indeed. This speaks volumes to Mr. Daley's integrity if you ask me. Not to malign the integrity of the others at all, far from it. IMHO this just proves the high regard that we consumers have for all these makers is well deserved. Thank you all, for the fine products you provide to this hobby.
Respectfully

I'm glad you said that Harley - its something I should have said myself about Chris. He's taken a hammering from some folks in the hobby, but he has been a man whose integrity has worked toward fixing any issues. For every guy thats got an issue, there's 100 guys who received quality stuff at a fair price. Everything I've ever bought from him has been first class, and rather than plug his stuff 24 - 7, which would be fine in my eyes, he'll tell you where all the good options are. He's a stand-up guy, and where I come from, thats one of the best things you can call someone. I will never, ever forget times when he posted good things to say about my work at a time when nobody knew me, and also when he stuck up for a mutual friend who was often bashed amongst the elitist part of the hobby. Those are things that, along with his superior knowledge, put him ahead of the rest in my book. In this hobby it has been my pleasure to meet and know some of the best people, like Chris, Bill Lomas of EJ Thomas, Dan Wambaugh, Bill Wickham (Dirty Billy), and Craig Barry of The Watchdog and other writing fame, and am blessed to be included in their company. You can buy with confidence from any of them, or any of the other vendors that have been mentioned in this thread.

[Andrew Jarvi]

Chris has taken some undue criticism. His products are top notch and if there is a problem he will make it right. He has a backlog on custom orders because his goods are top notch, the same problem that Dan Wambaugh is beginning to experience because of the excellent quality of his goods. Good things come to those who wait is the best way to put it.

[NC1862]

Chris has taken some undue criticism. His products are top notch and if there is a problem he will make it right.

I own one of Chris's fatigue blouses and the quality is unsurpassed. Its my "go to" jacket for when I portray "the lying, thieving yankees" :mrgreen:

[Pvt Schnapps]

I have two of Wambaugh & White's Federal sacks, one lined and one unlined. The color on the lined coat is really odd, it appears to have faded badly in patches. A bad batch of wool cloth perhaps because the other is faded but not to the same degree. I thought the beauty of Indigo is that it did not fade with exposure to the sun?

I made a sack for myself, which was a waste of some of the last Family Heirloom Weavers flannel and my son has a CJ Daley unlined sack which is still primo after five years. Wedeward's sack got a great review in The Watchdog about ten years ago, and presumably nothing about them has changed for the worse.

Not only can indigo fade, but it can change color to some extent. There was a recent discussion of this on the other forum, with some pretty technical details from folks who know a lot more about it than me: http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26011&highlight=indigo

[Craig L Barry]

Yes indeed, I just sold the previously referenced lined W&W sack that was a bit faded in places to a NFG who liked that "out in the sun/battlefield used look." It is just as well because I lack the savvy to post pics on the forums. Just a Luddite, I guess. I still have the one you made me CJ for Corinth in 2005 or 2006--which my son wears now, and I have another W&W unlined, which is my Union workhorse. Like you say, both are very good fatigue blouses, but here is what confuses me...I can understand where a range of blue color is accurate, I just thought that Indigo dyed wool was not subject to fading from sunlight, but Indigo dyed cotton would fade--so I want to read that thread you reference on the AC Forum. Live and learn.

CJ: If this is accurate, how come your equally used in the elements JT Martin sackcoat has not faded?

[cjdaley]

CJ: If this is accurate, how come your equally used in the elements JT Martin sackcoat has not faded?

Global warming? ;-)

Seriously, I don't know, but I've made over 1,000 sack coats and many of them HAVE faded. I know guys who wear them a few events and have them fade, other coats have been worn for 13 years and haven't faded.

Sorry, I don't really have a good answer as to why some repro (and original) coats fade and others don't.

[Pvt Schnapps]

The idea that indigo shouldn't fade may be a "campaignerism" in reaction to the tendency of "Barney coats" to turn purple. But the more I've read about indigo, the more I think that may be the most authentic thing about them.

It seems that indigo isn't a single chemical compound but the product of a plant that exists in several variations world wide and is subject to alteration and adulteration throughout the product cycle. It also seems that variations in color and color-fastness can occur based on the treatment of the dyestuff, the type of mordant, the exact process followed, and even the weather.

All of which reminds me of the cardinal rules of 19th century manufacturing: mass-production does not equal industrialization, industrialization does not equal mechanization, mechanization does not equal standardization, and standardization does not equal uniformity.

By the way Craig, I really enjoyed your article on the W. Greener Enfields in the current "Military Collector and Historian." Rifle-muskets are different in several significant ways from sack coats, but in other ways the article reinforces the point about manufacturing.