Period Correct Paint/Stencils

[snk22nd]

I have been trying to find what type of paint I should use to mark knapsack,canteen, as well as other items. I have tried looking online as well as at the library with no luck. Also what type of stencil pattern is best? Thank you for any input.

[TimKindred]

I have been trying to find what type of paint I should use to mark knapsack,canteen, as well as other items. I have tried looking online as well as at the library with no luck. Also what type of stencil pattern is best? Thank you for any input.

Consider well whether you really need to mark your items, as they were so quickly used up that replacements were often issued, even on campaign, or picked up off the field, etc. Marking your gear, though it may be of some small value, also mandates and restricts your impression. In other words, if you mark it with, say, the 666th Black Sabbath regimental markings, then there's no sense in going to any events where that unit never appeared. Might as well wear a Cheyenne war bonnet and leather breeches and dance the Hokey-Pokey while marching in.

Now, if you really want to mark your stuff, white oil-based paint is needed, and the stencils should be of a serif nature. That is, with the serifs, or small bars on the tops and edges of the letters. 3/4 to 1" should suffice for almost all needs. Apply it with a brush, as spray paints weren't available yet.......

Respects,

[Jim Mayo]

Correct stencils are just not available. If you must mark, do it free hand. Check my web site as there are some items on there which are marked. You may want to just put your name or company letter. As Tim said above, you may limit your impression by marking too much information.

[bob 125th nysvi]

Correct stencils are just not available. If you must mark, do it free hand. Check my web site as there are some items on there which are marked. You may want to just put your name or company letter. As Tim said above, you may limit your impression by marking too much information.

clarify you statement a little as I have seen on this board and others photos of both original and reproduction stenciles appropriate to the CW.

Thanks

Bob Sandusky
Co C 12th NYSCI
Esperance, NY

[Jim Mayo]

Personal stencils were used to mark gear such as cartridge boxes, checker boards etc. and were sold by sutlers. They included the name of the soldier and is most cases his regiment and company. They were stamped brass and of somewhat a distinctive font and style. If a stencil was used to mark a soldiers gear, it would have been one of these types. They are sized small to mark those kind of items. I have even seen letters addressed with stencils.

The brass and cardboard stencils available today do not match the font that was being used in the 1860s except for custom cut cardboard stencils used for items such as hardtack boxes.

Shown below is an example of a typical stencil kit with stencil for just the name of the soldier. The paint brush has a patent date of 1861 which dates the kit. This style of stencil may have also been used for civilian use but I have seen CW military gear with the identical style stencil.

Another kit is shown with the common name, regiment type stencil.

These are the types of stencils which would have been used to mark personal gear. I have examples on my web page. The show and tell page has a checker board with stenciled identification.

Keep in mind that stencils were used for Union Soldiers. I can't remember any specific CS item which had a stencil marked identification applied although one surely exists somewhere, probably very early or pre-war.

[3rdUSRedleg]

Personal stencils were were used to mark gear such as cartridge boxes, checker boards etc. and were sold by sutlers. They included the name of the soldier and is most cases his regiment and company. They were stamped brass and of somewhat a distinctive font and style. If a stencil was used to mark a soldiers gear, it would have been one of these types. They are sized small to mark those kind of items. I have even seen letters addressed with stencils.

The brass and cardboard stencils available today do not match the font that was being used in the 1860s except for custom cut cardboard stencils used for items such as hardtack boxes.

Shown below is an example of a typical stencil kit with stencil for just the name of the soldier. The paint brush has a patent date of 1861 which dates the kit. This style of stencil may have also been used for civilian use but I have seen CW military gear with the identical style stencil.

Another kit is shown with the common name, regiment type stencil.

These are the types of stencils which would have been used to mark personal gear. I have examples on my web page. The show and tell page has a checker board with stenciled identification.

Keep in mind that stencils were used for Union Soldiers. I can't remember any specific CS item which had a stencil marked identification applied although one surely exists somewhere, probably very early or pre-war.

Sir;
Jim is right...
If you have access to Adobe Illustrator some fonts on there are close to the soldiers fonts...
What I did to mark my initials on my canteen was
1) make the correct size you want on paper..
2) trace it on thin carboard...then cut it out with a razor knife...
3) practice on a piece of (the same) fabric, in which you are going to paint the stencil on...
BTW if you take off the canteen cover to paint your stencil and lay it flat...it will produce the best quality for you.

I hope this helped, and was not a waste of space.

[bill watson]

I've done what Rich has done. Let me throw out some added insight.

If you're looking to duplicate a particular type face from a photo or artifact, it can be done, or you can at least get close. One of the key letters to use is the letter g. (Q is also good, but the odds of finding the letter q on real equipment or in a photo is slight.) The G, both big and small, is often distinctive with a type face, and you can then match what you need among modern typefaces available online or with software programs. It's not that hard.

I got a huge surprise when attempting to duplicate the battle honors and whatnot on the flag of the 6th Regt. SCV. While the Longstreet Division honors and such could be matched up pretty well, it seemed clear to me that the "6th Regt. SCV" was simply hand lettering by someone in the regiment, painted on a piece of cotton and roughly sewn on. But I checked it out, and the "g" came back very clearly to be Garamond. Whoever did the artwork was using Garamond to model it on.

http://www.6thregimentsc.org/battle%20flag.htm (that's one of the replica flags I made, btw).

http://news.webshots.com/photo/1025487345029141286KJuvAUURpB

That's the original. I got it pretty close.

One of the things you have to fiddle with when using writing program software to produce stencils for our stuff is the spacing between the letters. Often when something just doesn't look right, it's not the wrong font or anything like that, it's the distance between letters.

Hope that helps.

[Infernal Mechanic]

Here's something you don't hear about everyday. Milk paint. Do a google search and you will see a ton of information on it. It is period correct and easier to obtain than period oil paint.

I found out about this from some Seminole Wars reenactors who paint thier canteens and knapsacks with milk paint.

[hanktrent]

It is period correct and easier to obtain than period oil paint.

Not to take anything anyway from milk paint--it's great, and the kind made from powdered milk already pre-mixed is easy to use--but period oil paint isn't that hard to obtain in small quantities. Its modern descendant is artist's oil paint.

If someone wants to mix the paint themselves, they won't be happy with pre-mixed commercial milk paint, either, but in that case, they'll still need to purchase the powdered pigments, whether using milk paint or oil paint. Generally, I've found it's easier to get small containers of linseed oil and turpentine from an artist's supply place, than really fresh lime in small quantities that hasn't drawn dampness, but maybe there's a better source for lime that I don't know of.

For oil paint supplies, as well as some pre-mixed paint, I've not used this company, but if price is no object, check 'em out: http://www.williamsburgoilpaint.bizland.com/ Even lead paint!

If someone is satisfied with using pre-mixed paint, a tube of artist's paint from an art supply store, thinned with a little turpentine, will do the job. Professional (artist's) quality paint, not student quality, is most apt to have real ground pigments and linseed or walnut oil. In the tube, the pigment is already mixed in the oil, rather than being purchased separately and needing to be mixed by hand into the oil as would be done in the period. Main problem with white is the unavailability of lead, but zinc is a substitute, and other basic period pigments are more available.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[bob 125th nysvi]

is what about the company as opposed to personal equipment.

I don't think that would have been stencils because wouldn't it be marked (at least in the AoP) with a soldier's number instead of his name. And there would be 100 different numbers per company.

For example, I'm soldier 88 on the roster of Company C, 125th NYSV.

So my company owned equipment would be marked C-88, wouldn't it?

[TobiasJones]

This is something to check into. My wife mentioned to me as I started talking about making some ammo boxes that Sherwin Williams carries a paint line that has historic characteristics to it (color, finish, etc.) that places like Williamsburg use for their many purposes. I have not personally checked into this but maybe someone else has more info.

Evan O'Dell