Confederate Army Socks

[cjdaley]

We just got in a batch of Confederate Army Socks reproduced off the original pair illustrated in Echoes of Glory.

Socks are only $6.00 per pair and we have about 4 dozen pairs on hand.

To order these socks, just click here: http://www.cjdaley.com/sox.htm

http://www.cjdaley.com/sox.JPG

[Footslogger]

would love to order a couple of pairs but you seem to have a problem shipping to the UK.

SteveB.

[cjdaley]

would love to order a couple of pairs but you seem to have a problem shipping to the UK.

SteveB.

I do get orders out to my overseas customers, but admittedly it takes me much longer to ship things internationally than domestically.

I feel bad about it too, but being a small business I usually save all my international orders to ship them in bulk at one time per month. It's so much extra paperwork that I try to do them all at once. It's the only way I can figure to get them done efficiently.

Not sure what the solution is except add a few more hours to my 16 hour work day.

If you have an solutions, I'm all ears!

[Memphis]

Are those the same socks Ben Tart has been selling for years, and at a lower price?

[cjdaley]

Mr. Johns,

Actually Ben sells them for $6.00 also: http://www.bentart.com/other_items.htm

[hanktrent]

We just got in a batch of Confederate Army Socks reproduced off the original pair illustrated in Echoes of Glory.

The picture of the reproduction shows a short-row heel, a very rare style for period socks. I don't have a copy of Echoes of Glory here, but I don't recall any socks in there with a short row heel. Was the original constructed that way?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Memphis]

I believe I paid $5 for mine from Ben Tart, but it has been a while since I bought them. One of the features his socks have that I didn't quite know was correct or not was the addition of several strands of elastic thread near the top of the sock. While I have read about a small amount of elastic in socks was a period practice, it is mystery as to where the Confederacy would have been able to acquire enough elastic thread for their issue socks. Any thoughts on the addition of elastic?

[cjdaley]

The picture of the reproduction shows a short-row heel, a very rare style for period socks. I don't have a copy of Echoes of Glory here, but I don't recall any socks in there with a short row heel. Was the original constructed that way?

Mr. Trent
Ben didn't copy these off of a picture, he actually went to look at them and copied them off of the original.

I believe I paid $5 for mine from Ben Tart, but it has been a while since I bought them. One of the features his socks have that I didn't quite know was correct or not was the addition of several strands of elastic thread near the top of the sock. While I have read about a small amount of elastic in socks was a period practice, it is mystery as to where the Confederacy would have been able to acquire enough elastic thread for their issue socks. Any thoughts on the addition of elastic?

Mr. Johns,
I'm sure at one point he did sell them for less than $6.00, but like mortgage rates and gas prices....well you get the picture.

There is no elastic in the socks. I wouldn't carry them if they did.

[hanktrent]

Mr. Trent
Ben didn't copy these off of a picture, he actually went to look at them and copied them off of the original.

So you're saying the original does have a short-row heel? I need to grab a copy of Echoes of Glory and take a look. As I recall, the pictures are usually plain enough that you can see detail like that.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Memphis]

If you open the top of the sock (that would be the part where the foot goes in) you'll notice the four strands of elastic thread. The current run of socks that you resell for Ben Tart may or may not have this feature, however, at least one previous run of these same socks did include a very small amount of elastic thread. I removed the elastic thread from both pairs I own.

The socks without the elastic thread that are similar to the socks in Echoes of Glory are the Mickey Black socks, but like the socks you are reselling they are way too thin to be accurate reproductions of the original item. In fact, both of these reproduction socks are strikingly similar to modern Little League baseball "sanitaries." No pun intended.

Sometimes it pays to do our own research and not take the word of a sutler at face value.

[John Legg]

Hank and everyone else,


I was reading about this in my CRRC 2.

"Period sock machines could not manufacture heels or toes; these were added by hand. The most widespread period heel is the"Shaped Common", Identified by a seam down the middle. It looks uncomfortable, but when properly made, the seam opens like a hinge with each step."

"the short-row heel was not manufactured during the war. This is incorrect constuction is often seen on alleged wartime socks and authentic reproductions."

" In period socks and half-hose there is a guesset when the heel joins the foot. This slanted row of stitching begins under the ankle, and points towards the toe."

"The most common period patterns used to make sock toes produced the "round", The "wedge" and the "Three point" toe."

Hopes this helps everyone.

John

[13thKyCavCSA]

So you're saying the original does have a short-row heel? I need to grab a copy of Echoes of Glory and take a look. As I recall, the pictures are usually plain enough that you can see detail like that.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

Page 175. Cofederate Army Socks.

[13thKyCavCSA]

The socks without the elastic thread that are similar to the socks in Echoes of Glory are the Mickey Black socks, but like the socks you are reselling they are way too thin to be accurate reproductions of the original item. In fact, both of these reproduction socks are strikingly similar to modern Little League baseball "sanitaries." No pun intended.

Sometimes it pays to do our own research and not take the word of a sutler at face value.

Where is there a pair in EOG that are similar to Mickey Black's socks ? There are none there that I can see. Yes, I agree, it does pay to do your own ACCURATE research. Note specifically the neck of the sock and the ribbing. This is a feature lacking on Mickey's socks.

[coastaltrash]

Instead of giving Chris a hard time, why not call Ben Tart and question him. I've owned several pairs of these and never noticed any elastic as mentioned.

Pat Landrum

[PVT.THIB]

I agree with Pat. Instead of making somthing out of nothing why not just question Mr.Tart. Just my two cents.
Thanks,
Jason Thibodeaux
Independent Rifles

[tompritchett]

Instead of giving Chris a hard time, why not call Ben Tart and question him. I've owned several pairs of these and never noticed any elastic as mentioned.

Pat Landrum

I agree 100% with this sentiment. In fact, I am now locking this thread until someone PM's me that they are ready to post a response from Mr. Tart.

[tompritchett]

I received the following information regarding Ben Tart's socks from Claude Sinclair (clsinclair@infoave.net) and am reposting it with his permission.

Tom,

I haven't talked to Ben but I did visit his site and I do have a pair of his socks. He states that they are 100 percent cotton. The claim is valid although there's a few strands of elastic at the top.

[cjdaley]

I received the following information regarding Ben Tart's socks from Claude Sinclair (clsinclair@infoave.net) and am reposting it with his permission.

Boys,
I'm not sure what Ben sold in the past or what price he asked for them. These are not the same socks that Mickey Black sells and they aren't baseball socks. I have the socks in my hand right now as I type this. There isn't any elastic in it.

They are knit on a period machine and have no synthetic material in them. As I only make about .50 per pair on these, I have nothing to gain by lying to you. I have been doing this for 11 years and I'm not about to start selling synthetic products now. I just wanted to offer great socks to folks in the hobby.

I totally agree with "Memphis" when he said: "Sometimes it pays to do our own research and not take the word of a sutler at face value." At the same time, don't take the word of anonymous people or employees of my competitors at face value either.

Finally, I doubt we'll hear from Ben Tart. He spends his time weaving and sewing and not frequenting the Internet. I doubt he even knows about this forum.

Got questions? I publish my phone number on every post I make, give me a call anytime.

[tompritchett]

Boys,
I'm not sure what Ben sold in the past or what price he asked for them. These are not the same socks that Mickey Black sells and they aren't baseball socks. I have the socks in my hand right now as I type this. There isn't any elastic in it.

Thank you for that clarification and on that note I am relocking the thread as this issue is now settled in my mind.