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Greetings All,
This is my first post, so I hope I get it right...
Today I was meandering around a gun show and I found a black canvas sling for (presumably) an SMLE. Does anyone know which rifles or service groups used this color?
Thanks for any knowledge you can share!
Naval service and some other units that dyed them.
When you say 'canvas' what do you mean? 'Canvas' as in a lorry canopy canvas or 'webbing' as in cotton webbing as worn by soldiers?
The Tank Corps and one or two others like the Rifle Brigade might have got away with doing some for guard purposes.
In later years (1980s) it was common to see them boot-polished black for formal parades (about once a year). They soon faded to grey again.
Back in the L1A1 days, many a Digger expended an extraordinary amount of effort turning green / khaki webbing slings into black parade slings. Most of the poor buggers used a vast amount of boot polish getting a result. Ditto for tarting up the old WW2 vintage trouser belts.
Those of us with a more "trade" background scooted down to the local saddlery supply and purchased black "leather lacquer". We also used the cloth buffing wheels in the workshop to "sparkle" up the brass fittings on the slings as well as other items like the brass buckles on belts and chin-straps. Business with the "better-informed" infantry, signals, transport etc. types was brisk.
Many struggled on valiantly with "Brasso", but we used "Goddard's Glow" which is a paste that polishes well, leaves a small amount of black rather than white residue, and contains a wax that seals the surface for a "lasting" shine.
The other trick in getting a sling "black" in a hurry was to give it a couple of "goes" with black "Raven Oil" before applying the leather lacquer, That way it was black all the way through and the leather lacquer simply added the "shine". If you have ever used Raven Oil, you will understand why this job was usually done outdoors in our scruffiest gear.
Of course, my mates in the RAAF had to have WHITE parade gear: slings, belts, gaiters, etc. "Sandshoe cleaner" was "effective" but very time-consuming business so there were lots of "workshop experiments" with acrylic paints etc. Eventually the RAAF dumped all the tarted-up WW2 vintage stuff and went with specially made WHITE nylon gear. Then the problem was not the polish residue, per se, but the formation of lovely green "verdegris" stains on the white fabric due to the oxidation of the tiny brass particles generated in the polishing process.
And Sappers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mk VII
My memory might be fading but I have a feeling we had black gaiters, belts and possibly slings with fatigues back in very early 60s.
Larkhill or more probably Celle.
In trying to check I came across this thread - took me back a bit
http://www.arrse.co.uk/weapons-equipment-rations/63464-trouser-elastics-why-3.html
John
That brought back some memories Bruce! Being a Pom, I always had a beret (so did we all later - I think, after about 1968 or so....) but couldn't believe that even the buckle on the chin--strap was polished. The clever ones would un-pick the rivet (brass again.....) to remove the chin-strap buckle, clean it and replace it all. Even the two-colour brass and nickel brass RAEME (and RAE) badge was unpicked into its two parts so that it could be cleaned............ I kept a RAEME badge in my beret until the day I finally took it off for the last time about 6 years ago. I seem to remember that abroad, our belts were just '44 pattern as was the rest of our webbing
Ive experienced black dyed webbing slings on post Indian service No4s