US Jeep Shovel

I've been looking for one of these for two years and found this one in my shed a couple of weeks ago, probably a cheap yard sale purchase before I knew what they were. I probably paid $5 for it as that's about what I would spend on something like this (a garden shovel). So I spent today cleaning it up, getting the rust off and went to Walmart to get paint.

This is Rustoleum "Army Green". Nothing else close so I figured it would be a good primer coat if nothing else.

What do you think? To me, it's too light by several degrees but I did find a photo of a restored 3rd Army Jeep that is pretty close to this.

This was taken with flash so might be washed out a little more than it actually is.

Anyone know where to get the correct color?

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../uDjdYbx-1.jpg

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

This is Rustoleum "Army Green".

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Have a look at Krylon "Italian Olive"... Krylon Paint and Primer - Colormaxx - 340 g - Italian Olive 455660007 | RONA

That looks pretty good. I just don't like the light green even if it is correct which I don't believe it is. Doesn't look right.,

I used it on a sword scabbard recently and it came out nice...

I believe these D-handle shovels were commercially procured items. Usually came in bare metal and wooden parts with no paint on them. The Army being the Army would paint them any shade of OD green that was available at the time of purchase. The paint was to keep them from rusting otherwise they would have to be continuously oiled to prevent rust.

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Originally Posted by fjruple

Usually came in bare metal and wooden parts with no paint on them.

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That's how ours came and they ended up painted with a stencil to mark ownership. A painted shovel doesn't dig very well and you can't see if it's rusty, so paint usually means rust underneath. We'd have them steel wooled clean and oiled too.

Lowe's "Amazon Silt" is a good match for OD #3. I have painted a few bayonet scabbards and steel pots with it, with good results. Good luck.

Correct, the shovels didn't come with the jeeps and they were painted by the procuring unit. Most sources I've seen said the metal was painted OD and the wood oiled. I've seen some with no paint and some with painted metal, oiled wood and some with painted everything.

I get the rust issue but US entrenching tools and shovels were mostly painted.

There is only one website that goes into detail on these shovels that I found: John_Barton1

The only thing that seems consistent about them is there is nothing consistent about them.

I finally found some paint. Can't believe this was so difficult. Everyone must be camo painting their stuff camo for the upcoming civil unrest or something. Found it in a Walmart where it was locked up tight behind glass doors. Maybe that's the problem, everyone was stealing it from all my local stores. No idea what color it is, the cans weren't marked with a name.

Painted it last night, looks a lot better.

The photos are washed out a bit, it is a darker green, the side view is a lot closer to what it actually is.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../KPgn4XS-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../Qaf2G1r-1.jpg

Ready to go on the weapons carrier you find at one of the yard sales...