How do I clean a 10 pocket belt

[ralfus]

Found a garand belt today in an antique store. Good mechanical shape, no tears or fraying but very dirty. How should I clean it?

Later I found some souvenirs in the pockets. Two maps of some kid's house drawn on old notebook paper and a distinguished pistol shot medal and some sleeve patches.

Information

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[snakehunter]

Can you identify the patches?

[ralfus]

Can you identify the patches?

Two small Corporals patches (chevrons) maybe 2 inches wide;
a curved black patch with "KOREA" in red letters;
and a 2 inch tall patch, tombstone shaped with the number "2", upper half of 2 is red, lower half is white on a green background.

Now if YOU can identify the maps as your backyard from your childhood I'll send you your old belt. I still have the M1923 belt that I played with as a child, worn out but still cool.

[usmc69]

Found a garand belt today in an antique store. Good mechanical shape, no tears or fraying but very dirty. How should I clean it?

Later I found some souvenirs in the pockets. Two maps of some kid's house drawn on old notebook paper and a distinguished pistol shot medal and some sleeve patches.

Ralfus,

When on active duty we used a scrub brush or tooth brush and tooth paste to clean webgear. However, on old webgear this may not be a good idea as it may cause excessive wear.

I think putting in a old pillow case and washing on a gentle cycle with some sort of mild soap may be the answer.

How are the Garands doing? The 40X still shoots great. Had it out to play a week ago.


AJ

[snakehunter]

Sorry, I was too young for Korea. I just wanted to know if there were any unit patches in the belt. The unit patch is 2nd Army.

[Maury Krupp]

The FM 21-15 way (which is easy on the equipment and actually works fairly well) is to:

"Clean web equipment by dipping vigorously in a pail of warm water containing soap or detergent.This prolongs the life of the item and prevents discoloration. If soiled spots remain after washing, scrub the spots with a white or colorfast cloth, using warm soapy water or detergent solution. Do not use chlorine bleaches, yellow issue soap, cleaning fluids or dyes which will discolor the items. Rinse all soap carefully from web equipment after washing and stretch the item back to its original shape while it dries. Dry the equipment in the shade or indoors; never in direct sunlight. Do not launder webbing in commercial or home-type automatic laundry equipment."

Maury

[ralfus]

Ralfus,

When on active duty we used a scrub brush or tooth brush and tooth paste to clean webgear. However, on old webgear this may not be a good idea as it may cause excessive wear.

I think putting in a old pillow case and washing on a gentle cycle with some sort of mild soap may be the answer.

How are the Garands doing? The 40X still shoots great. Had it out to play a week ago.


AJ

Hey AJ,

I keep crossing paths with you on various forums. I had to thin the herd a while back and let those Garands go. One went to a very good home with a Garand newbie and it was just what he wanted. The other is in a family museum here in town as part of a tribute display to the current owners brothers who all served in WWII. He was the perfect example of a guy who had not touched a Garand since 1945 yet all these memories came to him when he held it. Im glad the 40X is getting used well. Do you still rave about those clear front inserts? I need to buy some.


Thanks for the tips folks. I'll be soaking it in Woolite and using a soft scrub brush, I'm glad about the tip to avoid direct sunlight while drying. The only markings remaining are "right" and "left" nothing else.

[usmc69]

Hey AJ,

I keep crossing paths with you on various forums. I had to thin the herd a while back and let those Garands go. One went to a very good home with a Garand newbie and it was just what he wanted. The other is in a family museum here in town as part of a tribute display to the current owners brothers who all served in WWII. He was the perfect example of a guy who had not touched a Garand since 1945 yet all these memories came to him when he held it. Im glad the 40X is getting used well. Do you still rave about those clear front inserts? I need to buy some.


Thanks for the tips folks. I'll be soaking it in Woolite and using a soft scrub brush, I'm glad about the tip to avoid direct sunlight while drying. The only markings remaining are "right" and "left" nothing else.

Ralfus,

The toothbrush is about the best. Also good to get into the small places.

Yes, I still prefer the clear plastic inserts for the sights. Have a couple of more converts here after seeing them. I believe I got those from Champion Shooter's Supply.

Is it the 50K S/N that is in the family museum? Was partial to that one always regret letting it go. Got both of those at the North Store.

AJ

[Litt'le Lee]

then use the power rinse

[Dale in Louisiana]

Surprisingly, a trip through the wash and rinse cycles of your washing machine will work quite well. We used that after field training in Germany. If you throw it in with a few bath towels, it cuts down on the 'interesting' noises during the spin cycle.

And there's nothing like ammo pouches with that 'touch of springtime'.

dale