White Bag Carbines

[Jim Nasium]

All,
There has been mention of "white bag carbines" in a thread or two. Some have asked what that is.... Here are photo's of mine.
Somehow I thought to take photos as I opened the boxes from CMP. You can see the date of February 2003.

Better'n a Birthday!!

jim

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Tired Retired]

Jim,
For those of us that will never be lucky enough to win the lottery, I am curious as to how "correct" those were. The type I bands and I stocks are visable, but so are the Type II rear sights....

Oh, did you get me added to your will yet?

[INLAND44]

Almost impossible to get a 'correct' early carbine during that program, because they basically didn't exist in government stocks after the big rebuild programs and the Korean War, at least not in statistically significant numbers. Maybe a few were unmolested but they were supposed to have been upgraded when turned in after any issuance or when sent for repair. The men using them wanted the upgrades, so I imagine nobody wanted to get stuck with an 'old' WWII Carbine. Some upgrades were done on the unit level too.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

All,
There has been mention of "white bag carbines" in a thread or two. Some have asked what that is.... Here are photo's of mine.
Somehow I thought to take photos as I opened the boxes from CMP. You can see the date of February 2003.

Better'n a Birthday!!

jim

Outstanding photos, Jim!

Do you have photos of how they looked after cleaning them up?

PS - I've read your posts for all these years and never did didn't catch your 'handle' until just now!
I always read your 'last name' as 'Nauseum' (Like Nausea)

Jim Nasium = Gymnasium (Duh)

[Jim Nasium]

Tired/Retired...
All three (that's all you could get) had adjustable sights. The wood was really good, except one was incorrect for the receiver. The IBM stock was a beauty. As I recall, the early Inland Hi-wood was on the SG metal. My notes read:
"A true mixmaster, (the SG) I think I will leave it as a shooter. The reciever is certainly usable, but well worn."
Note on the IBM was brief:
"Really good shape receiver and bbl."
And similiar remarks on the NPM
" Really good shape receiver and bbl. "
But I wasn't complaining!!
As far as the metal parts, memory fades. Except for the SG, most parts were substantially correct. I remember a few minor things which were easily "restored". I did not change any sights...
cafdfw---
I don't know why, but I didn't get photos of the cleaned up rifles. They were a chore, I can assure you, but well worth the effort. Well worth the time and $$. I'll see if I can dig these three out and get some pictures.

Thanks for your interest.

Ronnie Fry (aka Jim Nasium)

[campperrykid]

Great pictures and info , thanks.
Were the bags dated , or are there other indications of when the Carbines were bagged up.
I'm curious about the different packing methods used at different times and places post WW2 and Korean War. Bags , cans , whatever.

[Jim Nasium]

Kid,
My little pea brain is really vague about this, but somewhere in the back row of my mind, seems I remember dates in the late 60's. Wouldn't swear to that.
However, what I can attest to is the fact that those rifles had been in the bags a LOOONNG time. The duct tape used to seal them had dried out completely. The dessicant was, as the photos exhibit, a fine dusty powder covering everything. Some of the paper had stuck to the wood and metal. I think the third photo shows the tubes of dessicant stuffed into the bbls. They went to a lot of trouble to keep them dry.
You can also see that the wood was very dark. Perhaps Painter 777 can tell us why, but it took a while to get those into decent shape (NO sanding)

jim

[painter777]

'You can also see that the wood was very dark'

They would have continued to darken had you not cleaned them up.
Walnut....like Maple and Cherry will naturally darken from 2 main reasons.
1. The Natural oils found in them.
2. The dried wood will continue to darken as it oxidizes.
Sun light can effect both of the above with a bleaching effect.


Add the fact that these are used gun stocks and you have to figure in the old grease, grime, carbon residue and oil that has leeched into them.
Lay a stock out in the sun light on a very hot day.....you'll see these oils coming up to the surface, from most every pore.

Some of the Stocks I re-finish are so black that I use a 2 part wood bleach solution to lighten the grain back up. Sometimes revealing a hidden marking.
We've all seen stocks that are really darker near the buttplate. The end grain under that plate acts like a straw drawing up moisture and oil.
Picture a nicely built staircase with 2 or 3 spindles that are much darker than the rest. We use this same application so it stains out evenly.

Other uses of Walnut,
Walnut ink, made by boiling the whole fruit (The nut) is dark brown in color and darkens as it oxidizes. It can also be used to stain wood.

Oil paint often employs walnut oil as an effective binding medium, known for its clear, glossy consistency and non-toxicity.

We make it a common practice when putting a natural finish on Walnut,Maple and Cherry to make the putty used to fill the nails holes about 30% darker than the color of the piece. The wood takes a few months or so to darken to the putty color.

Did you know that Walnut Dust is Toxic?
The toxic effect of walnut trees vary in the amount of juglone (SP?) they release from the roots and fallen leaves - the black walnut in particular is known for its toxicity. Juglone is toxic to plants such as tomato, apple, and birch and may cause stunting and death of nearby vegetation. The sanding of dried Walnut has some of this Toxic residue.

FYI...
Charlie-painter777

[Tired Retired]

Charlie, I have cut and pasted that lesson in my important files - not to lose! Thanks for the info - good stuff!

Oh, and I take it that my walnut stocks are toxic to the birch stocks and may stunt the size of the potbelly birch???????