White Blanco - Anyone know a source?

Hi All,

Well the title says it all really.

A relative makes repro equipment and has been asked to make some that has been blanco'd but he can't find any. Does anyone know a source?

Thanks a lot,

Michael

 

Try SOLDIER OF FORTUNE of Chester and Liverpool

 

What is it? Is it reproduction British web gear?

 

Always used 'Meltonian' whitener in tubes 'dabbed' on with a damp sponge.

 

In North Africa we learned how to scrub our webbing, cover it with fine sand and then leave in the scorching sun to bake and bleach a dazzling white.

It always worked !

Ron

 

Thanks very much everyone.

He's making a leather bayonet frog and has been asked for it to be blanco'd white.

Ron, I'll suggest the sand but we don't really get the weather in Newcastle

They are on facebook if anyone's interested, they are called making history: https://www.facebook.com/makinghistoryAD43

 

You can't blanco leather, it won't work.

Blanco is a clay-based, powder used as webbing renovator and needs to be broken down, mixed into a paste and scrubbed into the webbing. Leather won't take blanco, it must be died or 'tanned'.

 

I did wonder when he said it was for leather. I always thought it went on canvas but his customer definitely said they wanted it blanco'd.

 

Wikipedia mentions buckskin ......

Blanco was a compound used primarily by soldiers throughout the Commonwealth from 1880 onwards to clean and colour their equipment. It was first used by the British Army to whiten Slade Wallace buckskin leather equipment, and later adapted to coloured versions for use on the cotton Web Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1908 webbing. Blanco became widely used throughout both world wars.[1]

Ron

 

The one person who could give the definitive answer was my lat CO's batman but he has long since left this troubled worrld !

In the meantime, go here for the chapter and verse.

http://www.blancoandbull.com/potted-history-of-web-cleaning/

Ron

 

I apologise, I meant to say, 'to put the colour in'.

 

Buff Leather bayonet frogs - the brass and copper 'rivets' were polished very carefully with a cigarette filter any bluebell/brasso on the buff would 'bleed' through the blanco/meltonian. The rifle sling was tied off with a pipe cleaner the buff leather belt stripped for cleaning. Regularly scrubbed back to the Buff leather with water and a brush to keep the blanco from caking. There are still commercial companies making canvas whitener - much the same as Meltonian sports shoe whitener that we used.


https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=buff+leather+bayonet+frog&hl=en&rlz=1T4GUEA_en-GBGB593GB593&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5JChU7GKMtGV7AbKzoCYCA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=618