Cleaning Tunic ?

[asterperious]

it is pretty robust wool, dry cleaning will melt any plastics or composites. These tunics in use were typically boiled in soap at field laundries and then ironed. maybe not the best idea now. I have used woolite in the bathtub and dry it on a towel outside for a while. pretend it's a girlfriends cashmere sweater. Go over it with a cool iron, or a home clothes steamer to give it a good smooth finish with no shine. don't do any pressing before you remove the majority of the coal dust first, a vacuum is a good idea. BTW, moth larvae actually eat the proteins deposited on wool fibers by sweat etc., not he actual wool on purpose - so clean is best for long term preservation. Nice tunic too!

[Datrus]

I doubt wool tunics was boiled. This tunic looks to be made of wool and it's not a good idea to boil wool.

Regards, Lars

[davejb]

Ive never heard of Battledress being boiled, we certainly didnt do it when i was younger, we used to wipe any dirt away with a damp cloth and press with a steam iron with brown paper or a non steam iron and soak the brown paper in water, the resulting steam would help to lift the dirt, but as for this particular topic , a vacuum would certainly remove most of the dirt and dust, then a press with steam iron using the brown paper method

[davejb]

I dont want to highjack this thread but it does have significance re the cleaning of Kit, should any person use original blanco ie wartime supplies, please be advised that the chemicals used then were carcinogenic, the newer blanco in a bottle used by re-enactors is perfectly safe although a lot messier

[DiC]

Some tips I try. Before I try a dry cleaner I have found home dry cleaning kits from my super market work just as well. I also use the old fashioned way of using a clothes brush to get some deeper dirt out. Water won't hurt wool if it is dried in the house, not in a summer sun. Heat is what causes shrinkage.

Also, a friend who studied vintage tailoring and maintenance taught me a trick for original pieces. They are all natural fibers: wool, rayon, linen, cotton, .... Fresh made they have natural oils. If you want to soak it to get dirt out, try a whole milk bath. The whole milk restores the natural fibers in the wool, making the 70+ year old wool softer. Milk, as a liquid, should loosen some of the deeper dirt. Leave it in 8 hours or more based on how you feel the wool is softening up (brittle, dry rotted pieces need more time than those better preserved) then rinse in cold water. I used this method to restore wool on a WAAF BD blouse I had obtained in very brittle and bad condition. It won't make it "like new" but it does restore it a good amount, which is what I love best about collecting: restoring.

[Battery Command Post]

I dont want to highjack this thread but it does have significance re the cleaning of Kit, should any person use original blanco ie wartime supplies, please be advised that the chemicals used then were carcinogenic, the newer blanco in a bottle used by re-enactors is perfectly safe although a lot messier

I believe we already discussed the Blanco/carcinogen topic on another thread. The consensus of opinion was that it was a load of bullshit I seem to recall

Rob

[CBH]

I have yet too try any of the methods on the tunic still kinda scared that I might damage it , but I did find a number on the underside of the inside pocket , these are a couple numbers stamped over and one clear 8466 ,would this be the owners serial number ? Think I might try the milk soak .
Cheers Chris