Canteen Help Needed....

**phfr** · 08-02-2011, 01:30 AM

Does anyone know why this style clip and cap combination is called. The clip is marked "Patent Ritter."

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 08-02-2011 01:30 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**SteveR** · 08-02-2011, 03:28 AM

I think the cap and leather strap has been added to a tropical canteen body. The strap material should be web straps.
Just a guess, my tropical canteens are somewhere in a box or I would post a pic..

**militarymania** · 08-02-2011, 03:57 AM

it should have straps like this one,,,

**militarymania** · 08-02-2011, 03:58 AM

web straps

**SteveR** · 08-02-2011, 04:11 AM

Glad you had one handy MM.

**gnadenlose** · 08-04-2011, 06:27 PM

This coconut must have the LEATHER strap around it's neck. Well, it does, but this one isn't original, I guess it's from some post war canteen or just made by some handyman. The real coconut must look like these:

(look post #96) My canteens

(post #46) My canteens

**Neil Hever** · 08-04-2011, 10:26 PM

I believe the tropical canteen was covered with a phenolic resin. The term coconut is certainly not accurate. The strap on this example resembles the type you see on political or HJ canteens. It looks like it was cobbled together by someone. The cap and carbine hook are fine. HiKi or some other dealers on line may have reproduction straps. Post war types had leather straps but an accurate WWII type should be web as indicated in the other posts. NH

**gnadenlose** · 08-05-2011, 01:29 PM

by Neil Hever

The term coconut is certainly not accurate.

The term "coconut" comes from German "Kokosnuss" and it's not becuse of trying to describe the material, but just the visual resemblance. The cover material is still unclear to me, it seems to consist a lot of different stuff, I believe there are wooddust, probably paper mass and some chemicals mixed. Cover is not one piece, but somehow melted together of two halfs. Also the screw part on top of the neck is added separately.

**Canuck63** · 08-05-2011, 02:04 PM

by gnadenlose

The term "coconut" comes from German "Kokosnuss" and it's not becuse of trying to describe the material, but just the visual resemblance. The cover material is still unclear to me, it seems to consist a lot of different stuff, I believe there are wooddust, probably paper mass and some chemicals mixed. Cover is not one piece, but somehow melted together of two halfs. Also the screw part on top of the neck is added separately.

The material is phenolic resin,quite similar to bakelite but much rougher and coarser and to a certain degree....easier to make and cheaper(as if bakelite wasn't cheap enough!).
HTH
Manny

**gnadenlose** · 08-05-2011, 03:21 PM

I know that it is called phenolic resin, but the material is still mysterious to me. If I'm correct the phenolic resin is some chemical clue-like stuff that holds the other ingredients (paper, wood etc) together? Or is it a term for the whole mixture? When I "inspect" my cocos I can clearly see the differences in their consistence (like one has some red stuff in it, the others don't...). And I have one ground dug coco, which' one side has lost most of this clue-like stuff and there's just plain wooden material left.

PS. It's pretty hard for me to express myself clearly with such lousy english, sorry