Repro canteen stoppers are notoriously bad at swelling making the canteen unusable in the field. This guide shows a couple alternative means for having a new canteen stopper constructed of either cork or wood (there is also a rare rubber variant).[1]Ministry of the Imperial Japanese Army. (1943). Japanese Army Uniform Pattern Specifications. JACAR Reference No. C14010254300. … Continue reading Not everyone has DIY skills so we recommend at the very least doing the following to your stopper before the event:
Fig. 1: Pictured is the most common wood style canteen stopper. Measurements in mm. The top is painted brown. It features a two piece construction, the center being hollowed out for a peg that allows the stopper to swell without making the canteen inoperable. Essentially, the inner peg is made out of an easier swelling wood to expand the outer shell.
Theoretically you could modify any wood style stopper by drilling out the center, adding the plug, and then dowel/pinning. However we have not attempted this method with the hiki style corks.
Fig. 2: Blueprint for the cork style stopper. Most commonly seen on the early “Meiji” canteen but was authorized for use with the 昭5 (Showa 5) model canteen as well.
This is a standard multipiece design with a metal hat that is screwed through the cork stopper. Dimensions are again given in mm with the metal painted a khaki brown color.
Example of a repro cork canteen stopper modeled after the Meiji Style which features a more simplified topper element that is generally easier to reproduce than the one piece formed aluminum one of the later sho5 models. This style is common among other European and American armies at the turn of the 20th Century. It is possible that something suitable could be found from that market.
Type 90 canteens featured at the Battle of Nomonhan 1939. Notice how much of the paint has been stripped away without the canteen being physically damaged. The lack of primer on the early canteens caused the paint to flake easily. Also note the use of the cork style stoppers.
(Pictured top)
Original canteen to the left with the green-brown coloration. Right is a worn hikishop canteen using an ochre paint. The color is generally considered rare for the Type 90 canteen but was commonly seen on early 1900s Meiji style canteens. There are almost infinite amounts of shades of canteens, but it is a case of “color doesn’t matter until it does.”
We recommend either refinishing with a new paint closer to original variations (which there are many) or stripping the canteen to almost bare aluminum. This latter option is commonly seen in the field as the paint used on the canteens flaked off easily with wear.
References
| ↑1 | Ministry of the Imperial Japanese Army. (1943). Japanese Army Uniform Pattern Specifications. JACAR Reference No. C14010254300. https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/listPhoto?LANG=default&REFCODE=C14010254300&BID=F2014020316103634034 |
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| ↑2 | Ministry of the Imperial Japanese Army. (1943). Japanese Army Uniform Pattern Specifications. 8 |
| ↑3 | Ministry of the Imperial Japanese Army. (1943). Japanese Army Uniform Pattern Specifications. 9 |