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Small wall Tent poles.


phil.co1
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Hi, picked up a nice tent today and wondered if these poles are right. They do look like they have been with tent a long time but never seen this style before. 20210628_171339.jpg.7aed088486728e6abb61f9b78513de64.jpg20210628_171301.jpg.ea88f4a47d288e68c502d3fe91a58b1e.jpg20210628_171339.jpg.7aed088486728e6abb61f9b78513de64.jpg20210628_171241.jpg.85ad1f4acd64fc011003eaf20356b4dd.jpg20210628_171211.jpg.b1925fbbaa617dacecd68060680d49b0.jpg

Phil. 

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phantomfixer

That is a dang nice tent...bet it smells nice too...love it! love that old canvas....

Poles look good...hard to find WWII poles like that...nice

 

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Thanks, certainly smells right. I would say canvas has hardly been used. Only thing missing was ridge pole

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Quartermaster

Very nice tent!

 

Specifications are listed according to FM 20-15 Tents and Tent Pitching - February 1945.

 

The upright poles are described as:

Poles, tent, upright 9' - Stock No. 24-P-253

 

and the ridge pole is::

Pole, tent, ridge 9' wall, small - Stock No. 24-P-114

 

The upright poles are described as one piece but the two piece version probably were used out of necessity and if they were available.  (Today a two piece pole has the advantage of easier storage and transport.)

 

The manual states that the ridge height of the small wall tent is 8' 6" which may seem odd with 9' upright poles but, in practice, the instructions indicate that the earth should be evacuated where the uprights sit with a hole dug to correctly match the ridge height and the hole is then filled and packed back to add stability to the erected tent.

 

In practice today since old canvas has a tendency to shrink - it is best to carefully measure the tent to determine the best actual height needed and cut off a little of the bottom of the pole for a good fit - instead of digging the hole.  (I carry two small pieces of 2" x 4" board painted OD to place under the poles especially if the ground is wet and soggy.)

 

Ridge poles from the modern latrine screen set make excellent substitutes for the small wall tent ridge pole.

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Great info thanks. Could do with giving canvas a bit of a clean down, any advise on what to use?

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Quartermaster

A bit of a hose down accompanied with VERY light brushing (no scrubbing) to get rid of debris. 

 

Allow to dry then finish up with a treatment of Canvac - it's a commercial canvas product that helps preserve and lubricate canvas fibers.  Easily applied with a cheap pump up garden sprayer.  If the waterproofing / fungicide coating is still decently present then the worth of the Canvac is lessened (which is probably actually a good thing.)

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What type of rope is used for tying the tent flap. it looks about 8-9mm thick. I have a few missing. 

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Quartermaster

The War Department Quartermaster Corps Jefferson QM Depot blueprint dated 12/20/1940 and updated on 5/5/1945 - all lines for the Tent, Wall, Small (eave, door, foot stops etc) are 1/4" cotton lines (aka rope) - individual threads joined to form 3 strands which are then twisted into one line. All examples of other lines (manila, sisal etc.) are probably due to replacement during the war due to use (and abuse) or in manufacturing due to material shortages or even replacement after the war either by the military or after being released as surplus.

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  • 2 months later...

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