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British Firearms (Pre. 1914) >> Muzzle Loading - Military Muskets and Rifles >> Copper Cups?
http://www.lrml.org/cgi-bin/researchpress/YaBB.pl?num=1150517239

Message started by A._Roads on 06/17/06 at 5:07am

Title: Copper Cups?
Post by A._Roads on 06/17/06 at 5:07am

I have come across a War Dept reference to "copper cups for cleaning rods". I have never heard of these & suspect that they may have been only for armourers at large facilities & perhaps stations etc.
I was wondering if anyone has heard of such an item?? Adrian.

Title: Re: Copper Cups?
Post by Bill_Curtis on 06/17/06 at 3:26pm

Adrian

I was wondering who was going to break the duck for June so far. Been a bit dull, what ?

Cups - quite a lot on cups but usally in the context of obturators for RBL. Do you have a period reference for your query ?

Otherwise, I can only image a sort of copper scabbard in which to lodge the cleaning brush head when not in use.

From Tropical North Wales,

Best Wishes,

Bill

Title: Re: Copper Cups?
Post by A._Roads on 06/18/06 at 5:42am

Hi Bill,
Yes it has been rather quiet. Must be holiday season?

The reference is mid 1860s - to do with WD stores etc. which when covering copper says "No 18 Wire gauge is used in making cups for cleaning rods"

I tend to think the cups were probably just for armourers etc to use on a daily basis with cleaning arms. They would have needed some containers of sorts for this messy job when doing indoors.

I've never heard of these being standard issue for line troops.

I was wondering if you have you ever seen a list of armourers tools for this period?

Regards from sunny Oman (today is 42 degrees, about 120 + in the "old" scale!)

Adrian

Title: Re: Copper Cups?
Post by Bill_Curtis on 06/18/06 at 11:06am

Adrian

I cannot find any trace of this item in the list of infantry Armourers' tools and equipments but I have not seen that for Artillery.

The mere fact that these are so described suggests to me that they are not "stock" items and are to be made up as required. This was the case with other small articles of equipment. Armourers and other specialist tradesmen were meant to be proficient in all sorts of ways.

The only sort of cups I can imagine would be for the large brushes on regular equipments such as the 40 pdr RBLs and 64 pdr RMLs.

Cheers from Bill on the 191st Waterloo Day (and his 75th).

Title: Re: Copper Cups?
Post by A._Roads on 06/18/06 at 12:55pm

Happy Birthday Bill!!!

I had forgotten it is the anniversary of Waterloo today, I was there last year for the 190th, re-enacting, & have some friends there this year. aaah... the smell of black powder smoke wafting through the morning air... the lucky sods!

Thank you for your consideration & comments re the copper cups.

Regards
Adrian

Title: Re: Copper Cups?
Post by Bill_Curtis on 06/18/06 at 9:11pm

Thanks Adrian. My grandfather (1870-1944) who had actually met and spoken with Waterloo Veterans always called me "The Duke" because of my birthday and he did not have John Wayne in mind either. People today can have no idea of the immense effect that Waterloo had on the British imagination throughout the whole of the 19th Century. The secondhand bookshelves show this most tellingly.