Mouldy Canteen

[flintlock75]

I recently got a wooden canteen as a gift, it was new from Track, I used it once for a couple of days. when i got home i refilled it and hung it up. I left for 3 weeks and just got home. The canteen had mould on the outside surface and on the bottom, also there was almost no water left inside. It was lined with pitch. Now it is green and fuzzy in several places. What can be done to fix this and is it still usable?
This is my first wooden canteen i have used.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Bob Gular]

Washing with clorine bleach will take care of the mold. Just be sure to rinse it thoroughly after the treatment.

 

[Flint311]

Even though it was lined, sounds like it may leak through the wood. Clean as directed, rinse and dry well, and reseal may be in order. Just a thought and good luck.

 

[bingo1952]

I've always used beeswax to waterproof mine. It is also easily renewable by putting it in the oven at 150 degrees and remelting the wax. I then take it out and roll it around to distribute the wax until it cools enough for the wax to solidify.

 

[flintlock75]

Thanks for the info.
I was hesitent to use bleach until i had some input. Thanks again.

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

I have a wood canteen that I've been using for years without a problem. The fact that yours got moldy makes me think that it wasn't sealed well in the first place. After you get it cleaned out, add more pitch or wax and do as Runnball states.

Opinions differ as to whether you should empty them out between uses. I empty mine and since I keep it well sealed with wax, I don't usually have an wood shrinkage problems that cause it to leak when I do fill it. Just to be safe, I fill it the day before I head to events.

P.S. A little baking soda in water after the bleach treatment should help remove any bleach taste.

 

[omarick1948]

Just call it Patina!...Many try to get "that old used look" for their plunder, so why not a wood canteen?...... :rotf:

Sorry...Had to throw that in!... :yakyak:

Bleach and re-seal as stated!

 

[paulvallandigham]

Pour some bleach into a shallow dish or pan, or can, and use a brush to wipe it on the wood on the outside of the canteen. Let it dry. Then use a brush to scrub off the mold. under the faucet. Then let the canteen dry in the sunlight, where air can circulate freely. That will get rid of all the mold.

If the mold is inside the canteen, then use a diluted mix of bleach and water and shake it around a lot, pour it out and repeat it several times, before filling the canteen with water and a couple of teaspoons of bleach. Let that sit for half a day. Then pour it out, and fill the canteen with water, and some baking soda to get rid of the bleach taste.

It does sound like the canteen needs to be resealed. Take the advice offered here.

As much as it might appeal to the " Old-timer" image of a wood canteen, to have a wood canteen all dried out and the wood showing cracks and splits, I recommend coating the wood outside with several coats of deck sealer, or at least linseed oil, to keep the wood from shrinking in the sun. There is a lot of end grain exposed to the elements on those canteens, and end grain lets moisture out of the wood quickly. Seal it.

If nothing else, coat all the wood with layers of wax-any wax--and give the canteen a couple of more coats every time you come home from some event. :thumbsup:

 

[DrLaw]

I don't have a wooden canteen, and at this point, probably won't, but I have to say that coming to this forum has really been informative to me. I now know something about a thing that I had never given any thought to. The people on this forum are super for the information they have and the willingness to help.
This old dog is learning a lot of new tricks.

The Doc is out now. :hatsoff:

 

[flintlock75]

Thanks everyone,

I will be stripping and cleaning as mentioned.

 

[paulvallandigham]

If people are like me, over the years you meet people at rendezvous, or camps, doing all kinds of things. I never owned a wooden canteen, but my wife had an antique bucket that was smelly with mold. She already knew what to do. We both learned from club members about sealing canteens, and getting rid of the mold. One member has a water barrel, about 20 gallons, that goes to camp with him. He had much the same problem as this member has suffered with his canteen. He asked all the club members, and finally found one of the older men who didn't come to club shoots very often who knew exactly what to do. We all learned from that gentlemen.

The whole purpose of a forum like this is to share knowledge with other members. We all experience different things in life. You can't learn everything first hand, even if you tried. There is just not enough time to do so. :shocked2:

I taught my best friend how to tune percussion locks, in exchange for him teaching me how to tune flintlocks. I still think I got the better part of the deal, but you never saw anyone so happy to learn the mysteries(?) of the percussion lock! He in turn helped teach me some tricks about tracking deer, and I taught him how to track and read the tracks of people. I shared food recipes, and food with my club members at one rendezvous, and in return, members taught me a variety of skills. One couple shared how they made walnut dye from walnuts. Another showed me how she did beadwork, and later, quill work. Another member taught me the basic skills for flint knapping.

For my non-shooting lawyer friends, they thought I was missing a few bricks from my load, until the ice storms took out the power in town for 3 days, and I was the only lawyer who showed up shaved, and washed, and had a warm house during the "freeze". Then, all of a sudden, I became their very best friend! :rotf: :thumbsup: The crazy guy who camps out on weekends, and knows how to start a fire with flint and steel, or a bow and drill, or with other methods other than using matches and lighter fluid suddenly becomes a valuable community asset. :wink: