21eme Regiment de Ligne - Manuel d'Infanterie

Manuel d’Infanterie

8^th Lesson

Dressing of the Cartridge Box

41. Fabrication of the wax.

Put one pound of white beeswax to melt, to which add a little gum Arabic; pour part of the molten wax onto one ounce of ivory black. When the wax and black are well mixed, return all of the wax to the heat, stirring the mix gently, until near boiling; it is then put through a cloth into a mold.

If white wax is not available, then yellow wax may be used; or a mix of both. In this case two ounces of gum Arabic is used, to reduce the “greaseyness” and to give a shine; vine black can be substituted for the ivory black.

43. Manner of waxing the cartridge box (see number 98)

If the giberne to be waxed is new, scrape over its entirety to produce a uniform surface, and rubbed with the pumice stone; the former is to remove hardened black (dye) which covers the surface and which prevents the wax from penetrating the leather; without this precaution , it shall afterwards flake (off). (The French says form scales) The wax is firmly and evenly applied, the wax is then flamed, that is to say, that the giberne is held over a small well dried straw fire, so that it is the wax and not the giberne that is heated, otherwise the leather will blister and burst. This is repeated with each coat, building up an even thickness of wax. The astic (1) is then used to polish the wax all over. Small holes and imperfections which are found in the leather are filled (with wax), polishing, with the astic, until the surface is uniform; a cork (bouchon de Liege) is then used to polish (the wax), and then a pad of linen, or broadcloth is used to wipe the giberne When the (wax is) hot it is not wiped at this time as the shine will fade when the wax is reheated. The giberne being evenly polished and without imperfections, it is then polished (frotte) lightly with the palm of the hand to give , what is called, a mirror finish.

(1) See plate 3. An astic is a polisher in hard-wood, or better a pebble, or a tooth on a handle.

Those gibernes that have been in service, if they are found to be “greasy” and the wax does not take a brilliant shine, they are scraped with a spoon, after they have been set before the fire; they are flamed, and waxed as for new gibernes, and finished in the same way.

If the corners of the flap have become distorted or bent, they are re-heated, stamped with the astic, and reformed between the hands, retaining there shape as they cool.

If the sides of the box are deformed, the wax is removed with a spoon, the wooden box is removed, steep the entire box (of the giberne) in water, replace the wooden box, pushing it down into the giberne. The wet giberne is left to dry and pressed so that the two sides press against the wood, when the giberne is dry it should take up the original shape. (1)

In the summer, it is better to wax the giberne in the shade, rather than in the sun, because, the harder the wax is to soften, the brilliant the finish.

The “Reglement de Police” (2) says the gibernes are to be waxed, as are the sides; to smooth the wax a wooden polisher is used.

(1) Some units have adopted, the use of wooden “planks” to preserve the shape of the sides of the giberne. In this case, the makers of gibernes, line the bottom or sides of the giberne.

(2) 24^th June 1792, title 5, article 17