Enfield Sling ID
- Thread starter granite
- Start date
It is my understanding that the "TPL" does stand for "tropical" - indicating that the web fabric had been treated with a fungicide to inhibit growth of mildew and such in hot, wet conditions. That is what Clive Law states in "Inglis Diamond: The Canadian High Power Pistol" about the marking, which appears on many of the Canadian web holsters for that pistol which are relatively common on the collector market in "unissued" condition - it was expected that, following victory in Europe, Canadian troops would have to be transferred to the Pacific theater to help defeat Japan, and lots of gear was being stockpiled for that purpose. As things turned out, with the little surprise that the United States had up its sleeve, the war was over a lot quicker than it otherwise would have been ....granite said:
In my experience it is that chemical treatment which causes the brass fittings to develop a surprisingly even coating of quite bright green tarnish/verdigris -i.e. it isn't paint, and can be cleaned off. Just be careful to clean/wipe in a direction away from the web fabric, since it can really stain the fabric fibers when it comes off the brass.
Editing this to add a quick scan of the "TPL" stamp inside the flap of one of the holsters I mentioned - is your stamp like that? (The "maker mark" - Z L & T Ltd - stands for Zephyr Loom and Textile, the largest Canadian manufacturer of WWII web gear.)
Last edited:
No, Garand has a book of mine on loan, at present. (I want it back, Lawrence! 
)
While I'm posting ... notice the green streaks on the web fabric in the above photo. They appear to be "runs" in the actual fungicide treatment - presumably a liquid that the items were either sprayed with, or dipped into. The smell is very much like that of old time treated green canvas tents of 50 or 60 years ago, and similar such items (if you are old enough to remember them - I am!) I imagine it is much the same stuff as was used to treat those.
)While I'm posting ... notice the green streaks on the web fabric in the above photo. They appear to be "runs" in the actual fungicide treatment - presumably a liquid that the items were either sprayed with, or dipped into. The smell is very much like that of old time treated green canvas tents of 50 or 60 years ago, and similar such items (if you are old enough to remember them - I am!) I imagine it is much the same stuff as was used to treat those.
