Bedstand Box for pocket effects

Started by Tsalagidave, February 17, 2015, 03:57:52 PM

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Tsalagidave

I came across a small bed-stand box (ca. 1820-90s) for placing the everyday pocket items that I normally carry at events. It is so easy to lose the little things when you have boxes of stuff laying around the garage. Now I have a nice way of keeping the little items stored.

The box is large enough to serve as a small writing desk when closed but it holds a lot. I keep my 1840-50s era wallet, 1860s era wallet, various documents for different impressions, matchsafes, traveling inkwell, script and specie, huswife, pocket watch, compass, dice, and my favorite camp knife all in one compact package.

I question to the boys out there...How do you keep the little things that are easily lost?

-Dave
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Blair

Dave,

I usually put these sorts of "pocket" things in my hat when I go to sleep.
It keeps these things handy but I can't say they are Bed-Stand Boxes.
My best,
Blair
A Time for Prayer.
"In times of war and not before,
God and the soldier we adore.
But in times of peace and all things right,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted"
by Rudyard Kipling.
Blair Taylor
Life-C 21

Tsalagidave

The box is for the homestead. In the field, I just wrap the stuff in my coat and lay on it. I recommend a different spot for your possibles Blair. Your hat's crown will thank you.

-Dave
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Blair

Dave,

Never had a problem with my hat crown. (Any kind of hat)
Most of my sleeping arrangements has not been in a "Homestead" kind of an affair.
Perhaps I spoke out of place?
My best,
Blair
A Time for Prayer.
"In times of war and not before,
God and the soldier we adore.
But in times of peace and all things right,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted"
by Rudyard Kipling.
Blair Taylor
Life-C 21

Tsalagidave

Fair enough Blair. Do you have any pics of your personal gear to post?  I figured it would help others on what they should get for their kit as well.

-Dave
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Blair

Dave,

Sorry, I do not. I am not set up for doing photos at this time.
However, if it should be imperative, I will see what I can do.
You may have to post any images for me.
My best,
Blair
A Time for Prayer.
"In times of war and not before,
God and the soldier we adore.
But in times of peace and all things right,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted"
by Rudyard Kipling.
Blair Taylor
Life-C 21

Tsalagidave

Amigo, I know from our past discussions that you have good stuff in your kit. I'm just fishing for the members on this site to post any items that they feel should be represented in an impression but not shown off enough. No pressure man. I just don't want to be the only person posting gear here.  Let me know when you have the photography issue resolved. There's a few other topics that I'd like your help on.
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Blair

Dave,

In the past I carried only a few items in my "pockets" while at an event.
I would place my hat upside down near my head at night.
In that I would place Historical pocket items. Which were seldom more than my glasses (when I wore them) and probably little more than a pocket knife and perhaps a horn comb.
ID was carried in a period bill fold along with what ever cash I may have on me and my car key.
This was one of those cases where Less, I believed, was best.
My best,
Blair
A Time for Prayer.
"In times of war and not before,
God and the soldier we adore.
But in times of peace and all things right,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted"
by Rudyard Kipling.
Blair Taylor
Life-C 21

Grenadier

I can do it for my 1914-1918 impression and 1942-1945.

Blair

Sorry Dave,

I did not think this would go this far afield.
I will stop now, and leave the thread alone.
My best,
Blair
A Time for Prayer.
"In times of war and not before,
God and the soldier we adore.
But in times of peace and all things right,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted"
by Rudyard Kipling.
Blair Taylor
Life-C 21

Tsalagidave

Do it Grenadier just for the helluvit. Or send me a PM.  I collect Span Am, WW1 and WW2 stuff as well so this is interesting to me albeit off topic.
No apologies needed Blair. Your input is appreciated whenever given my friend.

-Dave
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Grenadier

Hope it doesn't put anyone off. I'll post them under The Barracks.

Tsalagidave

Good call. It really is off topic but I collect that stuff also so personally I'd love to see it. You can send me a PM if you want instead.
I'm sure I'll fawn all over it.

-Dave
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Blair

The items I choose to carry in my Possible Bag, Shooting bag or Haversack/Ration Bag maybe very different from what I have in my "pockets".
A lot of this can depend greatly on my impression and the time period of that impression.
My mode of transportation/travel can also cause choices of what I carry to change.

Grenadier,
I meant no disparaging word directed towards you specifically. Only that the time frame of your offering was somewhat out of context with this thread.
No offence intended on my part. I too would like to see what you have to offer
My best,
Blair   
A Time for Prayer.
"In times of war and not before,
God and the soldier we adore.
But in times of peace and all things right,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted"
by Rudyard Kipling.
Blair Taylor
Life-C 21

Tsalagidave

We're all pards here Amigo. If anyone out there wants to share any personal items for the benefit of the discussion, please post them. If they are not part of the time period, they really don't belong here but the collector side of me will likely want to see it in a PM anyway.

My experience is that this hobby suffers from a dearth of the small historic details so any of you who have really cool small items in your impression are encouraged to share.

-Dave
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Kinchafoonee Kid

Excellent, post, Dave, as always.

Would you mind posting some general dimesnions?

Thanks!
Kinchafoonee Kid
SSAS 94231

Tsalagidave

Kid, thanks for the kind words.  It's roughly 9" x 12" x 3.5". The box is an original item that I use in my home to store the little things that I don't want to lose track of.  Small pocket items can include things carried in your ditty bag, rolled up in your bedroll or knapsack, saddlebags, hunting bag, valise, or pockets.  

To Everyone: Many people have been in this hobby for years but have few ideas about the small useful everyday items they should carry in their kit.

Now granted, you can have empty pockets or just a pocket knife at a historical event and be historically correct but its the presentation of a broad array of small items that allows hobbyists to teach as well as appreciate in the first-hand about the intricacies of everyday life in past centuries.

Here are a few things that I personally don't see enough of represented in first-person impressions:

Almanacs: Essential in telling/keeping time, planning schedules and various other uses.

Compass: If you say you have no need of one, you have either spent your life living among primitive aboriginal people, or you just don't have enough outdoor experience yet. This is a heavily documented and essential item. There are other ways to determine direction but just trust me on this.

Period medical skills, medicines and useful medical tools (homeopathic or manufactured that actually work) Yes, we all have read about the wrong procedures by medical science in the past but they did actually get many things right, yet are ignored all the same.

The Matchsafe: A box of matches carried from the car to the campsite 100m away should work just fine. However, when you are sweating yourself to pure saturation during a portage, caught in a deluge or simply in a place with high humidity, a cardboard box won't cut it. There are various containers from a small improvised medical bottle to an actual metal matchsafe that seals off your matches from the environmental moisture around it.  They were everyday items yet few reenactors carry them now.

Whetstone: Few people out there keep their cutlery in proper working order. This is essential to outdoor survival. My Shaving razor has a fine edge for shaving; my knife is always capable of gliding through the toughest meat and my hatchet rivals my knife in sharpness. After heavy use, each tool will need attention when back in camp. (*Note: Another sad observation is that relatively few reenactors are very good with their woodcraft. Many have even read a lot on the topic but have never gone out and practiced it.)

Tinder boxes: When I was a kid, every frontiersman at an event had one. Almost none of the young chickens do and most of the old-hands have moved on.

Period specie (instead of script): Few attempt to have a few period coins in their kit.

Personal Ephemera/Wallet, etc. : Few carry documents that verify their historic back story. Fewer practice the old methods of writing and book keeping. These were essential skills and a means of personal identification. The literacy rate in mid-nineteenth century was well over 95% percent so one likely had need of the afore mentioned items.

Pocketwatch: Many dismiss this but it was more likely you had one of these than you did a pistol. They are heavily documented and had a great use to travellers and military impressions. They kept schedules and monitored progress as we still do today. Anyone who dismisses the act of carrying a timepiece has never studied period freighting, packing and driving.

Anyhow, take this and add what you need.

Thanks

-Dave


Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Kinchafoonee Kid

Another informative post!  Thanks, Dave.
Kinchafoonee Kid
SSAS 94231

Tsalagidave

Thanks Kinchafoonee,

To elaborate more on what the kit should have, here is a period bedroll for venturing out on a weekender. I keep my toiletries and small personal effects in a (green) ditty bag. Food is in the red/black flannel bag. I get rid of the last of my "ugly orange" buckskin scraps by rolling it up with an awl, waxed linen and thong for shoe and gear repair. A roll of the blanket separates it from my camp moccasins, mittens and spare socks.

It all rolls up in a period painted cloth.

-Dave
Guns don't kill people; fathers with pretty daughters do.

Navy Six

Dave, that bedstand box was a nice find and is giving me ideas. As a recent retiree, I've just begun to shed my dependency on "modern stuff" that was complicating my life. First thing to go was my wrist watches, which are being replaced by one of my pocket watches. I'm all for modern conveniences which make life easier, but some of the truly beautiful and useful things from the past have been discarded because they didn't quite fit the fast pace of today's lifestyle. I've also broken out the fountain pens with real ink--look at the beautiful penmanship of former times and contrast it to some of the "chicken scratching" of today that in many cases is illegible. It seems like the more I slow things down, the less distractions there are--maybe I'm just putting things in their proper perspective.
Anyway, I'll be taking a closer look at The American Plainsman Society for more good ideas.
Only Blackpowder Is Interesting 
"I'm the richest man in the world. I have a good wife, a good dog and a good sixgun." Charles A "Skeeter" Skelton

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