Lid for Dutch Army Mess tins.

[tombear]

I was waiting for a chap on ebay who makes lids for the crusader mug to put up the auction/sale thing for his mess tin lids but stumbled on a knackered old British issue large mess tin in my scrap metal stash. I knew the Dutch set was slightly smaller than the UK one and a test fit showed this to be true. The Ally mess tin was pretty far gone, it took a while even with power tools to remove the pitting and worst of the scratches then polish it up.

I used a normal wood work marking gauge to scratch a cutting line and attacked it with a hack saw. The belt sander leveled and smoothed the cut down to the scribed line. Wood blocks and a hide hammer splayed sides of the lid a little to give a looser fit. It just needs me to get some domed Ally rivets, I don't think I have any, to fix a folding D ring / handle to the top.





The lids a surprisingly good fit. I wouldn't have sacrificed a good tin to make it but I've a minty set and a private purchase set with the lid with the sliding handle so a odd, pretty much knackered one I can live with out, and it saves me at least a tenner.

I'll post a pic when the handles fitted.

ATB

Tom

 

[Woodlorien]

I was waiting for a chap on ebay who makes lids for the crusader mug to put up the auction/sale thing for his mess tin lids but stumbled on a knackered old British issue large mess tin in my scrap metal stash. I knew the Dutch set was slightly smaller than the UK one and a test fit showed this to be true. The Ally mess tin was pretty far gone, it took a while even with power tools to remove the pitting and worst of the scratches then polish it up.

I used a normal wood work marking gauge to scratch a cutting line and attacked it with a hack saw. The belt sander leveled and smoothed the cut down to the scribed line. Wood blocks and a hide hammer splayed sides of the lid a little to give a looser fit. It just needs me to get some domed Ally rivets, I don't think I have any, to fix a folding D ring / handle to the top.

View attachment 71605

View attachment 71604

The lids a surprisingly good fit. I wouldn't have sacrificed a good tin to make it but I've a minty set and a private purchase set with the lid with the sliding handle so a odd, pretty much knackered one I can live with out, and it saves me at least a tenner.

I'll post a pic when the handles fitted.

ATB

Tom

Very nice job...I must put the listing back up on eBay...

 

[tombear]

Praise indeed! The urge to faff and the serendipity of finding the old uk tin over came me. I won't show you the abomination of a lid I made for the mk 1 crusader cup. If i'd known what annealing was at the time it may have turned out a tiny bit better...

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Made the folding handle from a scap part of the doner mess tin and a odd ally knitting needle. I cut notch I the mounting plate so the D ring can be left standing. The 4mm rivets to replace the bolts should be delivered on Friday.


.
Atb

Tom

 

[Mesquite]

Nice work Tom

 

[tombear]

Cheers folks! Rivets arrived while I was out on a bimble so I've just fixed them on. Not the prettiest job I've done but they are on good and tight. I used a rose bit to chamfer the inside of the holes, trimmed the rivets to size with the rivet cutter I picked up somewhere nand used a 1/8th inch what's-it-called* in a vice to support the domed head while I took one of the polished ball peins i don't let the lads near to batter the other end into submission. A few seconds with a power file tidied up the mess and a few more on the polishing wheel gave it a smooth surface that won't be hard to keep clean and hygenic.



It should help a lot getting water to boil, keep stuff from falling in and with enough fat be usable as a frying pan. I've seen vids of people baking in a mess tin. I'll have to get another pack of bread tin liners and cut one to fit.

Now to get my far rear into gear and take it a a boil in the bag meal for z walk!

Atb

Tom

*I looked it up , I meant a set and snap.