I imagine that the canvas used for grips started as a neutral colour but were dyed to go with the khaki paint schemes. Has anyone tried a successful dye to touch up canvas or to start from scratch?
Thanks, Wade

email (option): iron_ariel@yahoo.ca

Hi Wade...The webbing grips were manufactured in a 'natural' colour and were fitted like that....

Oil and dirt soon darkens them down to a dull grey/brown colour....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Thanks Ian. Kind of wondering why so many of them are so evenly coloured from one end to the other. Have a NOS grip on the way so will investigate further. Cheers

email (option): iron_ariel@yahoo.ca

Here are some of the NOS spares I have gathered over the years. They are all pretty well the same natural colour canvas, same as other webbing equipment. Blanco was often used on other webbing but I can't remember seeing it on grips. As Ian said they just get that oily look and in the days when the King was funding them at twopence a pair, they would have thrown them away and fitted new ones.
Still can't find those pesky 7/8" grips though Ron

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email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I personally do think the grips were dyed, same as the webbing, otherwise why does the Canadian webbing has it's distinctive yellow colour??

Or was that alone dyed??

Cheers,

Lex

ps, better refrain from posting a picture of my grips........

email (option): welbike@welbxxx.net

Webbing, from which the grips were made, was actually woven in a pre-dyed yarn depending on the use (Army, RAF, etc)........items were not dyed after manufacture............

Numerous companies during WW2 made webbing items, but only Mills (MECo) and Martin Wright & Sons (MW & S) possessed the special weaving looms necessary to make complicated items, such as tubular bags, pistol holsters, etc..............as the canvas grips are also tubular and without a seam, these were made the same way and doubtless made by either MECo or MW & S for Amal/the War Department........

After you have ridden it for a while it will end up clogged with grease and dirt, so smeared you can't even see the weave and a nice grimy sudgy black colour.

Off course we here on this senior adjunct to the colonies have long suspected that the GI didn't like to get his soft clean hands dirty.........

email (option): deadsheds [ at ] yahoo.com

Thanks Steve!

Knew there was something like that! I tried to buy a machine to make the round tubes, but at 130K in pounds, you'd had to manufacture 13.000 or more canvas grips!!! to break even!!

Cheers,

Lex

email (option): welbike@welbxxx.net

here's what a well used one ends up looking like

After watching "War Time Farm", I have a strong feeling that the "yarn" was made from flax as the show stated that flax was used for making canvas. This might account for the natural, earthy look. They certainly were not spun with bleached threads.

Yes, those pesky 7/8 tubes. Is there a consensus on an acceptable method for cutting down 1" models and gluing, sewing the seam?

Have plans for knocking out new 7/8 and 1" end rings. I see some rings are blackened and others not. Is that because the non blackened ones have been polished clean over the years? They are brass, right?
Wade

email (option): iron_ariel@yahoo.ca

No Wade. War economies dictated steel in stead of brass for later grips. If you look at the picture I posted, you can see the rust from one of the rings permeating into the canvas.

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Yes Ron, and then there are "early" cad plated steel ones, and "late" painted steel ones.

I have with some success cut down long 7/8" ones into short ones, and re-attached the brass rings, but it's a pain.

Wade, if you're making some brass rings, I'd be interested, but only if they are exactly same as originals, so pressings, not machined.

Cheers,

Lex

email (option): welbike@welbxxx.net

Well whatever is was woven with (I'm not a textile expert) webbing was made from cotton and the raw material was dyed prior to weaving........whilst I can see the point about "natural" flax resulting the a light "khaki" or "neutral" colour we then have the case with Canadian webbing that was invariably a more "yellow" or "mustard" shade, or RAF webbing in blue and later webbing in olive drab.........

As mentioned, webbing was manufactured (sewn-together) from pre-woven sections of material and complicated shapes fully woven on special machines possessed by only two companies........

Presumably, there was also machinery made to apply the ends to the tubular grips ? Folding over the brass and later steel ends and "crimping" them in place.....as for the painting of these, I would assume that these were "dipped" as were many wartime components............

When new, the early brass-ended grips were possibly left either bare (to darken with age) or chemically treated to darken them.......this has been around for years and is often used on badges, buttons, etc, to alter the surface finish according to use...