The original M-1910 one quart canteen was made of aluminum. Since aluminum was urgently needed for aircraft, in 1942 stainless steel canteens were substituted for aluminum and alternative materials were investigated.
A promising idea was to make canteens of plastic, a fairly new material at the time. For this purpose, Dow Chemical Corp. developed a canteen prototype in 1942 made of easy-to-mold Ethocel, an opaque amber (yellow/orange) thermoplastic (ethyl cellulose). The Ethocel plastic canteens were fielded in 1943, but only in limited quantities. Small numbers of these canteens have survived and are of hightened interest to collectors.
The Ethocel canteens used a black resin plastic (Bakelite) cap held by a chain, very similar to the cap on metal canteens used after 1942. Two cap shapes have been noted, as with the WW II metal canteens. The canteen was molded in two parts that were then joined at a horizontal center seam. Its shape was the same as the M1910 metal canteens, with the bottom half and joining seam sized to accommodate the standard M1910 nesting metal canteen cup.
The one quart Ethocel plastic canteen (Stock Number 74-C-85) was made in 1943, during WW II. by producers including:
- Dow Chemical Corp.
- Mack Molding Co.
- A.M.U.S.
Portovrij? In NL boven € 200,-