Corn Boiler and mug questions

[William Joy]

I am looking for a corn boiler and mug. As I understand , most of them where made in copper and tin lined. Even though I would like to be fairly correct I would like to find this items in stainless with 1780 styleing. I will be using them for trecking but just don't like the tin in the copper/tin ones....
Where can you find them?

 

[Harddog]

William,

I wouldn't say anything, but you said you would like to be fairly correct. Small individual sized corn boilers were not used in the 1780 time period. They fit into a much later time period. A larger pot or kettle with a bail handle should be what you are looking for.

As far as a mug, if you are going to use it for drinking coffee you would be better off using a wooden mug or tumbler, or even a stoneware mug. When using metal mugs for hot drinks there is a very small window of time to drink the hot beverage between the so hot the metal burns your lips stage to the stage where the metal is cool enough for your lips, but the coffee or tea is only luke warm. This especially applies to copper or brass mugs, but is almost as bad with any type of metal. If all you intend on drinking from the mug is cold beverages then by all means buy a metal one.

Randy Hedden

 

[William Joy]

Randy
You have very good points here.
If I would go with a small pot - would a lid be correct? I would love to have some kind of mug - to drink tea - my problem is that as you say with metal you have the "heat " problem and I hate the tin taste on top of it of a "worn" tin cup.
I guess the wood one is a great idea!

 

[Harddog]

William,

I believe that most of the pots from that time period, at least in the geographic longhunter area, would have been without a lid. The longhunters probably just carried a pot or kettle that would normally serve as a cooking utensil used at home. I don't really know where you are going to find a small kettle made in stainless. Most of the reproduction 18th century kettles are tin lined copper. Even the sheet steel kettles were tin lined.

I carry a small wooden tumbler and sometimes I use a small stoneware mug that has spongeware decoration on it. Colonial Wiliamsburg sells some nice period cobalt blue decorated saltglaze stoneware mugs in various sizes. You could also use a plain salt glazed or redware mug. If you Google 18th century stoneware you will find merchants that sell nice reproduction stoneware items. A wooden mug or tumbler is going to be harder to find. For the last 20 or so years that I have carried wooden drinking utensils I have made them myself.

Randy Hedden

 

[streetsniper]

Maybe you could consider a noggin. It's a bowl shaped mug made from a burl. They were carved and then you ran a small piece of leather through a tab handle to tie it to your belt for carrying. Some were very ornate.

 

[flintlock75]

Since you are planning to use these items for trecking, the lighter the better. I have been using a large tin cup for coffee and tea for many years, the only taste issues I have had is with carbonated beverages, they go flat fast and taste bad. But coffee and tea are just fine. As for cooking pots, I bought a new tin cup and made a copper lid for it, this works for cooking and heating water, the lid keeps the ash out. it dosent have a bail on it just the handle. Even carrying 2 cups the weight is not an issue, when I put them in my haversack, I put other items inside the cups so no space is lost. I cant imagine carrying a stone mug, all you can do is drink from it, you cant cook with it or put it in a fire, and it is heavy.I would just go with a straight tin cup 32oz size this can do it all, cookpot, cup etc.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Gotta go along with the advice you have been getting. Corn Boilers as we know of them just weren't around in 1780. You do need to think of a simple kettle. Most long hunters weren't lone hunters. They would go out in a group and cooking would be done in kettle for the group. Drinking would have been water from a cupped hand or noggin. Tea and coffee would have been an extravegent luxury. After the meal, the kettle would have been cleaned for prparation of the tea or coffee. The carved wooden noggin is the likely vessel of choice for personal drinking.

 

[Harddog]

Gren,

While noggins were an item of the 1780-90 time period, I don't believe that they would have been a common item of use in the geographic area of a late 18th century longhunter. Noggins are more a, French frontier, Great Lakes, Courier De Bois, French vouyager type item. Hence, they are commonly called canoe cups, courier cups, etc.

I am inclined to believe that the longhunters of the 1780's would have just grabbed a drinking vessel that was readily available to them at their home. Something that they used to drink from at their cabin. For a kettle they just grabbed one from the fireplace cooking area.

Randy Hedden

 

[bnail]

I am inclined to believe that the longhunters of the 1780's would have just grabbed a drinking vessel that was readily available to them at their home. Something that they used to drink from at their cabin. For a kettle they just grabbed one from the fireplace cooking area.

:applause: :applause: :applause:
Randy, I couldn't agree more. I used to carry all the high-speed custom accoutrements I saw on the prime possibles page until I wised up and realized that truth. :thumbsup:
I now carry only what was common on the wife's cupboard with very few deviations.

 

[filly]

As I understand your question - you are looking for one to buy, right? Check with Panther Primatives -- I just recieved one of their catalogs and I believe what you are looking for was in it.

 

[bnail]

As I understand your question - you are looking for one to buy, right? Check with Panther Primatives -- I just recieved one of their catalogs and I believe what you are looking for was in it.

Filly, you embarrass me, I didn't answer the fella's query.
I wouldn't do Panther though. they have great stuff, but their tin ware is mostly 19th century. in fact a "billy cup" itself is patently 19th century.
check out Westminster forge
they've got a great selection of period-friendly cookware.
here's an example:

 

[William Joy]

Thanks!! - this is exactly what I was looking for ( after I changed my mind again! So copper /tin lined it is....) After all the didn't have stainless.....

 

[bnail]

Thanks!! - this is exactly what I was looking for ( after I changed my mind again! So copper /tin lined it is....) After all the didn't have stainless.....

I Don't think you'll be disapointed; their stuff is very well made.
Glad I could help. :hatsoff: