Linen Lock Covers
Inspired by Cuthbertson, we made our own painted linen lock covers, and included some of the experiments we made regarding waterproofing
A pattern was made by wrapping old material around the lock of the musket. Two layers of strong linen were sewn together, with buttonholes and linen covered buttons.
The closest formula to period paint (a linseed oil base) we could find was brushed onto the linen, to provide even cover.
Once dry (this took a few days), a simple beeswax polish was applied. We decided to do this because our experiment showed that although the oil paint alone did provide protection, the best waterproofing came from the addition of the wax (we live in the North of England after all!)
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In the video you can see how the different treatments perform - the pics of the three pieces are after 45mins.
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A note of caution, paint the outer cloth layer before sewing the lining on, as the black paint came through and some rubbed off on our fingers even after a few days. We may have been impatient in waiting for the oil paint to fully dry, but we don't want the black marking our the musket. We found that the beeswax also provided protection from the black for our nicely pipe-clayed belts! For good measure, we applied beeswax polish to the underside too.
The lock covers fold up and fit into the cartridge box 'pocket' when not needed.
