Some German Translations:
By Lauri Phillips

The following is a list of simple camp words which I obtained German translations for:
(Translation is written as pronounced, not as spelled)

Blanket = bett tapish
Table = tisch
Fire = faier
Wood = holtz
Water = vasser
Bucket = imer
Food = essen
Kettle = essen imer
Drink = trink
Spoon = gobble
Knife = messer
Wheel = rye fen

These are some rough translations to help make our camp sound a little more authentic.

Burn Testing Fabrics
By Ralph & Mary Briggs

Most cloth is made of perpendicular threads in one of two basic weaves. The threads in plain (bmLd, tabby) weaves cross one another like the wire in window screens, while twills isually appear to have diagonals running through them, like blue jeans. The threads that run across the fabric from selvage (finished edge) to selvage are called the welf or woof. The warp runs lengthwise through the fabric. Warp and woof threads may not be the same size or fiber, i.e. 18th century fustian, which had a cotton weft and a linen warp, and linsey-woolsey with a linen weft and a wool warp (Gehret, pp. 25-30).

One concern at inspections is the fiber content of the clothing fabric itself.

How strictly content is interpreted, such as whether cotton is an acceptable substitue for linen, as determined by individual units, but the inpector's department allows a synthetic fibre content up to in wool blends only (By-laws, 401-1,20). The simple reason for this is that synthetics are DANGEROUS AROUND FIRE! Modern fabrics are often "blends", combining characteristics of strength, comfort, drape, price, etc. Fabrics marked "linen" are often, upon closer inspection, "linen-look", and may contain no flax fibers at all. The madder (brick) red wool that many of the British regimentals are made from is 15% nylon, as this color is difficult to find in 100% wool.

A common and accepted way to test a fabric is to apply a flame to a piece of it. Note that testing one thread only is not a complete test of the material, as warp and welf thread might be of different fibers. In a nutshell, fabrics test into three basic categories:

• Flames like paper, leaving a paper-like ash, it is cotton, linen, or rayon. Rayon is a synthetic, made from cellulose fiber (wood), and therefore has many of the characterisics of a natural material, but because it burns faster than cotton or linen, is not recommerded.
• Burns slowly, smells like burning hair, and melts to a soft black or grey ash that crushes easily, it is silk or wool.
• Bums slowly, stinks, and melts into a hard ball, it is a synthetic, and you DON'T WANT IT! Even after the flame is out, the ball stays very hot for a while, which is exactly why you don't want it on your body. (BAR, p8)!

Blends, of course, are more difficult to identify, but if it seems to burn like the latter, avoid it.