WW1 German Spud Handles

[Desert Rat]

The best way to look after the "Potato Mashers" or " Spud Handles" is a gentle brass wire brush on the metal parts, especially if you are lucky enough to find one with the bottom thread as this is made from Aluminium + 100 years underground, many are rare to find complete with this ...so be very gentle as some of these Ally bits are thin & very fragile.

The top cap/ thread for the canister to screw into is steel so it can have a steel wire brush...but be careful as those I sell, some have the original green paint and being too rough...will lose it!

The wood handles can be gently washed (if dirty - I sell them as normally "out of the Ground" as these are more original, but my sellers usually wash the soil off. They must be left to dry slowly, or the wood will crack...then once dry maybe two coats of Linseed Oil on the wood and if you want on all the metal parts, as this gives a "New Look" to your superb collectors item from WW1.

Just to mention...that as the Germans were slowly being overwhelmed by Allied soldiers, hundreds of "Complete Spud Mashers" by their base (Screw Cap & Ally End Thread) were sunk into a bed of concrete substance, and left to go solid in the concrete mixture, as there were just too many to carry back to their own lines and too much to carry back in boxes,as they had no transport or horses to carry them, so some have the "mix" on the base...They were also frightened that the British would take and use these against them so their only way of trying to "Ruin" them was this....Strange but True!....IanB

[Lenny]

Very interesting, seen that on one I got from you... wouldn't have scraped it off if I knew...