What from was made WWII flags?

[aksel90]

I have a strange question: what was the original material of Kriegsmarine flags (WWII)? May it be only a natural wool, or any other or even artificial materials were used? I got just the flag that smells suspiciously as artificial material (maybe it's the color, but anyway - the old flag should not smell even for color).
Andres

[oldflagswanted]

material and smell ???

I have a strange question: what was the original material of Kriegsmarine flags
(WWII)? May it be only a natural wool, or any other or even artificial materials
were used? I got just the flag that smells suspiciously as artificial material (maybe
it's the color, but anyway - the old flag should not smell even for color).
Andres

Hello Andres:
WW2 German flags IMO would be made of 100% wool
or cotton. Moth resistant synthetic material blends are
from after WW2. You can burn test a loose thread, with
any small hard ball residue = synthetic. Otherwise, WW2
non-synthetic should burn to ash powder. Also UV light
(blacklight) glow would indicate synthetic too. Pungent
smell is likewise a bad sign, unless it was caused by oil
near ship flag storage or when flown in smokestack wake.
..... OFW .....
..........
(My 1st WAF Avatar)

[aksel90]

fool's panic

Thank You for answer. It seems that I made fool's panic and it was naphthalin which smelled Day after unpacking it smells absolutely correctly like old wool.

[duska]

German wool material was composed of wool and viscose rayon, so not 100% wool.

[oldflagswanted]

WW2 KM flag wool synthetic blend source ???

German wool material was composed of wool
and viscose rayon, so not 100% wool.

Hello duska:
Can you quote this rayon in WW2 German flag wool source?
Tests I've done on various relic KM flags indicate 100% wool,
as also indicated by many WW2 KM flags having moth holes.
..... OFW .....
..........
(My 1st WAF Avatar)
***************
(below) WW2 KM flag with extensive warp/weft moth damage,
something you would not see with a synthetic wool blend flag.

[keifer kahn]

Rayon burn tests exactly the same as cotton.So you wouldnt know if Cotton or Rayon was blended in with wool.
If you ever collect uniforms, you will soon know in areas where moths are found that woolen tunics have to be protected
from moths, where HBT tunics ( made from a Cotton and rayon blend generally),dont need any protection, from the winged beasties.

Synthetics do melt to a small hard ball but so can wool.Difference being however a full synthetic melts to an uncrushable bead, where as wool
is reduced to a hard ball but it crushes to black ashen residue.The smell is the main difference, Full synthetics smell like plastic burning and emit a black smoke.
Wool smells like burning hair or paper.

Also cotton flags dont usually contain moth holes as cotton has nothing nutritious for moth larvae(which cause the holes)
wheras, wool does contain nutrients, for larvae to feed on.Thats why wool flags are found with holes and cotton flags arent.

I hope you arent getting confused with Nylon.

Also covered before Blacklight glow could indicate an item that has been washed.It is not a 100% indicator of modern full
synthetic.

[oldflagswanted]

candy for beasties ???

Interesting comments about burn & light tests.
IMO, if you see moth holes in your flag, it is likely
that no synthetic thread blend was used in same.
OFW

[Doug Kenwright]

Many TR flags are made with cotton blended, chemically impregnated material..years ago we did a mass spectography test in the lab at Uni on a KM fahn: wool, mixed with synthetics, with 2 different mould inhibitors added.

We even tested a late war (orange - red) national flag and found a high content of Lignum within the wool fibers...aka wood pulp!

[keifer kahn]

Wood Pulp...well that is indicitive of Rayon.

Rayon is regenerated cellulose fibre.It is made from purifiied cellulose which is primarily wood pulp.It is then converted into a soluble compound.

Rayon was a commercially available textile fabric in Germany from the 1920,s(been around much earlier in various forms also) and was also commonly used for uniform insignia and uniform parts (liners especially) in the German Military.

Rayon became the substitute for cotton as Germany effectively had no cotton industry but they had plenty of trees.

[Thomas Craig]

We have flags that are wool and cotton. Many of my KM flags are wool. It seems to me that if the flag is going to be used by water, they are usually wool and wool sheds water effectively. Thus, extra large flags that probably flew over large vessels were more than likely cotton so that they could fly fully over the ship and are less exposed to water from high atop large vessels. My 300X500 flags and my 150X250 flags are cotton. All my 50X85 flags are wool......

My IKFs seem to be pot luck!....But mostly wool.

Yeah...There is really no standard.....really.

Bad storage can cause mothing as well...regardless if it is wool or cotton.