This had slightly stalled as I wasn't happen with either of the Vajello sky blues I'd picked up for the Union infantry trousers. I've now picked up a slightly less vibrant colour and will try that. I know the dip will muddy colours down but the original attempts were brighter than the old Britain's pre-painted ACW figures! :-)
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteDon't worry too much about the actual color of Union trousers. Some thirty or forty years ago a construction project had condemned an old building dating back to the Civil War. Before it was demolished, the city fathers in hartford, I believe, directed that someone needed to go through the building. It was discovered that the building had been a warehouse for supplies sold to the Union. In one crate it was discovered that there were a number of bolts of cloth that were clearly marked as being for the manufacture of Union trousers. What was of interest was the fact that as the bolts of cloth were opened out the color changed noticeably with a much lighter blue being found on the outside to a deeper blue on the inside. Apaprently oxidation had lightened the organic dye considerably - just the way exposure to the elements would have lightened trousers issued to the rank and file.
In addition, I have seen comments made about the pants sometimes being a shade of blue-gray. But the important point is that the clothes got dirty. Why not give them a wash with brown or mud, not enough to make them brown but enough to show the vicissitudes of wear in the field.
You might also consider looking at the colors offered by Foundry. Many of my figures wear pants whose color is "Union Trouser Blue"!
Jerry