Lucky Strike
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 387
- Location
- Ultima Thule
Some time ago, I bought a cold-war-era silk "escape map" for a present, and then had a few ideas about alternative uses:
The idea behind these maps was that air force pilots would be able to carry a detailed, high-quality print map of the area they were flying over, in case they had to bale out or were shot down. Silk maintains the print quality even when wet, and is far more robust than paper. There were usually overlapping map leaves on each side, so they would be double-sided.
The WWII-vintage ones can be fiercely expensive, but the cold-war era ones, like the one in the photo above, can be had for down to $12.50, typically from places like these:
http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/access/silkmaps.htm
http://www.ima-usa.com/index.php/cPath/1_51?osCsid=e3a88dd83ff541634ba0536766a5b88e
The silk map arrived with fifty-year old folds in it, and some yellowing on the small portion which had been lying on the outside. It had the govt./army storage smell, something like floor wax and machine oil. The smell went completely away in the washing, though. The trouble is, the edges weren't finished - a quick trip to a jobbing tailor and around $15 took care of that, although the edges aren't hand-rolled.
I think it’s fascinating to see how something presented as a piece for say, cold-war-era historical collectors, actually has a higher value as a utilitarian object than as a collector’s item.
Another thought: This must be quite cheap silk for the quality – someone in the vintage clothing business could source these, and sell them as is or typically converted to scarves or blouses. I mean, the maps are slightly outdated, but still "functional" objects.
Would be fun if someone could actually make some business out of this.
The idea behind these maps was that air force pilots would be able to carry a detailed, high-quality print map of the area they were flying over, in case they had to bale out or were shot down. Silk maintains the print quality even when wet, and is far more robust than paper. There were usually overlapping map leaves on each side, so they would be double-sided.
The WWII-vintage ones can be fiercely expensive, but the cold-war era ones, like the one in the photo above, can be had for down to $12.50, typically from places like these:
http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/access/silkmaps.htm
http://www.ima-usa.com/index.php/cPath/1_51?osCsid=e3a88dd83ff541634ba0536766a5b88e
The silk map arrived with fifty-year old folds in it, and some yellowing on the small portion which had been lying on the outside. It had the govt./army storage smell, something like floor wax and machine oil. The smell went completely away in the washing, though. The trouble is, the edges weren't finished - a quick trip to a jobbing tailor and around $15 took care of that, although the edges aren't hand-rolled.
I think it’s fascinating to see how something presented as a piece for say, cold-war-era historical collectors, actually has a higher value as a utilitarian object than as a collector’s item.
Another thought: This must be quite cheap silk for the quality – someone in the vintage clothing business could source these, and sell them as is or typically converted to scarves or blouses. I mean, the maps are slightly outdated, but still "functional" objects.
Would be fun if someone could actually make some business out of this.
