This is probably a really dumb question to ask, but I recently got one of the unissued 37 pattern canteens from WPG. I washed it out with white vinegar and lots of water before drinking from it. Now I'm wondering if its even safe to drink from in the first place? I'd hate to get some stupid heavy metal poisoning because of my insistence on having 100% kosher kit.
Thanks!
thats not a dumb question at all...i dont really have the answer but i look forward too seeing one 
personally i put a watertight bag in mine and bluetackd the top of it round the edges of the mouthpiece so iv never had too worry about rust poisoning 
Kiwi airsofter, just pew-pewing.
I don't like drinking from anything other than modern plastic but many guys do use original waterbottles without any ill effect. I guess you could maybe swill some kind of acrylic sealant inside it but I'd still be nervous of getting ebola or summat 
I have used a Brit water bottle for a couple of years. Never had an inkling of a problem.
Yeah, I don't think 'heavy metal poisoning' will be a problem! As far as I know rust isn't dangerous although it may taint the water. Crucial, I'd say, is thorough sterilising before each use (it's probably been lying in the garage for a month or more since its last use) and a swill under the tap won't do. Use boiling water, bleach, Steritab, Milton etc. (and don't forget the cork and the neck) but I'd avoid the use acids as that is likely to adversely affect the metal.
After use, sterilise, store with the cork out, upside down, in a dry place to minimise further degradation, contamination or mould/bacteria growth.
They are a reasonably plentiful item so it shouldn't be too hard to find a fairly pristine bottle in the first place - no need to use a rusty wreck!
Frankly, I was far more at rick using the Camelbak system years ago - all that piping and valves. I was certainly paranoid about cleaning that before and after use!
They are all originals so I'd say it's pot luck, the same as anywhere. They won't be rusty wrecks but I doubt anyone would examine the interior of every one - the neck is so narrow it would be difficult to do so anyway!
Basic hygiene and have done with it - it won't kill you. 
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's been drinking out of it the whole time... unfortunately a conversation over the phone with my mother (who runs an emergency room) gave me second thoughts about drinking out of a 70-year-old canteen. I only use it on those odd weekends that I get to an airsoft game, so I'm not going to worry myself over it. Thanks guys!
i like the idear of a plastic bag inside ,sounds better to me and simple,i was thinking about mixing up some resin and pooring it in and swilling it about the inside to coat it .
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's been drinking out of it the whole time... unfortunately a conversation over the phone with my mother (who runs an emergency room) gave me second thoughts about drinking out of a 70-year-old canteen. I only use it on those odd weekends that I get to an airsoft game, so I'm not going to worry myself over it. Thanks guys!
I'm with your mum on this one. It's not a risk I want to take.
inproper use of the cork perhaps? 
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
I have 4 WWII brit water bottles, 1 WWI brit one and 3 US WWII ones (WWII dated) and I've cleaned them in the way described when I first got them and then used them for years afterwards without any ill effects at all.
I have one i use for all my brit events, for years now. The only time it's caused damage is when i fell on it. 
Comrades,
As the Water Bottle is Enamelled in many ways you avoid the metal problem, but if you drop or dent it you will get it scabbing off inside it, which is then is bad as Enamel is not good being eaten, it will rust and it will leak very easily if it landed on a Seam.
In was wondering about this myself... Think i'll try the plastic bag trick :L
On a slightly related note, does anyone know where i can get a replacement Cork? '>.>
DEFEND ZE PROFESSOR!
Soldier of Fortune sell them - or you could just use a wine bottle cork. 
Wine bottle corks fit? ...on it :L
DEFEND ZE PROFESSOR!
Why don't you just not be a girl and use it properly. You will be fine.
that was worth liking! haha ! in my defence i wudntve botherd with sorting mine out if it wasnt for the fct that mine was rusty on the inside and chunks were coming out ...tho im now using a larger post war canteen as it is......even tho its not accurate the water tastes good and its only a lil bigger than the 37 pattern one
Kiwi airsofter, just pew-pewing.
Well, have used mine now since March with no problems. Took it up a 14000 foot mountain in Colorado this past July!!
Soldier of Fortune sell them - or you could just use a wine bottle cork.
cant find any on SOF website 
looks like it may be a wine cork then 
priced up all the bits to make em on ebay, works out to make a batch of ten at a cost £1.30 each
