A facsimile of Propert’s Web Cleaner is supplied by Tommy’s Pack Fillers.

This wrapper uses the font Gill Sans which wasn’t a commercially available font until 1936 and so gives some idea of the period of the product (although it is possible the product had been available earlier in different packaging). There are no clues as to this block’s colour but given the directions it is clearly a solid block not a crème or liquid.
Here is “Propert’s Green Renovator or military belts, gaiters, straps etc”. The date of this product is uncertain but the ‘green’ is 97 equivalent, the other two shades are listed as Khaki (presumably 103 equivalent) and Air Force Blue.

Photo: Allen Prior

Photo: Sophie Penny



This khaki bottle lists alternative colours as green, air force blue, sun, tan, grey and white so clearly sold to civilian as well as military markets. This example dates from no earlier than 1936 and no later than 1941 so without question Propert web renovators were available in WW2 and used alongside that traditional Blanco wetted blocks.
More information on the post-WW2 product line here: Propert’s webbing paste
