Spasm

Yep, the Brown Bess. Couldn't hit the inside of a barn but with several thousand, aiming low, there was gonna be some damage.

I once saw a potty Professor giving a lecture at Nottingham University on explosives in the 70s. He set light to massive tubes of hydrogen, liquid oxygen and those sort of mundane things. He also showed what a Brown Bess could do when firing a candle at a barn door (he didn't actually use a flintlock but a percussion cap smooth bore), blimey, it was just like an R1 shooting a wall.

I tried to find anything similar on google and found a video with him on it! Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orO3PxLPiKU

Try this one, best of the West, East, North, South and Middle

Ah, that seems to make sense given the other....erm...mishaps and court of enquiries where it states "he was not on duty at the time" and "the injury will not affect his duties as a soldier". Although, to be fair, the last one actually ended in his death.

Still, he seems to have been a bit of a rough one.

Thanks, gonna have to give this a try

Can someone help?

I've at last found some of my Grandfather's service records but am puzzled by an entry. It states "Para 2,c Section XIX Queens Regulations 1895" against an entry of reverting to Private from Drummer. (Obviously in trouble for something again - seems to have reverted to Private quite a lot from what I can see).

Can anyone tell me what paragraph 2,c of Section 19 of Queens Regulations say? I can't find them on t'tinternet.

Thanks

Spaz

Impressed or what! The facial tones are just amazing and I really like the clothing details and shading - well done to all that complete these. I can imagine that research on the colouring of tabs, medal ribbons etc is pretty time consuming.

Would be interesting to see one through all the stages of completion. Do you work on many many layers within photoshop or just a few?

Peter,

depending on the "rustiness" depends on what you need to do. QSA is correct if very light rust and then use the wax preservative as per Brian (I'd suggest Renaissance wax polish though as used by the British Museum - pretty expensive but proven on German daggers etc by collectors) Easily available on e-bay (you only need a small one).

very rusty items can be de-rusted by electrolysis - a bucket of water with 4/5 tablespoons of washing soda or bi-carb (either will do) an old iron bar and a 12v battery charger. Positive on old iron bar, negative on sword (ah, maybe a long thin bucket) and a couple of hours of charging, rust will form 'orrible scum on water - clean the black stuff off of sword with a rag and hey presto - luvly

spaz

He's got very very hairy legs

Bernhard and Chris - thanks guys, I'll go look them up, would be nice to get some info on the smoking competition geezers.

Had another look through the album and removed all the photos to look at the backs. All of them had numbers only (I assume the photographer's referencing) other than this one. The picture is a pretty bland landscape of earth with little or no detail with this on the reverse. Can anyone help with a translation?

Derek, thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go and show the results - maybe the Gents can help me translate once we have access.

I used to get a fair bit of chromework done when chopping bikes, a fair bit of stuff was 'orrible and needed re-chroming. The plating works also took off the old chrome for me. I believe they used their vats of acid and reversed the polarity of the tank so the chrome came off just as it was put on. I tried all the home methods of coke and acid and sandblasting - don't bother. The plating works will know what to do depending on whether there's a coat of nickel underneath or if its on steel, bass or ali. Cheap as chips too.

Great work. Patience and slow seems to be the way to go. Thanks for showing.

As you are the expert maybe you can help. I have a German WW1 Militarpass that has pages stuck together, I've always been intrigued as to what the pages contain within. Do you think the same technique would work - I've thought of steaming them but didn't really know how.

I believe its a mains electric timer switch. The clock face is set to the present time at the pointer, the two moveable prongs are set at times to turn an appliance on and off over the 24 hour cycle.

Bison

First of all I'm no expert on SS daggers (SA is more my field). The dagger itself looks good to me - it's an early (1933-35) Rich ABR Herder blade made in Solingen. The roman numeral 'I' stamped into the lower crossguard is the checkmark by the SS uniform distribution centre in Munich. 'II' was Dresden's and 'III' was Berlin's. Nearly all copies or faked SS daggers bear no manufacturer markings or RZM markings. So I'm sure the dagger is good.

The mismatch of dates (as any RZM issued elements were later) is well known on SS daggers. As the owner was promoted or damaging the existing scabbard the supply of later chained scabbards to replace the earlier scabbards was standard. Sometimes the existing scabbard was updated by fitting the chain or sometomes a complete scabbard was purchased. The whole dagger, at that time was an expensive item (as it is now).

The chain, however, I'm not so sure about. There were two types. Yours seems to be a type II with chamfered chain links from the chain into the cloverleaf or 'Woton Knot'. On these type II chains I have only ever seen the last round openings over the clip solid - that is with no hole through to the clip. Only type I chains have this hole through which you can see the manufacturing mark. Yours looks to be an RZM mark where originals I have seen bear the DRGM mark. I'm sceptical about the chain as it has both type I and type II elements but as I say, I'm not an expert on SS daggers.

Best of luck, would be nice to hear any more on this.

Spaz

Yep, a nice matching numbers K98 bayonet, looks like its got good blueing on the blade too.

Made by F.W. Holler, Solingen in 1938 - hence the 38 stamp. The scabbard should be stamped F.W. Holler 1938 on the frog side. There should also be Waffen-Amt '253' stamps on the release button, on the flat back of the handle and under the grip. There may also be one on the ball of the scabbard. Nice one but definitely WW2.

Ah, that well known small village Kabul in Belgium. I go there often, the locals know me.....

They may have others to be registered:

On 11 August 2012, it was reported that the Free Syrian Army had captured or found up to 5,000 MP44s, all in apparently good condition

http://www.armoryblog.com/firearms/rifles/free-syrian-army-captures-5000-stg44s/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+armoryblogfeed+%28Armory+Blog%29

Blimey, certainly looks like a lot in the vid, divide by 10 is probably nearer and probably ex DDR but still.....

I believe these were given to the wife or mother of a killed in action soldier from WW2. What does it actually say on the case lid and on the reverse of the medal?

more pics

60 year cased medallion. I think these are also in silver, this one is very like an old penny copper coloured. Ah shiney stuff....

And another with cert but no case. I like the black safety pin.

This is nice. "G" stamped into suspension ring.

Fantastic reverse to "PATRIA" with blank name plate.

Reverse of first and second medallion "PATRIA" obverse