Kriztofer

Hi Kev The only side effect that was actually a plus, was a black oxide residue that can be washed off, I left it on this cross, it sort of covered up the area where some paint was missing. I misspelled the product name it is Fertan!! here is a link to the web site. No I don't sell the product haha. http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/fertandet.htm

Hi Eric I really like the detail on these crowns and the mounting system for the pin and hinge, it's like a reinforced version. Any idea about the hole that's in the frame? I think this is an unknown mark.

Finished

Hi gents I tried to remove a glob of rust with a product called Fortran with not too bad results on a Y marked cross A on the jump ring... here she is.

Any chance of closeups on the cores Nick. My poor old eyes ya know. On this type of screwback I've seen some that were marked with a little star either on the screw or the plate. I cant remember what the maker was though..

The only source of reference that I know of other than the forums, is Kaiser Bunker and they have 60% +/_ unknowns. I did try to contact the Bundesarchiv in Berlin but I think you have to go in person. Anyone up for a trip to Berlin for beer tasting.. I mean maker mark research haha!

Nice crosses, KAG seems to have as many core variations as KO & Wilm.

Hi Nick Straight white vinegar, if it's warm better, speeds up the process, just let it soak for however long it takes for the rust to dissolve, keep checking and give it a little scrub with a toothbrush. When you're happy with the result, add a little baking soda to warm water and soak until it stops fizzing. Soak in a little oil, preferably mineral, then wrap it in paper towel to absorb whats left and Viola. This is a very gentle process and will not remove the patina from the frame or damage the painted surface. If I have a real rust bucket, which I pick up now and then out of pity, I use a product called Fortran which I've had good results with. I'll post a cross that I used this product on. Chris.

Very nice crosses gents. Finding an extra mark is always a bonus. It's too bad that the majority of these maker marks are still unknown. Has anyone done a serious study of this gray area of the hobby yet? Regards, Chris

Very nice Nick. What is the marking on the EK1 and is the EK2 mm'd

Hi leigh Most of his paperwork/photos have rotted away, they were in a box that was put in an outside shed for years, but I have a couple of items that survived. One is a regimental Christmas greeting card from the 3rd Indian LAA regiment 1st Royal Artillery Division, South East Asia command. The other is an award doc for the Burma Star and a couple of photos with his regiment and Indian soldiers. An award cardboard box survived, but I have no idea what award came with it. I also found a snippet of history on the movements of the RA LAA Bofors Div. It seems that they were deployed in the Mediterranean in Malta, Sicily & Gibraltar as and when needed. Some of the troops bound for Asia were temporarily used in support action ( AA) then sent on to their original destinations. I can only assume this is what happened with my Grandfather. He didn't say much about the war except that he loved India, he volunteered to stay on after the war to help the army with cleaning up the thousands of corpses that were a result of the famine. My mom told me that in the photos that were lost, she remembers seeing certain pics with mountains of corpses that were being burnt & rivers full of dead people, animals etc Here is a link to a web site on the Burma Army, the gentleman who runs the site was helping me to determine my Granddads unit before I found the docs. http://www.rothwell.force9.co.uk/burmaweb/3rdlaaregtIA2.htm To mount the medals I sewed, with transparent thred, a strip of Velcro on the ribbon and glued the other piece to the mat. The medals are free to move around but the always find center. The mat itself is Acid free which I had to special order, a real SOB to find. I hear ya about the grouping, I tried all ways to find the best display layout, finally I thought this one fit the design best but not order wise. Thanks for your comments Leigh.

You hit it on the nose Bill.

MM

Ze finished produkt

Greeting gents I found this cross a few months back sitting in a box of junk at a local market & in a sorry state. 10 euros later and a little TLC.... It's mm R with an inspection mark of some sort on the jump ring.

I'm afraid I'm guilty of the sin called.. cleaning the cross! I always use a Qtip with vinegar to clean the core, then I neutralize with a baking soda solution. Finally I apply a Vaseline metal protector which is silicone/acid free. This is the shine you see on the core which protects it from further deterioration. This is easily removed with alcohol if desired. I always leave the patina on the frame intact. This cross was sort of dried out, which you can see on the edge of the arms, my little process sort of rejuvenates it. Blond's or Brunettes lol

Hi Gents I would like to share this display of my grandfathers/great grandfathers awards. I received them about 8 months ago from my Mom who has come to the time of her life to "pass down" the stuff. Unfortunately, thanks to the lovely British climate haha & bad storage, a lot of the photos have turned to mush. I don't have any info on my great grandad other than he was in France and he died a few years after returning to the U.K. My grandfather signed up for home defense in 1939 and was trained on Light AA bofors. He spent time ( acording to my mom) either in Malta or Sicily before moving on to Burma where he stayed until 1947. The awards are pretty common and I had to replace two of the ribbons which were missing. I did clean them for the display because they were almost Black with patina but they are already starting to turn a nice brownish Bronze color. Chris.

Ze cross

Hello Mr Garvy I have read many of your posts over on MCF, a pleasure to finally meet you, albeit online. The reason I'm surprised at this # 5 marking being a fake and it being of Floch origin is because I've seen this type of 5 used on crosses as inspection marks. One that I have being marked N had this mark somewhat hidden under the patina of the jump ring. It would be pointless to stamp the jump ring as this doesn't affect the price at all. Price wise I only paid 30 euros for this cross a few months ago which was advertised as an "S" The Flochs shown are TR EK's which is a possibility. The question might be asked, where did Herr Floch aquire the number punches for the TR models, left overs from an Imperial time maybe? These imperials always seem to leave us with more questions than answers. Here's a pic of the N cross. The first pic was before I cleaned the ring. Thanks for your comments gents.

I would be interested to know a little more information on why you think this particular mark is a fake. Are the marks you're showing from a TR period EK ?

Excellent group, it's nice to put a face to these awards. Congratulations on your great research. Chris

reverse

Hi gents I have an EK2 which bears the mm5. I always believed that either post war or TR crosses were marked with a number as opposed the initials of the maker. This cross seems to share a lot of similarities to the Wilm family, frame and core. Your opinions on this one would be appreciated. Regards, Chris

Thank you gents I hope I can contribute in some small way to the already vast amount of collecting talent that is here on GMIC. Just browsing through some of the posted collections in the EK forum alone and seeing some examples that I've only read about has already been an education for me. Best regards, Chris

Thanks for the warm welcome gents.