Original Wehrmacht Eagle Casting Mold!

[Avitas]

Hello All,

I had the fortune of coming across half of an original metal insignia mold, the front half with what I believe is a metal stickpin version of the Wehrmacht chest eagle. If anyone can ID who this maker is that would be excellent as this is probably one of the molds that was used to make some of the items on the forum! It is made of a weird heat-resistant foamy material that holds detail extremely well and has some "singe" marks that would show that this was used quite often. It shows where the molten kriegsmetall was injected and is extremely well detailed in the pebbling around the swaztika and the lines are very sharp. If only the other half of this mold was with it. I wonder if anyone else has one of these to show, please do if you have one. From what I gather, this foamy material was used in the throughout the war and before it as well, for low-heat metal alloys. The reverse has a linen type material added. Any further expertise on this is very helpful, as this is a neat example of how badges and insignia were die-cast. I have no reason to believe this is a copy also, but if anyone has any different info please share that as well.

Cheers,

Pat

[Avitas]

Here is the back of this molding unit, with the linen fabric on it. I assume the other half would be added to this, then put in a vice or something and then the liquid metal would be pressure fed through the canal on the right of the eagle, filling up the mold. Again, I don't think too manny of these are around as I haven't found much info on it so far.

Cheers,

Pat

[Ralph A]

Very nice! I have this:

[Ralph A]

Side view. Nice to meet some else with a love of the unusual.

[Hauptmann]

Hi Pat,

Great piece! You somehow manage to come up with the neatest stuff up there. I've definitely got to come visit sometime and take the tour... preferably when I've got plenty of dough to spend in case we run into goodies like this.

Ralph... make that three of us at least. I too love oddball stuff (shoot, I love Oddball from Kelly's Heroes too! Great character that one!)... I just seldom seem to run across much of it. But I was rather isolated on our farmstead up in North Florida and now up here in North Dakota... no militaria shops that I've been able to find. One antique shop up in Minot that has some militaria but he's also waaaaay overpriced and even admits it. Like $35 each for common DDR peaked caps you can get on Ebay for dirt. Arrrrrgh!!!!

But we do have some terrific estate sales up here so hoping to find some goodies from time to time at those.

You both have a couple of absolute treasures there. I saw half of a die on Ebay a few months back and was tempted but it went way over what I could afford at the time. And being a numismatist as well I've always been interested in dies and such.

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

Dan

[Laurence Strong]

Dan

You need less money than you think, your Greenback buys more Canuk Bucks. You make it to Vernon I might have to take a jaunt over the mountains.

[Hauptmann]

Dan

You need less money than you think, your Greenback buys more Canuk Bucks. You make it to Vernon I might have to take a jaunt over the mountains.

Hi Larry,

Sounds like a great trip... we'll definitely have to all get together up yonder before too long. I sent Kim and Nick on a vacation last winter up to Vancouver and then over to Seattle to visit with their internet friends. They're hooked on Canada and definitely want to go back and take me with them. So it's a definite possibility we can all work something. Be kind of a militaria reunion!

Well, I'll have to start saving my pennies and one never knows... we might be up there before too long. I'll let you and Pat know well in advance so we can plan something like this.j

And by the same token, if ya'll ever find your way down here to ND you'll have to come visit and I'll give you the grand tour of our little piece of paradise.

Thanks,

Dan

[Avitas]

Sounds like a great plan Dan and Larry! I will have to show you some of my haunts to find some good stuff over this side of the Rocky Mountains. Little old grandmas at the flea market have been just as helpful of a source as the militaria and antique dealers here (like the RCAF bomber navigation piece I found, weighs a ton so you don't see them on the net, but this nice old lady sold me it as well as my 2 Commonwealth helmets amongst other items) and it sometimes pays to be a regular at the flea markets as some people only show up once with good stuff. Of course I will have to show you the "gentleman" who sold me all my fake badges table, the only bad apple I have come across locally so far. Within this valley there are about 15-20 good antique shops (at least 5 in Vernon area alone for militaria) and a pretty good selection of Canadian Cap Badges and medals and German stuff, but I am quickly snatching it up (well as much as I can afford anyways!) but there always seems to be more coming up around here (lots of veterans from all countries retire here.)

Back to the dies, great metal stamper you have there Ralph, and yes I am a fan of the "unique" items (just check my signature) and I think the more obscure the better. That piece you have there Ralph must weigh a ton! I just love how these pieces give you an inside view of how many of the insignias etc we collect were made. I have seen a couple more in this foamy style available at Snyder's, but that is about the only place I have seen one. Must not come up often. If anyone else has an original die please show it as well.

Cheers,

Pat

[Hauptmann]

Sounds like a great plan Dan and Larry! I will have to show you some of my haunts to find some good stuff over this side of the Rocky Mountains. Little old grandmas at the flea market have been just as helpful of a source as the militaria and antique dealers here (like the RCAF bomber navigation piece I found, weighs a ton so you don't see them on the net, but this nice old lady sold me it as well as my 2 Commonwealth helmets amongst other items) and it sometimes pays to be a regular at the flea markets as some people only show up once with good stuff. Of course I will have to show you the "gentleman" who sold me all my fake badges table, the only bad apple I have come across locally so far. Within this valley there are about 15-20 good antique shops (at least 5 in Vernon area alone for militaria) and a pretty good selection of Canadian Cap Badges and medals and German stuff, but I am quickly snatching it up (well as much as I can afford anyways!) but there always seems to be more coming up around here (lots of veterans from all countries retire here.)

Back to the dies, great metal stamper you have there Ralph, and yes I am a fan of the "unique" items (just check my signature) and I think the more obscure the better. That piece you have there Ralph must weigh a ton! I just love how these pieces give you an inside view of how many of the insignias etc we collect were made. I have seen a couple more in this foamy style available at Snyder's, but that is about the only place I have seen one. Must not come up often. If anyone else has an original die please show it as well.

Cheers,

Pat

Hi Pat,

Wow, you make me want to go jump the train and head right up. Wish I had the $$'s right now. But hopefully before too terribly long. Sounds like we'd have a fantastic time and perhaps come home with lots of goodies... which I hope I wouldn't have to pay through the nose for at the border!

Dan