KM-SPAIN Posted March 11, 2006 Posted March 11, 2006 Hello all, this are my two u-boat clasp, and both looks ok. The first is made in zinc and the second in tombak. I need one in silver like the Gordon's onces.
KM-SPAIN Posted March 11, 2006 Author Posted March 11, 2006 (edited) Back. Edited March 11, 2006 by KM-SPAIN
KM-SPAIN Posted March 11, 2006 Author Posted March 11, 2006 (edited) Back detail. Edited March 11, 2006 by KM-SPAIN
Gordon Williamson Posted March 11, 2006 Posted March 11, 2006 Eduardo, are you sure that one of these is Tombak ? These weren't made in Tombak, only in zink, but many many copies exist in Tombak.
KM-SPAIN Posted March 11, 2006 Author Posted March 11, 2006 Gordon, I'm not really sure, but there are some differendes between them. The finish of the second one is very smooth and it shines much, on the back side also without the typical bubbles of oxide of zink under the painting. The first one has the tipical mate finish and the bubbles. The the weight and the measures are correct, so perhaps is zinc but the finish is not the same than in the other one.
KM-SPAIN Posted March 13, 2006 Author Posted March 13, 2006 Any other coment about this?, with pictures what do you think, could be the second one a zinc model?, or the finish is not the usual for this badge.
Gordon Williamson Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 Can you post some close up pictures of the centre part of the front of the one you think may be Tombak. This is the area where some of even the best copies are not 100% accurate.
Gordon Williamson Posted March 14, 2006 Posted March 14, 2006 OK, I have to say from this shot, I don't like so much what I see. Every original one I have seen (where the finish is intact) has had a definite "white" silver finish. This kind of "antique silver" finish with darkened areas in the recesses is common on copies, and it does have the look of plated brass to it.Here is the same area on mine
Gordon Williamson Posted March 14, 2006 Posted March 14, 2006 Also the finish is too fine and smooth. This one I have posted is probably the best I have come across in over 30 years and looks great, but even here when it is looked at under magnification, you can see a certain coarseness to the finish and a little bit of corrosion to the edge of the wing.Some of the originals had a copper coating applied first before the silvering ( in the same way as some zink cap insignia ) and keep the finish better, later ones I believe were just silvered directly over the zink as suffer much more from bubbling. Yours just looks too smooth and perfect.What are the dimensions/weight?Normally you should expect 76-77mm wide, and 24mm high. Thickness can vary slightly between around 2.2mm and 3mm.Because of the slight variances in the thickness of the castings, weights can vary from around 16-17g for the thinner ones to a max of around 20-21gr.The first one of yours is fine, but I don't have a good feeling about the second one.
KM-SPAIN Posted March 14, 2006 Author Posted March 14, 2006 Gordon, the badge is not in silver is in broze, but the finish shines a lot in the pictures, because it looks like it was polished.The wide is 76,5 mm, and 24,5 mm high, the thickness is around 3mm, and the weight is 19,1gr.
Gordon Williamson Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Now I've looked at the images on another monitor and having darkened the image slightly to get rid of the glare I can see that it is indeed a Bronze one. I can also see what looks like the very beginnings of bubbling (circled).If dimensions and weights match near enough bang on compared with the correct dimensions/weights for original zinkers, I am much happier that it isn't one of the high quality tombak fakes, but an original zink piece..
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