some new items in my collection

[Darrol]

picked this lot up in the last week .sorry about the quality of pics.the 81mm mortar bomb/cartridge is near factory fresh and never been filled .the zietzunderhandgranates body is in great shape and if anyone has a pic of the fuse used on this grenade i would be very happy to see it:tinysmile_grin_t:.the nickel plated drill has a bbc body and base plug which is marked 36m: . .is this an early mills?.cheers Darrol

 

[dano1917]

Nice stuff Darroll, Here is a picture of the Austrian belt grenade with fuze...........Dano

 

[Darrol]

Hi dano.whats the closest material match if i was to make a dummy fuse . .kind of completes it.
Thanks Darrol

 

[dano1917]

Hi Darrol, First off that is a really nice grenade. Second I think a nicer tight knit burlap would work good (like an onion sack) as it is a simple rudimentary fuze. I think Paul may be the man to ask as he has done some amazing fabric stuff. The Austrian belt grenade is not all that easy to find, though not rare. Yours is in one of the better conditions i've seen. NICE FIND....Dano

 

[Darrol]

Thanks mate.on the look out for some fine sacking now .managed to remove the end screw and clean the threads .fits better so looks a lot neater now.will put a pic of the grenade on here when ive sorted the dummy fuse.hadnt seen one before i spotted it on a market stall. Was coverd in shiney gloss black paint .didnt look right so i stripped it .was surprised to see it was in good shape.thanks
Darrol.

 

[Darrol]

was the paper clip style pin on the drill mills used on live mills?.also has anyone got a clue what age the plated BBC mills as its not marked with a date.thanks guys .Darrol

 

[millsbomber]

The BBC mills is WW2 era you can get the plating of by having it sand blasted........ Dave

 

[Darrol]

Hi dave.thanks .was going to leave the plating on due to it being official for training.the base plug only says no 36 M: but no mk 1 marking .is tis the wrong base plug? Cheers .Darrol.

 

[gothica7]

Hi Darrol,

nice additions to the collection. I would keep the plated No 36 as is, including the base plug. I suspect that the plating is original to the gren and not added at a later date to tart it up. Nice find.
I have one i was given a while back. Its completely original.

Andy

 

[dano1917]

Hi Darrol,

nice additions to the collection. I would keep the plated No 36 as is, including the base plug. I suspect that the plating is original to the gren and not added at a later date to tart it up. Nice find.
I have one i was given a while back. Its completely original.

Andy

Hi Andy, I have encountered a nuber of nickel plated grenades and mortars that looked too original to have been done at a later date. What would be the purpose of nickel plating a grenade. Would it be for a piece that was to be a sample or one slated for display. Really curious on this one.........Dano

 

[Darrol]

Hi Andy, I have encountered a nuber of nickel plated grenades and mortars that looked too original to have been done at a later date. What would be the purpose of nickel plating a grenade. Would it be for a piece that was to be a sample or one slated for display. Really curious on this one.........Dano

hi Dano .what i have come to understand is that some mills bombs were plated for drill as a measure against rust it training .im sure theres a few guys on here who can explain in greater detail .cheers. Darrol.

 

[Darrol]

Hi Darrol,

nice additions to the collection. I would keep the plated No 36 as is, including the base plug. I suspect that the plating is original to the gren and not added at a later date to tart it up. Nice find.
I have one i was given a while back. Its completely original.

Andy

hi Andy .will be keeping mine as is .found it on a market and well happy with it .the filler on youre mills is alot neater than the one on mine .looks like its had its slot drilled out for a reason.thanks Darrol

 

[gothica7]

Hi Dano,

ime sure Darrol has hit on the right answer, maybe some were done for the 'Senior' Instructor whilst the erks had to do with the plain ones.
Certainly mine has no damage whatsoever and dosnt look like its ever been thrown. I have a No 23 ashtray thats also been nickel plated but thats showing a lot of wear, maybe not done to so good a standard as the 36.
Ime also sure a lot were done as momentoes and parting gifts from the Service and turned into cigarette lighters however these in my opinion, for what its worth, were also badly mullered in the process.

However, remember, the plating process cost quite a bit of time and money compared to just painting them white.

Here is a really badly buggered lighter, a Mk 2 Mills thats been ground down all over and been made rather a mess of. I seem to remeber i got it off Paul the Grenade some years ago, came with a lovely Singer base plug.

Andy

 

[Darrol]

can anyone give me any info on this kind of retaining pin? .cheers Darrol

 

[Darrol]

hi these are my latest finds . .dont get much new stuff lately but im quite happy what ive found . .esp the kenrick &sons 36m mk1 mills as it has most of its original finish with green filling band and reminants of red crosses
.cheers Darrol