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From a site that I'm licensed to dig on I recovered this no 80,13 pounder shrapnel shell fuze. It's to all intense and purposes brand new although it has been entombed in airless mud for nearly 100 years it was still free and moving . Marked no 80 mkv11 11/17 VSM it still had its original leather sealing washer intact ,so I am pulling this apart to give it a complete restoration and would like to share with you. Nothing live or nasty was found within this fuze so totally ffe

Waffenamt as far as I can make out they are as follows 1st row left to right 1 Hauptmann cavalry unit 2 and 3 Hauptmann signals/ recon 4 Unteroffizer Luftwaffe Flak Artillery 5 Unterfeldwebel Luftwaffe Flak Artillery - the twisted cord usually denotes nco candidate but is an nco so maybe officer candidate. 2nd row left to right 1 Unterfeldwebel Luftwaffe Flak Artillery 2 Hauptmann Artillery Regiment 22? (Can't make out second number) 3 Feldwebel Infantry Regiment 3 4 Hauptmann Artillery Regiment 27 5 Feldwebel Artillery 6 Leutnant Artillery 7 Oberfeldwebel Medical Arabic numerals usually refer to the regiment and Roman numerals to the wehrkreis (Military district) .

With huge thanks to @M45 the Bar now has a new name, The FuBar... To be honest, once I heard that name I knew no other suggestion would do, so FuBar it is...

Thanks and will show the dismantling process in stages as it comes apart

Nice find. Thick clay like that is great at preserving relics......but a SOD to dig through!

It's always been my belief that the MCN should be free for it's members. I believed that in 1998, and I believe it now. However, as forum software costs actual money, as does web hosting, I've introduced a DONATION button to the sidebar. Please don't feel obliged to donate, but if you want to support the MCN then feel free to donate whatever you think is fair. So far the forum software has cost about $200 USD as a one-time cost, which has an annual renewal of about $70 USD. Web hosting works out to about another $250 USD per annnum. So basically, running costs of about $320 USD per annum. I've set up a Paypal account just for the MCN, and it's my intention that any money left after paying for software/web hosting will be donated to veteran charities. (I'm up for suitable suggestions, but would like to have a few from different countries.) I'll be appointing another administrator to have access to the MCN Paypal to ensure transparency. I'd like to stress this isn't a money making excercise, we all do this for the love of military history and remembrance of the fallen. I know other forums charge for premium membership, and we may implement that also. However, I'd like to stress that the MCN will be run as a not for profit organisation. All profits left after running costs, will be donated to veteran charities decided upon by you, the members of the MCN. That's what makes us unique. Also in the future I'll be setting up sales of the new MCN tinnies, and maybe a paid for dealer sales section. I've got lots of ideas about how to make the MCN the best Militaria forum on the t'interwebs, but I'm also up for suggestions. Onwards and upwards...

Here ya go Peter,found this amongst my early collecting cloth items. Im sure this is railway connected?

Thanks for the promotion, Chief. Fu-Bar = F'ed Up Beyond All Recognition. Brian

Hey there Bill, long time no see. I am seeing many of the older names as well. Sort get choked up, thinking back ten years LOL

Many collectors will be adverse to touching or cleaning their helmet liners ,especially if they are dry or flaky or fear of altering the colour, but I have found a product that I use all the time, its called Sheratons Leather Balsam, it rehydrates, cleans and adds a protection to the leather without changing the colour, My reasoning is this, and I know there will be some that do not agree, If you have a decent looking helmet but a dry flaking liner , it will not be long before the deterioration takes over and the leather rots away, you are then left with a shell and part liner which drastically affects the value. During the normal wear of the helmet a persons natural oils from hair, sweat and skin helped to keep the liner pliable, seventy odd yrs later those oils have dried out and in some cases the leather will become dry and fragile, this product puts life back into the leather and if used properly will ensure that leather and helmet remain together for years to come, personally I do not consider that this is a bad practise, it will also help frayed edges, surely as collectors our job is to preserve history of an item,whether it be cleaning a rusty relic, a gentle hoovering of a cloth cap to remove dust,grit etc, keeping leather belts clean and pliable, so why not the upkeep of a good looking helmet, without altering original colour or patina, a lot of collectors use Renaisance wax on the exterior of helmets, so why not help the leather liner to look good as well. I have used this product on all my helmets, and helmets of friends and also because I am asked many times to refit a liner or restitch liners that have come away or even put an original liner into a helmet, they have always been happy to see that this treatment has brought life to an otherwise sad looking liner.

My neighbour loaned me these items from his Gramps who served in Italy and North Africa. Italian armband DAK cloth eagle Metal badge

Mine looked nice on my Webbing belt but( I have a green and a tan one) I got worried about damaging it.

Nice Model making isn't about competing with the next guy, it's about doing something interesting! They are both great models and you should be proud of them

Be my valentine...

Very nice Lenny, I can see why you wanted it.

What do you boys reckon? Good pal of mine and i cant see him trying to twist me a yarn when he was proud to loan them out?

My pleasure always glad to help

No worries. They're very nice. I have a few myself but mostly collect tunics, combat equipment and personal gear.

Yes,Much appreciated Peter and Mav. Great work Mav,i owe you a pint These are items i was big into before i hit the ammo scene. Got most of them way back when the pound was good against the dollar.

Welcome aboard my friend! Made my day knowing you've joined. Gonna be like the old days buddy.

Although I like all good war films, I think the early war films have some of the best acting and actors, bearing in mind that most of them served in the war, films like The Cruel Sea, We dive at Dawn,Ice cold in Alex, The purple Plain,The man who never was,I was Monty,s double, Dambusters, these are classics, good entertainment, and not all blood and gore

I'm afraid shoulder boards / epaulette's, i don't know anything about. I think i have a book, i will have a look if your interested

My latest WW2 relic hunting video is up and ready for viewing Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xjg7fD6y5k

I will definitely have a label pin

Got this on Ebay a while back for £42. Quite chuffed with it.

Of course Want the one of me on the nudist beach at St Tropez as well?

Ok, obviously not going to get this one......Bottom pawl spring, Vickers MG feed block.... Next one should be easier as it is marked with the weapon type! Even @Ham & Jam or @Waffenamt could get this one!

as per ebay rules when you BUY its a contract.... they should be made to honour the fffkn sale..

The Fu-Bar! love it! good call hahahh

Ive had that before where another has contacted a seller to say the item was worth more. Sour grapes

I Know so

Apparently there is one in Stirling or so @BryanDavidson tells me.

Dang. I be in the minority again. LOL the greater part of my collection is WWI CEF Medals, but I am all over the board in regard to Collection time frame. As long as it is Canadian.

Band Of Brothers

It's good, but I'm liking The Fu Bar.

Yes you are correct, forgive the fopar oh illustrious one, I ve been using it for years and yes its the best one out there, plus it smells nice, we all want our bits to smell nice dont we. I think my best result was a friend sent me a M42 with a liner that was thin, fragile, stitching torn, and someone had added some type of additive to the leather, it took me a while, but i managed to thoroughly clean the leather, re sow the areas required, replace the liner with the original pins and added the Balsam, it looked totally different to when it arrived, and my friend could not have been happier, he had been quoted about £50-70 for a so called professional to have a go with no guarantees as to the out come, I charged him £20 including postage, but in return he sent me an inert original pineapple grenade, with internal fuse pin and spoon, happy days

hahahahahahaha...

XS That was embarrassing. Just going to go hide under a rock for the next few months until my mess up is forgotten.

@M45 who's now been promoted to Sergeant for his suggestion. @BryanDavidson do you not get it? FUBAR? hahahahahaha... the youth of today.

Which reminds me, we need a good name for the Bar in here, someting traditional and military related....

t

The member above will be getting some stick from me.. hahah ^^^^^^

Would give my right arm for this,lol, well, maybe the left!

I wondered how you did it @Lenny. Now I know!

Fantastic.... here's my favourite pic of all time, I've only got it in low res, would love to find it in high res...

Colour change sorted @Afrikakorpsrat64