Exceptionally Rare French WW1...."Hairbrush" Grenade

[Desert Rat]

Just received this superb WW1 early French 3rd army "Hairbrush" grenade, very good condition and has part of the original wick inside (which I just found).

The French grenade of the Third Army is an industrialization of the improvisations of the first months of the war made necessary by the weak capacity of the French logistics to develop and quickly put into production more modern pomegranate models to meet the urgent needs of combatants.

 

Firecracker rather than pomegranate, it is a prefragmented steel tube made to 'dress up' a cartridge of melinite of 100g model 1890 equipped with a detonator in its center.

 

The first models were lit directly by firing a 5-second wick connected to the detonator. This system was quickly improved by lighting the wick by the action of two hunting primers set in a block of wood and that could be struck by striking a nail that taped on a small metal piece connecting the base of the two primers.

 

The pomegranate was dipped in paraffin to protect it from moisture. Several models (5) of cylinders existed and one encountered this device until 1917 (the cheddite replacing the melinite), whenever the demand exceeded the industrial offer in modern grenades.

THIS WILL BE FOR SALE SOON!

[Desert Rat]

I like it anyway for my collection.....But it will be for sale soon on MCN....If you are interested then message me and I will let you know when it's on here. It will be in the for sale department on MCN.

You will NOT find one of these at all, as Exceptionally Rare...I was just lucky to buy this from a French website...!!!

Many Thanks...Desert Rat/ IanB

 

 

Edited March 18, 2018 by Desert Rat
correction to text