Chris Suslowicz

RAF Scampton gate guardian, anyone? :shocking: Chris

Further thoughts: ZN.2108 is definitely a bogus stores code, I think. (Unless it was reissued for unknown purposes - but if it was _that_ late, why does it not have an NSN instead?) Also, the end with the buckle is much too short to fit a radio set in any sensible fashion: it's the only adjustable part, so is not intended to be buckled around the WS18/62/68 carrying hoop (assuming the hook is a later addition). I suspect it's designed as a carrying sling for something long, thin, and fairly heavy, like the Case, Aerials, No.1 for the WS22 (the tubular steel thing about 1.5" diameter that you can stuff full of 'F' rods and fit Aerial Base No.11 to the top of for use on the move). That was originally issued with Straps, Carrying, 'H', which was 1" webbing all the way, and probably very uncomfortable to carry for long distances, If you only want the hooks, I can trade it for one of the 'H' straps or something, to save chopping it up. Chris. p.s: the gas mask brass hooks are lighter construction still - much thinner brass sheet.

That is weird. ZN.2108 is one of the carrying straps for the WS18, (also the WS22, WS62, WS68 and Supply Unit No.5) but that is yet another different variety! The "original" ZN.2108 strap was a standard cross strap with two loose buckles, two 1" hooks, and a diagonally-attached 1" buckle and short strap at one end of the wide portion. ZN.2107 was the "other handed" version. ZN.2190 (Yes, I suspect a transposition error for ZN.2109) was the waist belt (P08 pattern with riveted-on hinge plates) for the unit (not for WS62 use). The later harness (which re-used the same VAOS numbers) used standard 'L' pack straps with an added 1" hook and buckle. The waist belt was cut down at the hinge ends and a 1" strap substituted for the full P08 belt. This is neither one thing nor the other, but may be either an early ZN.2108 with the diagonal strap removed, or made that way as a "Straps, Carrying, 'H'" with a wider shoulder pad for some reason. There are two varieties of 1" hooks (three or four if you count the nickel and tin plated (the latter is particularly horrible) versions: The long one (which you have), and the short one (used on the WS38 harness and also the Hooks, Brace) which is nearly triangular. (The repro WS38 harness and Brace Hook manufacturers persist in using the wrong hook, which is how you can spot the repro items.) Best, Chris.

I don't drive, but have the "pleasure" of sorting out the family car insurance every year. My view is: 1) Most insurance companies will offer a low rate to attract new customers (and get their sales commission), the jack the price through the roof when it's time to renew. (Yes, AA Insurance, I'm specifically pointing the finger at you,) 2) There's a tendency to either try and load unwanted fripperies onto the policy or spam you to death with "special offers". (SAGA) 3) Price comparison sites are all very well (though "Go Compare!" will never see me visit their site because of their incredibly irritating advertising, likewise "Sheila's Wheels" because of the pumped up volume on the adverts - I nave a "Mute" button and am not afraid to use it.) So it boils down to: a) Shop around for re-quotes every year. b) Do NOT believe the "we have checked and this is definitely the cheapest quote" - The AA after jacking it up by £300+! c) Always check to see what they're covering you for. d) A large excess (if you're doing your own repairs or the vehicle has low/no resale value) can drop the cost dramatically. From personal experience (Age Concern, Saga, AA, Swintons, Colonnade and various brokers), LV= are currently a good bet (for family cars at least), and most of the office appears to have switched to them this year. Just my 0.02 GBP worth. Chris.

Ah, it's nowhere near as simple as it appears. The metal cased batteries have an internal plastic/composition case that (i think) is moulded to fit the ribbed metal skin. This case is a single piece with the cell compartments moulded into it. The plate assemblies then fit into the compartments, the lids are sealed in with hot bitumen, after which the connecting bars are dropped over the terminal posts and molten lead poured in to link the cells together into the completed battery, The top is not a single unit in other words. This method of construction allowed individual cells to be replaced if faulty, or the plate assemblies to be salvaged if the battery itself is dropped/cracked. If you're really determined to salvage the top as a "dummy" cover it will take a lot of work and some risk, since you will need to dismantle the battery (remove the plate assemblies) to reclaim the cell lids and connector bars, then either cut the top section of the moulded cell compartment off to use as a "lid" or fabricate a replacement. Given the presence of lead compounds, sulphuric acid, etc, plus the involvement of hot pitch and molten lead during the reconstruction, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. (The old wooden batteries had a vulcanised rubber or glass cell unit that was readily removable, which is why some of them survived.) For the truly determined, there are REME battery shop manuals and EMERs on the WS19 group website: http://www.royalsignals.org.uk/refEMERs/PwrJ330.pdf There's also Doc 5222 "Maintenance, Testing & Repair of Lead Acid Batteries, 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Line REME Workshops, August 1944" but that requires a password in the usual way. Chris.

Your illustration appears to be from Page 231 of Signal Training Part I (1917) 40/War Office/3631, Price 6d net. :-D

WW1, sometime after 1911 (since it's not mentioned in the 1907 (updated with amendments to May 1911) but does appear in the 1915 (provisional) edition and again in the 1917 version with different wording (claiming it's recently proved of much value). I'd say "early WW1" when static warfare set in and anyone waving a flag from behind cover would have a very short military career indeed. Chris. (And if I'd seen this when you'd first posted it it would have been a very short competition.) :-D

Hmmm... The outer (metal) case for Wireless Set No.46 - which started out as a bare chassis about 30 years ago! The shoulder straps for a WS62, though one is P37 khaki and the other P44 green! Shock protection unit and cable entry panel for a friend's K9 radio body. Miscellaneous (naval) signal flags - if I can find a "2nd Sub" I can spell "B*LL*CKS" with them, though that was not the original intention. I need to find a way of laundering them: maybe I'll ask HSBC. Two more batteries (4.5 volt No.6 and the 12 volt No.1) for the collection. Some interesting EMERs (Tels) to scan and return. A WS19 aerial base mounting in _white_ rubber! (I've now got black & white rubber ones, a Canadian wooden one, and the post-WW2 pressed steel and seam welded types.) Not to mention: Sore feet, sore knees, an aching back, possible sunburn:shocked:, and an extremely upset piggybank that has gone back to hiding behind the wardrobe. It was a good show and I enjoyed it immensely. :thanx:

One word: thixotropic. Where it's not been stirred up (much) and has dried out, (most of the fleamarket), it's like walking on hard sponge rubber. If it's been churned up thoroughly (Americas Field entrance) it's extremely slippery and sticky mud with 3 to 4 inch ruts. Usual lunatics (who shall remain nameless) have their usual lunatic prices on stuff. Chris. (Going back on Friday as people I wanted to meet hadn't arrived yet.)

I've just spent the best part of an hour banging my head against Brutish Snail's ecommerce "system". I think the intent is to stop people from using the railways and so reduce congestion. Now I just have to set my alarm for Oh God o'clock and manage to catch the bus to the station. See you all tomorrow (I hope). Chris. (Extra gippwax applied to boots and three sou'westers packed.):-D

It's a Yahoo! group, which started out just dealing with the Wireless Set No.19 but just sort of expanded from there - though we do try and keep roughly to the topic of military communications equipment and its uses. There's also the Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society, and a Canadian WS19 group (though the last one does stick fairly firmly to the WS19 and is unlikely to be interested in UK Civil Defence (!). Best, Chris.

In that case, it's just a convenient connector and would be unlikely to match Larkspur kit. (Certainly not secure communications, anyway.) It's probably a "quick connect" to supply lighting and communication to a group of vehicles close together, with the added advantage that it's robust, waterproof, and easy to decontaminate. It might be worth asking the question on the 19 set group, as there are people there who are ex-Home Office, and others who are interested in Civil Defence kit. Best, Chris.

Well, it's Larkspur era, but that's definitely not a field telephone socket! What vehicle is it fitted to, as it might have been from radio relay equipment (C41/R222, C50 or C70) for the engineering channel, possibly BRUIN, or some kind of secure link. Larkspur junction box cables may fit, or if not then the orientation can be changed (with the correct tools) if you have the connectors with black inserts (the later green and red ones were permanently bonded to the shell). F.C.Lane still sell the connectors (new), but at a new price. Chris

Well, yes, but metal spraying is apparently done at a much lower temperature than welding so would be less likely to cause more problems than it solved. Electroplating would probably be the best bet - wax or otherwise protect the good parts of the bore and see if you can convert the rust beck into iron and then continue building it up until it can be machined flush with the existing surface. Just a thought. Chris. (Neither a mechanic nor a metallurgist!)

Possibly too late now, but would it be possible to build up the pitted portion by either electroplating or metal spraying and then honing the result to get a smooth and true bore before sleeving it? I'm not sure if you can spray metal inside a cylinder though - the gun may be too large to fit inside. What you probably need is a spark eroder in reverse! Chris

I was thinking that, too, after some research on t'internet at lunchtime. I suppose what you really need is photographs of the various HMG breech faces and see which one is a good match for the case head?

It may have been an earlier version of the device mentioned in Winston Churchill's Toyshop by R.S. Macrae (2 i/c of MD1), which was a string of charges connected together. (One trial of this killed the pilot when he released the device at too low an altitude and the chain of explosions damaged the aircraft, causing it to crash.) Chris.

The MR is the factory code, the numbers 4 and 33 are probably April 1933. C is probably Cordite. The CN is another maker's code 36 is again the last two digits of the year and II is Mk.2 May be French (MR for Manurhin, CN for an unknown French manufacturer) according to a quick google. I'll try and find my cartridge guide. Chris.

For the Ena Sharples look?:-D Did he insist on curlers too? ITWSBT :whistle:

Yep! Searchlight and AA gun control was the main use, The set is a fairly horrible super-regenerative design from pre-WW2 and would seriously upset Band I television post-WW2. It was used with the WS36 transmitter and R206 receiver as control stations. Power supply is from a lead-acid LT cell (2 volts 16 amp hour capacity and a pair of 60 volt layer type primary batteries to give 120 volt HT supply). Somewhere I have the "Wireless Diagram" that shows the scale of issue and net plan for a searchlight regiment (etc.) using WS17, WS36/R206, etc. Chris.

No idea. (They're no use to me because I only do firework displays and it might upset people if they spotted them in my toolkit.):shocked: Besides, I'm trying to economise. (Honest, Guv.)

General demolition tool for use with Bickford safety fuse and plain detonators. Possibly commercial as it's unmarked. Functions: One set of jaws for crimping the detonator onto the end of the fuse. Other set of jaws for cutting fuse neatly to leave a square end. Spiked leg is for creating a pocket for the detonator in a stick of gelignite (or "rectifying" the ready made pocket in a block of explosive, etc.) Flattened leg is a screwdriver for all the usual reasons. Material is a non-sparking alloy (brass, bronze or beryllium copper) for safety reasons. (Non-ferrous tools only around nitroglycerine based explosives (probably other types as well).) Chris. (Why are you all looking at me like that? Just because I collect Signals stuff doesn't mean I know nothing about pyrotechnics. Sheesh!):-D

Cheapskate! General Electric Minigun at the very least. (Does it have a NATO hitch? If so, add towed artillery....) :-| Chris.

It would, because the zinc would have no effect on the aluminium corrosion - it's lower down the electrochemical series than aluminium. To protect aluminium you would need to use magnesium as the sacrificial anode. (And that's the last one in the series that can be used, everything above it will spontaneously react with water and either fizz or actually burst into flames. Electrochemical series is here: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/redoxeqia/ecs.html This also explains why die-cast "pot metal" is so horrible once it starts to corrode, it's "Mazak" - an alloy of magnesium aluminium and zinc, so you've got the top three right there. Add the fact that car door handles were cast in this, then copper plated as a base for the final chrome, and once you've got a pinhole through the plating, it eats itself from the inside. :argh: Chris,

So, your weasel, it stoat-ally functional again? :whistle: :thanx:Ermine all evening.