Quote:
Originally Posted by David Dunlop
Thank you all for the feedback, gentlemen. Much appreciated.
It does seem odd not being able to find a plywood/cork Mounting No. 3 painted up in Number 2 Brown. My first thought was that it was too small an item to worry about, but I have the corresponding Aerial Base No. 8 in original Number 2 Brown and there is even less painted surface area on it than on the Mounting No. 3. My now current speculation is that the numbers of Mounting No. 3's produced in brown were dramatically lower in quantity, so proportionally fewer have survived.
I can see the problem with the use of plywood. Paint would not hold up to wear and tear very well and before long the plywood would be exposed to the elements. The animal glues of the day would not hold up and the next thing you know the Mounting would structurally fail. All rubber makes sense as a much better replacement.
Glad you mentioned the white rubber ones, Chris. I saw one on eBay a while back and thought it was a modern silicon fake, so stayed clear of it. I will keep an eye out for a black rubber one now.
Cheers,
David
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My suspicion is that the colour scheme was specified in the contract, at least initially, and depended on the intended theatre of use. (Brown for North Africa, green for Europe.) As a result, later production is more likely to have been specified in green, and the brown accessories not in stores would have been fitted and probably repainted as required. I have Canadian sets in green as well as brown (though one of them has been brush-painted), likewise ancillaries. I cannot remember the colour of the wooden variometer packing piece, but I've seen them in green and brown painted wood, bakelite, rubber (with Canadian acceptance stamp) the American steel pressing that is the seating plate and packing piece in a single item, and post-WW2 Italian rough-cast alloy.
Plywood is fine, it's almost certainly marine ply with waterproof glue, and if used in a damp climate would be painted if it showed signs of damage. More importantly it would be cheaper in terms of strategic raw materials to manufacture: Canada was not short of timber. :-)>
Post-WW2 I think they switched to steel with rubber gaskets as it was simple and cheap to manufacture, especially the mounting No.1 with its threaded inserts for the retaining bolts.
Regards,
Chris.