Polish mine detector

[Dusonn]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum. I am looking for information, drawings, manual, and pictures on British Mine detector NoIII (Polish). I am currently restoring a unit that I bought last year (picture below). Particulary I am looking for dimensions and pictures of the upper rod with counterweight which was missing. I am going to remake.

Thanks for any help,
Dusan
dusanklavik@seznam.cz

[PPS]

I know that this does not give dimensions, but it will give a general idea:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_mine_detector

There is also a thread on this Forum from way back in 2003 about this very item:-

http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/showthread.php?t=424

Nigel Watson is still on the scene here, as is Cliff, so they should be able to help or suggest where you can get help.

Paul.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I won't say what my first impression was when I saw the thread Polish mine detector, but it made me think about a reporter's experience in the Vietnam war. At the start of the war he saw an old gent walking along with his wife a few steps behind. When he commented the old gent said it was tradition for the woman to follow. Seeing the same old gent a few years later with the wife walking out front he asked why. The old gent replied, "Land mines."

[Dusonn]

Thanks Paul for the links, I have actually seen them before but any information is highly welcomed.
I also own the No.4A mine detector which I intend to make working. Just need to solve the battery problem as these are not available any more according to my information. But I might be wrong. A friend of mine found a B144 EverReady batery in his unit. It is 69V + 1,5V cell, which could work with that but I have to check on it. I found this link for a replica :
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...pages/b114.htm

I might give it a try.

Dusan

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally Posted by Dusonn

Thanks Paul for the links, I have actually seen them before but any information is highly welcomed.
I also own the No.4A mine detector which I intend to make working. Just need to solve the battery problem as these are not available any more according to my information. But I might be wrong. A friend of mine found a B144 EverReady batery in his unit. It is 69V + 1,5V cell, which could work with that but I have to check on it. I found this link for a replica :
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...pages/b114.htm

I might give it a try.

Dusan

I also have a No 4A detector. It uses a commercial 9V battery and works great.

[Dusonn]

Originally Posted by Jon Skagfeld

I also have a No 4A detector. It uses a commercial 9V battery and works great.

Hi Jon,

could you please describe how you managed to get it working. How many batteries did you use?
Thanks Dusan

[Neil Ashley]

Unless there is a transformer inside you would presumably need 1.5 volt for the heater circult on the valves, plus another battery for the main unit.

[Norm Cromie (RIP)]

Dusonn

Great to see your interest in mine detectors. Although I can't answer your technical questions as my memory of things after 60 years is not too sharp. Here is a little memory that you may find interesting due to your interest in mine detectors. The following photo is of some of the igniters that I lifted from mines during my time in Italy and Sicily. One of the last mines I lifted was called (I believe) a Piltz mine. (anti tank) We called it a pot mine. It was made of clay with a chemical igniter. I believe the intent was to foil detection but they used an aluminium detenator so it was still detectable but I am not sure whether there may have been some other metal componenant or whether we were detecting aluminum. Maybe you can tell me whether the detectors of that period could detect aluminum. During this period I was serving in an infantry regiment in which we had a pioneer platoon that was composed of three sections. One tradesman section and two assault sections. The two assault sections travelled with tac headquarters with two detectors and on many occasions an individual soldier would be assigned to the lead rifle company. Hope this will give you a little insight to mine warfare. Hope you enjoy your new detector.

[Dusonn]

Hello Norm,

thank you for telling us your interesting war experience and for the picture of your stunning collection. I am not a big expert in mines but after the mine detector had been invented the Germans started to produce glass, clay and wooden mines to make them harder to detect. (Shu mine, topfmine etc)
I bought my No.III mine detector in the UK last year from a guy who runs a used carpentry machinery business. He found the mine detector among a closed-down saw mill equipment that he bought. The saw mill owner tried to use it for detection of metal object in trunks shortly after the end of war but it did not work properly so they hid it in a shed where it had been laying till last year. I think the No.III detector was simply not efficient enough to penetrate thick wood.

[Norm Cromie (RIP)]

Hi Dusonn:

I don't want to bore you with old war vet's tales but yes the shoe mine was made of wood and also the Italian box mine. The Italian mine was very poorly made and was affected by water and moisture. It would fall apart quite often before we could get it dug from the road. During one of these daylight sweeps in front of a rifle company a German tank came out of no where and shot up the platoon. Unfortunately our young officer ran into the verges and stepped on a shoe mine costing him part of his hand and the loss of his leg. What irony. Here is a photo of the glass top which was the last mine I lifted.
PS: I also have the German manual on mines in my collection.

[Ken Hughes]

Hi there Norm,old vet stories are not boring,you guys have a wealth of info in those stories,so just keep on telling them please, as they are very interesting.

[Dusonn]

Hi Norm, I agree with Ken, there is nothing like an old vet boring story, I`d love to hear them all! I`ve heard many stories from Czechoslovak veterans from Dunkerque from 1944-1945. The minefields were the biggest fright to them when on patrol as the Germans kept rebuilding the minefields every time when cleared.

Back to my very first question, is there someone who can help me with the No.III mine detector top rod dimensions - especially the counterweight please.
Thanks Dusan

[Jon Skagfeld]

Dusan: Check your e-mail for info on 9V battery in No 4A Mine Detector.

[fv1620]

I used to have a Mine Detector No.III (Polish) when I was a boy. It had no valves in it, I think there should have been three. I took some ARP12 (Army Receiving Pentode No.12) from a 38 set.

Well that needed 3 volts for the heaters which I got from a cycle lamp battery. The HT for a 38 set was 150 volts, but I used to use an Every Ready "Winner" battery which I think gave 60, 90 or 120 volts. So I fitted that as well & it worked a treat even on 120 volts.

The large search head was heavy, particularly as to counter balance it there was a large weight at the top end. The small search head was easier but that had a rather short handle even for a boy to carry.

This was about 1958. The detector amplifier cost me 12/6 in a scarpyard. The large head 6/6 the smaller head 4/6 from Arthur Sallis surplus, 93 North Road, in Brighton. Trouble was the heads came through the post & they were fitted into a box by sawing through the support arms & cables!

I also remember he sold time bomb mechanisms! You could set these between 15 min to 44 days. Small clockwork mechanism ran for about 5 min then as it ran down it made a contact to energise a solenoid to pull the lever back & so winding it up again. Surprising even then that such things were on sale given that the IRA started a campaign from 1956 that lasted until 1962.

[gazzaw]

I know this is an old thread but any details re batteries since then as I have a 4a I'd like to get working

Gary