The Ultimate Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi Real Vintage Parts Lightsaber Group

[The 48th Ronin]

How were the original Browning boosters, rendered black?
--Anodized?
--Blued?
--Powder-coated?
--Painted?

They were blued.

Steel cannot be anodized, powder coating only started to be developed in the late 1940s, and paint would definitely not be durable enough.

 

[PHArchivist]

They were blued.

Steel cannot be anodized, powder coating only started to be developed in the late 1940s, and paint would definitely not be durable enough.

Was actually thinking each of those points as I was typing the post...! Thanks...!

So the original substrate would be clean silver metal?

Also, the original grenades were a brass color, correct?

 

[The 48th Ronin]

So the original substrate would be clean silver metal?

Yeah. And somehow they chrome plated just the inside surfaces:

Also, the original grenades were a brass color, correct?

Just the neck assemblies and the end caps - the frag bodies are steel.

 

[PHArchivist]

Yeah. And somehow they chrome plated just the inside surfaces:

View attachment 1953895 View attachment 1953896



Just the neck assemblies and the end caps - the frag bodies are steel.

That answers my "wonders" and makes sense...

About both pieces.

Seems across the spectrum of replicas, the grenade reflects rust, black (blue-ing? age?), and brass.

Your answer helps clarify why...


Funnily, I have the Master Replicas .45-scale right in front of me. From a rookie perspective, their finish is really quite good...

 

[Halliwax]

Yeah. And somehow they chrome plated just the inside surfaces:

View attachment 1953895 View attachment 1953896



Just the neck assemblies and the end caps - the frag bodies are steel.

That is the trick I want to know… the process to chrome steel is intense.. it’s even harder to remove

The way I was taught you really can’t pick or choose areas to remove the chrome you just submerge it in multiple different chemical baths to remove it..

How the inside is chrome and the outside is blue boggles my mind

 

[Halliwax]

And it’s not like you can submerge the bluing in the chrome chemical bath because it contaminates the chrome chemical, the item has to be perfectly cleaned, with no impurity’s or it ruins the tank of chemicals

Ask me how I know.. my uncle nearly killed me when I went to chrome side pipes and had steel wool inside them..

Boy oh boy did I get in trouble

 

[The 48th Ronin]

That is the trick I want to know… the process to chrome steel is intense.. it’s even harder to remove

The way I was taught you really can’t pick or choose areas to remove the chrome you just submerge it in multiple different chemical baths to remove it..

How the inside is chrome and the outside is blue boggles my mind

Yeah, that's a real head scratcher...

 

[PHArchivist]

In brief, what is the 'story' on the chrome / foil tape on the Graflex clamp?

I've been scanning this thread, but just too much content to absorb much more than the images...