Persian Gulf Command Posted July 3, 2017 Share #1 Posted July 3, 2017 Need some opinions? Had some different options' on this grenade recently at a show. Some thought it was a re-paint because of the color and others said it was original. I believe I have seen other early MK2 Frags with this "duller" yellow color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persian Gulf Command Posted July 3, 2017 Author Share #2 Posted July 3, 2017 threaded end: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 3, 2017 Share #3 Posted July 3, 2017 Unfortunately it is a repaint. Give away for me is the mashed up filling plug ( bung with the slot ) in the bottom. And the paint overtop of the damage. Guts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rldarmstr Posted July 3, 2017 Share #4 Posted July 3, 2017 Painting grenades can be problematic. If the metal is clean and treated with an etch solution the paint has a better chance of adhering. If not the paint will be soft and even after several months or longer you can scrape it off with a thumb nail. The paint on any original WWII yellow grenade is hard and on all that I remember seeing, shiny. You definitely can not dent it with your thumb nail. Here are two of mine. One has a painted plug and one looks to have been worn off. Personally I don;t see the paint on yours as being a significant sign of a repaint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted July 4, 2017 Share #5 Posted July 4, 2017 A friend got one almost identical to your dull yellow grenade. And it came from an ATF Agent.....directly from an ATF Agent. I was there when he got it. Yours is pretty much a spot on match. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 4, 2017 Share #6 Posted July 4, 2017 Hi again. Sorry to damping the mood. But Trust me. It is a repaint. Ask. How did the slot get so marred up ( someone trying to undo the soft lead alloy plug with a screwdriver ) and no damage to the paint job. The body is definitely original. But I assure you the paint isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persian Gulf Command Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share #7 Posted July 4, 2017 I'm not trying to defend this grenade as it stands; I simply want to determine if the paint is original and could be of this color. If someone did paint it then they used a color that is not often seen. So, regarding th lead plug: I have and have seen several plugs where the slot was nolonger "clean", where the "buggering" most likely occurred during its original screwing in. In some cases the slot appears to have been actually peened, perhaps to prohibit it being removed. I'm sure there are plenty of original plugs where its slot is still in perfect condition, but others that were marred by the screwdriver as these were being applied quickly and in large numbers. Here is one of my grenades, which I believe is completely original, where the slot is quite marred. Of note is that there is very little paint still adhering to the lead. This characteristic may actually be a better indicator of an original paint job as perhaps the lead is more likely to lose its paint over t he years more than the cast iron. Nice discussion here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 4, 2017 Share #8 Posted July 4, 2017 Mate to be honest that pic of the plug above looks like someone filled in a training grenade body hole. Notice the large chamfer around the rim of the hole. This is a heavy indicator of a mk2 trainer body. Normally a cork plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 4, 2017 Share #9 Posted July 4, 2017 See here. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/260217-mk2-training-grenade-fuze/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hink441 Posted July 4, 2017 Share #10 Posted July 4, 2017 The OP's yellow grenade looks fine to me. It is entirely possible that this one is an early grenade body. The original color was gray or black on early MKII and MKI frags in the 1920s and early 1930s. If this grenade was brought up to standards in the late 1930s and a coat of yellow paint was applied, does that make it un-original. I would have to take a closer look in order to rule this one out. It could be good one. Just my opinion. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rldarmstr Posted July 4, 2017 Share #11 Posted July 4, 2017 The plug and the hole that it fills appears to be too small for a training grenade. It may be well to keep in mind that this grenade body may have been painted black or grey or even red previously. They all had screw plug fill holes in the bottom. As time passes it could have been repainted yellow. This could also explain why the screw slot is a bit buggered but is still filled with yellow paint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 4, 2017 Share #12 Posted July 4, 2017 It is an early 40's body. Pre/ early bodies have quite rounded shoulders ( where the top line of fragmentations meets the neck) and a very tapered/ narrow base. The filler plug almost takes up the entire base of the grenade. It is possible that this should have been yellow though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 4, 2017 Share #13 Posted July 4, 2017 Like this one. This one is a beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persian Gulf Command Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share #14 Posted July 4, 2017 buzzbomb, That straight-on shot of the bottom of the plug made the plug look larger. These IS marked grenades have a chamfer around the rim of the fill hole but the threads are a standard 9/16th. Here is another shot of the grenade bottom and top. It's a very nice original OD over Yellow HE and not a trainer. Bottom: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persian Gulf Command Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share #15 Posted July 4, 2017 Top: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 4, 2017 Share #16 Posted July 4, 2017 Definitely original paint on that one. Nice First time I have seen a base like that. And maker so maybe that's why. Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hink441 Posted July 5, 2017 Share #17 Posted July 5, 2017 It is an early 40's body. Pre/ early bodies have quite rounded shoulders ( where the top line of fragmentations meets the neck) and a very tapered/ narrow base. The filler plug almost takes up the entire base of the grenade. It is possible that this should have been yellow though.Here is an early gray painted MKII with a wider base similar to the original posters grenade body. I still think the OPs grenade could be an early re-painted yellow body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinb Posted July 5, 2017 Share #18 Posted July 5, 2017 Here are my 4 yellow frags. The one on the left is yellow over gray. The 2nd and 4th are very similar in color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 5, 2017 Share #19 Posted July 5, 2017 Here are mine for comparison. 70 odd years in the soil at Monte Cassino. Amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 5, 2017 Share #20 Posted July 5, 2017 I adjusted the colour of the pictures to closely represent what I am seeing in person. Not perfect. But pretty close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzbomb Posted July 5, 2017 Share #21 Posted July 5, 2017 This one, the plug is actually proud. As in not all the way in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hink441 Posted July 5, 2017 Share #22 Posted July 5, 2017 Impressive collections!! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rldarmstr Posted July 6, 2017 Share #23 Posted July 6, 2017 Yes, I realize that the body is what we usually associate with WWII and the the earlier color schemes didn't all disappear at the same time. The grenade below I had a couple years ago. I believed then and still do that the paint is original. It's a WWII type body. So I still stand by my statement that the grenade body in question here may have had a history under a different color Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey247 Posted September 4, 2017 Share #24 Posted September 4, 2017 Red paint is for 1920's practice grenades, if I'm not mistaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rldarmstr Posted September 5, 2017 Share #25 Posted September 5, 2017 You are correct. The intent of my post was to show that the body style illustrated here could have been any one of a number of colors in its past and that the yellow paint over a buggered up screw could be from a repaint. The body style here is more closely associated with WWII than the 20's; no flat shoulder, no interrupted vertical grooves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now