gijoeonthego Posted January 21, 2018 Share #1 Posted January 21, 2018 Hi Everyone, I noticed some Purple Heart Medals have some kind of "Purple Ink" in the engraving and some do not. What is it and why some PHs have this and others not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeclown Posted January 21, 2018 Share #2 Posted January 21, 2018 I would venture a guess as to the composition of the metal that is used to make it, maybe some makers use a different formulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 21, 2018 Share #3 Posted January 21, 2018 I've got to admit you have my interest piqued. I've photographed over 1,400 Purple Hearts in the last two years and haven't yet seen one with purple ink. Do you have a photo of what you're referring to?Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted January 21, 2018 Share #4 Posted January 21, 2018 Sometimes the chemical they used to darken the engraving on especially Navy Type I Purple Hearts, takes on a purple like color within the engraving cuts. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijoeonthego Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share #5 Posted January 21, 2018 Hi Dave, What I meant to say is after the engraving process, they added "Purple Ink" within the letters. I tried to post pictures but the computer if fighting. On our forum, the topic named "Pearl Harbor Posthumous USN Purple Hearts" you can see what I mean. Maybe it's a shadow casting. Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 21, 2018 Share #6 Posted January 21, 2018 I think it's like Kurt said...I think rather than "purple" per se, I think it's more of what color the engravings have become...I'd bet because of the patina of the open metal underneath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 21, 2018 Share #7 Posted January 21, 2018 Checking out the posthumous Pearl Harbor Purple Heart thread, I can say that those that look slightly purple are just from the photograph. I've photographed most of the Purple Hearts in that thread for my book and they're all either golden in color (like Truss) or black as standard...it was just the lighting when they were photographed, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted January 21, 2018 Share #8 Posted January 21, 2018 I think you're thinking of Hembree, for example. It looks like of purple-ish in Kurt's photo, but in mine, it's black, see below: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijoeonthego Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted January 21, 2018 Thanks for the answers. My main reason is why did some PHs have some kind of "coloring" (Black) in the engraving and some PHs adding nothing. the coloring adds, in my opinion, makes the name stand out. Why did it stop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanemono Posted January 21, 2018 Share #10 Posted January 21, 2018 The purple/black is the color of the sterling silver when it oxidizes after the the graver cuts through the gold. The color is different in different light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted January 21, 2018 Share #11 Posted January 21, 2018 I think it changed because they stopped making the actual heart out of silver at some point as the war progressed. 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