True JR Gaunt Bombardier Wing

[mtnman]

Take a look to the left of the "L" in LONDON....

[LuftStalg1]

Is that your little squiggle there!? Pretty nice.

[mtnman]

You got it Buddy....that's it! It would be a blessing to go back in time and ask the artisan who made the dies what that little squiggle meant! If anything more than just a slight deviation of the tool.....

[Kropotkin]

Some great reference material for Gaunt wings here, mtnman. Can I ask how you prefer to clean wings that are silver-washed, especially English-made pieces? I have a glider pilot wing which has some black spots in places that I'd like to remove without necessarily polishing the surface too much (there are a couple of places where the wash has come away and I don't want to make these worse). Any advice?

 

 

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[rustywings]

Some great reference material for Gaunt wings here, mtnman. Can I ask how you prefer to clean wings that are silver-washed, especially English-made pieces? I have a glider pilot wing which has some black spots in places that I'd like to remove without necessarily polishing the surface too much (there are a couple of places where the wash has come away and I don't want to make these worse). Any advice?

 

 

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Another insightful thread Mel! Thank you for your efforts to share and inform.

 

I think we need to be especially careful with cleaning British-made badges like those produced by Gaunt, Firmin and Ludlow. Their thin layer of silver wash is highly vulnerable... and it doesn't take much rubbing on the high points to expose the underlying brass. I've had pretty good results cleaning the deeper recesses by lightly brushing the wing with an old soft toothbrush dipped in warm soapy water. I'm hesitant to use any chemical stronger than simple hand-soap.

 

[mtnman]

I think we need to be especially careful with cleaning British-made badges like those produced by Gaunt, Firmin and Ludlow. Their thin layer of silver wash is highly vulnerable... and it doesn't take much rubbing on the high points to expose the underlying brass. I've had pretty good results cleaning the deeper recesses by lightly brushing the wing with an old soft toothbrush dipped in warm soapy water. I'm hesitant to use any chemical stronger than simple hand-soap.

I WANT TO ABSOLUTELY ECHO RUSTYWINGS WITH HIS MOST SAGE ADVICE.

 

I will not exemplify my cleaning methods as I do not want anyone

trying what it took me 2 years to get comfortable with THROUGH SEVERAL MISTAKES, and I am still perfecting, probably to the day I die. I will tell you that

there are 2 primary elements that you will be dealing. The first issue you will deal with is the organic oils, smoker's tar, industrial

pollutants (non-hydrogen sulfide) from particular areas of our nation and just plain dirt. The 2nd issue you will deal with is a chemical change that occurs

at the surface level of the silver when hydrogen sulfide reacts with the top layer of silver to create a silver sulfide which is the actual black

thin coating that covers the surface of the silver. There are 2 approaches to tarnish, that is to clean it and then leave a thin layer of polish

to prevent the chemical reaction with hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere or to simply leave the tarnish because it is a self preventing

reaction once the first layer is formed i.e. the top layer of silver sulfide/tarnish protects the underlying silver layers from being

exposed to atmospheric conditions.

[mtnman]

I wanted to share another aspect of the JR Gaunt true wing design and that is the telltale marks of a die stamped wing. I have seen

several attempts to pass cast wings with the JR Gaunt design and this will give you a little ammunition in your defense against such

thievery.

 

The red arrows point to a thin layer of shearing which is the fingerprint of a die stamp machine plunger jamming the metal which

the wing is to be constructed in, probably nickel here, into the die mold. The force is tremendous and it shears the edges of the

metal right off, leaving the telltale shear marks. The yellow lines point to the top edging of the JR Gaunt foundation wing upon

the shearing marks are more difficult to see but it held under a light you will see a series of shearing indentions along the coronal (left to right vertical) plane

of this anterior section of the wing and on top of both the sinister (left) and Dexter (right) wing on the transverse (horizontal flat) plane both proximal to the escutcheon (shoulders) and at the

distal ends of the wings as well. These shearing marks usually stand out when you expose them to a light source as they become highly reflective

at many different angles because of the sheared metal sticking up.

[Kropotkin]

Thanks both.

[B-17Guy]

Thanks for the information and always insightful research Mel, great write up.

John

[Kropotkin]

Hello, I'm considering dropping a few quid on these wings and would appreciate a view on whether they are worth the investment, as I know how much of a minefield gaunt wings are.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/2caae8e2b64b9394eb268232c817d5a7.png

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160727/27de0c19d0929a0b9c1c67392aa310ba.png

[mtnman]

I think you found yourself a lovely set of wings from Jr Gaunt . Look at the natural wear to the silver wash upon the bomb and the roundel encircling the bomb. The back edges have the shear marks from the die stamp in all the right places and the Makers Mark has a VERY good, crisp look to it as far as JR gaunt badges of this type go. The pin assembly is set within the markers and the markers are still Extant and pronounced, which are lost in the casting process to a certain extent. A little extra is the little piece of cloth that was caught by the lower prong! That has been there for a long time methinks! The patina is not manufactured and perfect for the timespan allotted to a valid wing. I believe you nailed it and I say Enjoy your wing.

[Costa]

a really beautiful example.

[Kropotkin]

Thanks both. Again I am indebted to you.

[mtnman]

Not at all, the Blessing is mine to pass on only that which I have been given and the research which that knowledge and wisdom gave impetus to; shared by the Kindness of those who sought the Truth of this collecting discipline in diligence, before me. It is our duty to share these truths responsibly with those we see through experience of their approach, will use this knowledge to preserve this glorious contextual history we have been given the blessing of a deep affinity for.

[Kropotkin]

Here's the Gaunt bombardier wing in a little more detail:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mtnman]

It doesn't get any better than that bro! Very well done! That is a beautiful wing that has seen service for sure! Top self.

[Kropotkin]

Many thanks, Mel. The only benefit of being a USAAF wing collector in the UK is that these fine feathered wings come up once in a while for decent prices. It seems we Britons hold these in lesser regard than in the US.