another no 5 centercast question.

[Darrol]

where the grooves cut round the body in this case cut deep for better grip or did a factory worker get carried away .since i was told what type it was by you guys ive been doing some research and havent found one with grooves like this .any info very welcome .thanks Darrol:tinysmile_shy_t:

 

[paul the grenade]

I bet the machinist got carried away. I dont think you will find 2 of these grens that are identical, there always seems to be some small variation here and there.
A very nice No5 none the less.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
Cheers, Paul.

 

[Darrol]

thanks paul.thought so.had to ask to make sure . cheers Darrol:tinysmile_hmm_t:

 

[gothica7]

Hi Darrol,

i agree with Paul, never 2 the same so it seems.
Nice gren too.

Andy

 

[Darrol]

hi andy . i had to find out . the grooves are deep arnt they.havent seen any others even close to that yet:tinysmile_fatgrin_tthanks Darrol.

 

[gothica7]

Hi Darrol,

i suspect that the reason why your gren has survived it that the cuts were so deep that it didnt pass quality control and got pulled as a training aid or whatever. Conversly it could have been picked as a fine example of an early Mills but i suspect the latter.
Either way, a very nice gren.

Andy

 

[Darrol]

didnt think of that andy.:tinysmile_eyebrow_t.does anyone have any pics of the manufacture esp cutting the grooves on centercast grens? .kind of brings it home more seeing that process from the times .thanks again .regard Darrol

 

[Millsman]

Nice Grenade Darrol

I've got 4 centrecast No 5's and all the groove sizes are different. I'd say every one was unique. One of mine has quite shallow grooves so the exact opposite of yours.

John

 

[Darrol]

Hi john. Thanks.any chance of a pic of youre centercasts? Dont come across photos of them very often .cheers Darrol

 

[Millsman]

Yes, i'll see what I can do this evening.

John

 

[paul the grenade]

heres one i have. repainted in my early years of collecting as bright as i could get it! :tinysmile_hmm_t: i really ought to strip it back to bare metal again.
Cheers, Paul.

 

[gothica7]

Here is another, am in the process of restoring this one to its former glory.

Andy

 

[Darrol]

heres one i have. repainted in my early years of collecting as bright as i could get it! :tinysmile_hmm_t: i really ought to strip it back to bare metal again.
Cheers, Paul.

Thanks paul for the pic .very neat repaint all the same.id keep it as a example of markings myself lovely sharp casting too.cheers andy.hope you show us when you have finished restoration.did each foundry make there own variation of the body molds .i have seen some very egg like to the shape of the yellow plastic container in a kinderegg shape(didnt know how to describe it) thanks guys .regards Darrol.

 

[Millsman]

Darrol

Here's a photo of my 4 No 5 centrecasts.

Left to right

1. Recovered from the Somme Battlefield near High Wood. Presently painted but will strip to bare metal soon.

2. Sectioned and factory fresh, but probably sectioned for a museum or as a sales sample. Certainly not a trainer. Has even got a genuine WW1 drill det in it.

3. My oddball No 5. This Centrecast is smaller in diameter than any other Mills I've encountered. The vertical grooves look hand cut. It is so different I've always wondered if it was one of the mythical prototypes. It is certainly not a mass produced example. Sadly it was obtained without a base plug so I've added a 1915 M&LC Grimsby plug to it (no month). An ugly duckling but possibly the most interesting Mills I own.

4. Recovered from a spoil heap on the Loos Battlefield. Again no plug so have added a 1915 dated plug. It was full of coal dust when I got it.

John

 

[paul the grenade]

Heres another i forgot all about.
It has some original paint and came with a No23 Mk2 plug so ive left it as that.
paul.

 

[gothica7]

A couple more. The one on the right has some quite deep grooves.

Andy

 

[Darrol]

Darrol

Here's a photo of my 4 No 5 centrecasts.

Left to right

1. Recovered from the Somme Battlefield near High Wood. Presently painted but will strip to bare metal soon.

2. Sectioned and factory fresh, but probably sectioned for a museum or as a sales sample. Certainly not a trainer. Has even got a genuine WW1 drill det in it.

3. My oddball No 5. This Centrecast is smaller in diameter than any other Mills I've encountered. The vertical grooves look hand cut. It is so different I've always wondered if it was one of the mythical prototypes. It is certainly not a mass produced example. Sadly it was obtained without a base plug so I've added a 1915 M&LC Grimsby plug to it (no month). An ugly duckling but possibly the most interesting Mills I own.

4. Recovered from a spoil heap on the Loos Battlefield. Again no plug so have added a 1915 dated plug. It was full of coal dust when I got it.

John

hi john .see what you meen about the third no 5 . very odd shape . .looks great though.4th no 5 has the same body shape as mine.so each one is unique and they have more charm i think because you can see its been hands on production .nice collection .thanks Darrol

 

[Darrol]

Heres another i forgot all about.
It has some original paint and came with a No23 Mk2 plug so ive left it as that.
paul.

hi paul .it looks the business .great original finish.thanks Darrol

 

[Millsman]

A couple more. The one on the right has some quite deep grooves.

Andy

I like the one on the left Andy. That odd shape around the filler screw makes that type stand out. A shape rarely replicated in the standard cast No 5's.

John

 

[Millsman]

hi john .see what you meen about the third no 5 . very odd shape . .looks great though.4th no 5 has the same body shape as mine.so each one is unique and they have more charm i think because you can see its been hands on production .nice collection .thanks Darrol

Darrol

It's not just the shape it's the size. When held in the hand you can tell its smaller than standard. It's the only Mills out of the 50 or so I have that can be identified 'blind' just by holding it!

This one also has the original lever, which I had to use a blowlamp on to release from the shoulders.

John