Question On Japanese 25mm Navy HE-T Projectile Color

[pzjgr]

Hey guys, got a question on the color on the Japanese Navy 25mm high explosive tracer projectile...

Picked up two (inert) complete rounds with fuzes this weekend at a show for a song...BUT they had been chromed, completely.

So I found a local little plating shop, took them down, and asked if they could be de-chromed. They said sure. Dropped them off Wednesday at lunch, picked them up Thursday at 4:00...they were perfect. Completely de-chromed. They looked like shit, since they looked like they were pickled, but brought them home and cleaned them up on the buffing wheel, and man, look perfect (albeit very shiny, but they will tone down after a little time I am sure)...sure better than chromed.

Anyway, looking it up in TM 9-1985, the projectile is said to be red or orange...the question is what sort of orange...anyone have any good pics of originals, or good resto's? I can paint them red, but orange would be interesting, maybe I'll do one of each...The manual says the only discernable difference between the two colored projectiles is a slight differenc in weight...

I will post pics once I get them done....

 

[Slick]

Here's a good thread on them.

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/81110-25mm-Jap-projectile-question?highlight=Japanese+25mm

 

[pzjgr]

Here's a good thread on them.

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/81110-25mm-Jap-projectile-question?highlight=Japanese+25mm

Awesome, perfect, answers my question....probably will do one of each...

 

[Vasco Da Gama]

Pictured is a HE round with original paint for interest. The colour after 70+years appears to be a deep purple.

 

[pzjgr]

So working out in the garage today, so I got them painted up between real work, along with a 20x139 drill round I painted up to resemble a German HE-T I saw on a thread here (although I didn't finish the stenciling, I need to find some 1/8" letters for these small rounds...)

Anyway, decided to paint the 25's one each of the orange flavor, and red flavor...I saw reference to a green band on the nose, and one of the re-paints posted in that previous threads showed the green, so I added it, I think they look sharp.

Like I said, I am very impressed how well the de-chroming went. Now any time I find a chromed piece, I will take it right over to these guys, and have them work on them.

They are a bit bright right now, since I had to use the buffing wheel on them, but I will handle them, and they should tone down pretty quick...

Very happy to have stumbled on them, I only paid $30 each, plus another $30 to have them stripped...so I am into them right...

Pictured the markings, what there is. One fuze is marked bcn, the other bdk with a couple of other kanji marks. The headstamps are just a single navy anchor on each, and some markings on the primers, that's it, so I assume these are late war...

Hope you guys dig 'em!

 

[pzjgr]

View attachment 96881Pictured is a HE round with original paint for interest. The colour after 70+years appears to be a deep purple.

That is nice original paint, you can see the green band too...I would assume age and oxidation turned it purple...but I would guess it was a nice deep red to start!

 

[kahu1]

They have been described as 'deep maroon' or 'purple' from WW2 documents,so guessing it is just that colour aged.
Colour coding covered the different fuzes, fillings and proj.types,ie .Tracer,HE,HEI.

Bob

 

[pzjgr]

Hey, another question for you guys...anyone know what happened to Olaf's Japanese ammo site? That was a spectacular resource, and I can't seem to dig it up, and when I find a link, it won't open...that would be tragic if it disappeared...

 

[orpheus72]

pzjgr,

Olaf's site seems to be still on and running... http://www.japaneseammunition.com/

 

[pzjgr]

Huh, thats weird, the last few times I tried I got a page not found message...

I bookmarked it in any case, does seem to work for me now. Thanks!