RFX Richmond Foundry

[Kilroy was Here]

It's at the office so I'll photo it on Monday.

OK, thanks, I look forward to seeing this one. Just in case....I will throw some pillows around my office chair before I look, and possibly fall over from finally seeing the Holy Grail of WW2 pineapples.

What about the borescope photo quiz? Will you wait for a few more to guess, and then announce the results?

 

[Eodtek]

OK, thanks, I look forward to seeing this one. Just in case....I will throw some pillows around my office chair before I look, and possibly fall over from finally seeing the Holy Grail of WW2 pineapples.

What about the borescope photo quiz? Will you wait for a few more to guess, and then announce the results?

Monday with the photos of the grenades.

 

[Eodtek]

OK, thanks, I look forward to seeing this one. Just in case....I will throw some pillows around my office chair before I look, and possibly fall over from finally seeing the Holy Grail of WW2 pineapples.

Here it is, a flat bottom RFX that originally was painted solid yellow and was recoated in OD green.

 

[paul the grenade]

:adore::adore:THE HOLY GRAIL!!!!:adore::adore:

 

[hink441]

Wow, that is really awesome. I guess we now have to re-address the role and history of RFX grenades and their uses. Thanks for posting.

 

[Eodtek]

What about the borescope photo quiz? Will you wait for a few more to guess, and then announce the results?

Here are the answer sheets:
1. RFX Flat Bottom
2. U Flat Bottom
3. G Threaded Bottom
4. RFX Flat Bottom

Better photos of the grenade, interior and base are attached and are in the order they are listed above. These are resized for posting on here but should show all the detail.

 

[hink441]

Hi EODtek, judging by your pictures you have two RFX HE grenades. Can you tell us where you found these two beauties, and do you have more?? Thanks for the education.

 

[dano1917]

Certainly shows existance of HE RFX and early too. I don't think that even the most insistant of "doubting Thomas" could dispute this. It is obvious these are NOT "LOE" bodies. I still have yet to see an RFX M21 that is earlier than the early '50's....Dano

 

[Eodtek]

Hi EODtek, judging by your pictures you have two RFX HE grenades. Can you tell us where you found these two beauties, and do you have more?? Thanks for the education.

I have 3. One is black and is the one that started this whole discussion.

I couldn't begin to tell you where they were recovered from as many of them just end up here in a box. The last time I picked up MK II bodies I ended up with a box of 30+ with some being novelty bodies, some being M21's and some being MKII's.

 

[dano1917]

dream box

I have yet to find any documentation on Richmond Foundry to include their location (suspected to be Richmond VA) or how long they were in contract to produce MK II and M21 bodies.

Does anyone have any info that would point me in the right direction?

Here is the reason I ask. Over the years it was my understanding that Richmond Foundry only produced the M21 grenade. The grenade shown below is clearly a MK II body and as you can see by the photograph of the interior it was not a practice body that someone has modified.

So as a part of all this info I'm trying to put together this would seem to be an important piece in the time line.

Dang Eodtek, I think that is what us collectors would refer to as a "dream box". Just got off the phone with "Tom" a dealer over in St. Louis. He just got a box of shells in (wish they were grenades) which he will hold for me till my next trip over so I can have "first look" at them. He tells me ther is alot of small Vietnam stuff in there so my imagination is running rampant about now. I asked for no more details as I love surprises. Those 2 HE RFX pineapples are the first 2 I have seen that I totally concur are definate pre Aug 45 RFX HE's that i've seen and totally agree are original in every aspect. To "hear of" and actually "see" as you well know are 2 different things. Coolest part about this hobby is that things change, and no matter how much time passes epiphones may pop at any time. Keep an open mind and ye shall receive!! On photo 4 the mold lone shows and in my mind makes it undisputable. In fact those are the first RFX bodies i've seen with the flat fragmentation lugs. Do you have an early M21 with the flat lugs? In my mind the M21 RFX did not come out until the early 50's which had the more pronounced diamond lugs. Prove me wrong. Please. Like a Majpr League baseball player trying to stretch a double into a triple. What he is saying is "throw me out"........Dano

 

[MA012]

Here is another RFX Flat Bottom similar to Eodtek's #1. above; also a mold for an REX.

 

[Grenademan2005]

Your RFX has a post WWII fuze.

 

[Grenademan2005]

I have 3. One is black and is the one that started this whole discussion.

I couldn't begin to tell you where they were recovered from as many of them just end up here in a box. The last time I picked up MK II bodies I ended up with a box of 30+ with some being novelty bodies, some being M21's and some being MKII's.

Without fuzes?

 

[Grenademan2005]

Here it is, a flat bottom RFX that originally was painted solid yellow and was recoated in OD green.

This one is the "living" proof that RFX made grenades for WWII, (always that the paint work be original and not repainted by a collector), if they just come painted green, they easily could be post WWII. Awesome. I would love to have one of these in my collection. Congratulations.

 

[Eodtek]

Without fuzes?

Probably about half of them come without fuzes.

 

[Grenademan2005]

Do you remember what fuzes were they?

 

[Eodtek]

Do you remember what fuzes were they?

I've only recovered 4 grenades with fuzes other than M10 series fuzes. One had an M5, one had an M6A4C and 2 were M204's. None of those 4 grenades were RFX bodies.

The black RFX body and the od green body were unfuzed if I remember correctly. I do recall that the yellow/od green over paint was fuzed with an M10 series fuze.

 

[dano1917]

One thing that is for sure "RFX" has certainly a carved place in history for manufacture of pineapple and lemon grenades. Their place in ordnance history is no less important than any other manufacturer/catagory. One could build quite an impressive collection on "RFX" grenades alone as the existance of RFX grenades seems to have covered quite a time span. One could start an RFX collection quite inexpensively until you get to the documented early HE units which would command genuine MKII prices. Wish we (I) could come up with a little more company history, dates of Govt. contracts, years in business and the like (all pre novelty surplus circuit bodies). Even a novelty m21 or 2 would help round out such a collection so that the entire story of RFX grenades may someday be completely told. Matter of time...Dano

 

[Eodtek]

This one is the "living" proof that RFX made grenades for WWII, (always that the paint work be original and not repainted by a collector), if they just come painted green, they easily could be post WWII. Awesome. I would love to have one of these in my collection. Congratulations.

Just to point out here, the date the color code changed was December 10, 1942. Supposing that it took 4-6 months for manufacturers to change, it would still mean that items produced after mid-1943 would still be WWII and would be marked OD green with a yellow band.

 

[Grenademan2005]

Yes, it is what I said.... or not? :tinysmile_cry_t2: The real important thing is the yellow colour under the OD, it means that the grenade its pre/or 1942 made. Always thinking that the paint is original to the grenade and not repainted, nothing against you Eodtek, just it is an important point for to have in mind.