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Simulated Mills 36M Det Fuse

Houndsworth

Houndsworth

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I want to simulate a fuse for a Mills 36M detonator and assume a tightly woven cotton rope is what to start with. Do originals look like that or were they coated, meaning smoother with less or no woven structure shown? Anybody have any pictures of WW2 grenade fuses?

Is light yellow a good color?
 
No36 Dets.jpgHere I show a Drill, Mk111 and Repro No36 detonators.
Drill is light brown-orange colour and had DRILL on the base plus 2 side holes and 1 hole at the top to show it is inert. Copper det.
Mk111 is brown orange with aluminium det stamped 1941 R.H.L.
I last was made using a No83 smoke grenade igniter and some real fuse I lit and painted black. An early attempt at making a repro detonator.

I used to have a rifle launched det with white fuze and a black rubber ring.
 
Houndsworth said:
I want to simulate a fuse for a Mills 36M detonator and assume a tightly woven cotton rope is what to start with. Do originals look like that or were they coated, meaning smoother with less or no woven structure shown? Anybody have any pictures of WW2 grenade fuses?

Is light yellow a good color?
Click to expand...
It is actually an almost white talkum covered fuze. Imagine the Bickford fuze without the tar. Below you will se to different type of detonator boxes with live an original detonators from W.W.II.
Ooh as an extra information you will see why they went from wooden blocks to sheet metal racks in the boxes. :tinysmile_twink_t2:



A quotation from my upcoming book: SOE Equipment Air Dropped In Europe 1940 - 1945.

In 1942 the detonators for the Mills No.36 grenade packed in
wooden blocks were often found unusable because of deterioration
of the igniters. The igniters could be found with black spots
or corrosion, and the safety fuze with hairy growth, hence all
stocks of igniters manufactured after 30th June 1942 were withhold.
An investigation showed that the deterioration of these
igniters was caused by the fact that the moisture content of the
wooden blocks was higher than allowed by the specification.
Wooden blocks have been found containing nearly 50% moisture,
whilst the maximum allowed by the specification is only
2%. Nothing was wrong with the grenade itself it was merely the
igniters. Maybe this was the reason for the switch to metal racks
(Mk.VI) replacing the wooden blocks.
Mills Wooden Block.jpgUntitled-1.jpgDSC_1858.jpg

Instagram account: SOE4045
 
Last edited:
From DWS Notes, Grenades, Issue No 12, dated July 1943:
With regard to the 36 M grenade, the safety fuze for the Mk V, 4 second igniters, as Anders said, was white. In addition, for identification at night, the igniter also had a thin rubber band around it. The safety fuze for igniters Mks II and III for 36 M rifle grenades was yellow and with no thin rubber band for night identification. Some of the earlier Mk II igniters were straight. The above publication said that if any were encountered they could be bent, with care, to modify them (to make them serviceable) to the same state as igniters that were manufactured bent.
 
kiwieod said:
anders,are you reprinting your SOE book?
when will it be available
Click to expand...
Yes, but better yet. For those of you that already have the first press, this is a revised and updated edition. It will contain all the content from the first book plus a lot more additional information that has since surfaced. The book will be released around the new year 2023.
More here on my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjgUppWLHaW/
 
AMMOTECHXT said:
From DWS Notes, Grenades, Issue No 12, dated July 1943:
With regard to the 36 M grenade, the safety fuze for the Mk V, 4 second igniters, as Anders said, was white. In addition, for identification at night, the igniter also had a thin rubber band around it. The safety fuze for igniters Mks II and III for 36 M rifle grenades was yellow and with no thin rubber band for night identification. Some of the earlier Mk II igniters were straight. The above publication said that if any were encountered they could be bent, with care, to modify them (to make them serviceable) to the same state as igniters that were manufactured bent.
Click to expand...
It has always been my understanding that the rubber band was to hinder sparks from the percussion primer to get past the fuze and prematurely ignite the detonator.
I have never heard that the band was for identification. I have learned again thanks to this forum. :tinysmile_classes_t
 
The 4s and 7s igniters sets are nicely described in Infantry Training Volume I, Pamphlet No.7, Grenades, 1951; paragraphs 21 and 22:
 

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Snufkin said:
The 4s and 7s igniters sets are nicely described in Infantry Training Volume I, Pamphlet No.7, Grenades, 1951; paragraphs 21 and 22:
Click to expand...

Fantastic, as I said before I learn a lot on this forum. :tinysmile_kiss_t4:
 
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