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ww1 German gas shell

As I saw in the pics from our russian member, these crosses on the bottom of the case were not very well painted. Just for stripes on each side and not over the complete bottom, so I made the cross on my one too "german" (accurate) *gggg*
 
Der_Feldgraue said:
As I saw in the pics from our russian member, these crosses on the bottom of the case were not very well painted. Just for stripes on each side and not over the complete bottom, so I made the cross on my one too "german" (accurate) *gggg*
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thats all that was used,a brush and a pot of paint.
if its too neat it doesnt look authentic


good job
18pdr
 
Exreler said:
Color of shells was matt not gloss
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hmm i would argue that one.

Imperial museum has examples of ww1 shells that clearly show a gloss finish,ive seen em.

No one has any colour images from that age because they dont exist.
One can assume that some may have been gloss and others matt.
And who can be sure,totally sure about the colour?



The finish can also differ because of paint age,cost,quality of materials used or wear and tear.

Theres not a hard and fast rule to it in my eyes,if someone wants to paint something gloss,then thats up to them,I havent any proof otherwise-
i wasnt there all those years ago.

18pdr
 
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Although the Germans seem to be one of the first of the WWI era countries to use a matt finish, it was not on all of their shells. Most examples I have seen have been more of a semi-gloss finish, almost as if you took a gloss finish and then rubbed it most vigorously with steel wool. Paint was applied with brushes on turntables with the shells in the upright position. I know this because I have seen runs in the paint moving vertically. I have examples of the light blue shrapnel shells (77mm) with flat light blue original paint. The color designated "red" in the manuals (for cast iron or early HE shells) is really a flat orange color). These are the only flat colors I have personally seen on WWI German shells. I have examples of Yellow which are of the semi gloss appearance and have two 15cm HE ( Haube shells with original paint), the color listed for these in the manuals as either tan or biege, is in reality a semi gloss very light OD green with a touch of blue. When re-painting WWI German shells, you have to remember that because of the embargo, lots of materials were scarce, paint pigment seems to be one of them. You can see in field eqipment from year to year how the colors change. This happened with artillery shells too. It is not important to get the exact right shade of blue, there really was none. In fact, the color shown on the restoration that started this post off looks perfect to me. I have two examples of original blue paint on 77 gas & HE shells, one is just a tad darker than the one in this post, my other is considerably lighter. One is a Blue Cross shell, the other is the long body HE.
 
cheers

Well said frizzen, In paint and so many other facets as well from WW1 no hard and fast rules apply. The urgency of necessity and raw material availibility often dictated color, design and many other things. There were so many ersatz items from The First World War just to give an inkling of an idea. From grenades to shells to even canteens and coverings the variation is mind boggling...Dano
 
The text on the ceramic bottle is,

What i can read:

How to use
If used mix it with water 2 to 1
Don't use in a closed room
Use a gasmask
 
frizzen said:
Although the Germans seem to be one of the first of the WWI era countries to use a matt finish, it was not on all of their shells. Most examples I have seen have been more of a semi-gloss finish, almost as if you took a gloss finish and then rubbed it most vigorously with steel wool. Paint was applied with brushes on turntables with the shells in the upright position. I know this because I have seen runs in the paint moving vertically. I have examples of the light blue shrapnel shells (77mm) with flat light blue original paint. The color designated "red" in the manuals (for cast iron or early HE shells) is really a flat orange color). These are the only flat colors I have personally seen on WWI German shells. I have examples of Yellow which are of the semi gloss appearance and have two 15cm HE ( Haube shells with original paint), the color listed for these in the manuals as either tan or biege, is in reality a semi gloss very light OD green with a touch of blue. When re-painting WWI German shells, you have to remember that because of the embargo, lots of materials were scarce, paint pigment seems to be one of them. You can see in field eqipment from year to year how the colors change. This happened with artillery shells too. It is not important to get the exact right shade of blue, there really was none. In fact, the color shown on the restoration that started this post off looks perfect to me. I have two examples of original blue paint on 77 gas & HE shells, one is just a tad darker than the one in this post, my other is considerably lighter. One is a Blue Cross shell, the other is the long body HE.
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thats what i say
when some one says to me ''this is THE correct colour'' i tend to sigh abit.

I just say to folk,dont loose sleep trying to get the magic colour--there isnt one.

18pounder
 
Hi Well i have been a painter all my life and when i started work 41 years ago nearly all the paint was mixed up by hand and the old boys then said it was an art to get it right every time so the shades did very according to who was mixing it and the oil paint was lead based it dried a gloss but after a while it goes matt and powdery so that could be why.
Andy
 
I don't tink the 4,5" is a gas shell. the copper band is not 30 mm. is the shell in two pieces or is there a base plate and is the shell37 cm long.

grts
 
KGr 14 (24,3 cm): KZ 14
KGr 16 (26,4 cm): KZ 11 Gr
EKZ 16
KZ 14
EKZ 17
LgFKGr (31,3 cm): KZ 11
EKZ 16
KZ 14
KZ 14 n/A
EKZ 17


GRTS
 
Thats the same with the color "fieldgrey". I saw shades from dark green, green-grey, almost NATO olive drab and grey between period items. There is no real "original color" and whatever the real color was over 90 years ago, it won't be the same color after over 90 years, even if it was stored in a dark, dry place.
 
yes jens

yes jens i agree with you i have also seen so many different colors for gas shells its realy hard to say which is exactly the original color !!

I have a realy good CD with all german shells and how they are painted originaly !!

wbr David
 
Yes, Yes, German WWI field grey... I also have shells with original FG paint that range from the light grey-green to a dark OD. I have a 10cm Haube with dark OD paint dated 1918 (late war) and also two 15cm projectiles (Haubes also) with the light grey green, both of these are also dated 1918. The color didn't just change over the years as I first thought, but was inconsistant all along. If you look at early stick grenades, you can also see the variance in shade from light to dark. The paint seemed to hold up better on the grenades, probably because they were indoors in collections. I have many First war sticks, in all variety of shades of green. I have had very good luck buying paint from hobby stores in the small bottles the model builders use. The colors are military so have that slightly muddied tone and it is easy to mix the color you need in small amounts for the projectile you are painting. I use a lathe on slow speed for shells up to 105mm and an upright turntable for anything larger. I also use a stiff cheap brush and actually try to leave brush strokes as the originals all have that look. After it is dry I rub down with steel wool and if it looks too flat, rub oil into it. I like this method much better than spray painting........
 
Der_Feldgraue said:
It is really painted red. See this german army field artillery regulation from 1917 for reference:
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ok i couldnt stand the thing looking at me anymore so ive painted the fuze rod red,not bright red though.

Is that better Feldgraue ?

all the best
 

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18pounder said:
ok i couldnt stand the thing looking at me anymore so ive painted the fuze rod red,not bright red though.

Is that better Feldgraue ?

all the best
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have you anymore like this?
it is a real good restoration.
Do you do work for others,because i have plenty of work for you if you want it?
 
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