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looking for the right color for Britsh Chemical bombs

Fjordhouse

Well-Known Member
Ordnance approved
Hello,

I am restoring some British WW 2 Chemical bombs, and i am looking for the right colors. in some books its saying that the color should be grey, but can anybody help me with a RAL number?
I am restoring most of the Chemical bombs mentioned in the book "handbook of Pre-1946 Chemical Weapons written by Jeff Osborne, the Items that i have got were stored outside for a really long time and i had to sandblast them,, now they are blasted i would like to start but i am desperate for the correct color.
You see the Picture from Jeff Osborne his book (very nice and good book) , and you see the item after sand blasting, its a pity but 8 years outside i could not save the original paint.
Any help about the colors would be helpful

Regards
Ben
 

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Ben,

You want Light Grey - "BS381C - No. 631" Easily obtainable next time you're in the UK - but I appreciate that could be a while.

Apparently the Colour Hex code is #98A898.

How much do you need?

TimG

****** Ignore - incorrect ******
 
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RAOS Volume 3 1946, Section 1 just says Grey, however on one of the plates it says Light Grey.
Inter Service Ammunition and Ammunition Package Markings Handbook (ISA & APM) 1948 only has BS 381C, Colour Number 932 Grey Dark Battleship (later known as Admiralty Grey).
Joint SA & APM 1960 has the BS 381C Colour Number 632 and also a Colour Number 631 Light Grey (see Plate).

Probably the best way to see the right colour, is to look at a Grenade L1 Anti-Riot or the Box Steel L1 associated with this grenade, which you must have in your collection.

The original package for the L1 grenade was the Box Steel C238, followed by the L1, C320 and M104.
 

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AE501,

It would appear up to 1945 the grey used was BS 381: 1943, NO. 32. Which is 632 (they were running out of numbers and the Greys were put in the 600 group , thus 32 became 632)

I made the mistake of just looking at the 1960 publication which states 631 and that632 is only a camouflage colour.

TimG
 
The line drawing in the February 1946 edition of RAOS Vol 3 chemical section says Light Grey.
The coloured plates in the publication are also Light in colour, but a very strange grey.
I doubt that in an emergency situation, like WWII, that too much attention was being paid to colour numbers.
The only thing with chemical ammunition is that the chosen colour should be unlike any other colour and grey fits the bill.
We had many chemical shells at a northern ammunition depot and there was a lot of colour variation.
The same can also be said of a lot of HE ammunition, particularly QF separate and BL.
DWS Notes of April 1943 just say grey, but there are no plates of any kind.
 
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Thank you both, this will help me to restore them. i will post pictures when they are ready. regards Ben
 
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