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Another B167 and another P59

BruceLee230

Well-Known Member
More flea market finds.

B167 Mark I FM 1942. Converted to a tool box so holes to weld up and the third out of four I've had where the separating plates have been hammered flat. So have to drill out the rivets, reshape the plates and rivet back into place. I use aluminium rivets which I dome over with a homemade punch, no heating required. It has the original bronze green paint but can't see any stenciling.

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As I was carrying the B167 a guy asks me if I collect ammo boxes. (I regard myself as a rescuer rather than a collector!) He has a stall and sells most of his digging and detecting finds. He pulls out the P59 out of his ruck sack. Again a tool box conversion and in a rough but solid condition but an early date 1940, JSB. Needs three or four layers of paint to strip and originally bronze green.
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Both a fiver each and guy says he'll bring a B167 next week. That'll make thirteen altogether. Is that unlucky!
 
Just an update on the P59. Had to apply paint stripper three times. Not originally bronze green, pea green and remnants of yellow letters so assuming this was smoke bombs.
 
Decided to remove all the paint off the P59 with a wire brush on the angle grinder and found these stamps on one end.

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Flea market day again and guy has brought me another P59 Mk2 JMB 1940, same as the other one. Beaten up, the hinges had been replaced, no latches and holes drilled in the bottom BUT has the original webbing material on the handles. There's no rot so holes need welding up and should be able to knock up some hinges copied from the other P59 and this also was painted pea green as you can see in the photo where I removed the lock mechanism.
I could just have waxed it to keep the patina and put it on eBay for £74.99! Do people buy these things?

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