Ammunition Laboratory Tools

[pedro]

Couple of odds and ends from my tool collection.
The first is a set of bronze magazine scissors. dated 1882 and from the Phosphor Bronze Company of Southwark (now part of http://www.leedsbronze.co.uk). These scissors were part of the the equipment of the coastal artillery of the Queensland Defence Force (pre Australian Federation)

The second is a tool for rounding out vickers belts for reloading

 

[smle2009]

Hi Pedro,
what are the letters under the broad arrow on the scissors...EFD ?


Tony

 

[pedro]

Tony,
WD with the broad arrow. The scissors were manufactured in UK and procured by UK War Office.. only later to be issued to Queensland and then locally stamped QDF

 

[AMMOTECHXT]

I remember seeing a similar pair of brass scissors in the 1980s, don't know if they were as old as yours. I also remember seeing a `magazine knife', having a brass blade and wooden handle. I seem to remember that I used them on bagged propelling charges, with a curved brass needle - cutting off caked gunpowder igniters and replacing them with new ones. That was a one-off job over 30 years ago. Never seen any since.