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Markings for an M-124 250 pound practice bomb

  • Thread starter US Military Guy
  • Start date
Here is a start:

M124.jpg

These bombs were made by the (PPS) Dana Corp, Parish Division located in Reading, PA.

Here is an image from a newspaper article confirming that:

PPS.jpg

So, your stenciling should read something like this:

BOMB, PRACTICE
250 LB M124
LOT PPS 5894 (5894=whatever you chose)
3-54 (3-54=this date should be in the late 1950s; your choice)

There may be more information regarding sand or water fill, weight, cubic feet and so on. But this is the best I can find at this time.
 
I do have the top graphic, but did not know what the bottom two lines should read. Thanks a bunch for that information!

The second graphic is very helpful.

I have some ideas on the "whatever; your choice" additions to lines 3 and 4. Do you think "8 - 59" is too late for the date?

When I get time, I will start to work on it and post a photo. If it is not correct, I can always repaint - and try again.
 
I have one of these in almost new condition. It is hanging on the ceiling against the wall, so I can't see one side, and there isn't any lettering on the side shown in the drawing. I need to get a ladder and look on that side. The fin on the other hand has a lot of White lettering on it, that was done with a Stencil. It is dated 1955. The letters look to be 1 inch tall with 3/8 to 1/2 inch spacing between lines. The lettering is perpendicular to the axis of the bomb (wrapping around the fin), a different direction than the drawing shows. I've never seen bombs lettered in the direction shown on that drawing.
 
Well, I hate to ask you to get your ladder out - but - could you please get your ladder out and post some photos?

Thankfully (?), I have a pretty busy schedule for the next couple of weeks and won't have anytime soon to do the painting, but perhaps I won't have to paint it twice.

It is rather odd that the "quasi-official publication" shows an incorrect paint scheme, but I spent many - many years working for Uncle Sam and I know that sort of thing happens from time-to-time.

Thanks.
 
I took photos of the lettering on the fins. Ill look the body over for markings. I need to take it off the ceiling anyway to put it in my bomb room that I'm working on.
 
I checked my bomb body for lettering, but there isn't any lettering on it. Just the fin is lettered. The word to the left of Assembly is FIN
 

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I checked my bomb body for lettering, but there isn't any lettering on it. Just the fin is lettered. The word to the left of Assembly is FIN

It looks like I can only "Thank You" once in your post, so I want to do it again here.

Thank You!

I understand this lettering is only on the fin and is perpendicular to the axis of the bomb. I can pretty much judge the location based on the seam in the fin assembly. Can you tell me the approximate distance down from the joint between the fin assembly and bomb body?

I really appreciate it.
 
The top of the lettering is 7 inches below the rim of the fin.

The bottom of the bottom row is 22 inches from the bottom of the fin.

Actually, I started out with an L shaped room of 1600 sq. ft. back in 88. I was supposed to have a 60 ft rifle range on one side, except when I started moving Ordnance in, it filled the whole building. Then I built the annex, which brought the size up to 1900 sq. ft, but I still had bombs in the aisles to walk around, so then I decided to build an aircraft Ordnance room of 670 sq. ft. to get all the bombs, submunitions and missiles out of the original building. My big goal is to get it finished by July because I plan to have a celebration of the 100 yr. birthday of my Big Bertha case that is dated July 1915.
 
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I have a military funeral to do Saturday, VA medical appointment later - and am planning a military vehicle rally for next month.

The bad news is that I am pretty busy right now.

The good news is that I would like this bomb correctly stenciled before the rally since part of the rally is a tour of the museum where I have the bomb located. So I suppose I need to get it properly stenciled before next month, huh?

I really appreciate the help on this.
 
Yeah, you have no reason to procrastinate any longer


Sent from my NSA/FBI tapped iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Actually, I still have not got the thing stenciled, yet. On my list of things to do before next weekend's vehicle rally.

Am I to understand there are two methods of stenciling - one on the body and one on the fins? What is a guy to do?

I am leaning toward the stencil on the body. It seems it might be easier to do than on the fin where I will have to deal with the taper of the fin. That will make a single piece stencil more difficult to lay flat. However, I do note that the words on the fin are "Fin Assembly M 140" and the ones on the body are "Bomb Practice".

Suggestions / comments?
 
If you were me, you would copy the stenciling right down to the most trivial details.

I mean exact. Do so on both the body and the fins. All bodies and fins I have ever seen in my years of collecting, both have unique nomenclature and manufacturing information.

Do not make the same error that a lot of folks do in disregarding the historic accuracy of styles of texts and fonts. In short, the way they stenciled the letter ''R'' in 1942 does not look like the letter "R'' in Windows 8 Paint or what have you.

Here is how I currently do my work, although in the future I plan to convert to 3D printed stamps and stencils that are reusable.

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threa...1-box-retarder?p=148312&viewfull=1#post148312
 
In reference to what I pointed out in regard to historic fonts, my AN-M65 is a fine example of a historically inaccurate restoration. It looks like it was painted several years ago, where if you look at 70 year old, vintage photographs of stenciled casings; you will see exactly what I mean.
 
If you were me, you would copy the stenciling right down to the most trivial details.

I mean exact. Do so on both the body and the fins. All bodies and fins I have ever seen in my years of collecting, both have unique nomenclature and manufacturing information.

Do not make the same error that a lot of folks do in disregarding the historic accuracy of styles of texts and fonts. In short, the way they stenciled the letter ''R'' in 1942 does not look like the letter "R'' in Windows 8 Paint or what have you.

Here is how I currently do my work, although in the future I plan to convert to 3D printed stamps and stencils that are reusable.

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threa...1-box-retarder?p=148312&viewfull=1#post148312

What is the name of the font were you using?
 
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