Darkman
Well-Known Member
I recently picked up this nice unfired No. 85 fuze.
It has been converted to a time only fuze for AA use by the removal of the percussion components and replacement with a wooden block. I believe the designation for this fuze with the conversion is a No. 185, and is signified by the painted blue "T".
It is marked 85I (85 Mk 1) and was originally American made by Scovill in 1917. It is also marked R↑L with a year 17 and a date of 4/18. Presumably converted by RL in 1917 and refilled in 4/18.
My problem is that the top cap will not screw off and appears to be stuck tight. Some ham-fisted previous owner has tried to unscrew it and has damaged the removal tool locating peg holes, and I don't want to damage them further. The cap looks straight, so I don't think it's cross-threaded.
I'm not familiar with M1907 or No. 85s (other than battlefield recovered ones that are seized up), so I'm looking for some expert advice on how to get it apart without further damage. In particular which way does the thread unscrew and are there any locking pins that I am unaware of? I say this as the base plug has a left hand thread and all the drawings I can find do not mention this.
Thanks, Graeme
It has been converted to a time only fuze for AA use by the removal of the percussion components and replacement with a wooden block. I believe the designation for this fuze with the conversion is a No. 185, and is signified by the painted blue "T".
It is marked 85I (85 Mk 1) and was originally American made by Scovill in 1917. It is also marked R↑L with a year 17 and a date of 4/18. Presumably converted by RL in 1917 and refilled in 4/18.
My problem is that the top cap will not screw off and appears to be stuck tight. Some ham-fisted previous owner has tried to unscrew it and has damaged the removal tool locating peg holes, and I don't want to damage them further. The cap looks straight, so I don't think it's cross-threaded.
I'm not familiar with M1907 or No. 85s (other than battlefield recovered ones that are seized up), so I'm looking for some expert advice on how to get it apart without further damage. In particular which way does the thread unscrew and are there any locking pins that I am unaware of? I say this as the base plug has a left hand thread and all the drawings I can find do not mention this.
Thanks, Graeme
