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Help separating an 81mm mortar bomb tail section

T

Tailspin

Active Member
Hi there,

Can anyone give me any advice on how to separate the tail section of an 81mm mortar bomb?

If it's any help the bomb is French and appears to be dated 1932. This, of course, could be part of it's nomaclature and not a date.

I'll post some pictures for reference when I can get to a PC.

Cheers,

Paul
 
Here are some pictures:

81mmBomb1.jpg


81mmBomb2.jpg


81mmBomb3.jpg


81mmBomb4.jpg
 
Hello Paul,
The fins on your inert 81mm French mortar are secured by four tiny grub screws/pins.
Drill these out very carefully and the fin unit will unscrew. I've marked a couple of them on the picture as they are difficult to see. The holes can easily be hidden later if you wish with a tiny dab of body filler.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
navyman.
 

Attachments

  • Arrowed French Mortar a.jpg
    Arrowed French Mortar a.jpg
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Thanks for the info.

I'm planning on taking an angle grinder, with a wire brush attachment, to it. Does that sound sensible for getting it down to bare metal?

Does anyone know what fuse I'd need to place on top? Would the American ones used in WWII fit?

Cheers,

Paul
 
It may leave a nasty 'brushed finish' to it. If you take a browse through the restoring pages, there are plenty of helpful tips of removing stuff without a trace.
 
I had that same thought doing circles in the back of my mind.

I'll have a look at the restoration pages for a bit more information.

Thank,

Paul
 
Hello Paul,
I would strongly advise you not to take a wire brush to it.
As PointblankO says it will scratch the suface and require much more filling and polishing afterwards.
I would recommend something like Kurust, light sanding with fine emery cloth or similar, and if you wish to fill any pitting my favourite is Chemical metal, made by plastic padding.
Cheers,
navyman.
 
Last edited:
Morning,

Again, thanks for the tip and, more importantly, the warnings. There is some kurust at my folks house and I'll use some of that.

I know there is also some very fine steel wool there and I wondered whether this may has the same, although not as bad, affect on the casing as the wire brush idea?

Actually, I think your advice with regards to the emery cloth would be best all around.

Cheers,

Paul
 
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