J. Cycle Centre Cast!!

[timmymac]

Finally a centre cast!!! Got this beautiful James Cycle Co. No5MKI in post today. Been waiting with MUCH anticipation for this Mills and it did not disappoint!!!!

 

[Slick]

Hate to sound ignernt, but what is centre cast?

 

[Snufkin]

Hate to sound ignernt, but what is centre cast?

Good question. A misnomer. It's not an engineering term and it's not a term that occurs in the period manufacturing or inspection documentation.

Mills grenades (like the US Mk2 and the various F1) are mostly found cast longitudinally, in two vertical halves around a vertical axis. All the segments are formed in the casting and machining is minimized. However, the first Mills grenades were cast as a bottom and a top half - what is correctly termed transverse cast. In order to allow the patterns to be removed from the sand moulds, only the vertical grooves of the segmentation could be cast in - the horizontal grooves had to be turned on a lathe. Suffice it to say this method of producing Mills grenades didn't last long.




Tom.

 

[Slick]

Maybe we can talk timmymac into posting a pic of the casting variations, side by side (and upright).

 

[Millsman]

What is the date of the plug?

John

 

[roller63]

I hope this pic of an un finished early No 5 body might help clear things up a bit, for those who are not quite sure. You can see the join around the middle.

 

[timmymac]

Sorry guys I meant to post more from computer. Here ya go John. Rick I asked the same thing from Siegfreid a few years ago, who , by the way is " the founder of the feast !"

 

[BMG50]

I have à James cycle co Mills normal cast, dated 11/15 would thé pull ring be thé same as this exemple.

 

[timmymac]

That's a good question, and one I'm unqualified to answer. Perhaps John or Dave S. or Mike S. would shed some light on that that elusive subject. The actual pin on this example is brass.

 

[Millsman]

I have à James cycle co Mills normal cast, dated 11/15 would thé pull ring be thé same as this exemple.

It could be either size - small or standard. The larger ring only really became the standard by mid 1916. John

 

[Millsman]

Sorry guys I meant to post more from computer. Here ya go John. Rick I asked the same thing from Siegfreid a few years ago, who , by the way is " the founder of the feast !"

Great find - lovely condition. - John

 

[timmymac]

With a few of his mates!!

 

[Millsman]

With a few of his mates!!

I'd say the latest is the best.

John

 

[paul the grenade]

one of the best ones ive seen in a long while. heres a pic from above showing the difference in body shapes of the two casting methods