WWII British Bomb Disposal questions

[WWIIBuff]

I am hoping someone can clear this up for me. I've been reading up on the British Bomb Disposal units and their techniques during the Blitz but am confused by the required use of non-magnetic tools on the early bombs. What was the concern about using a magnetic tool, how would that have effected the fuze? I understand the concern around the magnetic parachute mines, but not around a bomb with an electric fuze. Or was it mechanical fuzes they were concerned about?

Also, was it just the hammer that had to be made out of non-magnetic bronze? Wouldn't the cold chisel also have to be made from that material?

Thanks

John

 

[HAZORD]

One of the reasons they used bronze, is because it won't cause a spark, in addition to being non magnetic.

 

[smle2009]

Also you have to remember that at the beginning bomb disposal teams were far removed from the specialists that we have today,information on the ordnance dropped was very scant,the teams were made up from engineers with little or no knowledge of bomb disposal and learnt by trial and error,sometimes through fatal error....also in most cases the ordnance had to be dismantled on site,as apposed to 'slapping' 8oz of PE on it and blowing it up today.
Later in the war they often had to deal with ordnance that was 'bobby trapped',again solved by trial and error....so using bronze tools would make good sense while dealing with the 'unkown'

 

[LEI-13-HG]

You're using the historian's basic mistake of hindsight - BD units knew that some German (mine) fuzes were magnetic but they had no way of telling that the next hole they went down, the bomb fuze wasn't a new one that had a magnetic component or was a regular fuze that had a new magnetic component in it.

 

[radioman1]

Hi we used a lot of non ferrous tools hammers screwdrivers plus others

Hope this info helps

Steve Ex RNAD Trecwn

 

[WWIIBuff]

Thanks guys, this all makes sense. Does anyone know if the cold chisels were also bronze?

 

[millsbomber]

Don't think you would have a chisel made from soft metal but maybe a drift

 

[Nabob]

The non mag chisel is not as hard as steel one. It is some kind of alloy.
Sometimes a non magnetic tool is handy when working around sensitive electrical circuits.

Bob

 

[glevum]

A lot of non magnetic tools are not bronze but beryllium copper. Telcon used to make them in Crawley. Beryllium copper is much harder than bronze. Your 'bronze' cold chisel is likely to be beryllium copper.

If you have any tools made of beryllium copper it is important not to polish or grind them since beryllium oxide dust is extremely toxic.

 

[WWIIBuff]

Thanks for the additional information. I knew bronze was a soft metal, that's why I was wondering if they made the chisels from it as well, it just didn't seem very likely.

Was beryllium copper around during World War Two?