5 Place Ribbon Bar Opinion Please

[John F.]

Hello:

I wanted to get some opinions on this bar since I am not too knowledgeable in this area. I am concerned with the following:

a. No felt/cloth backing

b. The cleanliness of the ribbons compared to the backside of the bar that has rust and corrosion and the fact there is no carryover of this on the ribbons themselves.

c. The tip of the pin seems to be somewhat sharp.

However, the ribbons do pass the black light test. What are your comments please?

Thanks,
John

[TJ Suter]

You've got a great bar there. It isn't supposed to have cloth backing on that type of bar and its not unusual for the pin on those to be sharp.

Rick wrote a great article on ribbon bars and construction methods. Its worth taking a look at.

Let me know if it needs a new home.

[Al P]

I like what I see, but can see your concern about how 'new' the ribbons look when compared to the corroded back. It almost looks as if something wet sat on the back right side of the bar, while the left side looks new.

Did some of the rust colour transfer to the bottom of the KVK ribbon? It kind of looks this way in the one front shot you posted but I cannot tell for sure.

Al

[Rick Research]

Looks fine to me too. that's typical tab back construction, and typical sweat rust, where the "moist" air got trapped between the bar and the tunic, whereas it could evaporate off from the front.

The telltale sign of meddling with these is scratches all around the tabs where Naughty Persons have pried off each single ribbon unit and put something back on. I don't see scratches.

BTW, to Potential Naughty Persons getting Bad Ideas: those tabs are literally razor thin. They are now 60+ years old, themselves usually quite corroded on the inside air space, and while can SOMETIMES be gently pried off and bent back down ONCE, more flexing than that snaps 'em right off like rotten teeth.

NEVER mess with tabbies!!!!

[John F.]

... Did some of the rust colour transfer to the bottom of the KVK ribbon? It kind of looks this way in the one front shot you posted but I cannot tell for sure.

Al

Al: That is one of my concerns that there is no rust stain carryover to the ribbons themselves.

John

[John F.]

Thanks, I'll sleep better tonight!

Gentlemen:

Thank you for the replies and dissolving my concerns! I will sleep better tonight.

John

[Rick Research]

Non-Prescription relief, and no nasty Health Forms to fill out, either!

I've seen fousands of these things... fousands!

The "all over rusty" ones have generally been poorly stored in miserable dank conditions for the last half century, or they got seriously soaking wet and the water stayed inside to do its nasty work on the razor thin steel under the cheap nickle flashing.

Generally a bar like this, with MINIMAL corrosion, only on the back and in the "nooks and crannies" where dampness could linger, rather than on the long straight flat part indicates that it stayed ON a tunic, probably for years, and was fairly well stored during that time. This one is rustier at the hinge end because the stamped out "U" catch allowed "breathing" for evaporation.

My most recent uniform was a Korean War period Soviet State Security Major's-- the Soviets used a similar tab backed steel ribbon bar system commonly (the backings finished black, the tab sections usually brass finished) and the same condensation "issues" arise. This guy had a WHOMPING huge multi rowed ribbon bar... which is perfect from the front, but has rusted onto the tunic at the catch and hinge(not enough air space on Russky tiny catches), where the Nooks And Crannies lurk. Hasn't been touched in years upon years (original Dust Of Ages was behind there, too!)-- and that's the effect we see now.

Dr. Ricky, Ribbon Bars Forensic Examiner