Auxiliary Cruise Badge original?

[Weserübung]

is this one original? The Hook is not open. Is it possible to open the Hook without Dammage? Could be dangerous.

[BubbaZ]

Very nice F&B zincer!
Cheers,
Hubert

[Martin W]

I agree with Hubert a good unmarked Foerster & Barth but i would not attempt to open the catch on a zinc award like this.
But that's just me.

Cheers,Martin.

[John R.]

In all probability, the catch would break off if you tried either bending it outwards with normal pliers or outwards with expanding pliers.

I recommend leaving it alone.

John

[Ludwig]

Very nice badge, and, as John says, just leave the catch as it is!

[BubbaZ]

As others say, it's very risky to try to open the catch particulary on a zinc badge. I do not recommend to do it eaither. But if you desperate to do it then the most important thing is to use precise medical calipers so you could catch with both calipers the hook only and not the badge in orther not to put any strenght on the hook/badge connection. It would be easier to open the catch if you heat it a bit, I used to do it by puting the badge on the electric hob reverse side down so that the hardware is heated only.
Cheers,
Hubert

[Norm F]

Opening catches that are bent closed certainly can be a risky proposition. Having said that, if done carefully it can be done safely on Tombak catches and I've done it several times. But I would not recommend it for the thick spiral catch on the F&B badges like this Auxiliary Cruiser, based upon my own recent experience.

Recently I acquired an interesting F&B Minesweeper variant with exactly that type of catch bent down around the pin. I prepared to gently pry open the catch and to my horror saw a crack beginning in the catch after applying only the slightest pressure. I stopped immediately and it remained in one piece and allowed the pin to open as well, but it's certainly in a precarious condition. Perhaps someone had tried previously as well and created a fault in that position since only the barest of pressure caused the crack to open.

Furthermore, this particular type of catch does not appear to be Tombak and in fact looks quite like zinc. I had never heard of a zinc catch that wasn't cast-in, but we all know that cast-in zinc catches often break off as seen in the f.o. Fleet badges. Perhaps that's why this particular type of F&B catch was made so thick, in contrast to their thin profile Tombak catches.

Best regards,
---Norm

[John R.]

I have had zero luck with bending any TR artifact Norm. Super glue gets the broken piece back on at least, but best to try not to mess with it.

I have had horrible experience primarily with hat eagle pins and various membership badges with prongs.

Do not get me started on applying any pressure to a cap tally in regards to stretching them slightly. Snap.

So no more. I leave everything alone.

John