Molded or stamped?!?
Hello all,
Since a long time the buckle collectors discuss about the way, how buckles are produced. Especially the manufacturing of the stamped aluminum buckles like Studentenbund or Wehrmannschaften was a big problem.
And since a well known author told in his book, that this kind of buckles are molded, the situation is not better!
I want to tell you now my experience, and the reason, why they are definitely NOT MOLDED!
First you must keep in mind the difference between casting and stamping.
1. A casted buckle is nearly ready when it goes out of the mold. Of course you must put in the rivet/post sleeve. And a file is also needed. But the buckle himself is ready, you don’t need to fold it.
2. A stamped buckle is made from a plain metal plate. After you stamp the emblem, you need to cut off the rest of the plate. And of course, the sides must be folded!
A few months ago, I saw an unfinished aluminum Luftwaffe buckle with the typical catch. There was no hole in the catch, and the side were not folded! (Pictures will follow)
Since this day my question changed from “are they are stamped?” to “how they are stamped?”!
I had some conversations with other collectors, and people who worked with stamped items. We had a lot of good ideas, but nothing was 100% sure.
One day I got the right man on the telephone. He worked in the war as steel-engraver in a factory, which also produce buckles. He worked mostly on die’s for awards & badges, but he knows also everything to produce a buckle.
Here are his words:
“Stamp a aluminum buckle with catch is not really tricky. You must mill a hole into the male die, that’s it. Through stamping power the aluminum grows up, and it goes also into the hole. It is good possible, that there is not enough material to form this nose(he mean the catch). In that case you must put a metal stripe or a small plate at the position where the catch is(before stamping).
It think that some manufacturers had tricks to produce it better or faster, but the principle with the hole in the male die is always the same”
I found a lot of other hints, but they go all to the same direction. I found NOTHING against my explanation!
Because of that I can tell you, that all buckle which looks like the Wehrmannschaften are stamped. All buckles which are molded in the 3.Reich have a plain back.
There is only one buckle where I can’t tell you how it is produced: the I. Model Red Cross.
Some thing’s look molded, other stamped.
It would be nice, if somebody can help me in that case!
I’m always interested in information’s about the production of buckles. If somebody got documents or information’s, please post it up!!!
Christian
Since a long time the buckle collectors discuss about the way, how buckles are produced. Especially the manufacturing of the stamped aluminum buckles like Studentenbund or Wehrmannschaften was a big problem.
And since a well known author told in his book, that this kind of buckles are molded, the situation is not better!
I want to tell you now my experience, and the reason, why they are definitely NOT MOLDED!
First you must keep in mind the difference between casting and stamping.
1. A casted buckle is nearly ready when it goes out of the mold. Of course you must put in the rivet/post sleeve. And a file is also needed. But the buckle himself is ready, you don’t need to fold it.
2. A stamped buckle is made from a plain metal plate. After you stamp the emblem, you need to cut off the rest of the plate. And of course, the sides must be folded!
A few months ago, I saw an unfinished aluminum Luftwaffe buckle with the typical catch. There was no hole in the catch, and the side were not folded! (Pictures will follow)
Since this day my question changed from “are they are stamped?” to “how they are stamped?”!
I had some conversations with other collectors, and people who worked with stamped items. We had a lot of good ideas, but nothing was 100% sure.
One day I got the right man on the telephone. He worked in the war as steel-engraver in a factory, which also produce buckles. He worked mostly on die’s for awards & badges, but he knows also everything to produce a buckle.
Here are his words:
“Stamp a aluminum buckle with catch is not really tricky. You must mill a hole into the male die, that’s it. Through stamping power the aluminum grows up, and it goes also into the hole. It is good possible, that there is not enough material to form this nose(he mean the catch). In that case you must put a metal stripe or a small plate at the position where the catch is(before stamping).
It think that some manufacturers had tricks to produce it better or faster, but the principle with the hole in the male die is always the same”
I found a lot of other hints, but they go all to the same direction. I found NOTHING against my explanation!
Because of that I can tell you, that all buckle which looks like the Wehrmannschaften are stamped. All buckles which are molded in the 3.Reich have a plain back.
There is only one buckle where I can’t tell you how it is produced: the I. Model Red Cross.
Some thing’s look molded, other stamped.
It would be nice, if somebody can help me in that case!
I’m always interested in information’s about the production of buckles. If somebody got documents or information’s, please post it up!!!
Christian
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