Hi, Does anyone know what was the make up of the internal make up of bills of original M43 hats? Was it cloth or card board. Also who produces the best reproduction M43 hats.
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Hi, Does anyone know what was the make up of the internal make up of bills of original M43 hats? Was it cloth or card board. Also who produces the best reproduction M43 hats. -
The M43 visor was a clothed-covered pasteboard ( or heavy cardboard ) stiffener. Toward the end of the war , even pressed paper was used. An additional strip of material was affixed to the top front edge of the visor prior to the cloth covering being added .
Once in place, the strip formed a thin , fairly flat ridge along the top leading edge of the visor on authentic , Government issue caps.
The strip was intended to give added support to the front of the brim and thus reduce any tendency for it to bend and crease when held by the edge .
At the same time , a thickened leading edge served to strengthen the entire visor. This ridge ( or lack thereof ) is easy to feel between thumb and forefinger. The number and spacing of sewing lines on the cap visor ( bill ) varied depending on the manufacturer.
The closest there is to a standard is two parallel stitch lines on the underside ( reverse ) of the bill only, running close to the front edge.
No sewing should appear on the upper side of the visor.
On late war caps, the bottom was sometimes left uncovered in order to save on material. ( quote from - Collectors Guide to the Cloth Third Reich Military Headgear by Gary Wilkins )
Hope this helps
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I have an original M43 cap where it seems plastic was used. It is cracked inside and you can hear that distinctive sound.HCComment
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