What buckles are these?

[Brad G]

Hi Gents,
I won these quite large buckles off EB** nice and cheap with no idea what they were for.
I have since (stopped doing things like that) and seen some buckles that were used for band equipment. Could this be what I have?
Two smaller buckles maker marked 'OLC' on back.
Leather tab on large one is nice and rough on black side like EM's combat belt.

http://www.imageuploads.net/ims/pic....bSlUw&i=137426

http://www.imageuploads.net/ims/pic....bSlUw&i=137425

http://www.imageuploads.net/ims/pic....bSlUw&i=137427

Cheers,
Brad

[david stone]

You have a set of buckles from a West German set of Y-straps, probably Police or BGS. This hardware was mostly cast from an older pattern; if you look carefully the "tooth" on the buckle with the tab will actually be cast integral to the buckle, not a separate bit, but on the back you can see the hammer marks from the one they used as a pattern. Even the O-rings from these straps was a cast alloy part.

[Brad G]

Thanks for the reply David. I have had a much closer inspection and it actually seems that the 'tooth' is a seperate peice to the buckle.
There is a definate mark and a bit of undercut on the 'tooth' side and the head on the back is not just a lump but a seperate piece.
I will try take another photo and post it.

Brad

You have a set of buckles from a West German set of Y-straps, probably Police or BGS. This hardware was mostly cast from an older pattern; if you look carefully the "tooth" on the buckle with the tab will actually be cast integral to the buckle, not a separate bit, but on the back you can see the hammer marks from the one they used as a pattern. Even the O-rings from these straps was a cast alloy part.

[david stone]

Yes, they look that way because they are a casting off another one, with the undercut and every detail. I tried to remove that claw to repair another hook once, I ground the back off and tried to punch it out, with no luck at all, because there was no separate piece. This only applies to the sandblasted looking light alloy pieces, not plated steel stuff. The other mindboggling difficult casting is the little roller buckles, the rollers of which have a seam on them and look just like they are rolled from a flat sheet, but they are cast, apparently in place on the buckle, as there is no joint in them. The three hole buttons on the old BGS splittertarn zelts were also often castings.
I'm sure some of the BGS or Police stuff was fabricated in the normal way, by stamping, but there is alot of West German hardware that is alloy castings of preexisiting hardware. I can even see this on a Bundesmarine sea-bag, the cast aluminum hardware replicates the joints of hardware made by welding steel wire together...