A-Frame question

[Fons]

Hello, I've bought this A-frame a time ago but I wonder why the straps are upside down. Are they replaced?

[derspiess63]

First of all welcome to WA !It looks like a very nice and genuine frame to me,even if the straps are upside-down ;hard to tell without a closer view of the rivets...could you post a more detailed picture!
Manny

[Fons]

Here are some more pics!

[airborne_steve]

Fons,

Looks good to me also. Can you tell what the internal stiffener is made of? It should be made of a fiber material.


Steve

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Fons, welcome to the forum!

It looks fine to me.


Cheers, Ade.

[Fons]

Thanx guys! And yes Steve, the internal stiffener is made of fiber material. But is it normal that the straps sometimes were upside down? A dealer told me that they might be replaced with DAK meatcan straps. But the seller told me it's a late wartime production and if it was done by a collector he would never put the straps upside down.

[MGN]

Hey Fons,
Nice blue tropical A-frame, I have one just like it. But I would disagree with it being late war mine is marked and dated early.

Thanks,
Michael

[hcliffe]

Are the rivets loose enough that the straps will swivel?

[derspiess63]

Thanx guys! And yes Steve, the internal stiffener is made of fiber material. But is it normal that the straps sometimes were upside down? A dealer told me that they might be replaced with DAK meatcan straps. But the seller told me it's a late wartime production and if it was done by a collector he would never put the straps upside down.

Hi Fons,
if the seller told you that this nice 1941/42 vintage A-frame it's a late one because of the upside-down straps and that a collector wouldn't have put them like that(errare umanum est even for collectors mending their pieces!),well, tell me his name please and I'll do my best to avoid him like the plague!We'll never know for sure but a swiveling strap could speak volumes!Tell me Fons...is the rivet's head external (visible) on the other side?If it's between the two layers of webbing,can you see signs of newly made stitchings?If the heads aren't visible and the stitchings are sound and period done this A-frame is 100% original(note that i haven't said authentic.....it's sure as eggs is eggs that it is!!!) and the straps have been put upside-down by an Aussie POW
Manny

[Fons]

Thank you all for your replies. I've made a picture from the other side but the rivet's head is not visible. The stitching looks normal to me.

[Fons]

The strap is double stiched, but the left hook also.



Here a close up from the other rivet: