Aluminium fitted army daggers

[gerrit]

Here a small overview of my aluminium fitted army dress daggers.
1x Eickhorn full alu, 2x E.Pack, 1x P.Seilheimer, 1x Henckels, 1x Tiger

[Frogprince]

Some very nice examples. Well Done. Best Regards, Fred

[Adrian Stevenson]

Superb.

[Alan M]

Lovely condition Ger , the aluminium completely changes the overall appearance of the daggers vs. the normal nickel silver .

[T Kendall]

Nice Collection of aluminum hilts. These really are beautiful pieces. In my mind they produced these as an attempt not only to lighten the dagger but to bypass the need for the plating process.
Great idea from a manufacturing standpoint. Of course they also experimented with plated light weight base metals these in most cases never held the plating very well.

[gerrit]

Nice Collection of aluminum hilts. These really are beautiful pieces. In my mind they produced these as an attempt not only to lighten the dagger but to bypass the need for the plating process.
Great idea from a manufacturing standpoint. Of course they also experimented with plated light weight base metals these in most cases never held the plating very well.

Thx Tom, we both know how hard to find these alu armies are.
I had the luck to expand them with 2 gems:
1x Klaas which is fitted with a pack type 2 in alu and heavily silver plated.
1x Richard Herder Alu with a slant grip.

I will make pictures in the weeks to come when i can find the time.

best
Ger

[Frogprince]

Nice Collection of aluminum hilts. These really are beautiful pieces. In my mind they produced these as an attempt not only to lighten the dagger but to bypass the need for the plating process.
Great idea from a manufacturing standpoint. Of course they also experimented with plated light weight base metals these in most cases never held the plating very well.

Some really, really, nice daggers I have a somewhat different perspective. I started my TR collecting with guns, bayonets, and swords with daggers emerging as an interest much later in my own collecting. (Which helped in educating me in how and why the Germans did the things that they did that is easily trackable via serial numbers and observable changes etc.) The actual reason that aluminum emerged as a substitute for the copper based (very roughly 2/3) nickel silver daggers and brass hilted swords etc. IMO being the 1935 edict that copper was to be conserved. Along with some other metal alloys as scarce strategic materials for military/Wehrmacht production. Later on zinc that was cheaper, easier, and much more available then becoming a primary material for that segment of non-critical civilian sector production. Best Regards, Fred

PS: In agreement that plating aluminum involves some extra processing that doesn't always work that well, they had much better results with the much more durable clear anodizing and color anodizing.

[TWS]

Very nice lineup! Some super pieces.

[gerrit]

Here are my 2 latest alu armies.
Richard Herder slant grip and Klaas heavily silvered alu, plating is very thick, it can be seen on the pommel where it worn off at the edges.
Regards
Ger

First to start is the Herder, love to see the great work on the eagles head and behind the swastika.
The pommel is one piece of art!
Slant grips are imo the most beautiful army grips.


Here we have the Klaas, beatiful handwork to the crossguard!
The Höller style enhancements are very clear to see: toolmarks in the neck and behind the eye, similar to the Höller type 2.
Looking at the disk behind the Höller type 1 and the Klaas type 2 guard and the enhancements on early Klaas and Höller types makes it imo very clear the cooperated closely in those years.

[gerrit]

quick update, a few alu armies are added to my collection
Pack type 2A and Klaas type 2, also an overview.

Ger