WW2 Timed Artillery Fuses - HELP

TheCroatian

TheCroatian

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Hey,

Can someone confirm that these are Inert for me plz??
I got them at a garage sale...Their sitting in my garage so Im a lil worried.

Moved them now to a safer location and if I need to call the proper authorities I will.
Just as a note, not sure if this helps we were able to unscrew the head and rings completely.

Just want to be safe here, assume they are live until its clear they arnt.

Thanx

Fuses.jpg
 
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Nice find!

They look to me to have been drilled for removal of the timing elements and initiators. Screw-heads are marred from improper disassembly, too. Somebody has worked on them.

Likely they are safe but, if you want to be 200% sure, you can always drop them into a bucket of Diesel fuel for a few days, take them out and let them drain. Explosives in general are destroyed by this treatment.... and it doesn't do timing elements any good at ALL.

You have a couple of very neat souvenirs, friend.

About calling "the proper authorities": all they will do is take them, check them and put them in their own collections, then use them to show the world the dangerous things that are out there. How do I come to this conclusion? Seen it far too many times.

There are several fellows on here with extensive Artillery experience. One of them will be on shortly, I would think, and should be able to add to this.

Still think they are neat!

Hope this helps.
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Timed fuses

First of all, only a damned fool would disassemble an artillery fuse that they know absolutely nothing about.

However, since you have done so, and got away with it, THIS TIME, you are probably all right. Even trained Artillery Men do not disassemble fuses.

A timed fuse works on a principle of a powder train that burns with a known rate. There should be grooves inside the rings that hold powder. If these grooves are filled in, then you have live fuses. If there are burn marks, or are just unfilled grooves, you have a paper weight.

Fuses are timed by rotating the rings to certain settings. This allows the powder train inside, which flashes through a hole in the center ring, to burn more or less of the corresponding ring of the powder train, thus allowing for a longer or shorter time of flight. If you can see a hole in the center ring, where the groove is, then they should be all right.

However, to be completely safe, follow SMELLIE's advice on soaking them for a couple of days in diesel fuel. Be aware also that there could be a live cap and an initiator or primer in the nose of the shell.

What are the markings on the nose of the Fuse? There should be a Marking that shows the Model of Fuse, such as No. *** and a maker's initials and date.
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looks like 1 I have, sitting on a 76mm smoke round, (not ww2)

they look used, to disasemble unscrew the aluminum nose cap the timeing rings will just lift off.

the bottom plate you need a spanner of you can use needle nose pliers to unscrew it.
 
Screw-heads are marred on these but the marks aren't fresh. I'd say these were worked on a LONG time ago...... likely a few hours after they disappeared..... and by somebody who knew his stuff. The drill holes are right into the main powder train: oil right in THERE would assuage any trepidations, allay any fears, counter any terrors.

If you want a real laugh, go to a military museum and check out all the WW1 arty ammo that they have on display. MANY of the fuses will have the mysterious letters KpZ on them, which has nothing to do with what you want on your pizza. It stands for KRUPPS PATENT-ZUNDER: Krupps Patent Fuse. You will find it on LOTS of old fuses, including the dear old Number 80 Time and Percussion (manufactured in millions), although not on the Number 106 wire-cutting fuse (which terrifies me, BTW). It cost a shilling and threepence in royalties to fire one artillery round at Fritz. Absolutely MASSIVE lawsuit after the Great War was over, Krupp suing the Brits for all the arty ammo fuzes they had made. Brits finally pleaded it down to less than 10% of what they had actually fired, paid them off for that in the 1920s.

Geschaft uber Alles!w:h:

Hope this helps.
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PS: powder train appears to have been burned out of the second fuse; that will be why the corrosion. You can remove much of it with fine-grade steel-wool, have a lovely paperweight. The TOP specimen likely was disarmed also and has been dropped or held n a vise at some time: threads on the base are squashed. These are NOT fit for issue.
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