Another 'what the heck is this'?

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Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 172

Found in Surrey.

It's 0.02" thick, non-magnetic, hasn't rusted but has been eroded in some way (electrolysis?). It's stiff, fairly sure it's not an not an alu alloy.

The bit

Original post

Member for

11 years 3 months

Posts: 1,299

Hi boguing

Just to say that your photo isn't showing at all. Tried on laptop and pc.

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 172

How strange, thanks for letting me know.

 

Ah, thanks, perhaps an uploaded file will work...

Many types of corrosion, thousands of non-ferrous alloys. Try these and report back:

  • If you flex it, does it make an odd noise? If so, describe it
  • Cut a very small piece off, or better still file off some fragments. Try setting light to the fragments - DO IT OUTSIDE. What happens?

Member for

16 years

Posts: 108

You may not want to know this but EN12568 is a European Standard and SN588 the American equivalent for metal insoles in Safety Boots.

Not too sure that it could ever have flown - unless it was in a Wellington !!!!!!!!!!!!

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 1,911

Well done that man.

 

I think that's the best post since the forum relaunched.

 

There's probably a Facebook group for metal insoles, perhaps you should join it!

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 172

Love it!

 

Drat, not a Spitfire data plate then... A few years ago I let someone on here down gently when I saw that his find was a crushed lamp shade, now I know how he felt.

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 5,927

What non-ferrous metal is prescribed by the European/American standard for use in the fabrication of insoles for safety boots? Do you think that the insole erosion took place before or after it parted company with its host boot?

Member for

16 years

Posts: 108

Where the insole was found were there any signs of a wreckage trail?  Evidence of a post impact fire? Combat damage? Witness marks from a pre-impact failure? .......?  

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 172

Avion ancien, very pertinent questions. I'll put them to the experts on the Historic section of the Pan Global Safety Boot forums.

2hotwot, unfortunately we're just beginners at this and didn't think to look. We're levelling an area of what may have been a wartime storage area. and found this wedged in some buried wooden packaging that needed to be covered over for an access road. We thought we were onto something!

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 5,927

Another thought. You having mentioned, boguing, Spitfire data plates and buried wooden packaging, wasn't there, some time back, another, somewhat controversial, thread broadly on this topic? Could it be that the insole might have come from the boot of one of the workmen charged with digging the hole into which the wooden packaging was placed? I think that you should keep digging!

Member for

16 years

Posts: 108

On a serious note it is intriguing as to why the metal has corroded / degraded so quickly.  Assuming that it is a stainless steel or an aluminium alloy the environment must have been aggressively corrosive or it has been in a fire?  It sound as though you are investigating an interesting site.  Perhaps those crated Spitfires were never shipped to the Far East???  After all there are still urban tales of the crated Harley Davidson motorcycles buried in Cornwall by the Americans when they moved out for D Day.  What else might they have discarded?

May I wish you good luck in your ventures.

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 172

I'm afraid the site and the crates were nobbut a flight of fancy, inspired by 2hotwot's reply..... I guess it could be a flavour of stainless, certainly stiff enough, sounds about right when pinged and would certainly make some sense in a shoe sole.

 

I do have another bit which I'm certain is aircraft related, and did unsuccessfully show it on here years ago. I'll dig that out again and we can see what common household object it came from.

Member for

5 years 9 months

Posts: 18

My apologies if I've posted this in the wrong place.

This photograph was taken in May 1941. Can anyone identify the man's armband?

ARMBAND.JPG

Thank you.

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