Abbreviations ??

[Mike]

can anyone help??

Fire Gilt and Gilt.

Fire Gilt - google searching tells me this is the application of gold by dissolving it in an amalgam with mercury, then driving the mercury off with heat.

how do you know the difference from ordinary gilding? (assuming there is a difference.) Lots of people sell stuff as "fire gilt" so I assume they know what they're talking about?

Frosting and Burnishing

do these go together all the time?

burnished badge here - have I got it right??

[Saddle tree maker]

I think 'Fire gilt' is just a new descriptive term that is being used more and more by collector's and dealer's alike for those badges were the gilt appears to have a flame like appearance on the rear.
I think proper fire gilt is an altogether different process and has little to do with gilt cap badges..
STM.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Saddle tree maker

I think 'Fire gilt' is just a new descriptive term that is being used more and more by collector's and dealer's alike for those badges were the gilt appears to have a flame like appearance on the rear.
I think proper fire gilt is an altogether different process and has little to do with gilt cap badges..
STM.

I wonder if fire gilt is a pre-electrolysis method? ie the old way displaced by the electrical methods?


gold plate your golf balls.

[Mike]

look at this

only one of the 3 or 4 gilt items item described as fire gilt (depot btn plate)

http://www.buywyze.com/shop/shop.php?c=68

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Saddle tree maker

I think 'Fire gilt' is just a new descriptive term that is being used more and more by collector's and dealer's alike for those badges were the gilt appears to have a flame like appearance on the rear.
I think proper fire gilt is an altogether different process and has little to do with gilt cap badges..
STM.

I think it's a genuine process STM, but I doubt it gets used correctly on ebay

[Bill A]

Fire gilt is a term that has been used for some time. I have some older auction catalogues (1980's) that use the term. My understanding, which may be incorrect, is that fire gilt is a yellower/redder colour in the gilt. (Hence fire gilt). This finish is almost exclusively found on officer's badges in my experience. I agree that the term has likely been incorrectly used for any gilted badge in descriptions.
As far as burnished and frosted, are they almost opposites? Burnishing is a type of polishing, while frosting creates a textured, rough sort of finish. Again, the frosted description is mostly associated with officer's badges.

[David Tremain]

Mike, here's three views of my slouch hat. I'll try and attach some more if they're not too large.
David

[Mike]

Many thanks David two headdress types down, loads to go.

museums around these parts dont like you taking cameras in ( or eject you if you start photographing) which is a shame because it would have made things simple.


ok they're in, looks quite nice :

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/arm...slouch_hat.htm

what can I say about the age and insignia of this particular example ?

[wardog]

Some more hats if any use:

Military Hats 001.jpg New Zealand Medical Corps, Lemon Squeezer.
Military Hats 002.jpg Queen's Colour Squadron, RAF Regiment.
Military Hats 003.jpg RAF Police.

Cheers, Paul.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by wardog

Some more hats if any use:


Cheers, Paul.

Brilliant Paul, can take as many as you've got. they will be linked from their appropriate entry in the glossary, and if we end up with a lot they can be thumb-nailed.

I for one love to see the original badge "mountings" but being linked out from the glossary they won't be "in your face" if anyone is not too keen on it.

Of course headdress is not my strong point so what gets placed in the glossary needs to be monitored by someone who knows the field - and point out any errors.


had a bit play with the RAF Police one, came out lovely :

[David Tremain]

Mike, sorry to be so long getting back, but I've been in Gander, Newfoundland on business. Had to share a hotel with 174 Nepalese soldiers and police who were marooned there en route to a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti because their Russian aircraft had broken down. Wouldn't have minded getting one of their Nepalese shoulder flashes, but none of them spoke English. Anyway, I digress.

The slouch hat is WW2 c.1942 onwards. The badges are the 'Golden Arrow' (black background with golden arrow - I forget whether it's bullion or embroidered; I'll have to check) of the 7th Indian Division of the 14th Army. The other, on the flap, looks to me like R.Sigs (my grandfather was attached to them from the RA, although he told me it was a SEAC flash).

I'll look into taking some photos of the Guards' hats and post them soon.
David

Doesn't anyone see my point about tags ? Numerous interesting images of head-dress are being submitted on posts - but without a single tag ! The result is that the information will be lost in the mist of time and precisely the same questions, answers and images will be resurrected sometime in the future. To be a truly worthwhile site, there needs to be information control or we just go round and round in ever decreasing circles - a Forum of Ooslum birds - and you know where they end up, don't you ? Come on, let's get some order in the mountain of information on this Forum, not this endless repetition. Regards - in despair, sometimes. David

[wardog]

Two tags added. New to me but happy to please. Breath in, breath out, relax and. Cheers, Paul... Though if a picture has a title or is mentioned in the body of text, it will be found in a normal search will it not? Not sure I understand the idea of tags yet.

[41st]

Originally Posted by Mike

look at this

only one of the 3 or 4 gilt items item described as fire gilt (depot btn plate)

http://www.buywyze.com/shop/shop.php?c=68

Mike,
As it so happens the badge I use as my avatar is of fire guilt composition.
As I understand it fire guilding did involve mercury and because of health and safety worries was discontinued in favour of other methods.
As such it should only be used with badges of earlier construction which show the rich yellow colour of the gilt as in the case of the attached badge.

41st (Welsh) Regiment Helmet Plate worn on the Albert Shako 1844-1855.

Whilst I don't have an Albert Shako for the reference section I do have blue cloth,fusilier fur caps etc and you are welcome to use these when I get around to photographing them.
Hwyl,
Kevin

[Bill A]

Another Canadian abbreviation. MOC = Military Occupation Classification.