Take A Step Back - Staybrite or Anodised Aluminium?

[hagwalther]

Hi Guys,

Julian has raised a very important point in regard to these modern cap badges.

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ead.php?t=2024

post #2

Should they formally be known as 'Staybrite' items or a more generic description such as 'Anodised Aluminium' which could be shortened to 'A/A'?

If 'Staybrite' is a commercial name like Hoover or Biro do we know which company came up with it?

Regards

Chris

[dragonz18]

Just a note on these badges.
The term 'staybrite' is something that I've only really seen used by UK sources.
'Anodised Aluminium' ( a/a ) is the ( polite,anyway ) term almost always used in NZ for these items.
Not sure how they are commonly refered to, by the other Commonwealth countries that use them.

Cheers !
Steve

[Cardiffbloke]

All i can say is that these badges were used by soldiers and having been a soldier for 32 years i feel qualified to comment. In all my time in the Army i never heard anyone call an anodised aluminium badge or a chromed badge anything other than a 'staybright' badge.
Now as an old fart collector, i understand the need for categorising them otherwise. I have many examples of both chromed and AA and refer to them as such, but if the truth be known, they are always 'staybright' to me really!

[Alan O]

I agree with CB while a/a is the exact construction. Even the new badges made of 'improved' silver or gilt metal could be called staybrite.

Alan

[Mike H]

I cant agree,a staybrite badge is made from aluminium and then anodised.A chromed badge is chromed metal not chromed aluminium.

[hagwalther]

OK - what needs to be done to find out if 'Staybrite' really was a commercial name.

If it was a commercial name then the badges should be classified generically as anodised aluminium.

The path I'm thinking here is 'Biro' v's 'Ball Point Pen' - Biro was the commercial name from a French manufacture but the generic name is Ball Point Pen.

So, who came up with the staybrite name?

This does sound really picky but I need to know the correct designation of these types of badges.

The official military name would help too.

I remember codes being called Nato Stock Numbers (NSN) from years back. Is there a NSN code book around with a sub-title in it describing these items with the actual badges with their NSN's below the title? This would be a very good indication as to what these badges actually are known as.

Regards

Chris

[Cardiffbloke]

Originally Posted by Mike H

I cant agree,a staybrite badge is made from aluminium and then anodised.A chromed badge is chromed metal not chromed aluminium.

To a collector yes.... to a soldier ..... No! Its all staybright......I'm now a collector so what's chromed is chromed and whats AA is AA....But Staybright was the generic term for all badges not requiring a polish.