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#1
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If those are decals, they seem to have been cut off the master sheet freehand with a pocket knife. The edges are very non-square nor strait.
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#2
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Is there any chance the original lettering may have been stenciled using white paint, with a clear coat of varnish or shellac type of material over the lettered area?
Last edited by Michael R.; 23-06-13 at 04:49. |
#3
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Decals, similar to those found in toys were reasonably common at the time.
When the flying tigers AVG flew in China they have the famous shark mouth on the front of their P40's but Disney designed them a flying tiger emblem. These emblems were sent as decals to the group in China but they found they tore off during flight, to keep them on the sides of the planes they were varnished over to give them a protective sealer coat. This leaves an irregular darker area around the emblem. This could explain the darker shadows around the lettering. If they were supplied as decals but given the protection of a layer of varnish. Ben |
#4
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When I first looked at the photos, I noticed the same thing Rob did, that a number of the edges looked a bit sloppy. Then I eventually remembered in my model building days that from time to time I would run across a kit in which all the decals were assembled on one solid, clear backing sheet and they were a pain in the ass to try and cut out the ones you needed. The individually made decals were so much neater to work with but maybe there is a cost factor in producing them that way. The more I think of the use of them to ID storage items on the carrier and other AFV's, the more I see them as a temporary item, that was not expected to have a long life expectancy. They were probably used to support the printed Stowage Sheets issued with the manuals for the vehicle. The crew would quickly get used to where things went, changed things around as they saw fit and if and when the decals wore away, it didn't matter.
Michael R. : I don't know off the top of my head, of any stencils that are capable of producing solid lined closed letters like B, P, D, O, R or Q, without the centre parts of the letters falling out. That it the give away ID for a true stencil. They always have closed letters formed in segments, with small webs of the stencil material needed to keep the letters together. A silk screening stencil will produce a solid lined, closed letter, but silk screening only works well in unobstructed locations, as the screens are quite bulky. You can also often see the screening pattern on the surface of the letters when completed. Ben. A varnish overlay would make sense. Several of the rub-on lettering kits one can buy today (Letterset???) provide spray cans of coating to protect the lettering after application. Also, the panels on the 19-Sets used decals. These were applied over silk screened radium paint blocks located by each control on the panel and then the panel was given a coat of varnish to lock everything all down. David |
#5
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Your last guess is the winner. It is a PIAT. I have never heard of the PIAT being part of the kit for a carrier either, but clearly Ford was using them to see where they might be stored. If you factor in all the vehicles Ford built during the war, they must have had quite an Ordnance Room to play with!
David |
#6
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On the carrier stencil/decal question, I'd suggest the clear rectangular background indicates decal. On the other hand there was another method of applying markings as seen on these items recovered from the interior of my Fox that appear printed or stamped. |
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