A fellow in Germany was looking for dimensions on lafette 42 straps, so I made these pics for him and thought you guys might also want to see them. The dimensions might be just a tiny bit off, but not more than a few millimeters.
I took some 3/16" dia music wire (high carbon steel) fond at Ace Hardware, heated and bent them with a vice and oxy-acetylene torch into the triangles, and gas welded the ends. The buckles were made with the appropriate size low carbon steel rod, and sheetmetal for the buckle rollers cold formed into the cylindrical shapes with using hammers over a piece of the music wire used as an anvil of sorts. The snap rings can be found at Ace Hardware stores. I not, then they can be ordered. They are zinc plated so you have to sand off the zinc and dip them in Brownell's Oxpho gun bluing acid to make them dull grey to match the other steel parts, and some reshaping can be done cold to shape them into a shape more like the German original ones. The leather is about $45 worth of "burgundy" latigo, from Tandy Leather store, cut with a razor knife to the proper dimensions. The line indentations along the endes of the leather are made with a line scribing tool that is nothing more than a dulled knife edge alongside an edge guiding extension of metal. Leather punches are used for the holes and some modified leather lettering punch tools are used to make the "fsu 1942" waffenamt stamp. I later found out that the fsu letter code was from a different factory than my lafette manufacturer. Oh well. The dimensions came from those supplied from other lafette owners and auction descriptions of original straps, and are pretty close. The advantage of making your own straps is that you don't have to settle for incorrect postwar Yugoslavian strap designs that are noticable as incorrect from a distance.
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Last edited by DARIVS ARCHITECTVS on Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
This is great info. I'm having a set made. The fellow working on the project for me asked for a few other dimensions. I edited your original photograph to better illustrate the dimensions that he is asking for (hope you don't mind!)
Could you provide A,B, and C dimensions? Or ... A & B, or B & C ... or A & C ... hehehe, my attempt at humor
Can you hear my hands clapping? That is some extraordinary leather work -- especially considering that you used the same kind of tools I usually use -- homemade! Just really nice.
For your next act, I'd like a belt for my jeans, same color, and made to resemble the Lafayette straps. Size 34. And don't forget to emboss my name on the back, bookended by little pictures of 8mm brass . . . .
GeeDeeEmm
" The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government . . . . When the people fear their government there is tyranny, when the government fear the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson
I wish my comrads looked out for me as well as you guys.
GeeDeeEmm
" The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government . . . . When the people fear their government there is tyranny, when the government fear the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson
The guy working on mine has made them in the past for other collectors. When mine arrive I'll post some pics in a new thread. If you like what you see, let me know. I'll ask him if he'd like to make another set.
for anyone making the Lafette mount straps. I finally found a supplier for the buckles. its CD JARNIGAN AND CO, they make civil war uniforms and equipment. a 41mm roller buckle is $1.80 cents its the B122.
I have started to make the straps and waiting on shipment of buckles.
Better make a set of pads,too. ---bil