ww2 nametag question

[Greg Gale]

I'm looking at WW2 nametags for my B-10. Eastman is nice but a little pricey. I found this on ebay, but they offer a thick and a thin version, and I'm not sure which one is correct. They also offer a natural one which seems a bit too light (flash?) and an aged one which is a bit overdone. Which version would be most accurate? Or should I invest in an ELC?

Thanks!

WW2 WWII USAAF Army Air Forces A2 G1 Leather Flight Jacket Name Tag THIN | eBay

THIN leather -roughly 1/16" (1.66 MM). Made from NEW 3-4 oz. tanned leather - this leather is aheavy 1/16" or roughly 1.66 mm in thickness . Made in U.S.A. from U.S.A. tanned leather . NO PROBLEM!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[jack31916]

Army Airforce Catalog only mention dimensions of the nametag 5/8 X 4 inch and 4 tags per man. Nothing about thickness but even the thinner version would be strong enough. Colourwise the aged one is okay.

For what it is worth.. Regards.

 

[B-Man2]

Greg
A few years back I purchased a thin and thick version as I wasn’t sure which one worked best on a jacket . I found that the thin version worked well on leather and cloth jackets but it was more flexible and well suited for cloth . The thicker version on leather would be ok .Just my opinion .

 

[Bombing IP]

Gregg the light thin would be my choice ,the light color over time becomes way more realistic and gains that beautifull patina you see on Veg tan wallets and belts .Just my 2 cents .

BIP

 

[Silver Surfer]

rub a natural one with oil of choice and it will darken. when dried to the touch, rub it down with a soft cloth. repeat til ya get the shade ya want.

 

[B-Man2]

Greg
Youre right about the guy on Ebay he is a little pricey. You’re a pretty skilled guy. Jack 31916 posted the specs for a WWII name tag . Have you given any thought to getting some scrap leather at a fabric or hobby shop and making a few? Getting it printed would probably be the tough part .

 

[Greg Gale]

Thanks all! I'll go for a light thin one and age it myself

 

[ausreenactor]

I'm looking at WW2 nametags for my B-10. Eastman is nice but a little pricey. I found this on ebay, but they offer a thick and a thin version, and I'm not sure which one is correct. They also offer a natural one which seems a bit too light (flash?) and an aged one which is a bit overdone. Which version would be most accurate? Or should I invest in an ELC?

Thanks!

WW2 WWII USAAF Army Air Forces A2 G1 Leather Flight Jacket Name Tag THIN | eBay

THIN leather -roughly 1/16" (1.66 MM). Made from NEW 3-4 oz. tanned leather - this leather is aheavy 1/16" or roughly 1.66 mm in thickness . Made in U.S.A. from U.S.A. tanned leather . NO PROBLEM!

www.ebay.co.uk

Split S was my first name tag. Then a couple from Sean Collins, then one for the lad from MASH Co. All comes down to font, finish and price...

There are some gold/silver versions out there as well. Take a look at some of the originals in the war time/WWII A-2 threads.

 

[ausreenactor]

WW2 WWII USAAF Army Air Forces A2 G1 Flight Jacket Leather Name Tag THICK | eBay

THICK leather -roughly 3/32" (2.4 mm). Made from NEW 5-6 oz. tanned leather, + or - 3/32" in thickness ( + or -2.4 mm) . Made in U.S.A. from U.S.A. tanned leather . NO PROBLEM!

www.ebay.com

$17.25 shipping would be on par with MASH Co. from Japan...

 

[foster]

I think MASH Japan raised their prices recently.

 

[foster]

A2 jacket patches also seems to have a good deal on them. I got some name plates from him a few years back, and I think the ones he offers now look even nicer (not that I had any problems with mine before). I also bought some from Mash, but their pricing went way up, so I don’t see myself getting ones from Mash Japan again.

A2jacketpatches

Custom Multi-Piece Layered Leather Squadron Patches Printed Originals, Name Tags, Ranks, Insignia, Leather Bloodchit, Leather Wings for the type A2 FLIGHT JACKET

www.a2jacketpatches.com

 

[SuinBruin]

Late to the party but looking at my grandfather's original tags, they're both about 2.0 mm thick with some variation from 1.8 mm to 2.1 mm. They're fairly light in color but it's hard to know what they looked like 75+ years ago. Note also the font, which is specific to USAAF name tags and is where many repros fall down. I think MASH Japan has the correct font, but most others don't. The eBay one is close but not quite there, and the a2jacketpatches.com one is pretty far off.

Edited to add: per a post I made years ago it looks like Aero actually has the most correct font, though when I ordered from them the imprint was much too strong. But there's some good comparative photos in that thread as well.

 

[foster]

I think these were originally made with leather “in the pink” which darkened with sunlight and oil. Your grandfathers name plates are beautiful, and thank you for sharing those.

I don’t know how much variation there was in the font on the originals. I know I’ve seen a lot that look the same (and I do think Mash gets that font copied well), and a lot where it looks like someone used steel letter punches to put the name on the leather by hand (very crude). A friend who lives a few towns over showed me one of his Good Wear A-2 jackets that had a name plate with the gold colored letters. I can’t remember where he got it (or, he may not have remembered when I asked him), but I always thought those looked neat too.

 

[B-Man2]

Thats the first mint original name tag , Ive seen.
Thanks for posting.

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

Hi @Greg Gale

You might find them in different sizes and shade sometimes. Those on ebay look good IMO. Just some wear and they would get that “been there” look.

 

[shedonwanna]

I made the "HILTS" tag and the others are originals. this is one of the most common fonts used on issued tags. theater made and private made tags used a wide variety of fonts.

 

[leper-colony]

Here's an original alternate lettering.

 

[ausreenactor]

I made the "HILTS" tag and the others are originals. this is one of the most common fonts used on issued tags. theater made and private made tags used a wide variety of fonts.
View attachment 50308

Navigator.... strangely close to 'never get there'.

 

[Greg Gale]

What kind of oil would you use for aging it and how?

 

[John Luder]

Howdy, Greg,
I saw your J.H.Doolittle mock-up, but I can't tell from the posts where that came from. We're considering recreating The General's A2 for our Doolittle Raid exhibit. That name strip will really set it off. Can you remember who made it? Thanks.