K98 Cleaning Kits
- Thread starter timothy
- Start date
The guy I got it from is a fellow collector. I traded him a real gem (it was a duplicate for me)...a unattributed (but G. Appel) first pattern spoon w/o floorplate removal stud. He also swapped me a minty KY1939 spoon I needed to help fill out a nice kit as well...
Bizar
Well-known member
I think the stamp is not so clear. IMO it's KY.
The "Ky" marked kits - that appear with date from 1936 to 1941- have always been referred as unknown manufacturer or associated by some authors to the company Braunschweigische Blechwarenfabrik GmbH of Braunschweig. This last mentioned company produced the Rg 34 from 1941 with the code "arr" (later "rco"). It is very likely also that the marking "KH" -found only on kits of 1935- was the precursor of the "Ky" stampings and both came from the same manufacturer.
Although there is no conclusive information about the identification of the manufacturer, all evidences suggest that the "Ky" kits correspond to the company Aktien-Maschinenfabrik Kyffhäuserhütte (vorm. Paul Reuß), located in Artern. This firm, founded in 1881, was primarily engaged in the manufacture of machinery, especially for the agricultural sector. It produced different kinds of machines and equipment and in 1938 had over 1000 employees. During the war it is know that also manufactured ammo cartridge cases and "Flak" mounts. In 1940 it was assigned the code "ayw" by the Heereswaffenamt.
While on the subject of "KY" marked kits. I present the following for your thoughts. A friend owns this particular kit. It is not WaA accepted. The components are unattributed. The oiled paper was also in the kit enclosing the chain. It is the only example reported. My suspicions are this kit may be a "commercial"/retail product like those made by G. Appel, and not military contract. If so, the maker almost certainly must have been engaged in manufacture of military contract kits. Since it is not Appel, Mundlos, or Hawig, from the date of 1937, the only company I can think of that appears not to have used a commercial name on any of their kits from that time, is "KY"...
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Never seen one of those either.
Looks like a G.Appel made box. If you have the chance, please compare details of the MÄDLER marked box with an Appel box.
MÄDLER was (is) a wholesale company established 1882 in Berlin, specialized in metalware like screws, rivets, metal fittings .......
Thanks for showing.
Looks like a G.Appel made box. If you have the chance, please compare details of the MÄDLER marked box with an Appel box.
MÄDLER was (is) a wholesale company established 1882 in Berlin, specialized in metalware like screws, rivets, metal fittings .......
Thanks for showing.
Am pretty sure the owner, whom has a nice selection of RG34s himself, has made the comparison to the other makers of the period, but will ask nonetheless. It wasn't too long ago when the first "rbl" marked tin surfaced...another revelation previously unknown in collecting circles as well...
mowzerluvr
Hey Buddy, is that an E/4 in your pocket?
Is there a site or thread that covers these? I collect Hawig kits and am wondering their late war code, crs I think. Also just heard of a kit with "64" code on it, not a proof mark, but larger code "64". Need some hawig guts for an empty kit I have also.
Hauswirtschafts-Maschinen-Gesellschaft mbH, Berlin (HAWIG) was issued the three letter code of cmr. Cans and most components can be found with the cmr marking during the years 1941 - '45.
crs is the code for the bayonet producer Paul Weyersberg.
Gustav Appel AG, Berlin used the 64 numerical code from late 1939 into the Spring of 1941 when the code changed to cnx. There are at least three variations of the 64 code marking and behälter can be found in tinned as well as painted construction/finish.
Here is a site that might be of interest. The owner/author is also a member here.
http://rg34.blogspot.be
Hope this helps .....
Unfortunately not. I asked the guy whom has it, but nothing was forthcoming. I have known him for 30 years but he is 400 miles away from me. He is now over 70, and think time is beginning to catch up with him. I will try again when next we speak...
Kammerjaeger
Well-known member
I have only one kit. I don’t know much about these but mine is “cnx” with a WaA20 waffenampt. My chain appears to be early (ky1939), and if I am reading the RG34 blog correctly, my tin is later. My spoon us unmarked, with a wrapped handle and my oil can is the final crude machined version shown on the blog.
KJ
KJ
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Finally there was a window of opportunity to head to Kali, and visit a few friends, so drove out there on New Year's Day (one of the lightest traffic days of the year...and it did not disappoint!). On Friday stopped by my friend's place whom has the Madler37 kit. We grabbed a G. Appel1937, Hawig 1940, a Mundlos 39, and a KY 1937 for comparison. Although I wish the others had all been dated 1937 as well, had to make due. It became apparent in short order, the one kit which was about a 99.5%+ match to the Madler37 tin was the G Appel. Most notably, the way the lateral ribs on the tin were shaped as the two ends were crimped together, proved to be the most definitive feature. The variance was so slight, it was well within the tolerance of manufacture and a almost perfect match by far. If Apple was behind the Madler, it might be plausible Madler was a retailer and acquired components from Apple to market. This could also explain why none of the kit components were attributed or WaA accepted. If Appel had an arrangement with Madler, it was likely a short one, and/or a very limited contract...
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