Air intake grill covers.

[Adrian Harris]

Seeing Mike's posting of engine grill covers, I started looking back through my photos for this area and surprise, surprise, there doesn't seem to be any kind of standard

The Bovington IIIN doesn't have any grills left, just the frames. The Bovington IIIL has square hole "woven" pattern grills. One of the ones at APG has a diamond pattern similar to Mike's design. The other seems to have a chicken wire type woven pattern.

Which to pick

Adrian.

[Stephen White]

Adrian

I've looked at this for a while now. As far as I can tell, the grills on the Bovington Ausf L are post war additons. I've got David Fletcher, the Tank Museum historian, coming for lunch today, so I'll ask him.

All the photos I've found point to a woven diamond mesh as the only original variant. (I also think the tow ropes are not original).

I've looked all over, here and in the States for the mesh and the nearest I've found is a diamond pressed version, not woven. I know Mike Stannard has equally failed to find anything. I suspect that if it's to be found anywhere, it will be in model train layout material, under chain link fencing. I've come quite close that way but never quite found the right material.

So if you want an authentic mesh, you either have to weave it yourself (....!) or try the etch route which Mike has settled for.

Let me know if you do find anything - I'll be eternally grateful.

Good to meet you at last at Shepton

All the best

Stephen

[Adrian Harris]

> As far as I can tell, the grills on the Bovington Ausf L are post war additons.

Not surprising, given the number of people who probably took it apart over the years

> I've got David Fletcher, the Tank Museum historian, coming for lunch today, so I'll ask him.

Blimey, how does one arrange such a feat

> So if you want an authentic mesh, you either have to weave it yourself

I did have some thoughts this morning, which hark back to the string and nails pictures from the Sixties. Not sure if it'll work though.

>Good to meet you at last at Shepton

And you - and many thanks for the CD

Adrian.

[Tim Bowman]

Hi Stephen and Adrian

Along time ago I looked for wire mesh for the Panther Grills and found a place that sold a whole bunch of types and sizes. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize any of the sites this morning that I found as that same one. But, there were several.

The real mesh cover


Diamond Mesh


Square Mesh


Not 100% sure about sizes but their chart shows wire DIA and Square count/inch. This one looks promising for what you are looking for.

http://catalog.darbywiremesh.com/catego ... &plpver=10

Hope that is helpful
Best regards
Tim

[Brian Leach]

God Tim!

How do you do it?

Good find!

Brian

[Stephen White]

This one, as they say, could run......

Tim, I may be wrong but the mesh in your photo is not one I've ever seen on a Pz III original photo. The mesh is at 90 deg to the edges and not, as I believe it should be, at 45 deg. This isn't just a case of rotating it by 45 deg but also about the way it was woven. In the mesh you've illustrated, the weave goes under and over, along the rows. On the original it's more like a chain link fence with the weave moving at 45 deg into the next row and back. If I can find a photo which is copyable, I'll post it to show what I mean.

All the best

Stephen

[Stephen White]

Adrian

Here are the photos which show the original pattern of mesh for the Pz III:

This is one of the Abedeen tanks. The woven mesh is found on both the engine intake grills and on the grills above the exhaust boxes:



The grills above the exhaust boxes are in a well protected location and often seem to survive where the engine grills are lost. They use the same mesh. This is the grill above the exhaust on the Bovington Ausf L, which I believe is original:



This is the drawing Jenz and Doyle made (copyright Panzertracts) (for private study, not for publication):



Bonsai shops sell a very soft and flexible wire which might be good to weave a mesh. I've used it before.

http://www.kaizenbonsai.com/shop/produc ... cts_id=124

The idea of using a nail board sounds like a solution, just need the patience....

All the best.

Stephen

[Adrian Harris]

Great pictures Stephen - many thanks for taking the time to find and post them.

Looking at the picture, I don't know if the nail board option is likely to work as I don't think the result would have the necessary depth.

Tonight's thought is to wind the wire around a strip of K&S brass, which should give the necessary up and down and twisted effect. No eye deer how to link successive strands together though

Adrian.

[Kent Wiik]

Here is my 10 cent in this for what it is worth...

Some years ago a Stug III was picked up from a swamp in Russia.
The "Saratov Stug" was some kind of a time capsule as everything in it / on it was as it was the day it went down in the swamp with crew and everything



http://www.detektorweb.cz/index.4me?s=s ... &mm=1&vd=1

http://legion-afv.narod.ru/StuG-40_Saratov.html

Nothing has been added to it and the mesh is still there looking just like the one on Stephens photos:




Please note how the rubber antenna base is without paint.

But looking at the grill above the exhaust it looks a bit different (but 100% original)



Sadly this unique artefact is stored outside and a lot of items have been stolen.
Just a matter of time before it will fade away.
Very, very sad!

Cheers
Kent