Does anyone know what the base metal used to construct the hilt pieces for the Red Cross Officer's dagger was?
John
Hi,
The hilt components are generally referred to as being "pot metal". Pot metal is a general term for an alloy of inexpensive, low-melting point metals used to make fast, inexpensive castings. The primary component of pot metal is zinc, but other metals are added in an effort to strengthen the material, improve the flow of the molten metal & reduce cost.
Quite what the mix was I have no idea & it may have varied depending on what was available.