UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons Miscellaneous Dagger Forum Red cross leader question

My RK Leader has the pommel nickeled and the crossguard appears to be zink , very similar to the one for sale in the forum.
Does any one know if that is a typical parts dagger or was it common that the finishes were different on those parts ?

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Also someone suggested that the swastika on the langet has been ground off and a replacement soldered on - which I find hard to beleive - it is rather flattened and some grime has collected in the grooves - what do you think ?

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I can't tell you much about your dagger with those pictures, but I can tell you that they where made in the mid to later period of dagger production so a mix of metal does not sound far fetched to me. But there is others here that Probably have alot more experience with DRK's I have only owned one and handled maybe 10 in my life.

I have an idea as to what has happened here-All parts should be Zinc/Potmetal-nickel plated. I agree the swastika has been replaced. It does not look right and there is some dark material under it-possibly solder-but I kind of doubt it could be soldered. I think it was heated during a repair attempt and some of the nickel came off -or most of it and so they removed all of it.JMO

Some years ago there was a solder avoilable through Radio Shack for soldering zinc diecast but it has not been very successful. And last time I checked they didn't have it no mo. JB Weld epoxy works better for these applications. The excess under the swaz should have been cleaned out with a pointed tool or with a dentist drill bit on a Dremel tool.
Diecast is readily plated using cianide based plating solutions.
I'm sure that the pommel is also diecast but has all of its original plating.

thank you very much for your advise - if the swas was ground away shouldn`t ther be some kind of grinding marks on that area ?

If it was don carefully there are very little grinding marks around the certain aera and imo are hidden by the now slightly larger swaz.

I appreciate your opinions , but can`t help thinking why one would be so careful in removing the swastika when in such a process it still would be seen as such on the base unless it all would be polished which it wasn`t - I had a good look through the magnifying lens and could not see any sign that the emblem is not of the same material and there is no seam between the base and the actual swaz - it has been battered a little though which makes it fatter
thanks again for your comments