A-2 Jacket Ring Snaps

[leper-colony]

In a recent repro thread ring snaps were touched on:

http://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=15534&start=10

I have a BK where the snaps are blackened and the button posts in the pockets and collar are silver. I also have a Goodwear where the button posts are brass.

I've handled a number of A-2 jackets over the years, but it has been a while.

I remember the ring snaps that I have seen being all blackened brass (or they looked that way to me).

I'm curious what the experience has been for members of the forum when looking at ring snaps. What materials or combos have you seen?

I have seen a mix of blackened/painted steel and blackened brass on US/Brit web gear, but mostly brass.

We could try to keep it to A-2s but it might creep into B-15s...

Thoughts?

I can post pics of the jackets I mentioned. I have some experience with modern 24 line ring snaps and they can be made from a lot of materials. I even have a cool (ie expensive) snap tool.
.

 

[foster]

Large ring snaps were made in blackened brass (definitely the most common) and in nickel plated brass. As for the ones used on original jackets, I think it is the smaller ring snaps which some manufacturers (Knopf and Cable Raincoat) used the nickel plated ones in certain contracts.

 

[foster]

I doubt those new snaps are steel. Steel doesn't roll as easily when formed. It can be done, but it is not as easy.

I can speculate that the method of blackening may be different for some parts of the snaps. Nowadays some metal finishers blacken brass by zinc plating it first, then blackening the zinc. When subjected to wear, you see the black give way to a silver zinc color before it finally wears through to the brass. It is only a guess, but that may be the case with these. Typical cold blue will darken it back.

 

[Anonymous]

Some of them were brass but I doubt the inside of the little tube was blackened. Oxidization through the years took care of that and they look blackened today. I bet if you clean them with

they will become brass and shiny again.

I think brass or steel were the options back then.

I don't have an A-2 here to check, but have 2 M65 jackets, one has scovill (dated 68) and the other has RAU (dated 84) snaps. Both are brass.

 

[leper-colony]

I doubt those new snaps are steel. Steel doesn't roll as easily when formed. It can be done, but it is not as easy.

Steel can be soft or hard as well as aluminum.

 

[foster]

I doubt those new snaps are steel. Steel doesn't roll as easily when formed. It can be done, but it is not as easy.

Steel can be soft or hard as well as aluminum.

I find brass to be softer than steel. By softer I mean more malleable without the need to apply heat.