French Air Service Tunic On A Budget

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Rickitycrate, I will definitely let you know when I find out about the pin.

 

And I have another new find to keep you all posted on as well. I took a break from flying HITR just along enough to snap up the following:

 

 

 

How cool are those? And they are very old, likely WWI and British in origin as they have Wood-Milne heels on them that appear to be of Great War vintage based on the lettering style of the logo, (at least from what I can tell in the photos that were sent to me). Of course they will display well regardless of how old they are, and the style is perfect for this project.

 

 

I am really starting to love eBay France. Très magnifique!

 

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Edited January 1, 2011 by RAF_Louvert

[Stiffy 1]

I go awol for a week and when I come back you've bought up all the bargains in france!

 

Some really nice looking pieces. And glad you went for the red breeches! Best option in my opinion as they underline just how flambouyant the early war french uniforms were and are a strong reminder of how not too many years before hand soldiers were still marching slowly towards each other in line and charging on cavalry.

 

Ive just won an item on ebay that should greatly alter the appearance of my uniform.... watch this space! Hopefully it should arrive this side of Christmas.

 

 

[Stiffy 1]

Dont know if you are already away of these guys...

 

http://www.schipperfabrik.com/

 

Some good repro ww1 french uniform and equipment, including red breeches, gaiters, puttes etc...

 

 

They also have everything someone would need to start a german flyers uniform.... C'mon Olham! you know you want to!

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Thanks Stiffy, I was not aware of that company. A bit spendy but it looks like nicely made items. BTW, the Sam Browne arrived on Monday and I discoverd that, despite some heavy checking of the finish on the rear portion of the upper strap it was still quite sound, but very, very dried out. However, after carefully working in by hand numerous applications of a vinegar/mink oil mixture the leather came back and is once again supple with a great color and sheen, and the brass is very good as well. I now have it fitted to my project, along with my collection of French and Belgian medals and honours. I even happened across an original WWI-issue French wound ribbon with red enamalled star which showed up in a package of old French medals and mounting bars I had purchased a while back, (mainly for the silver ball-and-bar mounts as they are hard to come by). Here is the current status of my efforts:

 

 

 

 

Also, the stork pin did indeed turn out to be an original from the Great War era, and it flys beautifully above all that bling. I am still sorting out the collar flashes and combat stripes, but I think it is looking quite fine. I even built my own tailor's form to display it on, but that's a story for another time.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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Edited January 1, 2011 by RAF_Louvert

[Av8er 0]

"Fantastic! now all we need is a german and an america.... oh and some planes!"

 

I don't know if anyone but Siting Duck knows this but my Dad and I are building a Nieuport 11 ultralight in his garage. This winter I plan on building the horazontal stab and maybe the top wing. I don't have much of the plane built that is reconizable but I have over 100 pieces for it so far. The funds got low for I lost my job but hopefully I get one soon and I will get back to building again.

 

Edit: BTW I like those metals on your tunic there, I will ask for some for christmas.

Edited December 18, 2009 by Av8er

[Siggi 10]

That's a thing of great beauty Lou.

[Stiffy 1]

Amazing!!!!!!

 

Damn the french had style, cant wait to see the whole uniform.

 

 

Great to see you are using mink oil on the sam brown, many people make the mistake of using olive oil or Neatsfoot oil on an antique, they will both eventually destroy the stitching and olive oil will permamnently darken the colour. I use Pecard Antique Leather Dressing and am very happy with the results, when my new camera arrives I will put some pictures up of my restored Sam Brown.

 

Theres something odd about the fittings on your belt though... The upper ring that attached the belt to the shoulder strap is all wrong... perhaps a home made replacement? Should be a brass D ring... you can see the curved ring you have is tugging the leather on the belt side, may cause a split if tightened too much. D rings easily replaced from leather suppliers.... again I will put up a pic of a correct one from one of my belts (got 2 now!)

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Thanks for the positive remarks Gents.

 

Av8er, best of luck with your N11 UL project. Are you working with the folks from the Dawn Patrol in terms of support and parts sources? BTW, I have a UL project of my own, but it has been on hold for some time now, however I live in hope that I'll get back to it one of these days.

 

Siggi, it is rather sharp, isn't it?

 

Stiffy, I've been studying those loops myself, and they are puzzling. They appear to be originals as they are a welded, blued steel and show no signs of having been added later. The brass rivets and stitching on the leather straps supporting them do not appear to have been redone or altered in any way. But I have not found photos of another belt showing this style of loop. Since you mention it, do you have a good source for the replacement 'D' rings? Also, I am still searching for that pair of red pants. The two I had been watching online both went for far more than I was willing to pay, (this is a "budget" project after all). I do have a couple other alternatives I am considering, and one of them will complete the display, of that I am quite sure. Also Stiffy, I am very curious what the item is you mentioned earlier that will significantly change the look of your project. Has it arrived yet and when will we see it? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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[Stiffy 1]

Just waiting to get my new camera to put up some new shots...

[Av8er 0]

I don't think I am working with Dawn Patrol, all the parts are hand made by bending aluminum pipes around wooden jigs. Plus my uncle is a aircraft fabricator for the airlines so he could machine me a whole bunch of parts if I asked him. What kind of ultralight are you building?

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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OK Av8er, the reason I asked is because they have outstanding support and sources for the N11 and N17 builds, and because the picture in your avatar appears to be of a Nieuport replica belonging to one of their members. BTW, I am doing a parasol wing pusher that has been at this stage for well over a year now:

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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Edited January 1, 2011 by RAF_Louvert

[Stiffy 1]

These any good for you Lou?

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.fr/pantalon-francais-de-piou-piou-de-14-18_W0QQitemZ190360723470QQcmdZViewItemQQptZFR_JG_Collections_Militaria_Uniformes?hash=item2c5262200e

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Thanks Stiffy, I will keep an eye on those Sir. The last several pair that came up on eBay ended at about 100 euros, which is well above what I want to pay for them, (though they are very neat).

 

BTW, I have the collar flashes and tour stripes all sorted out and will post a picture of the additions soon.

 

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[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Stiffy, those pants also topped the 100 euro mark just like the others did, so the search continues. Still looking for an affordable WWI-style sous-lieutenant's kepi as well and they seem to command high money too. None-the-less, progress continues and here are a few more photos of the project at this point.

 

 

The tunic so far, complete with the collar flashes.

 

 

 

The gold bullion thread "combat tours" stripes on the right sleeve.

 

 

 

 

Here is a close-up of the collar flashes, (the camera flash didn't do them justice in the previous photos). I am rather proud of these as I managed to put them together using two different old French bullion badges with the final cost being less than $10 total, (rather than the $60 each that Hand and Lock wanted to reproduce them).

 

 

 

 

My super WWI vintage aviator boots sporting a fresh coat of mink oil and polish.

 

 

 

 

And a close-up of the medals, awards, ribbons, and pins.

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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Edited January 1, 2011 by RAF_Louvert

[foreigndevil 0]

That French uniform just looks superb and what's more: it seems just my size!

[Stiffy 1]

Sorry Lou been meaning to put this photo up for a while but kept forgetting!

 

The top belt is from my uniform and is vintage.... ww2 maybe, or possibly older... the bottom belt is modern. As you can see the british army doesnt allow any deviation from the pattern! So those rings on yours are very unlikely to be original, much more likely a later field repair, have you turned them to see if there is a weld hidden behind the leather?.. and is the back ring the same? I wonder what happened to lose the originals... It's a minor detail really though as no doubt the french belts where different in pattern to the british, and the french uniform seems to have been a lot more flexible.

 

The lower angular rings are for holding a sword belt on ceremonial occasions.

 

 

[Stiffy 1]

Forgot to mention, the brass D-ring is 1 and 4/8 inches wide if you decide to replace.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Thank you for the info and photos Stiffy. They are much appreciated Sir.

 

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[Dej 17]

Lou,

 

That uniform is really coming along, fully enough to impress my other half sufficiently to say she'd not object to something like that in the study! Now I've heard everything!

 

Awesome work, doubly well done.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Thanks Dej. And apparently this proves yet again that the French know how to satisfy a woman.

 

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[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Greetings All,

 

Thought I would update you folks on my ongoing project. After much searching I have finally secured the following vintage French kepi, for $30.00 US, that I can rework into a proper WWI aviator's chapeau, (I was unpleasantly surprised to learn just how much old WWI kepis sell for when I began the search for this item, and I had no intention of spending well in excess of 70 euros to buy one):

 

 

 

This pre-WW2 example, has the correct red lid and knot for the Legion Etrangere, (my pilot's former unit), as well as the gold band and wide soutache. It should be arriving in the next week or so at which point I will revamp it by cutting down the overall height to that seen in many of the Great War kepis. I will also remove the two extra bands of gold soutache so that it will show the rank of a sous-lieutenant, after which I will add the numbers for Escadrille N67 along with the emblem of the Armee de l'Air. And speaking of that, I also found and purchased this lot for another $9.00 US:

 

 

 

I will likely be using one of the two badges shown to the lower left as they appear to be the correct vintage. I will post pics of the cap once I have made the alterations.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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Edited January 1, 2011 by RAF_Louvert

[Stiffy 1]

Wow, looking great! Still on the hunt for a suitable jacket for my final version!... will update with some other bits soon.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Greetings All,

 

How it can possibly be 2011 already is beyond me, but in certain ways it's a good thing 2010 is behind us all. I also find it a bit hard to believe I began this little project over a year ago, but it is at last wrapping up. After much searching about in second-hand stores, garage sales, and eBay I finally came across an inexpensive pair of red wool pants in beautiful shape that I was able to rework into a proper looking set for my WWI French aviateur's uniform. Here is the completed outfit standing proudly in the corner of my flying room:

 

 

 

 

I think it all came together quite well, and apart from a couple of very minor tweaks, it is done. Now then, I wonder how much work it will be to put together a German Flieger's kit?

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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[foreigndevil 0]

Terrific work! Looks really stunning! Congrats!

[Mr_Dirt 1]

Great work Lou the uniform is stunning! Have a great 2011!

Best Wishes John