Rare Whiskey Hip Flask Restoration - World War II
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ส.ค. 2023
- Restoration of a rare whiskey hip flask from World War 2 - The hip flask has 2 bullet holes and is probably from the World War 2 and belonged to a soldier from RAF Royal Air Force. The Flask was found near the battlefields of Reims in France by a metal detector guy who is subscribed to my channel.
About the whiskey hip flask
I got this rare whiskey hip flask from a French subscriber who do metal detecting around all the old battlefields from World War 1 and 2 in France, Belgium and Holland. Its most likely from World War 2 considering the location where it was found near Reims and all the other relics it was found together with like ammunition, coins and kitchen equipment with US and British stamps.
There was a very cool RAF badge (The British Royal Air Force) attached to the whiskey hip and the flask has a simple but yet cool eagle (I think) and the words “Per Ardua Surgo” which means Through difficulties I arise. There were also 2 bullet holes on both sides.
The hip flask was in very poor condition when I started the restoration. And there were still a lot of dents, marks and signs of use when I was finished with the repair. The brand name was still readable “Hutton. Sheffield - 0322 - 2” in the bottom.
It is made of pewter and the RAF Royal Air Force badge was made of brass both known to last thousands of years buried.
The restoration process
I started the restoration process by removing the thick layer of dirt, dust and corrosion with a semi soft vinyl brush. Then I removed the RAF Badge gently using heat.
I had a little difficulty removing the screw cap but finally after many hours of work I managed to carefully get it off.
I washed the flask in regular water with alcohol and carefully straightened out a few dents with a special tool I’ve made to do this repair.
I cleaned and straightened out the bullet holes and then I casted new pewter into the bullet holes to make the whiskey hip flask whole and usable again.
After the casting process I grinded and removed the excess material but unfortunately the old pewter was rotten and collapsed into an even bigger hole.
So I was forced to do a new repair and cast pewter into an even bigger hole now. This repair did go very well though, so after a few hours of grinding the flask was whole.
I gave the flask a quick polish (not too much) I wanted to keep the patina from WWII so therefore I left a lot of dents, marks and scratches. I also cleaned the inside with 2000 miniature metal balls. I attached the RAF - The British Royal Air Force badge and filled it with whiskey.
I really loved this restoration and the video turned out to be very good. Please subscribe if you want to see more cool upcoming projects 🙂 And DON’T FORGET TO SEE some of my other World War restoration: • WORLD WAR RESTORATIONS
Thanks for watching my channel. See you soon.
Best wishes and stay safe ❤ Martin.
In this video i restore a rare whiskey hip flask from World War 2 - please see video description for more info - Enjoy :)
SEE all my other World War restoration 👉th-cam.com/play/PLQTERokpOFqgwUszTf7CBnRvNNrp3TDYm.html👈
Thanks for watching my channel. See you soon.
Best wishes and stay safe ❤ Martin.
My first thought, keeping the holes by soldering in pipes! 😁👍
That definitely was an awesome restoration.
durch harte Dinge stehe ich auf= per ardua surgo👍
I was thinking that if you had repaired the holes with clear epoxy resin they would still have the cool factor !
@@RaxaPKXD That would have been one good way to go. With all that lead, it's probably not healthy to drink from it. Me personally, I would have just left the holes cleaned it up and presented the flask as a history and conversation piece.
It is a Royal Air Force cap badge, hence the letters „RAF“.
It was worn with the beret, usually by NCOs. The badge shows the „King‘s Crown“ indicating it was produced between 1919 and 1952, as the RAF was not formed until 1918. So basically it is very likely the badge dates back to WW II.
From 1952 (?) onwards the cap would show the „Queen‘s Crown“, which everyone will understand. 😊
The seagull is the RAF‘s official heraldic symbol, the Royal Seagull of the Empire. 😂
The writing „PER ARDUA SURGO“ (I rise through hard (times)) is 45 Squadron‘s motto, a British unit of tactical bomber planes. This is a bit strange as during WW II 45 Squadron was deployed in Africa and Asia, but never in France. It took part in WW I though. This, however, does not explain how the flask got to France as the cap badge was not produced before 1919. Hm. Maybe my research yielded the wrong results.
Thanks!!
I found the same results as you, and asked my husband who is a history nerd, and he said that this was correkt. But perhaps this one ended up in france because a son had taken his fathers flask with him, as a memento? I think thats plausible.
@@kusokk That's my thinking.
It may also be, that one serviceman changed units, as after the axis left Africa, there was not that much need for bombers there.
@@sthenzel, and way before the Axis left Africa the Squadron did. But of course, you may be right.
RAF is the Royal Air Force. The badge is from WWI. Could’ve been a family item that a soldier put on their flask.
During the first world war wasn't it the royal flying corps?
The badge cannot be from WW I. Production of this specific badge did not start before 1919.
@@benedictoneill6369Yes. The RFC or “the 15 minuters” for the Blackadder IV fans.
Also the motto on the back is "per ardua surgo", in English "I rise through difficult things". However, the official RAF motto is "per ardua ad astra" which means "towards the stards". I did some research and found out that this is the Number 45 Squadron's of the Royal Air Force motto. It's their badge which motto is different. They fought in Italy and in North Africa, so perhaps it was found somewhere around here.
Great job. I liked that you fixed the bullet holes because it was an interesting process, but it did lose the coolness factor of having bullet holes.
[[[ Ghost taps him on the shoulder ]]]
"Been looking for that, cheers mate!"
hahaha
True, the bullet holes told the story of events.
I kept watching hoping the holes would be filled with a different metal - like a brass or something - to keep it's history. The restore is still great and I like that he kept a lot of the wear - it honors whoever dropped it.
Don't worry, they were not even real bullet holes anyway. Clearly drilled for theatrical reasons, but still a nice job of the repair...
I don't know why, but I've always liked the "squeak squeak pop" sound effect of the bottles being opened! 😂
You are very good at your repairs. It's always good to see these old artifacts returned to their original glory!
thanks so much. I also like these pops 😊
It was a great restoration 😊 I wish there was a way to have kept the bullet holes that would have been a really great history piece 😊
thank you so much. For me it made sense to fix the holes but I respect that you think otherwise :)
@@AwesomeRestorationsI think you did a good job filling in the holes, it’s restoration for a reason lol. Not half job oration😂. If you read this I love your work!❤
Martin, you are catching all kinds of flack for restoring this to original condition. I have to say you did the right thing. There is no person associated with this flask. No history. No story. You restored it to original condition for all of us to see. Thank you. You always put your heart and soul into your work and I can’t give you enough accolades.❤️
No history? It's a 100 year old Flask assigned to a specific unknown RAF solder near a famous battlefield in France. I am sure it just caught a couple stray bullets as it fell from the sky on an uneventful sunny day...
It takes a sorry lack of humanity to say no person is associated with this bullet ridden flask. “No person. No history. No story.”
That's like saying the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has no history or story.
@@klintharder2155yeah. Ok.
@@tiffanycoleman1855those soldiers were pulled from a battlefield with facts they passed in battle, unlike a flask with ZERO history and a few target holes in it. PROVE it was in battle, and I’ll change my mind.
A lovely restoration, Martin 👍 I think you were right to fill in holes - a flask full of whiskey is better than a flask full of air 😂
Thanks 😉👍i thought so too 🍻
Ну брат, ты конечно молодец, воскресить из не бытия прошлое, нет слов, смотреть на творения мастера это волшебство, с замиранием сердца, твори и дальше всего тебе самого светлого и наилучшего
thank you so much for your kind words 😊
@@AwesomeRestorations
Удивительное превращение из старой никому не нужной вещи, в прекрасное изделие, знающщее себе цену, ❤❤❤ Мастеру - почёт и уважение! ❤❤❤
good job! But The two gun holes should be kept and lined inside, so as to preserve the historical information of the item and restore its function.
I too was a bit mixed on the fixing of the bullet holes as a few have mentioned but that wouldn’t make this an awesome restorations! Plus id much rather know this flask was restored and made awesome once again rather than still being buried and forgotten somewhere in France
thanks for your comment 😊👍
I always admire your works. Is it only me who think that those bullet holes should be kept? You could just clean the flask but keep the holes as the indication of how fierce is the war.
I respect your opinion. But how on earth should I pour whiskey in it with these holes? 😊 just kidding, I get what you mean
@@AwesomeRestorations Thank you very much for your understanding respond. 🙂👍
I think the bullet holes meant a lot, however; I love the restoration!!
I absolutely love this channel 👍
thank you so much 😊❤
I rather liked the bullet holes but all the same this was another awesome restoration. You’ve done the boys of the RAF proud I have no doubt. 👍👍
thank you so much glad you liked it 😊
Nice job as usual! When the pewter got too hot, it was fortunate that it didn't collapse in on itself. But you had the ability to fill in the hloe. It wasn't a complete failure, it was a challenge that you accepted and conquered!😊
thanks - glad you liked it. Yes could have gone much worse - glad I was able to repair it 😊👍
LOVE THIS ONE! While we didn't get any sand blasting, we get a nice not to the favorite libation of Captain Lewis Nixon (Vat 69). Thank you for always keeping us entertained with your incredible talent.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching. Also glad that you caught the Nixon reference 😊👍
Only the finest for Mrs. Nixon's baby boy
Не ошибается только тот, кто ничего не делает! У тебя руки золотые, бро! Отличное видео! Спасибо!
thank you so much 😊
The crickets in the background at 2am does it for me.
Amazing work on this video, as always so enjoyable to watch!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it 😉 cheers 👍
While I would have preferred to keep the bullet holes it's not mine to ask. Truly an amazing job.
I really like your of use of your unique tool and the zip tie. Those pliers was genius. Not sure why I've never thought of using the zip tie. Brilliant.
Personally though I think it would have been better with the bullet holes left in and used as a show piece rather than repairing it
thanks for your comment, I also respect your opinion about the bullet holes 😊
Steve Lehto found a Confederate belt buckle many years ago.
He did the research on it.
Quite a few experts said it was a re-pop.
He finally got hold of one expert that heard where he found it, and when, and made an offer that Steve couldn’t refuse.
Lehto’s Law Archive, right here on YT
'Per ardua surgo' (meaning 'Through difficulties I arise') was the motto of No. 45 Squadron RAF which was based in France during the First World War but not the Second
thanks so much for info :)
Turned out lovely, though I would have also reattached the chain, but it’s your restoration!
Awesome job!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! 😊 The chain was so fragile that it crumbles apart. So I could not use it and I did not think that a new chain would fit the old flask very well. Cheers :)
@@AwesomeRestorations Perfectly understandable! Thanks for replying!!!
I myself enjoy all of the service related things you restore. I love that you love it too. Please keep all your content coming. :)
thanks a lot. I also have a thing for these things so you can be sure that there will be more of this in the future 😊
Impressive that you created a tool to help fixing some dents from the inside of the flask. My goodness, is there anything that you can't do? Much respect for your talent and knowledge
thank you so much for your kind word 😊
Amazing Restoration 👍🏻👍👍🏽
thank you so much 😊
Всегда приятно смотреть на работу настоящего мастера. Мартин, вы супер❤
Thanks for your kind words I really appreciate it 👍🙂 cheers buddy ❤
Thank you , Martin .
The Winged Camel symbolises the fact that the Squadron flew Camel Aircraft during World War I. It also symbolise the long period the Squadron was stationed in the Middle East.
The Motto translates as "Through difficulties I arise". The badge was granted in October 1936.
🐺 Loupis Canis .
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and always leave nice comments. I really appreciate it 😉 👍have a great day, cheers
@@AwesomeRestorations My Pleasure , Martin .
WOW! Very nicely done Martin!!
thank you so much 😊 have an awesome day
Congratulations Martin on another successful restoration job, the result was perfect and we have yet another piece of history recovered. Thank you.
thank you so much Manoel, glad you liked it 😊
Dear Martin,
This restoration was very tough but this time you proved yourself again.
Precision work.
Loved watching.
many thanks Rohit. Wishing you a lovely day 😊❤
My brother, you've outdone yourself once again. I wonder what the history is on that flask. Such amazing work and craftsmanship as always.
thanks so much. Yes would be nice to know to whom it belonged :)
A beautiful restoration, sir.
How cool would it have been, though, if you could have solidified the inside of the flask while leaving the bullet holes in their places. Like putting a sheet of metal BEHiND the holes. Love your work.
Clear epoxy.
thanks a lot for your comment 😊
Another beautiful piece of history brought back. Thank you young sir🏴
thank you so much
Это мой самый любимый канал,всегда что то новое и интересное,браво мастеру золотые руки👏👏👏👍👍👍
thank you so much 😊
Ficou simplesmente magnífico. Parabéns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
muito obrigado 😊
Excellent repair and restoration. The badge is a
RAF (Royal Air Force) Cap Badge. Information on the flask is minimal. There was a Sheffield-based silversmith and plating company called William Hutton & Sons.
William Hutton & Sons acquired Creswick & Co in 1902 and began to use their crossed arrows marks.
William Hutton & Sons was absorbed by James Dixon & Sons in 1930. Awesome work on the repair of the bullet holes. Keep up the good work Martin
Yes, but from what I read, Dixon & Sons kept using the eight crossed arrows and the trademark „Hutton Sheffield“.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your knowledge I really appreciate it 👍 cheers 🙂
@@AwesomeRestorations You are very welcome.
What about the chain? it could have been cool looking to see the flask having its chain back but l can understand if the flask is very fragile so risk of adding it back might have break it even more like in 9:57-10:03 but still very amazing looking :)
the chain was beyond repari so I would have had to attach a new chain but I think that would not have been correct to do 😊
fair enough, l can respect that choice but still, it looks amazing, keep up the good work!
This one actually made me a little emotional. I was transported back in time and formulating a scenario in my mind as to the battle which transpired to cause the bullet holes and the soldier who quite possibly lost his life. This was a beautiful piece. I believe it may have belonged to a high ranking officer. The monogram and the marking tell a story 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🥰
And the evidence of that aircrew member possibly losing their life was lost forever when the bullet holes were filled in - destroying the history
A wonderful restoration of the flask Martin. I'm not sure of the RAR medallion, but Per Ardua Surgo means "Through difficulties I arise." Question: although it could not be a flask again, but did give thought of keeping the bullet holes in the flask? I'm toasting your video with a Blackstone St. Charles Porter. I hope you and yours are healthy and in good spirits. Cheers from this old retired coot who just celebrated our 51st Wedding Anniversary, living the dream in Tennessee.
Well congratulations Robert, and thanks for watching, chers from sweden 🍻
A huge pleasure as always Martin. Congratulations once again for a beautiful restoration my friend! Cheers and hope to see you soon again!
Thank you! Cheers!
I do so enjoy the care you put into war relics restorations. 👍
thanks, very happy to hear that 😊
45th Squadron Royal Air Force. Translation on back is Through difficulties I arise.
thanks for info 😊👍
it kinda looked like a RAR to me which I think would be rich and rare.
Where is the indication of 45 Sqn.? And your translation of the Inscription isn’t quite correct, Ad Astra would be the actual Latin that should have been written ie the inscription in Latin should read “ Per Ardua, Ad Astra” which is the motto of the Royal Air Force meaning “ through difficulties to the stars”.
The engraving at the top of the flask shows an eagle in flight and I suspect that the numerals beneath the makers name denote the date of production of the flask, so 0722 indicates that it was initially manufactured or sold to a retailer in July 1922. The engraving and the addition of the RAF cap badge would have taken place probably much later, more than likely during the Second World War, possibly as a gift from a loved one or special friend. In the video the badge appears to be chromed leading me to believe it might have been owned by an officer, as an ordinary rank and file airman or NCO would have been issued with a brass or bronze badge.
Olá do Brasil 🇧🇷, impossível não deixar um like, seu trabalho tem história e o resultado sempre perfeito 👍👏👏👏😘
Great job, the idea of using the balls to clean the inside was…awesome!
Eres lo ¡MAXIMO! ,en restauraciones, y en sorprender con tu tecnica de trabajo sino además en la calidad muy cuidada de tu video. Gracias por compartir tu pasión. Desde Salta Argentina cariños Mirta.❤
Ваш труд и видео не только эстетичные, удивительные, а ещё и просветительные, очень много интересной и полезной информации !!!
nada a ve parceiro
@@tok1214 É muito bom que, com habilidades e ferramentas apropriadas, uma pessoa dê uma segunda vida às coisas !!!
Спасибо большое за Ваши видео и труд, очень мощно !!! Продолжайте дальше реставрировать вещи, очень интересно смотреть как делаете казалось бы невозможное !!!
fala portugues irmao
@@tok1214 Eu escrevi em russo: "muito obrigado por seus vídeos e trabalho, muito poderoso !!! Continue restaurando as coisas, é muito interessante ver como você faz o que parece impossível !!!"
So glad to see this restored . We need to honor the woman and Men who faught for our freedom . True heros .
thank you so much. Yes you are right 😊
В какой-то момент испугался что фляга сломалась именно на месте с надписью "Per ardua surgo". Подумал что очень обидно, но в конце выдохнул😂
Очень нравятся твои ролики и твоя работа, друг, выпускай ролики чаще, по возможности😊
thank you so much I will try to publish more often 😊
This is a war artifact. It was worth more money and had more historical value with the bullet holes left in it.
My initial thoughts, too. After thinking about it, though, what are the odds 2 bullets that close in battle? My guess is it was used for target practice by someone.
@@tonyk438i think it's a rose of pellets
If it was known who it belonged to (name, serial number, initials) your statement would stand true. However, none of that is known. There is no story that came with this item. It’s a flask with holes in it.
Thats 2 different calibers... not likely target practice either... unless it was just 1 shot with 2 different guns.
Those are most likely real shots.
This never should have been restored. It was an artifact deserving a museum
Without some kind of connection to a name from ww2, it's just a flask with holes in it from that era.
Скорей всего эта фляга для коньяка 😃😃👍👍👍
maybe 😊
I feel so rewarded, after doing homework, watching your work. 😊
Enjoy!
I won't stop saying this, you have golden hands, thanks for the video brother
Haha, thank you so much 😉👍
Man do you understand that any project you do is awesome/amazing 🙏 you make it look easy but some real craftsman stuff love it always
thank you so much for your kind words I really appreciate it 😊
I appreciate the restoration but personally I find that repairing the flask if the battle damage is very disrespectful to both the soldier and their memory however it was an amazing restoration just in bad taste I'm afraid
I respect you opinion even though I disagree 😊
You have no idea how those bullet holes got there. To me, this looks as if it could have been used for target practice. Since it was in such terrible condition, obviously no one cared for it in any way. It's now a show peice.
Good job❤
Thank you so much 😀
For anyone wondering, "per ardua surgo" is latin and means: "trough difficult/unpleasant situations I rise"
👍👍 thanks
Great work once again. There is so much history in the pieces you restore. There must be a very interesting story behind the bullet holes. It came out great like all of your projects
Thanks for watching Alan 😉👍
For me, repairing the bullet holes removed the history of the flask. Unforgivable that such an interesting item with so much history was reduced to a novelty.
sorry to hear that you feel that but I respect your opinion
Nice my friend, great job. You must be proud of repair something with a lot of history on it. Congratulations
Thank you very much!
Man you are simply the best restoration people
thanks so much I really appreciate it 😊
Как всегда шикарная работа!👍
Incredible things are still found after many years. fantastic
Good recovery and awesome job. Really enjoyed the restoration again. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
This is wonderful! I recently dreamed that I was on a tour of your workshop)
glad you liked it. How funny 😊
Awesome work as usual! I love those whiskey flask restores!
Thank you! Cheers!
Another fantastic job my man!! Always look forward to watching your restorations 👍
Thanks 👍
I love videos like these, watching you fix objects is very enjoyable, congratulations for the wonderful work
Thank you so much 😀
@@AwesomeRestorations welcome 😊
A wonderful restoration. Great work.
thanks a lot
Very well made and went through some wars with battles and elements. Also well repaired to come out victorious. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Bro😉👍
Mais uma restauração incrível!
Amazing Martin, thank you for restoring it 🏴
Glad you enjoyed it
I am very happy to see you and your work is wonderful as usual😁
Thank you so much 😀
Great restoration video 👍👍🍸🍸Well done 👍👍
many thanks 😊
Gobsmackedly amazing restoration! 👏
thank you so much - I appreciate it 😊
You never fail to impress! Brilliant!
Thanks gregor 😉👍
His precision is unmatched
Thank you 👍
Amazing transformation Martin thankyou for the episode 👏
No problem, thansk for watching 😉👍
Another quality restoration job Martin, keep them coming ❤
Thanks, will do!
Your restoration was so good and inspiration
thanks so much 😊
Royal Air Force = RAF
Beautiful restoration by the way.
Gosto muito do seu trabalho. Uma boa restauração!
What I love about your channel, that other channels DO NOT do, is take the time to fix the dents in the metal in the projects. It really takes your stuff to the next level.
thank you so much for your kind words I really appreciate it ❤😊
I really like this . Great job!
Thank you so much!
Good job , you found it , bought it acquired it somehow. Its yours so do with it as you please. I love seeing old things restored and watching the craft performed is always entertaining. No need to randomly speculate what the value or the story behind the bullet holes was. Not every piece needs to be in a museum. This way everyone can enjoy the flask as it was and now is.
Awesome job giving this piece a new life so that it may get used again and be a part of living history instead of staying buried and forgotten
Yes I think so to. Thanks for watching I really appreciate it 👍❤
Spectacular video, from the craftsmanship to the editing you've done an outstanding job, i hope we get to see more frequent uploads, keep doing what you love wish you well!
Thank you very much!
Как всегда-это шедевр!
thank you I appreciate it 😊
Your talent for giving new life to these relics astounds me. Such a cool little flask, and it really makes you wonder about the story of the soldier who had it.
thank you so much I appreciate it. Yes it would be cool to know the history and the owner of the flask 😊
Hey AR
Thank you for sharing another project and great outcome; you certainly did an awesome job with the section that melted out.
Take care & have a great week 🙂
Thank you! Cheers!
Beautiful work. You’re very talented and passionate about your craft. Extremely patient.
thank you so much I am glad you think so :)
wow! turned out great!
Thank you! Cheers!
This is a piece of art. Amazing job reviving it AR❤️
Your the man 😄🥰
Thank you so much 😀
Yet again another great video. Love how you showed even a spot that had gone wrong. Keep up the great work.
Thanks 😉👍
Great work!
Thank you! Cheers!
Beautiful restoration.
thank you so much 😊
Wow! I can’t believe you patched the bullet holes. Fantastic job.
thank you so much 😊❤
Awesome Restoration Martin . Cheers !!!!!
Thank you! Cheers!