Hello
I bought this BDU33 practice bomb, but the front part is no longer nice.
I would like to give one a new color, what is the blue called or what FS number does it have?
In all pictures of the bomb type racked, the suspension is not painted. However the metal it was moulded of , may give the impression of being dark ( black). But it's the light trick only. So the colour of the suspension lug depends on the material it was made of.
During a routine training mission, an A-10C Thunderbolt II assigned to the 23d Fighter Group suffered a bird strike which caused an inadvertent release of three BDU-33s, a small non-explosive training
This is an inert, solid iron practice bomb. Only dangerous if dropped on your foot. However, look into the chamber at the rear, center of the fins. There may be an aluminum tube which contains a powder (mine had purple powder) which is flammable, as it is an airborne marker trail. pull the tube out and discard what is in it. The powder in mine burned with fluffy purple smoke.
The suspension lugs are forged steel and cad plated. They are screwed into sockets and are also adjusted for proper hanging of the ordinance on the ejector rack.
Barnie: Best bet, if you don't have a paint supplier that has a spectrophotometer that can scan the color on it, is simply find a few color cards that are close and do an eyeball comparison in good sunlight. As far as I know, there is no exact color specified in any of the ordinance standards without getting into actually purchase contracts. I've seen and handled practice bombs in probably a dozen different shades of blue.
I will remove the rust from the hanging loops, fix them with clear varnish and fix them with screw glue, the practice bomb will be hung on top of the frame that I got for my 300lb demo and I have to make it theft-proof.
I just have to rework the front part because it will then be at the mercy of the weather and will continue to rust.