Magnum's Navy belt buckle

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Magnum T. · #1 Post by **Magnum T.** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:57 pm

According to the Magnum Gear page TM wears a Surface Warfare Officer belt buckle, but that is golden.
I know TM's is customized but it doesn't look golden to me, it's more like this one

which is a Surface Warfare Enlisted buckle.
How's the story?
Which one is more similar to Magnum's one?

only looking · #2 Post by **only looking** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:04 am

Magnum's is either stainles or nickel plated. The only thing gold on it is the actual emblem (which his is smaller, like you said custom work) and as are the letters (MAGNUM) below the emblem. Hey Mike care to post your on here to give everyone a look see?

N1095A · #3 Post by **N1095A** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:30 am

only looking wrote:Magnum's is either stainles or nickel plated. The only thing gold on it is the actual emblem (which his is smaller, like you said custom work) and as are the letters (MAGNUM) below the emblem. Hey Mike care to post your on here to give everyone a look see?

I'm still wondering if it was the surface warfare, or the spec ops officer pin. The two pins are so similar and without a good close-up screen grab, we may never know. Here's where it is so far:

Magnum's was nickel plated. The tip on his belt was gold colored as well.

only looking · #4 Post by **only looking** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:46 am

Thanks Mike. Looking good. Wasn't there someone else on here who had the MAGNUM engraved on it and then had the buckle renickled or something?

N1095A · #5 Post by **N1095A** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:10 am

Yeah, that was Dakota Ellison.

Very nice job, but expensive.

Magnum T. · #6 Post by **Magnum T.** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:24 pm

Those are looking good!
So leaving apart the custom-made stuff, and assuming that the Surface Warfare is the right insignia, the Enlisted one is the closest to Magnum's, isn't it?

only looking · #7 Post by **only looking** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:59 pm

yup. unfortunately so.

N1095A · #8 Post by **N1095A** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 7:54 pm

Too bad they don't have the silver buckle with the gold badge.

Magnum T. · #9 Post by **Magnum T.** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 10:37 pm

And which would it be the right belt to go with the buckle?
I see there are cotton-made, nylon-made, etc...
Some more info about the belt, please.

only looking · #10 Post by **only looking** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 12:28 am

http://www.uniforms-4u.com/p-u.s-navy-b ... -6191.aspx

http://www.uniforms-4u.com/p-navy-belt- ... -7281.aspx

It appears which season and episode. Magnum has been seen sporting his belt buckle with both these styles of belts. So it's up to you and style. As you have seen in other thread about different props from the show..stuff changes from season to season and like with the tv flub frame to frame.LOL

Magnum T. · #11 Post by **Magnum T.** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:53 am

Thanks only looking!
The only problem is they want me to pay 35$ for shipping a $7 belt

Maybe it is a silly question but I don't know very much about this matter.
Question is: does a buckle with Special Operations insignia exist? I mean no customized stuff. I've never seen one.

N1095A · #12 Post by **N1095A** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:08 pm

Geez, Magnum, T. are you in the U.S.? I think I only paid around $5.00 for shipping.

As for the Spec Ops buckle, It doesn't exist. Believe me, I've searched exhaustively. Dakota Ellison made his with a Hap Arnold USAF buckle. He removed the Hap Arnold insignia, which also took off some of the finish. He then had the whole buckle stripped, engraved, refinished, and applied the Surface Warfare insignia with glue first, then changed it to the Spec Ops badge, and used 3M automotive trim tape. He got into quite a bit of money with having it stripped and refinished, but the result was outstanding.
Magnum's buckle, from what we who have researched it have come up with, is that the "MAGNUM" lettering was raised and not engraved. I have no idea how this was done. I have researched small brass lettering from doll house products to commercial signs, and had no luck. What I wouldn't give to chat with someone from the prop or wardrobe department on MPI.

I chose a simpler route, although not as good as Dakota Ellison. I bought a Zippo buckle off Ebay, and placed the Spec Ops badge on with the 3M tape. The zippo buckle is about 1/2 inch shorter in length than the real one, and the mirror-like chrome finish is tough to get the tape to stick to. Still on the fence about lettering. I'm thinking about having it lazer etched. The lazer can cut through the chrome finish right down to the brass giving the letters the same look as the badge. I have almost given up any hope of finding any suitable raised letters.

N1095A · #13 Post by **N1095A** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:41 pm

I just got off the phone with a local engraving place. He said their machines can engrave through the chrome plating on my buckle so that the lettering is gold colored. It will run around $15.00. May be an option, unless I can find some kind of raised lettering.

Magnum T. · #14 Post by **Magnum T.** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:58 pm

No, I live in Italy which seems to be the same that living on Mars!
I am sadly discovering that many on-line shops/websites do not even ship to Italy or charge so much money for shipping that purchasing becomes simply unprofitable.
On the other side, many items are very hard to find here, if not impossible at all!

Yeah, I saw Dakota's one and it looked amazing (too bad the pic was small) but I don't have the money/will/time to go through all that process. If someone here on the forum would ever make some to sell I'd think about it (but given the amount of work required I doubt I could afford the price).
Your buckle looks very good too!
I am curious to see it finished, so don't give up!
BTW, you are a very shy guy, aren't you?

I think I will go with the Surface Warfare Enlisted buckle, which I like and seems to be the closest to TM's.
I'll do some search on ebay for the buckle+belt and see to not get ripped off with S&H

Magnum T. · #15 Post by **Magnum T.** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 1:38 pm

I found the SW Enlisted buckle + belt on eBay but the only belt they have with silver tip is nylon made (all the cotton made ones have gold/brass tip).
Do you think nylon is good too? Or I should go for cotton?