I don't think they made "long" nipples during the war. Material shortage probably took care of that luxury. Had to pay for the war somehow. I suspect they put short nipples in all the spoke boxes, wood rims were out, and flat steel rims were the only game in town. The black nipple production probably lasted into '46 type time, but I don't know that for a fact, yet. Even I'm not quite that old. Ted Ernst Palos Verdes Estates, CA
"ternst" <ternst1@cox.net> Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 5:25 PM Subject: Black spoke nipples
> I've been hunting for long nipples for 15/17 gauge Torrington spokes, for
> building up the wood rims for my old Paramount.
>
> Ted Ernst mentioned that he had some black nipples, and that they were
> called Victory nipples, used in WW II. Sure enough, when Larry Black
> loaned me a staggeringly heavy box of nipples to sort in The Search, it
> turned out that a couple hundred were black. And magnetic. Adding 2 + 2,
> it seems that brass was not allowed for spoke nipple manufacture during
> the war, so they made them of steel, instead. Grease well, lads and
> lassies!
>
> Now, if I had thought to pull the magnet through the stash BEFORE
> sorting....I might have saved some time. Ah, the facts I am learning!
>
> harvey sachs
> mcLean VA.