Poppy Medal Framing offer our own in house designed German WW1 Parade Mounting formers.

This listing is for 1 former only-cut in 3-4 mm birch ply complete with a complimentary small sewing pack of needle and some coloured thread -you choose from 1 medal through to 6 medal and the appropriate cost will appear with each choice.

The photographs illustrate the method of mounting and NO medals or ribbon are included in this listing.

The photograph of the 6 medal group is added for illustration of the mounting and was produced using wire to secure the rosette. The medals were wired to the former and a hot glue gun was used to secure the ribbons on the reverse. No medals or ribbons are included in this listing.

The photographs show the method of assembly and the first photo shows all of the sizes together.

A customer commissioned 3 frames for replica medals of Manfred Baron Von Richtofen the Red Baron or Der Rote Kampfflieger.
His request was that his main medal group as he is photographed during his life was to be German Parade Mounted as he wore it.
I court mount UK medals but I had never mounted German Medals and so began a lengthy research and testing and I developed a way to parade mount with a rosette or ruche effect as seen in original period mounted groups.
I used as a reference 3 groups from my collection to investigate the original method and a lot of online research. However there was nothing in the web to describe how to mount in this way.

I have designed and cut formers from 1 medal through to 6 so far, if a larger former is required this is possible.

The first step is to fold the ribbon with 4-5 folds of approx 4-5mm and then you feed this into the slot on the former-the higher the ribbon goes into the slot the smaller the 'rosette'.
Once this is slotted in there are 4 pre-cut holes to allow sewing the concertinaed ribbon to the board, I have also used wire but this only grabs the ribbon rather than sewing 'through' the ribbon.A hot glue gun can also be used for rapid fixing on the reverse side.

Once the ribbon is concertinaed and slotted and afixed you then attach the medal using either a vertical or horizontal thread or wire using the most appropriate pre-cut holes and then bring the ribbon in front of the former and over at an angle and fold over the top of the former and secure either sewing or again a hot glue gun is a rapid method.

I have illustrated in one of the photos the use of a small piece of foam or any other material pad used under the top of the ribbon which is seen on original groups which is an option you may choose to do it gives a raised finish to the ribbon and I have done this on the large 6 medal group in the photos except on one of the medals as there was no room due to its size.
In the pictures in this listing showing the stages/method I have not sewn/stuck in any way the single Iron Cross apart from using a piece of wire to secure the Iron Cross to the former.

Original groups then had a brooch bar sewn to the reverse of the ribbon with a cloth/felt cover hiding the sewing behind. Again an option you may decide to do or not.

The former gives you the opportunity to recreate this old method of medal mounting with ease to display all German medals.