Curio purchase (not gun sorry)

[pitfighter]

Found a really rusty dagger on Craigslist for $30
(Listed as a "ceremonial dagger"????)

A few nights with 0000 wool and oil, and a little non invasive - TLC.
I will try to find before pic - it was definitely not a keep in as found condition type of thing!!!!
Nice flaming bomb and star lines around pommel.
US M3 Utica - under curved down guard.
(No blade marking, as is correct of later model.)
Eight groove leather washer grip - The Utica pommel is not pinned but hammered down so cannot replace them, and don't care, I like it worn in looking.
The blade was parked, but, heavy rust (and a home sharpening session with what looked like a granite boulder many years ago) had removed it, and blood or water damage - blade is now cold blued until I find a nice way to replicate the park.

Found a salty M8A1 scabbard here on Calguns -

Sometimes this stuff is as fun as finding a old gun.

In fact I may just get another WW2 1911 to go with this



Yes - I know Utica didn't blue their blades, but, it's a light layer of cold to keep it nice until I find a way to park without removing leather. That and a park that looks right


Unreadable under gunk when I found - this is original finish -


Flaming grenade - hidden under heavy rust when I found.


M3 dagger wasn't quite as action packed as people would like to think, it was simply issued to GI's who's sidearm could not accept a bayonet - still one of the cooler items of GI gear.

[Grendl]

Sweet, and nice photography as always.

[CC Gunsmithing]

beautiful!

[Tom-ADC]

Grind the preened over end on the pommel and replace the leather washers minus one or a thin one then repeen it.
Nice find BTW I'm doing a refurb on a couple of old WW II knives myself, much worse shape than yours.

[Father Ted]

Nice. I'd be worried about buying a "ceremonial dagger" off craigslist. Could be walking into a sacrifice

[2761377]

nice find. keep your eyes peeled for the correct M8 scabbard. nothing wrong with those washers- for certain don't grind the pommel.

[pitfighter]

lol, yes - Certainly oddballs on CR, me for one, lol.

Ref. knife - done with this one, unless I find a good parkerizing solution - but, really don't mind the blue - it is what it is.
The washers are old, but very solid, and fine for use - I like the initials carved in -

Post your restored US military knives here - I'd like to see -

[jben]

Cool find.

I once found an old K-Bar with horrible leather. Looked a lot like yours. I soaked the grip in a jar of mineral oil for a few days and "rejuvenated" (for lack of a better word) the leather. Don't know if you want to try something like that or not. I was young, dumb and didn't know any better. It did happen to work...

[Tom-ADC]

nice find. keep your eyes peeled for the correct M8 scabbard. nothing wrong with those washers- for certain don't grind the pommel.

Why not he already blued the blade the knife is not original, I would try the mineral oil thing but if the washers are like mine were, they just crumpled in my fingers, then I'd disassemble it and make it usable. Just my .02 cents.

[Armistice]

Very nice, Pit

I, too, have browsed CL for the uneducated seller

Fleabay is almost as good. Got a few bayos I have my eye on

[Enfield47]

Nice cleanup job Pit. Here's a DIY parkerizing that may work for you - http://www.projectguns.com/parkerizing.html. I don't know anyone personally who has done this, but it does look intriguing.

[pitfighter]

Thanks Enfield47 - it's a very specific color and thickness of park for these - close to the 1911 mag on top in the first photo.
Found the mags in my father in law's junk shop on San Fernando Road

[Enfield47]

Finding that match may be difficult, but who knows, you might run across the "secret ingredients" list in one of your outings.

[Jeff L]

Nice find!

[sealocan]

Here is a great website with almost every military knife (and a lot of custom hand built ones that were made the machine shops on the ships going into the Pacific.) , a lot of information and some nice color photographs of them.

http://www.quanonline.com/military/military_reference/fighting_knives/fightingknife.php

yours should be on there somewhere.


I recently found a great combat knife a
Cattaraugus 225Q

in a "cool antiques for men" store that was having an eviction sale for only $5, it didn't include sheath and it was in rough shape but I restored it, had it professionally sharpened, as I didn't want to risk ruining it, and I even used a a drop of two of weapon shield oil to expand the leather disc at the guard and that tighten it up so the guard no longer moves.

I will soon do a posting on it.

here is a posting about that store unfortunately it is now closed or I believe it is.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=934631

you can follow the links to my photographs there and see pictures of it and its original condition when I bought it.

Now It's beautiful and a razor sharp.

I love the strange things about it like..
the leather smelled like motor oil. maybe in the South Pacific, that's what they were using to preserve the leather and keep it from molding or drying out. I just kept cleaning it with different things until it stopped smelling like that.

the blade itself had scars on it, as if the knife had been used to open countless crates of ammunition or something in a hurry.

the spine had also many hammer marks and scars, as if it had been used to nail down or hastily repair items in the field.

the blade is so thick and this knife is so tough, it's like a Russian tank design.

anyway congratulations and do not worry about keeping it original at this point.
Just use it.