Rusty old bayonet!

Edrof

Edrof

Edrof

Soldato
Joined
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I inherited this old sword bayonet (WW1?) a while ago. It's in a pretty sorry state: totally blunt, deeply rusted and someone's chopped the point off and drilled a hole in the end!

Is there any way I can get rid of the rust without having to resort to some kind of grinder or blaster? A chemical perhaps? I'd love to get it gleaming again, even with the hole.

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In that condition and with the end chopped off unless it's very very rare, it's not worth a lot, you could get it shot blasted and then polish and oil it or get it blued, I'd keep it as it is and hand it on the wall, it looks like it's got history.

Bayonets are £15 - 80 for stadard items like that then £+++ for officers and rare ones, how about buying a exactly the same mint condition and hanging them together
 
Wire brush and elbow grease?

My dad had one of those - got it from his father. Was in good nick though. Had the little catch and mechanism for attaching it to a rifle. Also had a Nazi dagger with "Deutschland Uber Alles" on the blade and the eagle and swastika logo on the handle. He had a kukri and machete, and a sabre too, though that was rusty as hell.

Think he turned them in at one of the knife amnesties a while back though. Rubbish.
 
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I found out what it is:

German WWI 'Butcher' Bayonet

Pretty impressive in it's day, no wonder it was called a butcher bayonet. Mine is in a sad state. They fetch a bit on eBaY but mine certainly wouldn't. I wouldn't sell it anyway.

Some, like this one came with a serrated back edge:

"In 1917, it was mandated that all sawback bayonets have their sawbacks removed (or have them used behind the lines). Otherwise, there were threats by the Allies that any german found with a sawback bayonet would be tortured or suffer dearly"
 
Love to get something like this...My uncle once found an old tommy gun in his back yard while digging :p

Well, it was the tommy gun shape I believe, but the non round casing
 
Top tip on Jenolite, thanks guys! I doubt I'll get it properly shiny but who knows.

There was a British WW2 bayonet too, perfect condition, but someone else in the family got that. Anyone know why the hole was drilled in the tip? My guess is to hang it in ashed or something...
 
Forde said:
I found out what it is:

German WWI 'Butcher' Bayonet

Pretty impressive in it's day, no wonder it was called a butcher bayonet. Mine is in a sad state. They fetch a bit on eBaY but mine certainly wouldn't. I wouldn't sell it anyway.

Some, like this one came with a serrated back edge:

"In 1917, it was mandated that all sawback bayonets have their sawbacks removed (or have them used behind the lines). Otherwise, there were threats by the Allies that any german found with a sawback bayonet would be tortured or suffer dearly"
Click to expand...

Why?
 
At a guess because rather than a clean stab wound it would mangle the recipient when pulled out, unnecessarily painful and barbaric maybe.
 
vonhelmet said:
Wire brush and elbow grease?

My dad had one of those - got it from his father. Was in good nick though. Had the little catch and mechanism for attaching it to a rifle. Also had a Nazi dagger with "Deutschland Uber Alles" on the blade and the eagle and swastika logo on the handle. He had a kukri and machete, and a sabre too, though that was rusty as hell.

Think he turned them in at one of the knife amnesties a while back though. Rubbish.
Click to expand...

that nazi dagger was given to an amnesty omfg!

could have atleast gave it to a museum
 
Personally, I think you'll ruin it if you wire brush it or Jenolite it. It'll be noticeably thinner and the metal will still be pitted like that under the surface. Jenolite will make it go black, from memory and you'll need to paint over it. It'll certainly never be shiny. Best thing to do? Get a rag or a stiff brush with some old engine oil and a bit of WD40 and give a damn good scrub over so you get that deep vintage oily sheen. It'll look 'right' then.
 
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