An old KA-BAR, can anyone advise on provenance and restoration tips?

[7SigmaEvent]

So this is my girlfriend's grandfather's KA-BAR, and as you can see its not in the greatest of conditions. The rust appears to be mostly surface, but I'd really love to be able to give some history with the knife too. Her sister regarded it as a family heirloom, so I'm pretty sure this is a test from her father for me.

It has "REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." underneath the "KA-BAR" which leads me towards a pre-1942 blade, and it also has a keyed pommel with what looks like brass screw set into aluminum, though I'm not certain. Handle material is also an unknown, definitely not leather though. It feels like plastic, but might be bone or stabilized wood or something.

https://imgur.com/a/kW89O is how I received it
https://imgur.com/a/BtszV is after (gently and carefully) removing most of the surface rust with a bronze wire wheel in a dremel. The coloration is representative of most of the patina on the blade.

 

[eveled]

They have a funny way of taking care of heirlooms.

It's been rehandled. Oil it and sharpen it. Don't over clean it.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

Why do think it has been rehandled?

I have one similar, just without the black spacers in the middle of the handle that has not been rehandled?

 

[gunsil]

Your knife is pre WW2 and it had a model name which was "Royal Trading Post" and when new this name was etched out on the blade. The handle is original and was only available on the Royal Trading Post and is composed of celluloid and aluminum spacers. Not much you can really do to "restore" it unless you are one of those who prefer a shiny finish to an original lightly rusted appearance. Maybe use a little more elbow grease and 4/0 steel wool on the blade to get the rest of the rust off. You have to be careful not to use any chemical rust removers since they may cause the celluloid handle to disintegrate. The aluminum pommel can be cleaned up with a non-abrasive cleaner like Nevr-Dull. Same for the guard, but don't get cleaners on the handle. It would still be a good knife to use, and they are popular among KA-BAR collectors but the condition of yours is perhaps a little or a lot below what most collectors look for and that cannot be changed by making the blade shiny. Cool old knife!!

Wayne, I have observed them with several different spacer configurations, different patterns of black/cream/aluminum, don't know why it is thus but it is. Don't think I have ever seen one with no black, but have seen them with just a few black and not in the middle unlike the one shown here with the large black center section. I have two or three different spacer versions.