Grandfather's Really Old Kabar with homemade handle.

Z

zeedeegood

Joined
Oct 17, 2005
Messages
156
My father was digging through an old toolbox and found an old USMC Kabar that was my grandfather's. He said that it was used mainly as a workshop knife and he thinks someone redid the handle for him. No idea what material was used, but what a find. My grandfather showed me his knife collection back in the 70's and I've never seen this one in my life! Not sure what year it could be, the blade is in pretty rough shape.
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Your knife was made in 1943 to maybe early 1944. It is a WW2 knife and they went to marking the guards rather than the blades in 1944. Too bad it is in such rough condition due to rust, but they were so common after the war that many were used and abused. My buddies and I used to buy them at the army-navy store for about two bucks apiece (in like new condition) then take them up in the woods and throw them until lost or broken. The we would bicycle over to the army-navy store and buy another one and repeat the process. This was circa 1959-1965.
 
gunsil said:
Your knife was made in 1943 to maybe early 1944. It is a WW2 knife and they went to marking the guards rather than the blades in 1944. Too bad it is in such rough condition due to rust, but they were so common after the war that many were used and abused. My buddies and I used to buy them at the army-navy store for about two bucks apiece (in like new condition) then take them up in the woods and throw them until lost or broken. The we would bicycle over to the army-navy store and buy another one and repeat the process. This was circa 1959-1965.
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Thank you so much for the info gunsil, I really appreciate it! I'll add that info to my little knife info book I have for the collection. I cleaned it up with some polishing paste to get the brown rust off and it's up on the mantle with the family knives. I'm just really happy my father found it and was able to let me know it was my grandfather's. My kids make fun of me, but someday they may want to know or even their kids may be interested.
 
That's cool as hell. I got USMC with a modded handle and it's awesome. Older one too

I'd try to replicate that handle and make a user USMC for yourself.:thumbup:

Bad pic, have better can't find it.
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That is really awesome Ulf! I'm not sure what material was used on mine, some kind of clear and faux wood plastic and maybe black shrink tubing? I don't really have the skills or equipment to pull that off but maybe some day! The sheath that it was in was a dry rot mess lol, I'll put up a pic. It's flaking and crumbling like an old bisquit!
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ZDG,

The manner in which your knife was "repaired" is sometimes called a "theater knife". This simply means that the mods were made "in some theater of operations". For the ones REALLY done in theater, the colored plastics used in repairing them came from a variety of sources - airplane canopies, jeep tail lights, flashlight filters, etc. The problem with that generic explanation is that the mods could have been done at any time since 1944 and last week. Since there is no provenance on the knife's history, we can't KNOW who or when the repair was made. The only history we have is that your grandfather acquired it at some point and that he used it for whatever he needed it for. Personally, I would leave it as is, do rust preventive treatment and keep it as a memento of your grandfather.
 
ZZY I will definitely be leaving this one as is. If I did try my own handle version it would be on a Kabar style blade blank. That's even more interesting info you gave me! The fact that it could have been modded in the field back in the day. I lost my grandfather when I was 11 back in the 70's and he got me started with collecting. Sure wish I could've heard about this one from him.
 
It's always speculation as to who did what when, re: knife modifications. No one normally mods or repairs a knife and documents when it was done, with what tools and materals, etc for posterity. (Well, BF mod threads excepted. :D).

At one extreme, I've seen theater knives that have so much documentation confirming that knife "X" was modified by PFC Whodunit while on the USS Umptyskrutch on April 01, 194x while anchored off island "X". At the other end, I've seen others that claimed to be "Genuine WW2 Theater Knife" for only $9 bazillion, but when you examine it, it's a post 1976 Kabar that has been modded and artificially aged enough to have been Methusela's knife. I've also seen knives that were modified long after WW2 was over in a manner similar to WW2 theater repairs/mods because the modder remembered seeing it done during the war, their knife handle had finally given up the ghost, so they try to replicate what they had seen. This ambiguity is why I have never collected "theater knives".
 
A majority of what's in my collection are family heirlooms like this and knives I purchase new or receive as gifts (also usually new). Speculation and ambiguity on old or used knives drives me crazy. Guess that's a mental defect but I really like knowing the personal history. There's been a lot of kind people on bladeforums such as yourselves who have given me insight on a few of my family pieces.
 
If you intend to fall into the abyss of collecting/accumulating/hoarding old/used/vintage/antique sharp/pointy things, well, stand by for a ground floor suite at the funny farm, then. :D

95% of the info provided by the sellers/owners you get said o/u/v/a s&ps from is well-intentioned BS. The other 85% unadulterated hog-wash. :D
 
Ulf Krogstad said:
That's cool as hell. I got USMC with a modded handle and it's awesome. Older one too

I'd try to replicate that handle and make a user USMC for yourself.:thumbup:

Bad pic, have better can't find it.
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You know what that might be, is an aircraft handle. Mitsubishi Zero or other WW2 plane?? Interesting stuff. I would like to go find an aircraft wreck and snag an aluminum handle out of the cockpit and make one for myself. Would be one fun project..
 
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