What would you do with this?

VTguy17

VTguy17

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Aug 4, 2011
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I inherited this bayonet from a family member who was in the Korean War. It's in pretty rough shape but nothing that I don't think would clean up with a little effort. It's got some surface rust and the inside of the sheath is pretty gummed up (not sure with what). Anyway how would you go about cleaning and restoring this?

Also, neither edge is sharp, both edges are thick and rounded since it was for stabbing. So my question, would you leave it as is and just clean it up or would you put an edge on one side and sharpen the tip and make it a decapitator? I don't usually enjoy collecting things I like to use my toys. What would you do with this bayonet?

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Personally, I would just maintain it the way it is and keep it oiled. It's a neat piece of history IMO. I would clean the sheath though. As for a full resto job, I have no clue on how to do that, as I have no experience in that regard.
 
Yea i'm thinking about just keeping it as is. It was found in a river along with a bunch of other discarded military weapons and gear. My father told me years ago when they took prisoners they usually stripped them and threw there gear in the river.
 
That is a Japanese Arisaka Type 30 bayonet originally manufactured before or early WWII and used by the Communists in Korea.

Even though it is heavily corroded, it looks more like an unsharpened training model than something that has simply dulled over time. Don't know the value in this condition, or if it is worth more unsharpened. Personally I wouldn't polish or sharpen that knife unless I wanted to seriously devalue it even more.

Check out this link to identify when and where it was manufactured by comparing the markings on the right side of the blade.
http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/japanese_markings.html


Oh yeah, if you want to clean the inside of the scabbard, you can use automotive degreaser like Gunk, or break cleaner to spray inside the scabbard.
 
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VTguy17 said:
Yea i'm thinking about just keeping it as is. It was found in a river along with a bunch of other discarded military weapons and gear. My father told me years ago when they took prisoners they usually stripped them and threw there gear in the river.
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That thing is either a nice historical artifact, or a very poor chunk of raw material for home made knife. You can buy a better knife just about anywhere, it is much harder to find 80 year old militaria. Keep it as is and enjoy it for what it is.

n2s
 
I'd leave it like it is if I were you. A coat of oil to keep it from rusting and that's it. Just my two cents.
 
I'd love to have something like that. I especially like the handle with the writing.

I'd def leave it like it is:)

Thanks for posting
 
Thanks for the input I think you guys are right I'm going to clean the sheath and get some of the sticky gunk off of the blade but leave it as is any maybe display it, hang it up, etc...
 
Plus, if you do too much with it, you'll ruin the value if you mess with it, and antiques like that can become valuable. It would be neat to have it professionally restored though.
 
It does not require any doing from my point of view. So I would do nothing. Or would sell it - just not my type.
 
A fairly related question. I've heard that if you clean antique guns they can actually loose value to collectors, is that also true of knives?


Cool knife by the way!
 
With that kind of stuff i have read that it will lose value as most collectors prefer them in the more realistic state. I would not polish the blade at all but still keep it well oiled
 
I have no idea as to historical value or significance but if you try to clean it or alter it from it's "now" condition, the value will decrease.
 
Keep it the way it is, have a display case made for it and hang it up in your office/den/living room/man cave area.
 
I'd suggest sending it to someone who would properly admire it..... me. PM me and I'll have that address right to you :thumbup:
 
I would try to sell it. I'm sure there's a market for antiques.

While it would be nice to use a cool looking thing like that, you could probably buy a better made sword for the money you can get from it.
 
eccvets said:
if it were me, I'd do a total restore.
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It is impossible to restore to new. Someone might make it shiny and sharp again, but then they would be removing more material and making it that much further from original condition.

n2s
 
War memorabilia such as that is to be left alone, and kept in the family. It actually has value, especially with that stamp on the hard wood grips. As for restoration, you can lightly oil it, go to a few gun shows and find a proper frog, and put it in the safe. :thumbup:
 
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