shinyroks
Member
So I think I have finally decided to bite the bullet and replace the wooden portion of the grip on my 1918/55(?) bayonet. The Bayonet was in a fire 1.5 years ago and the original does not appear to be salvageable due to deep cracking and shrinkage. The blade steel appears to be good, still has a good ring to it and a bit of tarnish from the fire-fighting goo. It was in the scabbard (which survived as well) and has been spending the majority of the time after sitting in WD-40 to preserve it until I got to it.
Since it is already damaged and in need of some major restoration as it is, I am not opposed to rehandling it away from the traditional look. This will be my first custom handle, so some ideas on materials and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am a bit worried about working around the nickel(?) plated steel on the pommel, don't want to remove that with a belt sander or other method while working the handle. I plan on using the original 2-rivet design. Pictures will come soon, don't have any with me at the moment.
Since it is already damaged and in need of some major restoration as it is, I am not opposed to rehandling it away from the traditional look. This will be my first custom handle, so some ideas on materials and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am a bit worried about working around the nickel(?) plated steel on the pommel, don't want to remove that with a belt sander or other method while working the handle. I plan on using the original 2-rivet design. Pictures will come soon, don't have any with me at the moment.