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Here are some photos of my WW2 US Navy plastic training bayonet which has been repaired by myself. I had to make a new plastic muzzle ring, to original sizes, which I then glued and pinned to the original cross piece. The plastic blade also needed to be glued back together again as this was also broken.
Looks good now, they're getting scarce so it's worth holding on to. I couldn't imagine until I was told...that the crosspiece was plastic. I thought they were steel. I thought the blade was like a steel ruler for flex and had been covered with plastic for safety. Again, not quite right... Not a good example of a training aid for the most violent of close quarter combat...
Some people do seem to describe these training bayonets as being made from bakelite which I don't believe to be correct. The plastic that these bayonets were made from appears to have more flexibility than bakelite but insufficient strength and flexibility to prevent breakage, especially on the muzzle ring.
The classic way to test for Bakelite is to rub firmly with your finger to heat up the surface. If you smell formaldehyde, it’s Bakelite.
Attachment 124199Attachment 124200Attachment 124201
The U.S. Navy Mark I bayonet is, indeed, made of Bakelite. The Bakelite Corp. supplied all of the pre-forms to both molding companies for a total of about 300,000 bayonets. Beckwith Mfg and Pro-Brush-Co. each made about 150,000 bayonets. All of the 300,000 Mk I bayonet scabbards were made by Beckwith's Victory Plastics Division. Except for markings the Navy Mk I and the M 3 scabbard are identical. :rolleyes: