p13 scabbard maintenance and preservation

[boredmachinist]

i purchased my first bayonet a Remington p13. it looks like its sat in a warehouse for 50 years and the scabbards leather is rock hard and covered in what looks to be black shoe polish. im not sure if thats a correct finish for the leather or how best to preserve the leather

Information

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[22SqnRAE]

G'day BM,

Welcome to the forum. You've started pretty well with providing some context and a little purpose in your query. That's good, much, much better than some.

What would help us all to assist you is some piccies (ok, photos, as you're in North America and don't like contractions on everything like some of us do.. )

In a bold and likely to be revoked statement, you're probably spot on, it's not the 'original' finish. But remember that a Service piece of kit was never 'original' from the time it entered the Q-Store to be issued to some Service Member (see, non denominational to avoid offence to the many tribes...) to the time you received it. All we can hope for in looking after these artefacts is to preserve them in a condition that best represents most of their early life in a way it doesn't deteriorate. If some one has buggered it up ex-Service (that's a technical term for significantly degrading its serviceable and mechanical status, some times referred to by North Americans as being 'repaired by Bubba'...) then that's generally the work we'd like to reverse or repair.

See if you can take a few phots on the phone and upload them. It's not a technical impossibility, as there are hundreds of crusty old codgers here with arthritis, cataracts, irritable bowel syndrome and a general disdain for anything electronic that have mastered the short process. I'm quite confident you can too! The photos make the description and discussion so much easier and interesting all round.

And enjoy the place where you can come to learn and help others, great choice!

[boredmachinist]

IMG_20200330_192757.jpg - Google Drive
IMG_20200330_192741.jpg - Google Drive

[AFJon]

Actually it's a scabbard for the Model 1917

Bayo Points 11

[Aragorn243]

From what I can see from the photos, the scabbard looks to be correct. It is for the US 1917 bayonet however. Does your bayonet have US markings on it? When the US entered the war, a lot of British marked bayonets that were in the US were kept and issued to US troops, thus the US scabbard. Or it could be they found each other years after the war.

[boredmachinist]

IMG_20200331_153259.jpg - Google Drive
IMG_20200331_153245.jpg - Google Drive
i dont know what the British markings mean

i dont know if there is a cost difference between a p13 scabbard of similar condition and a 1917. is it possible i could find someone to trade? also there is a tiny gf mark on the tip of scabbard and a ms on the top metal
but my main question is how would i maintain the leather. i dont know how hard or soft it should be, i live in a arid climate and it was shipped from the uk would that effect it?

[Aragorn243]

That appears to be a British P13 bayonet that saw British and not US service. The scabbards are supposed to be hard so how hard yours is might be relative. British scabbards are typically a little softer but all US scabbards I have are pretty solid. Does it have no flex at all? I don't have one of mine handy right now to check it.

On getting a correct scabbard. I believe that these used the same scabbard as the 1907 bayonet. If so, these are generally a lot more common and more inexpensive than the US version. eBay your best bet. Again, I don't have a 1907 handy either. Stuck in the house however for Covid so I'll see if I can find them in the next couple of days.

You have a slightly bigger problem with the missing grips. Originals will be expensive and hard to find.

I was able to find one of my 1917 scabbards. It has a coat of green paint on it which is original, it has flex meaning if I grasp it at both ends and bend, it bends. Do not do this very far and I didn't do it very far, just enough to see it does move. squeezing it in the wide cross section there is no flex. Squeezing the flat portion there is some flex. It is harder in comparison to the British leather scabbards which sometimes are quite soft. The blades of 1917's 1907 British and 1903 US will all fit in the same scabbards.

[AFJon]

Scales for the bayonet are $7 for a pair, yes they are for the 1907...and fit. The 1907 bolt catch will work in the as well...may require some minor fitting. The difficult part to find is the screw that hold the spring and catch.

SMLE P-1907 Bayonet Parts

[Aragorn243]

I see now that they have the grooved grips. Nice website by the way. I need a few of those things myself.

[AFJon]

I'm still trying to figure out why the part that hold the latch and spring is so hard to find...