Chrome plated L1A1 SLR bayonet

[tankhunter]

Thinking on my feet but I would imagine that the mouthpiece spring would just tear any chrome plating on the blade to shreds

Pete, it does eventually. But they STILL had it done! Hence Me POLISHING all of the blade's I did in Service!....

---------- Post added at 03:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:30 AM ----------

[
Or is it me?[/QUOTE]

Who are Ya?...................

[smith3006]

It would seem that we do things a little differently downunder. Well I assume anyway. Whilst I have the typical piece described previously here is one that appears to be a little different. Unfortunately I do not know of its history as it was in a collection that I purchased sometime back. In the gunshop that I work for we have a No4 rifle and No9 bayonet (in its chest) with the majority of the metal parts all chromed and from what I am led to believe this was down for the Queen's visit to Australia in the 1950s. How or why this piece that I have attached photos of was chromed is still a mystery. It is fully chromed along with the scabbard and is accompanied by its nylon frog and the similar nylon sling for the rifle (ends though still brass). Bayonet appears to have been chromed in two parts. Firstly the blade, crossguard, hilt and pommel are high gloss but the grips and rivits are of a matt finish with a wave pattern. The blade tip incorporates the small ball to protect the colours but it also has the small scabbard that does the same job. The original scabbard still fits even with the ball. I dont know how many times this bayonet has been in and out of the scabbard (several times by me) but there is no damaged to the chroming. Whilst I have not dismantled the scabbard to inspect the spring it does by look by torch light to be coated slightly in a whiteish material as comparded to a normal scabbard.

[Flying10uk]

I believe that some, but not all, milling machine beds receive a thin layer of Chrome plating to provide resistance against wear. I would assume that very hard Chrome would only come off steel unduly quickly if it was incorrectly applied during the plating process.

[Peter Laidler]

The mouthpiece spring is fairly heavy duty spring steel and the punched-in retainer part is sheared inwards with razor sharp hard edges.

[Flying10uk]

The mouthpiece spring is fairly heavy duty spring steel and the punched-in retainer part is sheared inwards with razor sharp hard edges.

Is it enough to cut through the chrome though, Peter? I'm not say that you are wrong but the bayonet in post 1 is certainly chrome plated, obviously, I have no way of knowing when or who did this. I do know that chrome is added to some alloy steels because of it's hardness and toughness.

[Peter Laidler]

Have you ever scuffed the chromed bumper of a car..........

[Flying10uk]

You have a point,Peter, and tankhunter probably have's it summed up correctly with:

Pete, it does eventually. But they STILL had it done!

Chrome plating is often/sometimes poorly applied which does tend to give it a bad name; poorly applied chrome is, obviously, going to come off much more rapidly than chrome that is correctly applied.