No1 rifles today......

[bigduke6]

5thBatt, does the rack of rifles end there? I'm guessing there is few more racks that need to photographed.......

[Flying10uk]

Was the only method of straightening bent blades, Peter, in REME workshops to straighten them cold or was heat sometimes used? When I first encountered a distorted blade I didn't really have anyone to ask as to the best course of action to take and common sense with my metalworking background told me that I should either soften the blade first before attempting to straighten or heat it to a red and straighten while red. But with both of these options I would have to re-heat treat the blade afterwards and so I thought that I would just try the same method that I use for straightening distorted mild steels and soft metals which I have outlined already in this thread. I found that it worked for me with blades and have stuck with the same method but do recognise that it would be easy to over do it and break the blade.

---------- Post added at 12:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:15 AM ----------

Is it just my jaundiced old eyes, or does the quillon on that bayonet of yours look like its was shaped with a gas-axe?

Did you mean cross piece/ guard? The cross guard looks like, from the picture, to have been cut out using a CNC laser cutting machine.

[5thBatt]

5thBatt, does the rack of rifles end there? I'm guessing there is few more racks that need to photographed.......

I dont think i have the original photo now, might be on my old computer but it was a photo of my collection from quite a few years back that i cropped to capture the Israeli No6 for a post, will see if i can find the original.

[browningautorifle]

Did you mean cross piece/ guard

Yes, that's where we are...

cut out using a CNC laser cutting machine

It sure looks rough though...whatever was done.

[5thBatt]

Yes, that's where we are...



It sure looks rough though...whatever was done.

I will dig it out & take some closeups

[browningautorifle]

some closeups

Excellent...

[Peter Laidler]

Straightening blades in the Army? Tankie has probably done a zillion more than me. Don't even bother trying with an SA80 blade I say due to its differing steel treatment properties along its length. But if it's a normal blade, just look down the length and if it's slight, just tweak it back with an old scaffold tube method. They're made to bend so they'll bend back - within the bounds of reason of course. It's all to do with elasticity or rather when it's exceeded the point of its elasticity.

One thing experience told us was that if it's bent at the crosspiece, it's finished

[muffett.2008]

Yep , the amount of Blades and scabbards that managed to get caught in the strengthening ribs of a Landrover tailgate was bloody unreal.
Almost as if they had a magnetic attraction .......but no straightening needed, just write off and replace.

[browningautorifle]

caught in the strengthening ribs of a Landrover tailgate

Ours were the seat slats of the big troop trucks, then more scabbards than blades damaged.

[5thBatt]