Indian L1A1 Scabbards

[peregrinvs]

Here is another long Indian L1A1 bayonet which I've recently purchased. Normally I wouldn't purchase such a bayonet in this damaged state but did on this occasion. This is because it came with the rare long steel scabbard, the blade is in excellent condition and the price was very good too.

Does anyone know where I could get a replacement catch assembly from, please? I will most likely remove the muzzle ring and weld on the missing metal rather than total replacement.

I've got one of these. Purchased a few years back to provide a scabbard for an intact example. Annoyingly the knife one has a nicer blade than the bayonet one, but I decided trying to swap the parts around was rather out of my metaworking league.

[bigduke6]

Flying10uk, here is a link to a No5 bayonet I did some time back, may help others also, not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs but it shows how simple it is, I know its a No5 bayonet but same meat different gravy.......

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=40522&page=1

(Forgot to mention there is two parts so have a look at all the pages).

[Peter Laidler]

Great thread Geoff. I'd forgotten about it. What did you make the rivets from? Mild? I wonder if it'd be worth getting, say, 12 each or so No5 and L1A1 X-pieces water-jet cut. Small pieces/small quantities can easily be pantograph cut to save the CNC set-up costs. But it would mean totally stripping the bayonet, rivets etc etc. Nope......... maybe not! I can already see the enthusiastic amateurs hand drilling those rivets out!

[browningautorifle]

hand drilling those rivets

That's how I'd do it, with a drill press. How else would one do it?

[Flying10uk]

I've more or less decided to make a new cross piece because, interestingly, Indian cross pieces appear less waisted than their British counterparts which sort of rules out "pinching" one from a British bayonet. I think there may be issues in trying to weld the existing one, as previously mentioned by Jim and others, although I may do so just to see what happens but not actually use it. Thanks bigduke for your information which is useful which I could do the way you show or I may just machine the blade slot out with a mill. I may also have to make the catch. I will report back when it is completed but it may be a while as I have other things on the go at the moment.

[browningautorifle]

If I was doing it, I'd have to trace it out and then drill or mill the most of the openings and finish them with file. I'd even buy a new one for that. The hardest part would be to match the transverse holes for the pins.

[bigduke6]

Great thread Geoff. I'd forgotten about it. What did you make the rivets from? Mild? I wonder if it'd be worth getting, say, 12 each or so No5 and L1A1 X-pieces water-jet cut. Small pieces/small quantities can easily be pantograph cut to save the CNC set-up costs. But it would mean totally stripping the bayonet, rivets etc etc. Nope......... maybe not! I can already see the enthusiastic amateurs hand drilling those rivets out!

Peter, they were welding rods I'd cut down, mild steel IIRC but they were the good rods......not just GP.

I may just machine the blade slot out with a mill.

At the time (on a Laid up Ship) didn't have access to a Miller, could of used the lathe but had no tools, so it was the old bench fitting method but always good to keep the hand in.

[Flying10uk]

Jim, I wonder if you could put the small pin holes in by making a short dummy blade, say 3/4" tall, to stick in the blade slot after you have cut this slot using bigduke's method or machining it in. Then just take the centre of the pin holes off the edge of the dummy blade?

[Peter Laidler]

BAR, your thread 44. I was thinking of the amateurs drilling them out with a hand held electric drill!. Re thread 46 and F-10 thread 48...... WHAT traverse holes for what rivets? The crosspiece rivets are actually the same diameter as the pommel rivets but don't go through the X-piece. They are behind it and punched to secure the X-piece hard up aganist the wider part of the blade. Big Duke shows these being heated(?) and crushed up to secure the blade.

In reality a new X-piece is just 1 hours time and a bit of bench fitting without the need for milling because it's such an awkward shape to hold and mount. Been there! As sure as eggs is eggs, to get a good tight fit on the blade each X-piece will have to be hand fitted to suit especially if it's a No5 bayonet! Unless you had a load water cut - and they'd still need hand fitting!

[browningautorifle]

BAR, your thread 44. I was thinking of the amateurs drilling them out with a hand held electric drill!

Seen!

The crosspiece rivets are actually the same diameter as the pommel rivets but don't go through the X-piece. They are behind it and punched to secure the X-piece hard up aganist the wider part of the blade.

Right! I was picturing the transverse pins holding the crosspiece of, say, a 1905 Springfield blade... Dead simple to do in this case.