1945 True Temper Machete

[Aragorn243]

One of my pick ups this weekend and a normal machete this time. True Temper dated 1945. Scabbard is complete but a bit worn. Also has something in the end which is all bunched up and preventing the blade from going all the way in. Sounds like paper but I have been unable to get it out. First machete that I've had that has the olive green handle. All others are either wood or black.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[browningautorifle]

The more standard design they stuck with...interesting handle.

Also has something in the end which is all bunched up

Try a .22 cal cleaning rod with a decent brush and go into the tip of the scabbard, rolling into the crap at the chape. It will wind up whatever's there and pull it out.

[Peter Laidler]

Thoise were the machetes we had. We called them Gollocks or Parangs with 44' pattern sheaths.

Same sort of thing to pull out the crud but fix a wood screw to the end of the cleaning rod. Screw that into the crud and pull it free. We had something like this that you could screw into/onto a cleaning rod and pull out broken pull-throughs. Trouble was that by the time the crunchies had thought of bringing the rifle and stuck broken pullthrough down to the Armourers shop, it had already been compressed beyond hope, doused in everything available including petrol and oil, had a few short lengths of cleaning rod jammed up behind it, heated up on the fire, maybe had a blank shoved in to help move it - but compressing it even more............ When it did come out it was usually half a tank camouflage net or half an OG shirt for a 9mm Owen barrel in a rifle bore! Bless 'em!

[browningautorifle]

by the time the crunchies had thought of bringing the rifle and stuck broken pullthrough down to the Armourers shop, it had already been compressed beyond hope

Yes, sorry...we did that on occasion. What you really needed to see was the efforts the Snr NCOs went to to avoid it. IF they found out...I watched the first one I got stuck being fired out with a blank cartridge... I had immediately taken it to my section commander...at once.

Anyway you refer to a tool like a "Worm" for black powder for removing a stuck ball...same here except a .22 brush.

[Aragorn243]

I used a bent coat hanger. Sadly, it appears to be the insides of the scabbard being scraped away by the blade going in and out all these years. It is at least out now and the blade fits freely. I may have to swap out the machetes as this is a 1942 boyt scabbard, I didn't notice that until I started trying to get the junk out of it. I have one of the late war plastic types with an earlier machete.

[browningautorifle]

I've also used a coat hanger with the tiniest hook at the end...have it lying behind the furnace waiting for it's next job.

[Flying10uk]

I wondered if it was "rust inhibiting paper" that was in the bottom of the scabbard which had been wrapped around the blade while in storage. For anyone who doesn't know, this is a sort of brown paper that has a thin plastic film one side and is impregnated with preservative to inhibit rust and corrosion when wrapped around steel.

[AFJon]

Nice looking machete. I have my grandfathers True Temper from1945 that he bought after the war to trim Christmas trees.

[browningautorifle]

I wondered if it was "rust inhibiting paper"

Apparently not.

it appears to be the insides of the scabbard being scraped away by the blade going in and out all these years.

[Flying10uk]

Apparently not.

Have you examined the material from the inside of the scabbard, Jim?