Was This 1915 Lithgow Bayonet A Hooked Quillion Model? Should I Refurb Or Conserve?

[TheAlpineWolf]

Hi Guys,
Been a while but I found an interesting piece and wanted to ask for some opinions!
Was this 1915 Lithgow bayonet a hooked Quillion model some time in its life?
I feel like in this condition it deserves a refurbishment and would sit well with my 1915 Lithgow.
If I found a reproduction cross guard, is there a way to disassemble the bayonet to fit a new cross guard?
Best Regards,
Sam.

Information

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[bigduke6]

Not Sure when Lithgow stopped with the Quillion, have seen 1914 made ones, which was a year after the UK stopped production, if you take the grips of you could weld a quillion on, lot easier than making a full knew one.

[Melanie_Daniels]

Not Sure when Lithgow stopped with the Quillion, have seen 1914 made ones, which was a year after the UK stopped production, if you take the grips of you could weld a quillion on, lot easier than making a full knew one.

Lithgow made hooked quillon bayonets still in 1915 - and the highest serial number I found is over 50000. So it was a hooked quillon with a serial number over 20000.

[TheAlpineWolf]

Hi Melanie_Daniels,
Thanks for the info! So what's the rarity of a piece like this today if it was still in original condition?
Best regards,
Sam.

[smerdon42]

Mate there’s a bloke on eBay Australia who sells the whole set up to repair the hooked part . Take a look I would refurb it .

[TheAlpineWolf]

Well looks like I didnt win the ebay auction but some bloke ended up paying around $320 AU for it in its current state and I wasn't willing to drop that much on it!

[bigduke6]

I dare say it may appear again in better shape and with a quillion, but with a hefty price tag.

[Flying10uk]

If I found a reproduction cross guard, is there a way to disassemble the bayonet to fit a new cross guard?

I think that you would have to remove the pommel first which, personally, I don't really like the idea of because you risk messing up the whole bayonet as it is premaritally attached.

[TheAlpineWolf]

Hi Jim,
Fair point however I feel like I should at least try to bring a piece like this back to life instead of letting it go to the scrap bin!
I think I may go with bigdike6's idea of welding on a Quillion and refinishing the bayonet as to keep majority of original crosspiece and markings!
Best Regards,
Sam.

---------- Post added at 11:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 PM ----------

Hi Bigduke6,
I like your idea of welding on a new hook, with a bit of fine hand filing and sanding I can make it blend in to the original crosspiece without loosing any of the markings!
Then I can re-blue and hopefully conserve a nice piece of history that would otherwise go to scrap!
Best Regards,
Sam.

[TheAlpineWolf]

Also whats the rarity of an early Lithgow Bayonet?