25 replies to this topic

[coyote16]

Hello world
I'm looking for a solution to restore my knife USM3
I'm looking for a vendor who could sell me a full leather handle, I would like to change the washers that are not in good condition! you have a solution or an address please
thank you

[m1ashooter]

I've seen the washers listed on Ebay.

[coyote16]

I've seen the washers listed on Ebay.

Hello, thank you for the information :thumbsup:
but I do not!

[gunbarrel]

Hello, thank you for the information :thumbsup:
but I do not!

How hard did you look?

http://www.ebay.com/...s-/180749162573


http://www.ebay.com/...N-/270843606347


http://www.ebay.com/...2-/370534364475


http://www.ebay.com/...6-/230605724203


http://www.ebay.com/...4-/370389700261

[Bob Smalser]

Have a friend with a lathe? Leather turns quite easily, and that model of knife comes apart and goes together without difficulty. I could renew your handle in less than an hour.

http://www.wkfinetoo...s/mChisels1.asp

Flatten a hardwood dowel as a mockup of the knife's tang. Place oversize leather washers (use vegetable-tanned leather and cut them yourself) on the dowel and glue them to each other (and not to the dowel) using superglue. Drill a couple blocks to glue the dowel to so as to mount it in the lathe. Turn, sand and shellac the leather handle, cut the dowel to dismount the new handle, and mount it on the knife.

To make centering the assembly on the lathe easy, drill 16th pilot holes all the way through the blocks before using a Forstner bit to drill the stopped dowel holes. The pilot holes are your lathe centers.

Use a quarter-inch wood chisel to cut the rectangular holes in the washers. There's an example below in my post on a sword restoration:

http://www.usmilitar...howtopic=128124

[KABAR2]

While leather turns easily the originals were die cut stacked compressed and sanded/buffed no matter how good
someone may be at turning unless they are doing this full time I don't think they will be able to produce a convincing factory handle short of a CNC lathe.

Edited by KABAR2, 30 November 2011 - 07:19 AM.

[coyote16]

hello friends
I did all the work! this is a bit complicated, but the result is quite
Please give me your opinion
thank you

[Bob Smalser]

While leather turns easily the originals were die cut stacked compressed and sanded/buffed no matter how good
someone may be at turning unless they are doing this full time I don't think they will be able to produce a convincing factory handle short of a CNC lathe.

Clamps and glue compress, and calipers duplicate dimensions in something as straightforward as a knife handle as well as a CNC setup. It only has to be good enough to please the eye, but an experienced hand with a wood lathe can equal the repeatability of the original handles, which weren't CNC-perfect either.

[Bob Smalser]

I did all the work! this is a bit complicated, but the result is quite
Please give me your opinion

Very nice. Now all it needs is some wear and tear to fair those curves in the handle.

Well done.

[Woody]

Lightened the pics so members can see the effect better

Attached Images

• 

[Woody]

& the other...

Attached Images

• 

[coyote16]

Another one I just finished

before



after

[sgtdorango]

Wow!!!!. :w00t: ..those are some great results!......mike :thumbsup:

[12thengr]

Have a friend with a lathe? Leather turns quite easily, and that model of knife comes apart and goes together without difficulty. I could renew your handle in less than an hour.

http://www.wkfinetoo...s/mChisels1.asp

Flatten a hardwood dowel as a mockup of the knife's tang. Place oversize leather washers (use vegetable-tanned leather and cut them yourself) on the dowel and glue them to each other (and not to the dowel) using superglue. Drill a couple blocks to glue the dowel to so as to mount it in the lathe. Turn, sand and shellac the leather handle, cut the dowel to dismount the new handle, and mount it on the knife.

To make centering the assembly on the lathe easy, drill 16th pilot holes all the way through the blocks before using a Forstner bit to drill the stopped dowel holes. The pilot holes are your lathe centers.

Use a quarter-inch wood chisel to cut the rectangular holes in the washers. There's an example below in my post on a sword restoration:

http://www.usmilitar...howtopic=128124

You say this knife comes apart quite easily. Could you show or explain how to remove the pommel?

[p2tharizo]

Those turned out great Coyote! :thumbsup: I have to ask, how did you learn how to shape them so nicely on your first try? What method did you use to shape them? I'm about to try doing this to a MK2, and I'm pretty intimidated!

[coyote16]

hello friends
The first knife was a bit complicated to achieve, to remove the knob of the silk must be very careful, take your time is really needed
I did not do photo restoration, it is not very complicated
I made a false grip has the dimension of the original.
I found the leather has the right thickness.
I traced and cut out the puck with a cutter.
and I stacked the washer on the wrong handle

to shape the handle a simple belt sander is needed, use the sandpaper end (120)

to make the cuts I used a dremel with a small grinding wheels, and I did finish with a cutting 3mm

this is simple

[coyote16]

me and my dremel sander

[coyote16]

my false grip

[coyote16]

I may be restored this dagger.
I'll make you a picture of all stages

[coyote16]

leather cutting

[artu44]

Honestly speaking I prefer to buy another junk M3 and recover original washers. It's quite difficult to properly age new leather. In pics my restoration job. Metal parts were only acid pickled and blued.

Attached Images

• 
• 
• 

[SgtJim]

I have found that dw-40 does a good job cleaning bayonets and stopping corrosion. Also its great on dug iron items.

[Longhorn1939]

http://www.ebay.com/...2-/370534364475

[artu44]

http://www.ebay.com/...2-/370534364475

It requires a lot of hand skill to shape decently an oval handle with stacked circular washers.

[sactroop]

The knife makers during WW2 had some broaching machines made up to shape the handles. The link below is from Ka-Bar but one portion of the video shows one of the broaching machines in action. In case anyone may fine it interesting.