M1 Bayonet - PAL 1943

[avenger1212]

I recently picked up this M1 bayonet online. Sadly, it turned out to have had some sharpening done to it at some point. It's very light, and for what it is well done. It is also far, far from being knife sharp as I can put good pressure on the edge and run my hand down it and not be in fear of being cut. I'm not sure if some of these were lightly factory sharpened for a period of time, or in certain factories, or if it may have been done to a number of M1's after the war by the military for some purpose. Perhaps it is merely done by owners. It could be done by soldiers since we know they certainly sharpened them going into the field, but the ratio of minty bayonets I'm finding like this seems to point to the sharpening being done before issue.

Personally, I'm starting to think some were finished/ground in factories like this after parkerizing, or post war by the military. I'm seeing too many with very similar sharpening done to them by other forum members, and on ebay etc., on bayonets by various makers (mostly PAL so far though) for it to reasonably be owners IMO. If done by a regular guy with no interest in militaria, why just a light sharpening and not to a sharp edge? If by a collector who knows these shouldn't be sharp, they wouldn't do it to begin with. But, it does beg the question if collectors might be turning away from perfectly original bayonets because of this light sharpening, due to the conventional understanding that they would not be sharpened in the factory after parkerizing.

 

This has been discussed some already here: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/143224-opinions-on-m1-garand-bayonet-please/

 

Note SKIPH has one mint and still in the package that he sees the white line through the clear plastic:

"Well for whatever it's worth, I pulled out my mint in wrapper PAL M1. I only had to stretch the wrap a little to see a very distinct line of white. So PAL sharpened their bayonets, after the parkerizing was added. At least on mine. SKIP "

 

I don't expect everyone is going to rush out and start buying up sharpened M1's. But, there may be grounds for further research into this that may restore some favor for bayonets exhibiting light sharpening. If anyone else has examples similar to this, or thoughts on the matter, I welcome this thread being used for discussion and study on this matter.

Here's the example I currently have in hand:

 

 

 

 

[avenger1212]

 

 

 

 

 

[avenger1212]

 

 

 

 

 

[Misfit 45]

This is a fascinating topic. I have never read in any book that M1s did not have the light sharpening line (white line) when they were issued. (hope I didn't miss it). I only have seven M1s, yet all but one have the white line. The top bayonet in the picture has never been in a scabbard, but I always deemed it to be a re-park. It has a square edge and not sharpened at all after parkerizing. The one not shown has clearly been sharpened so is not in the picture. The other five have a white line. It might be argued that someone sharpened these after they were issued. If so, they all gave their bayonet a nearly perfect white line sharpening. As far as the tips and false edge goes, most show a thin line all the way to the edge, however the PAL has a thin white line on the body of the blade, but on the tip, the sharpening is like avenger1212's bayonet. Heretofore, I had thought that most, if not all, the M1s had the white line, as I had mentioned in the post referenced above, but I was appropriately corrected. It does, however, seem to be a curiosity that almost all my examples have virtually identical white lines. Other than Skip's NOS example, does anyone have any NOS M1s that can be shown? Love to seem them and get some perspective on this topic. Thanks

Marv

[Misfit 45]

Here, a pic of the white line edges. Both edges shown have white lines, just a lighting issue on the bottom bayonet.

[avenger1212]

I didn't know you had that many similar M1's with the same style of sharpening Misfit45. Thanks for sharing those! It does seem difficult to imagine soldiers or collectors either one would have sharpened so many bayonets so consistently....

 

I see a lot of people using USB microscopes to look closely at details of militaria, and thought perhaps a couple of shots with my cheapo USB microscope might show something that someone might gain insight from.

 

Edge grind:

 

 

Tip (top, opposite the edge):

 

 

I'm not even close to an expert at grinding, but to my (ready to be corrected) eye, the grind on my bayonet is going against the blade like a person might expect from a machine rather than with the blade like one might expect from a sharpener, with a person pulling the blade across a stone, which I would assume would leave a different grind pattern than this... If nothing else, these photos show how thin that edge grind is.

[avenger1212]

Another collector asking about the sharpening, with near identical sharpening:

 

http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=38082&s=e473db5a4fc596130868b7d4d1f29e95

 

Here's another:

 

http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=9639&page=2

 

There has to be a reason why so many M1's received this same light sharpening treatment.