PAL RH-36 fighting knife and sheath question

[Bilbo42]

Hi all. I have two PAL RH-36 knives that I bought a long time ago. I think the mottled blade RH-36 came with the new looking sheath that has a black metal snap and the brighter blade RH-36 came with the older looking sheath that has the brass snap, but really can't remember! I've read here and other places about the 36 model but wanted to get your opinions. The only structural difference in the bright blade knife is the different color and pattern of the spacers on the handle as opposed to the single red spacer at either end of the leather handle on the mottled blade knife. did PAL ever use this spacer combo (as on the bright bladed knife)? if they did was it pre, post or WWII?

 

Secondly, I would be pleased with any comments as to the sheaths...no markings on either. If PAL ever made an unmarked sheath, could it be the one with the brass snap? I think maybe the other one is a repro or just for another knife. Thanks.

[bayonetman]

Somewhat out of my main collecting field, but I do have two that came from local veterans and I feel sure that both were wartime.

 

The top one is a bright blade (somewhat more common in my experience) and the grip retaining strap snap is brass.

 

The lower one is a later version (circa 1944-45) and is Parkerized. Its strap snap is blackened.

 

Both have dull metal pommels (some sort of alloy??). The bright blade has two thin black spacers on each end of the leather grip, and the Parkerized blade has a red and black spacer on each end. From what I have seen this is not consistent and I have seen red and black on the bright blade version.

 

I am not sure, but I feel that yours with the black/white/red/white/black colored spacers is either very early (taken from commercial stocks at the beginning of WW2) or is post WW2. I am sure someone who is more familiar with these will be able to answer that question more accurately.

 

[thorin6]

The PAL RH-36 is probably the most common of the WWII era 6-inch hunting knives, and they were made both before and after the war. They can be found in both marked and unmarked (or generic) scabbards, both bright and parkerized blades. I'm not sure anyone has nailed down the space arrangement, although I would lean toward the top knife being more likely a WWII blade, and the lower blade being a possible post-War blade.