Blacksmith Posted April 26, 2017 Share #1 Posted April 26, 2017 Howdy friends - I've seen a lot of theater-made knives over the years, and notice a lot of common materials amongst them. Many of the materials seem to logically derive from vehicles, such as aviation plexi, aluminum, and so forth. The question I had for you all, is where the hard colored plastics may have come from. It's almost like micarta, or some similar material - usually very smooth. The most common colors I see are black and red, typically used to create stacked washer handles. Sometimes alternating pieces of clear plexi, black, aluminum, red, etc. Thank you for any thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted April 27, 2017 Share #2 Posted April 27, 2017 I'm wondering if your talking about the same, (or similar), thing as the spacers commonly used in many production knives of the same period. Black and red where the most common colors for those spacers. I'm not sure about the exact composition for those spacers back in WW2. Micarta has been around for the last hundred years or more and is a possibility for making knife parts during the War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share #3 Posted April 27, 2017 Could be, but as the knives were made in the field during the war, I was wondering where they may have scrounged the material. Like possibly from electronics or ? Thank you for the response. I'm wondering if your talking about the same, (or similar), thing as the spacers commonly used in many production knives of the same period. Black and red where the most common colors for those spacers. I'm not sure about the exact composition for those spacers back in WW2. Micarta has been around for the last hundred years or more and is a possibility for making knife parts during the War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted April 27, 2017 Share #4 Posted April 27, 2017 My belief is that most WWII "theatre-made" knives were not made in the field, but were modified after the war, at home in the USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share #5 Posted April 27, 2017 Interesting point Bob, good food for thought. My belief is that most WWII "theatre-made" knives were not made in the field, but were modified after the war, at home in the USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodymyster Posted April 27, 2017 Share #6 Posted April 27, 2017 I have knives that were made during the war, but also understand your belief about alot being done afterwards. As far as the material the spacers are from, that material is cellulose based vulcanized fibre. This was used as electrical insulators, and plastics in general were being used to replace metals needed for the war effort. I would guess that since knife manufactures at the time used these spacers in their handles, those making knives found material to imitate those professionally made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share #7 Posted April 27, 2017 Thank you Woody. I have knives that were made during the war, but also understand your belief about alot being done afterwards. As far as the material the spacers are from, that material is cellulose based vulcanized fibre. This was used as electrical insulators, and plastics in general were being used to replace metals needed for the war effort. I would guess that since knife manufactures at the time used these spacers in their handles, those making knives found material to imitate those professionally made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 27, 2017 Share #8 Posted April 27, 2017 There is a post on this site of WW2 sailors wearing the typical WW2 Theater knife. I downloaded the pictures. I will see if I can find the post. I imagine a large amount of the knives were made aboard Navy ships by Machinist Mates and others with access to materials and equipment. After the war knives were plentiful and cheap. Why make them in large quantities? Manufactures couldn't sell all the knives they had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted April 27, 2017 Share #9 Posted April 27, 2017 Knife making has also been something done for ages.During the war many knives were made on the local level as well.These range in quality and you see some well known makers as well as unmarked examples that get labeled "theatre made ".Often unless you know the source of the knife it is difficult if not impossible to pin down when or where it was made. I recall seeing old issues of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics growing up and other magazines that had "do it yourself" articles in them and it was common to see articles on home made knives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted April 27, 2017 Share #10 Posted April 27, 2017 The problem of when and where that knife was made is often there with the label of "theater knife". I understand that some people have even made a study of what War time "plexi glass should look like. I generally avoid the category for that reason. That being said every once and awhile I see something that just seems to speak to me, and I just can't resist bringing it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #11 Posted April 29, 2017 Here are the pictures and articles from the original post. This is not my info but from a previous poster. Could not find the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #12 Posted April 29, 2017 The article mentions a thousand odd knives aboard just one carrier. Multiply that by ships, bases, troops, etc. We are talking thousands of knives. The Navy would be some of the last to get manufactured knives. I know I served in the Navy for ten years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #13 Posted April 29, 2017 More pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #14 Posted April 29, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #15 Posted April 29, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #16 Posted April 29, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #17 Posted April 29, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groserm Posted April 29, 2017 Share #18 Posted April 29, 2017 I have few hand made knives. It is hard to date them . Unless you have a name or documentation. I do have quite a few with the person's name or service number inscribed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share #19 Posted April 29, 2017 Thanks for taking the time to post those pics, very interesting. I have few hand made knives. It is hard to date them . Unless you have a name or documentation. I do have quite a few with the person's name or service number inscribed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted April 29, 2017 Share #20 Posted April 29, 2017 Great pictures.Seen several of them in the past and they are a good examples of the knives that were and modified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankerman Posted April 29, 2017 Share #21 Posted April 29, 2017 Really cool photos... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustin Posted May 2, 2017 Share #22 Posted May 2, 2017 Here are some better images from the Cumshaw article. exhibiting local made or modified sheaths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustin Posted May 2, 2017 Share #23 Posted May 2, 2017 The array of patterns of knives, they look to both be completely fabricated from scratch and/or modified factory types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share #24 Posted May 2, 2017 Great pics Dustin, thank you. The array of patterns of knives, they look to both be completely fabricated from scratch and/or modified factory types. knives 2.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronJohnLogan Posted May 3, 2017 Share #25 Posted May 3, 2017 As a knife maker I been studying Theatre knives a lot lately. As to materials, almost all of the knives that I have seen that are named and dated during the WWII are made up of clear plastics and aluminum / brass. Though there were plenty of opaque plastics around: mircarta, bakelite, different rubber based things - mostly used for electrical insulators etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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