WWII Ka Bar “bright blade” Question....

[Griff]

Is this knife an original factory chromed ka bar or a modified knife?.....I can’t find any pictures of the “bright blades” online that are this model.....It seems a little too well done to be a user modification even though it shows a little use....Thanks in advance for the help.........John

[lfwises]

John - I have one that is nearly identical to yours that I got at a militaria show in Gettysburg PA last summer. There are some minor differences, mainly in the area of wear, and mine is Navy. Will try to get you some pictures but it may take a few days. My computer skills are right alongside of Skip's.  Steve

[mikedon]

I know of no KA-BAR, Pal, or Robeson Mark 2 or 1219C2 knives that were made chrome plated during WWII.  Camillus did make a chrome plated guard marked 1219C2 during WWII. It is shown on page 395 of Bill Walters book. Frank also mentions it in his January 2006 article in Knife World, "The USMC 1219C2 Of WWII, Part 2". "They made the guard marked chrome plated knives for the Naval Advanced Base units...".

[Griff]

Thanks for the reply’s guys........id love to see you’re knife ifwises......and as far a Ka Bar’s with chrome plating I’ve seen them but they were earlier war models with the round tang and “Ka Bar Oleean NY “ markings on the Riccasso......

[lfwises]

[Griff]

The leather on yours is a bit darker but the shape of the handle is identical ....You can also see in my pics that on a couple of worn spots a copper color comes through.......

[sactroop]

IMHO, it could be a knife that received a plating treatment after assembly and leaving the factory.  I've seen a few examples of different knives that were treated this way.  These have been little back alley entrepreneurs for the most part.  The plating isn't applied directly to the steel, but an undercoating usually copper or copper compound is plated on first to accept the final finish.  

On the examples I've seen the quality can vary quite a bit.  It's not unusual for the plating to start flaking off over time while other hold up very well.