Gentlemen, can anyone advise me on this problem;

I have a Feuerschutzpolitzei short dress bayonet (please see pics) in good condition apart from two points, firstly some minor sharpening that I can live with.
The major issue is ; the blade is lose in the hilt. So viewed from the side there is approx 8mm of up/down movement at the blade tip pivoting from a point that appears to be about 10mm inside the hilt. My questions are;

1. Has anyone come across this problem before
2. Is the tang broken inside the hilt? I don�t know what the tang construction looks like
3. Is it repairable?

Please see following posts with pics to show blade movement

Many thanks in anticipation for you�re time

Does anyone have a view on this? I'd rather not right the piece off, it's a tidy bayonet: this surely can't be a unique problem/damage to find?

Thanks and regards

Just to show you the problem again...

This is somewhat of a common problem with some dress bayonets. I believe it's from play on the rivet inside the grip that affixes the blade to the tang, the more play on it, the more the blade moves. I don't believe there is any true way to fix this other than removing the grip rivets & grip plates but this is a case of the cure being worse than the disease. Does it bother you that much? One way I've heard is to add a dab of Krazy Glue or epoxy underneath the leather buffer, where the blade separates from the hilt. It's probably best left alone IMO.

Thanks Billy, I'd wondered if that my be the case. As you say disturbing the rivets is daunting, epoxy may be the answer. I'd also wondered about maybe using some stainless steel shim metal slid down beside each side of the tang also hidden by the buffer pad.

Thanks again, KM

KM

Here are a few pictures of how the dress bayonet is put together.
First picture is of two bayonet hilts. The top one still has the rivet holding the blade to the hilt, the one below has the rivet removed

The next picture shows a close up of the blade tang, rivet removed.

This picture shows the tang in the correct position if a rivet was in place

In this picture I put side pressure on the tip of the blade and the tang pops out. So what does all this mean, you have a rivet that is loose or a broken tang. You have the right idea, use a shim if possible

KM, there's not much I can add to this. Between Billy and Terry you've about got the info you need. I've got a couple here that are loose, I haven't done anything with them. I'm sure it's the rivet that had broke, probably thru abuse over the years. Great pics Terry, yours are better than mine. I only had the one in the archives that I was going to post, but now I don't have to look for it.

What I can add it looks like an early type frog with the padding between then two halves in the middle. But we all forgot to ask what TM you have. We all kind of like that info here.

Steve.

Thanks for the the excellent pictures, it all becomes clear now.I can see that without the proper means to re rivet the hilt I'm going to have to live with things as they are or try the 'shim'repair.

To answer Steve's question; yes the frog is padded and the blade is 'Tiger Solingen' on one side of the ricasso with the is Tiger trade mark on the other.

It's actually a nice piece apart from the fault, I know these are not high value bayonets but it has a nice genuine patina and I currently have an opportunity to pick up a genuine knot to complete the set which I will probably now do.

Also when you consider I originally obtained the bayonet in exchange for a modestly priced bottle of champagne from a distant relative, I haven't much to complain about!

Thanks all for the really helpful responses. KM

By the way, does anyone know why my images are disappearing off the posting?

It's ok, they're back!

Gentlemen, just thought I'd update with the good news that the 'shim' solution worked! I now have eliminated 95% of the movement from the blade.

I used an old set of feeler gauges, selected the right thickness to slip under the crossguard front and back of the tang. Then cut off to length and pushed down till they butted up to the rivet inside the hilt. To stop lateral rocking of the blade I did the same thing with small rectangles of feeler gauge, tight enough to slip under the shoulders of the blade without moving.
The buffer washer hides the small amount visible and I didn't need to use any epoxy so it's a 'dry fix' : Might be useful for someone with the same problem

Regards KM