What I wanted to know is if you could see the type of rough finishes on the bayonet. One scabbard has about 95% of the manufacturer and date removed. You can not see that from the pictures that you have. But this same type of buff grind finish is also on the blade and pommel area. Note that the SS Property Stamp is in Excellent Condition and under the finish. The point is, why was such an extensive rework done to these bayonets when the war was in its last stages. Like the old sayng, "Arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." These were battfield salvaged bayonets. Why do anything to them. The rifle that Walther sent home was dated 1943 and when I looked at it, the gun was reblued and coated with a cosmoline type grease. I do not know if the Germans put the grease on or if Walther did it.
Richard K
Richard,
First, these are consecutively matched pieces, so I would think that all of the operations on them would have been done at the same time. And they would have stayed together in the same storage conditions from 1945
The bayonets have been together since the war. However, it is hard to assume that the quality of the coating process may have been the same for both bayonets. I do not know the condition of the bayonets prior to rework. I said that I could see a rough finish. The end result of the coating is determined by the quality of the surface of the item being coated / plated. On the bayonet scabbard that is missing some finish I can see pits using a magnifying glass. On the blade of bayonet 1237 I can also see small pits in the blade surface using a magnifying glass. In addition there is a grind gouge on the cutting edge of 1237 that has buff grind marks going through it. The coating is the same on both bayonets. The surface finishes are not. More pitting on 1237. It is what would be expected from battlefield salvage rework done by slave labor. Richard Kto now. I will see what pictures I have that can illustrate what I was trying to say - but let me see if this works. Phosphoric acid etches the metal, it does not leave a bright glossy appearance.
And while the lighting leaves some uncertainty, to me it looks like rust “speckling” (small rust nodules) over a blued surface. But some of what is strange to me is that one of the bayonets has a lot of “speckling” on the tang where the grips would have covered it, including the non-exposed portion of the flash guard. And especially one of the blades is “speckled” when it should have had a scabbard protecting it. And the scabbards look a little strange as well, but I can only see the upper portions, so no conclusions have been made where they are concerned.
Maybe it’s just the photos, and if I have misperceptions they can be cleared up with new photos just like the RZM frog. But for now, I will have to go with what I can physically see in front of me.
Best Regards, FP
