SA Dagger rebuild

[CMSgt]

I am putting together an SA dagger from parts that I have. Problem is that the blade does not want to go into the scabbard easily. How do you adjust the clip inside to allow the blade to slide in/out easily? What color of paint do you use to paint the scabard? I know that this is an early blade and scabbard and would like to get the paint close. I also know that the crossguards are not the proper type (should be Nickel silver), this would also tell collectors that it is a parts dagger. I have included pictures of the dagger and closeups of where the blade is dragging going into the scabbard.

[CMSgt]

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[CMSgt]

Maker

Maker "Wagner & Lanol"

[schönbeck]

if the blade goes all the way into the scabbard you have less problems. Just unscrew the screws and pull out the two metal parts that are inside. After that you will see that they are wave-shaped. Just make the waves a little smaller and it should work. In some cases you have to cut them off.

If the blade doesnt go all the way into the scabbad, then its harder, but not impossible. Depending on how skilled you are, you can make the throat larger, using ie a dremel-tool or similar. This will not work with plated fittings. I would not touch the blade.

[schönbeck]

old scabbards are anodized, not painted. In this case I would go for black, simulating a NSKK dagger. THis since many older daggers where upgraded to NSKK when that org was introduced.

I would also change the surface on the blade, its too shiny.....

[wh014d4394]

that blade looks like a sand cast copy to me there are a lot of copys out there good fakes and ****y ones but thats just me

[schönbeck]

hard to tell but I think that what you see are heavily pitting that has been grounded down.

[CMSgt]

Sa

Schonbeck, thank you for the advise. I will have the scabbard painted black.

The only piting is around the makers mark, the engraving looks okay and doesn't have the general mistake of the umlot over the letter.

Jim

[Krullies]

Hi!

Hello everyone,

This looks like a thread for me as well! May I please barge in with a related question?

I have been hobbying around with a dagger I have. The entire discussion can be read here: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=365308.

Getting to the gist of it directly: I purchased a blade on the e-Stand to replace the shorter, retipped blade. The blade is by the same maker. That blade will not fit in the scabbard though.

Schönbeck, I was reading the tip you gave CMSgt. Could you please elaborate a bit? How would I use a Dremmel tool to make the scabbard larger so it would allow the blade to fit? Do I need to drill new holes? Or alter wavy parts? What can be found inside a scabbard? And how would I best go about getting in there?

Very best regards,
Karin-Renate

[schönbeck]

the scabbard length should be the same and not the actual problem.

Inside you will find a weight which can be altered if neccesary.
THe fittings is not plated on your scabbard and therefor its possible to expand the hole a little. A Dremel might be a rough mehtod at first glance but you can use very fine wet sandpaper to get a superb finish at the end.

To tone the reworked area down you can use gun blue or similar, it will make it a little grey and it looks like patina.

[Krullies]

That's mine! :-)

Hi Schönbeck,

the scabbard length should be the same and not the actual problem....

Wow, you found the actual scabbard I'm having here Thank you!

...
Inside you will find a weight which can be altered if neccesary.

How would I go about getting there? Should I unscrew all 4 screws? They all seem rather rusty. Darkened at least. A little screwdriver can't get any grip without making the ridge a bit bigger using a cutting knive or something. Still, suppose I would remove all 4 screws, is there a way to get to the insides of it? Or should I totally steer clear from that?

...
THe fittings is not plated on your scabbard and therefor its possible to expand the hole a little. A Dremel might be a rough mehtod at first glance but you can use very fine wet sandpaper to get a superb finish at the end.
...

I ~think~ that the width of the mouth is not the problem. When I insert the blade until it stops going down, there still is room left and right of the blade,it can "move" a little side to side. It is the tip that is getting blocked. At least, that is what it seems like. Again, I'm by far - by very, very far - an expert on anything in this forum's topic area Its just that, well, it feels like the tip is the problem.

As if, maybe, the original blade was retipped for it to fit in the scabbard. The new blade sticks out the length it is taller compared to the original (or at least as original as I know it) blade.

...To tone the reworked area down you can use gun blue or similar, it will make it a little grey and it looks like patina.

Gun blue, is that paint? Or oil? Wax maybe? I see danger of me ruining a scabbard Is there a website that sells gun blue? The blue that you refer to that is? Just so I know what I should look for in case I decide to attack the dagger another time?

Thanks for the information Schönbeck! It is much appreciated
Karin-Renate

If the blade doesnt go all the way into the scabbad, then its harder, but not impossible. Depending on how skilled you are, you can make the throat larger, using ie a dremel-tool or similar. This will not work with plated fittings. I would not touch the blade.

I would not recommend a dremel tool, too easy to slip. I would recommend reasonable quality and fairly fine files. You create far less damage when you slip one stroke at a time than you do at 900 rpm!

[schönbeck]

OK, check the thickness of the blade compared to the scabbard throath. If thats also fine then you need to alter the weight inside the scabbard and to do that you must remove all four screws.
Try to put some rust solution on the screws and take it very easy. Dont use a to small screwdriver, it must be a near match else the screws will be damaged.

The gun blue is actually grey/black. Same color as a blued weapon. It contains posion and must be handled with care.

If you have the possibility, insert the dagger in the scabbard as much as possible and the take some shots(so I can see how it fits ) of the throat.

[wiendolch]

The purest in me says leave original parts as is, once you start messing with them you might regret it. I would rather buy something covered in rust, loss of paint, anodizing loss or a broken tip rather than something that has been repaired or is a parts dagger. if you feel you must here are a few methods i found that work good.

Krullies,
First try taking pictures like Schonbeck mentioned but almost sounds like the tip is still in the lead weight or some other foreign matter. I have found a old cloth in two scabbards before that were covered in cosmoline.
Go slow and get the proper screw driver size for the screws, remove the upper lip attached to the runners and see if the lead weight will fall out to check it for any foreign matter. If you remove the upper and lower fitting to paint or blue the scabbard be careful you can damage the edges where the curved areas meet the scabbard body and have a less then desired look to the fittings. Don't mess with the blade and don't mess with the mouth/opening of the fitting, what ever method you use it will be noticable.

CMsgt,
When you pull out the runners most likely you will find they are rough looking where the blade slids on the runners, that is caused from corrosion, dirt and grime over the years. you can clean them up with flitz or simichrome then ren wax them this usually works and should go in smooth as butter. If not try the method discribed just bend the bumps a little at a time but i believe the problem is dirty runners.

As for the scabbard repaint i have never done it so no clue on that.

Let us know who they turn out.

Eric