Dress bayonet

[jimuk]

Hi everybody-
I was offered a long version dress bayonet by F. W. Holler, Solingen. This is not my area but it looks so nice that for 50 quid I may just buy it! Anyways, may question is this, even though the scabbard has 90% of the original finish, the grips are unbroken and the blade is really bright, the blade is a bit unstable. Were the blabes of these bayonets constructed separately from the handle? Should this be happenning? Please educate me on this one as I haven't got a clue about edged weapons. Thanks

JimUK

[Newlyn]

Bayonet

When you say unstable, I suppose it's kinda rattling around a bit. The blade is attached to the hilt by a tapering extension of itself which fits inside the hilt, usually rivetted to the hilt. Either the rivets have worked lose, (Not unknown), or perhaps the tang has cracked. Is it very lose ?

[jimuk]

Hi-
Thanks for the reply. As you say it is rattling a bit but not a lot, to be honest only slightly. Does this mean the rivets have gone lose? Had the tang been cracked would it be all over the place? Thanks for the info, much appreciated, regards

JimUK

[Skipper Greenwade]

Hi Jim,

Newlyn is spot on with his assessment. The blade tang will generally be attached to the hilt with two rivets. Over time, it's not all unusual for the tang to become a bit loose. Generally if the tang cracks between the rivets, it will be noticeably wobbly.

Sounds like yours is a simple case of the former condition - not really detractive and it sounds like it's priced right.

Best,
Skip