We've had some good, open discussion about how to handle various types of military related blades. This discourse is an integral part of the hobby, and it's how we reach conclusion we otherwise wouldn't because we were not thinking out of the sand box.
I want to post a couple pics of a WKC and a Klaas Nr. 232 I recently snagged off eBay. The WKC came at next to nothing because nobody would bid- people assumed it was garbage and trashed. The same thought prevailed regarding the Klaas Nr 232. Both pieces showed their age, and also showed the early signs of imminent death. Early sptting was evident on the blade of the WKC- the early signs of oxidizing rust. The hilt assembly was also showing signs of verdigris, some rust and other bad stuff. Both of the sellers photos did a fine job of illustrating the big detractors on each piece. This really kept the number of bids to a minimum, and also kept the bid amounts to a minimum. There were indicators that both pieces retained a decent degree of the factory gilting but it was a matter of seeing through their age. The signs indicated that both sabers were easily salvageable and well worth the relatively small amount of time and energy invested to preserve these pieces.
I won both auctions, both at rock bottome prices, especially the WKC and invested the time to care for each piece. The end results confirmed what the indicators suggested. Both sabers are nice, and have found a comfortable place amoungst the see of sabers.
The biggest detractor to the WKC is the damaged grip wire, which had to be amputated. There were signs that the piece had been exposed to open flame at some point, as evidenced by the melted celluloid, and the charred portion of the inner wooden core. How this happened I have no idea..one can only speculate. With the upper portion of the grip wire, there was no hope of salvage. Someone had applied superglue, thankfully not epoxy, to fasten the upper portion of the damaged grip wire to the celluloid grips wire grooves. I may or may not rewire the piece. At this juncture, I don't think I will. The piece looks good enough and the amputated grip wire not a huge detractor. I havn't been able to find any period literature which indicates WKC produced this "roonesque" style saber with the obverse crossed oak sprigs. I'm content with it, and it now is amoung the other 10 "oakleaf" pattern sabers.
It's important to remember that the outwardly visible condition of both sabers are what ultimately provided the win at such a low $$ figure. People just did not want to bid on either of these.
Below is a pre-preservation collage and a post-preservation collage. The 2nd post is of the Klaas Nr 232 pre-preservation and post-preservation as well.
I want to post a couple pics of a WKC and a Klaas Nr. 232 I recently snagged off eBay. The WKC came at next to nothing because nobody would bid- people assumed it was garbage and trashed. The same thought prevailed regarding the Klaas Nr 232. Both pieces showed their age, and also showed the early signs of imminent death. Early sptting was evident on the blade of the WKC- the early signs of oxidizing rust. The hilt assembly was also showing signs of verdigris, some rust and other bad stuff. Both of the sellers photos did a fine job of illustrating the big detractors on each piece. This really kept the number of bids to a minimum, and also kept the bid amounts to a minimum. There were indicators that both pieces retained a decent degree of the factory gilting but it was a matter of seeing through their age. The signs indicated that both sabers were easily salvageable and well worth the relatively small amount of time and energy invested to preserve these pieces.
I won both auctions, both at rock bottome prices, especially the WKC and invested the time to care for each piece. The end results confirmed what the indicators suggested. Both sabers are nice, and have found a comfortable place amoungst the see of sabers.
The biggest detractor to the WKC is the damaged grip wire, which had to be amputated. There were signs that the piece had been exposed to open flame at some point, as evidenced by the melted celluloid, and the charred portion of the inner wooden core. How this happened I have no idea..one can only speculate. With the upper portion of the grip wire, there was no hope of salvage. Someone had applied superglue, thankfully not epoxy, to fasten the upper portion of the damaged grip wire to the celluloid grips wire grooves. I may or may not rewire the piece. At this juncture, I don't think I will. The piece looks good enough and the amputated grip wire not a huge detractor. I havn't been able to find any period literature which indicates WKC produced this "roonesque" style saber with the obverse crossed oak sprigs. I'm content with it, and it now is amoung the other 10 "oakleaf" pattern sabers.
It's important to remember that the outwardly visible condition of both sabers are what ultimately provided the win at such a low $$ figure. People just did not want to bid on either of these.
Below is a pre-preservation collage and a post-preservation collage. The 2nd post is of the Klaas Nr 232 pre-preservation and post-preservation as well.
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