This is a replica of a fighting knife that was never in a fight - probably.
The original is in the collection of one Bill Stone and seems to be the only one of its kind.
However another collector, Adrian Van Dyk, listed one in a sale catalog several years ago. That example had been discovered at the defunct Springfield Armory where it had been produced. The only distinguishing feature between it and the steel-bladed, Stone knife is that the Springfield Armory knife was cast entirely in brass - including the blade.
This leads me to believe that the all brass knife was a casting pattern, made to enable the casting of the brass handle of the tang. That's how I would have done it.
Apparently this is as far as the experiment went. Now of course the final version of the M1918 Mk 1 Trench Knife is recognizable to virtually anyone.
But, the designers apparently went down a few rabbit trails before settling on the familiar pattern of the pointed, screw pommel and the blade from the French, M1916 dagger (WWI 6).
The blade for this particular version was taken from the M1910 Bolo, also produced at Springfield.
Like the Bolo, the blade is 10 1/4" long, hand forged from 1095 tool steel, hardened and tempered.
The solid brass handle (The knife alone weighs in at 24 oz.)is cast directly onto the tang and retains the wicked, talon-shaped pommel spike.
Includes a cowhide-over-wood scabbard based loosely on that of the Bolo.
$175 shipped
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
