M.1889 bayonet restoration

 

    

    Today's post discusses the restoration of the Swiss bayonet model 1889 (originally called Dolchbajonett Mod. 1889) and briefly about its history. It was a standard infantry bayonet for the infantry straight-pull repeating rifle of the Schmidt-Rubin 1889 system. Bayonets shared their serial number with the weapon to which they were assigned, so production took place at the same time as the rifles. Production was provided by the Waffenfabrik Bern and Waffenfabrik Neuhausen. The presented example bears the serial number 206762, when looking at the serial number tables with the production dates, it is possible to determine the years of production for this one to be 1896, which was the penultimate year of production for rifles and first model bayonets with a total of 12,500 pieces that year (with serial numbers in the range 195501-208000)

    During service, it was found that this model did not hold firmly enough in the scabard and was prone to falling out, so after the production ended, the existing bayonets were modified by adding a rivet to the blade fuller so that the springs in the scabard can hold the bayonet more firmly when inserted. When this modification occurred is still a mystery, bayonets modified in this way are known as 1889/18 (also know as model 1889/96 or 1889/99). It is interesting that today there are also specimens that have the diameter for attachment to the barrel adjusted with an insert so that these bayonets can be mounted on carbines with a barrel diameter of 14mm (rifles have an outer barrel diameter of 15mm). After that in 1899, a new varaint of this model was produced that had a milled raised contour directly on the fuller from the factory to better secure the bayonet in the scabbard, the result being the Model 1899. This was followed by a variant with a saw for the engineer troops, the Model 1914, and finally the double edge Model 1918. We will discuss these models in another post at later date.

    Now back to the presented example. The condition before restoration indicates long-term inappropriate storage, lack of maintenance and improper handling. The result is a surface covered with active (red) corrosion over the entire surface together with dried preservative oil or wax. The overall condition of the bayonet was surprisingly good, as there was no deep corrosion anywhere. The condition of the blade was also good, no nicks or broken tip. The wooden handles are in good condition. The sheet metal scabbard with a blued finish was in good, albeit slightly worn condition with small spots of active corrosion.

"overall view of the bayonet before restoration with visible surface corrosion as a result of inadequate handeling"

    The first step was to soften the corrosion products with penetrating oil, normally the first step would be the complete disassembly of the bayonet, but since it is not possible to disassemble the wooden grips, all work must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the wood that remained on the bayonet during the restoration, only the press stud was removed. After several days of soaking in oil, the surface was dried and degreased. This was followed by mechanical cleaning of the metal parts of the bayonet. This is done with fine carding wire wheels, which clean the surface from corrosion without damaging the surface finish.

"detail of the corrosion on the grip"

    After cleaning the surface, the metal parts of the hilt were polished, to achieve the required quality and gloss of the surface, And the blade was cleaned in a way to keep the machine marks from the factory. For this purpose a bayonet from the author's collection was used as a comparison material, in this case it was a modified bayonet 1889/18 with a rivet in the blade groove. After completing the work on the bayonet, the scabbard underwent restoration as well, it was also covered with remnants of preservatives that needed to be removed, along with some corrosion. After easy and quick cleaning, the leather strap firmly attached to the scabbard, which secures it in the hanger (or belt frog), was also cleaned and then softened.

"view of the grip after restoration"

    After the restoration work was complete, neutral preservative oil was applied to the surface of the bayonet and scabbard. After that, oil was wiped by a  clean cloth. After that the bayonet was mounted in a correct hanger (belt frog).

"bayonet after complete restoration"

    This restored bayonet can now be displayed in authors Swiss bayonet collection for a long time without the need for oiling. This model is a very elegant and well-made bayonet from the 19th century (same as every other bayonet for swiss firearms). Interesting fun fact, this exact model was used as a temlate for the American bayonet for the repeating rifle ".30 Government caliber U.S. Magazine Rifle 1898" also known as the Krag-Jörgensen system rifle in caliber .30-40 krag.

Bayonets for Swiss rifles are nowadays widely available at a reasonable prices, as are the respective rifles, but the first model mentioned here without modifications is not so easy to find in good condition, so these specific bayonets are quite rare today.

Thank you for reading

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