Polishing original bayonet

Gents,
I have just purchased and original bayonet for my P-1853 Enfield. The bayonet is in good shape, but it shows spots of rust, wear and tear. I don't want to bring it up to a shiny, pristine look, but I would like to make look a little more new for my impression in the field. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Matt Woodburn]

Gently polish it with 0000 steel wool and regular household oil. If it has stampings on it, go even gentler there or not at all to avoid polishing them out. The dark shank and round portion that goes over the barrel was originally blued so don't polish that area bright. It's probably still dark and blued. Only polish the blade.

[KentuckyReb]

Man, this is too cool. What an amazing coinkydink. I just got my '42 bayonet today and it's what I guess the relic folks call 'attic brown'. Like my esteemed compatriot from the Land of Boone, I was kinda wondering how to put a little more gleam to it without damaging a valuable original item. Your answer to him makes me wonder--do you know, were the socket and shank of '42 bayonets also blued (or possibly browned...the color is a nice, deep plum brown, although that might be age...)? This is, mind you, the post-1855 bayonet, not the earlier square-shouldered 1835-'40 version. Appreciate any help you could give me here, so I don't go damaging what might be the original color of part of the bayonet.

Matt,
Thanks for the input. I was thinking steel wool, but I didn't know if that would be too rough on an original. Again that's part of the reason we use them is their stregnth vs. repros. Thanks again and I'll take that advice.

[Tim Prince]

The 1842 bayonet was all bright. The sockets were not blued or browned.

[Michael McComas]

Mr. Conley,

If you can find it, use bronze wool instead of steel wool. A hobby shop or automotive store might have it. WalMart sometimes carries it, every once in a blue moon. Bronze is softer than the tempered steel of the blade, but harder than surface rust. "Go gently" should be your mantra. Any polishing is going to diminish the value by about 30%. I guess it depends on what you paid for the bayo. "Cleaned" British bayonets go for $50 or so, especially if markings are obliterated or the blue removed from the socket. In average condition, they're upwards of $75, and in pristine condition $125 is the starting point.

Mr. Hawkins, on the other hand, should absolutely not touch the patina on his '42 bayonet. It sounds like a very nice antique. To do anything more than oil it with a soft cloth would destroy the historic value. Mount it on a plaque and hang it on the wall in the den. Then find a bayonet that has already been desecrated by a less conscientious individual. Once you clean it, it can never be put back the way 140 years of history made it. We're here to recreate history, not to obliterate it.

Just my two bits.

[Bill]

I purchased original "Beater" bayonets to use for reenacting. I cleaned them up with wet-or- dry sandpaper soaked in WD-40. In my case, I started with #300 grit and finished with #1000 grit, followed by auto rubbing compound. I cleaned the inside of the socket by wrapping sand-paper around a 5/8" dowell, and cleaning out the accumulated rust. These bayonets would not fit on my weapon's barrels until the rust was removed. Afterwards, they fit like a glove. These bayonets were badly pitted, and covered with rust, when I started, but with the exception of some of bad pits, the bayonets now look pretty much new. I've cleaned a M-1842, and a M-1855 to use for reenacting. In both cases, the "US" is still very clear. IMHO, the extra fine grit wet-or-dry sandpaper (600-1000) is easier on the metal then steel wool. If you go with this method, plan on a lot of time, and a lot of rubbing!

You have an interesting problem. On one hand, you don't want to distroy an unreplaceable relic, but on the other hand, these bayonets weren't old during the Civil War. Your bayonet should look as least as good as the weapon it's attached to. My solution was to use bayonets that IMHO, were only improved by heavy cleaning. Your mileage may vary!

It is extremely difficult to say how much cleaning a bayonet should get without actually seeing it. As an example, an original bayonet could look pretty good, because it's already been cleaned in the past. IMHO, it doesn't do much harm to clean it again. On the other hand, if a bayonet has never been cleaned and has an original patina, it ought not to be touched, other then a light wipe down to remove surface dirt. But, in my opinion, this bayonet shouldn't be used for reenacting.

[KentuckyReb]

Hm. Well... To make the bayonet look as good as the weapon, I guess I could just leave my Springfield out in the yard till the season starts back up... I appreciate all the help here. I am indeed in something of a jam, it would appear. I might just carry this one 'as-is' until I find me a 'beater' to scrub up. The bayonet's not really in bad shape. It's just going to be a good deal darker than the bright steel of a '42. Just--well, that color that looks like somebody tried to brown a gun barrel but didn't do it quite right and it came out a little splotchy, y'know? I assume that's called a patina. Definitely 'in the metal', not just on the surface, now that I really look closely. The socket and the very start of the shank were apparently rusted at some point... a little pitting here. So, a good collector-class bayonet that I'll replace with a 'scrubbable' (is that a word?) old bayonet the first chance I get. Again, thanks for the info and input.

[LibertyHallVols]

For small spots of light rust or "discoloration" or "age staining" (as the collectors like to call 'em), you might consider polishing with a chlorine-free scouring powder, such as "Bar Keepers Friend" or "Bon Ami".

Basically, put a little bit of the stuff on a wet rag/sponge and polish the affected area only. You might get less scratching than with steel wool.

[KentuckyReb]

Man. I wish I'd bought the bayonet from Middle Tennessee Relics now... the one that somebody'd cut on to make it take a taller lug. It wasn't 'whole', so I wouldn't have minded doin' a little work on it. But I thought since I was spending the money I ought to get a complete bayonet that hadn't been altered. The more I look at this one (and thanks for the info, John), the more I realize that the spotting and discoloration and darkness is 'in' the metal, y'know? I don't think it's going anywhere without takin' off some metal, which I don't really want to do. So, I'll be the dude with the dark bayonet for a while, I guess, until I can find an original that's either reasonable priced and brighter, or a 'Sanford & Son Special' that won't be harmed by some elbow grease. Oh well. It'll give me a chance to show the thing off when I'm asked why it's so dark.