K98 1940 Jetter and Scheerer Bayonet

[MadMax14]

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a great Christmas and that you are all well during this pandemic.

While being indoors I decided to research my K98 bayonet which I purchased a couple of years ago. The bayonet is marked J. Sch which I found out that it is a relatively rare manufacturer. It is matching with it's scabbard with the number 140 C which I am guessing that it belongs to an early batch of bayonets that were produced that year.

The frog has a 1940 date and the manufacturer, although hard to see, is L. Krumm Langhard, Offenbach a Main. Any chance that that could be the original frog, since it has the same date as the bayonet?

I wanted to disassemble the bayonet and the scabbard in order to clean them but judging by the screws and the replaced copper washer, I am assuming that it has been disassembled before and I don't think it would be worth doing any more damage.

Any ideas in how to preserve the bayonet and the leather frog (apart from keeping it a stable environment? I am curently thing of keeping the scabbard off from the frog. The scabbard is a little rusty on the back and plus it is not very easy to remove from the frog.

I would be interested to hear your opinions. Thank you all in advance

Thomas

[MAP]

Thomas,

Please defer to the experts but from what I can see, it really doesn't need a cleaning. Looks like a well used example but other than that, done' see anything calling for a cleaning.

I do agree however, that it does look like it has been disassembled at one point in time.

What for more feedback of course!

Regards,

M

[MadMax14]

Hello Michael. Thank you for your reply.

Yes it would be interesting to see what the experts think of the bayonet and perhaps provide some info on how to properly preserve it.

I agree that it looks quite clean but that rust spot on the scabbard is annoying haha.

Thomas

[Anderson]

It's a fairly tidy example, and as MAP says, I wouldn't be concerned about cleaning, it has survived 80 years fairly well. Just an occasional wipe with a clean cloth and keep it out of damp conditions. I would suggest you don't disassemble it as it will likely cause damage and if you are curious there are photos on the net.
Be careful with the frog as old leather is not supple and can tear if you frequently remove the scabbard from the frog. The scabbard screw is non original.
As for the maker, it is one of the less commonly seen, but not rare. Jetter U. Scheerer made their bayonets in Tuttlingen so we see the WaA655 on all their bayonets, not one of the Solingen codes. J.Sch produced S84/98 bayonets until 1941. You can find some early ones under the 'S code" s/245.

[MadMax14]

It's a fairly tidy example, and as MAP says, I wouldn't be concerned about cleaning, it has survived 80 years fairly well. Just an occasional wipe with a clean cloth and keep it out of damp conditions. I would suggest you don't disassemble it as it will likely cause damage and if you are curious there are photos on the net.
Be careful with the frog as old leather is not supple and can tear if you frequently remove the scabbard from the frog. The scabbard screw is non original.
As for the maker, it is one of the less commonly seen, but not rare. Jetter U. Scheerer made their bayonets in Tuttlingen so we see the WaA655 on all their bayonets, not one of the Solingen codes. J.Sch produced S84/98 bayonets until 1941. You can find some early ones under the 'S code" s/245.

Thank you so much for your reply. That was quite informative.
Would you suggest putting some Ballistol oil on the blade in order to prevent it from damage from being in the scabbard and also being pulled out of it ? Would it also be a good idea to clean the rust spot on the scabbard? That part of the scabbard comes in contact with the frog and I don't want to get any oil on it.

Also I heard that many collectors keep their bayonets partially outside of the scabbard in order to prevent moisture and rust from accumulating on the blade. Do you think that is a good idea?

Sorry for the many questions that I am asking but I want to keep my bayonet in the beet possible condition possible.

Thank you for your help.

Thomas

[Anderson]

I would put the blade back in the scabbard. It really will protect it from rust, but a wipe with light oil won't hurt. But I wouldn't do the full axle grease some collectors apply. You could rub a bit of light oil into the rust patch on the scabbard. Other than that, know your storage environment, you want it as dry and warm as possible.

[MadMax14]

I would put the blade back in the scabbard. It really will protect it from rust, but a wipe with light oil won't hurt. But I wouldn't do the full axle grease some collectors apply. You could rub a bit of light oil into the rust patch on the scabbard. Other than that, know your storage environment, you want it as dry and warm as possible.

I totally agree with regards to not putting grease on the bayonet. That would be quite messy.

Thank you for your advice.

[AndyB]

Nice J.Sch piece, i would only light oil the blade and scabbard and holding it outside the frog. b.r.Andy

[Frogprince]

A good condition period rework (IMO) from one of the scarcer makers. It has a small patch on the blade of corrosion most probably from electrolysis with the scabbard spring liners. A good light preservative type of oil, and some wiping down to remove the looser rust probably what I would be doing myself. Best Regards, Fred

[MadMax14]

Thank you Andy for your reply. That's propably what I will do. Hope you have a happy new year!

Thomas