I made this one of parts from "The Rifle Shoppe". The original can be found on page 33 in "Swords and Blades of the American Revolution" by George Newmann. It is listed as British, circa 1680 to 1700. The 12" kit blade is of cast 4140 steel, not a great knife steel, but adequate for this purpose. The blade was annealed and straightened, then ground, filed, and hand polished. It was heat treated to about 50 Rc. The brass was very soft and the wax castings much easier to clean up than I had anticipated. The wood is walnut re-turned on my mini wood lathe to as close as I was able to get to the original going by the photos, but shortened from the TRS semi-finished blank and the original bayonet, and stained dark. The finish is MinWax Antique Oil. The sheath is a center seam of 6/7 oz vege-tan, sewn with linen thread, cuir bouilli hardened and vinegaroon stained. All the metal has been very lightly aged.
