Dress Bayonet Scabbard Dis-Asembly?

I also recently picked up a WW2 dress bayonet from EF Horster.
No date or other codes, but I think these weren't typically serial #'d or dated like other German blades?

A couple questions:
- Is there a procedure for dis-assembling the scabbard?
My other recent pick-ups had screws that held the throat cap and internal spring leafs into the body of the scabbard. This one has a screw, but the cap seems to be fused on even after the screw is removed. The screw seems to only passively hold in one of the two separate leaf springs, which then keeps the other spring in as well. They both come out, but the cap almost appears to be soldered on.
I want to thoroughly clean out the scabbard, since it feels rough inside when drawing the blade.

- Also - any way to determine if this frog is correct for this type of bayonet? I've seen the same style of bayonet with frogs that have the side seams sewn with an overlap, while this one appears to be sewn right at the edges.
I have about 1" of stitching that is broken and I'd like to repair it the correct way, but not sure what is correct for this bayo.

Thanks!

Your frog appears to be correct for the Extra-Seitengewehr. They are notoriously fragile and many are found with the issues you describe. I can't tell from your picture - is your throat screw located on the side or front of the scabbard? The correct scabbard would have the screw on the front. It's not at all uncommon to encounter these with a scabbard swapped out from a field bayo.
I suspect the scabbard throat itself is just stuck from 70 years of gunk & grime. Don't try to force it. I would just try to blow it out with compressed air and then give it a good shot of Balistol or something similar. Hopefully others will chime in.

These pictures show the proper scabbard and screw location for the KS98 Extra-Seitengewehr.

Thanks Denny,

The screw is located on the front of the scabbard, as you say it should.
Not sure what the purpose of the screw is, since it appears to maybe only hold one of the spring leafs from sliding out the top slot, while the other spring leaf holds against the first to keep them both snug? (just my theory).
But you do say that the throat piece is designed to be removed? So the screw must be meant to retain them together, like other bayonets?
And is the scabbard intended to be deep flat black like the one you're showing?
If so, would it be proper to give mine a blue-ing treatment to blacken it up?

Can you explain the background of an "Extra-Seitengewehr"?
Is that the correct name for this type of dress bayonet that I'm showing?
Were these normally not dated or numbered?

What's the best way to repair the seam in the frog?

Thanks for the patience through all my questions!

Leigh

Frog Pictures

Denny,
Here's a few pictures of the frog.
Let me know if it still looks correct to this type of bayonet, based on the seam overlap being so narrow.
And if you think its repairable.

thanks again!

BergerBoy said:

Thanks Denny,

The screw is located on the front of the scabbard, as you say it should.
Not sure what the purpose of the screw is, since it appears to maybe only hold one of the spring leafs from sliding out the top slot, while the other spring leaf holds against the first to keep them both snug? (just my theory).
But you do say that the throat piece is designed to be removed? This is generally the case, although I have occasionally seen scabbards that are one piece. Can't really tell from your picture. So the screw must be meant to retain them together, like other bayonets?
And is the scabbard intended to be deep flat black like the one you're showing? Some very early scabbards were blued, but 99% were painted.
If so, would it be proper to give mine a blue-ing treatment to blacken it up? Maybe it's just me but anytime you make changes of this type, it deters from the subject item's originality. I guess this is a personal decision for the owner. If you decide to do so, paint it rather than blueing.

Can you explain the background of an "Extra-Seitengewehr"? Briefly, during the Weimar/NS period, the term denotes a privately purchased "side arm" normally worn by non-comissioned officers and enlisted men with the "walking-out" dress uniform. Literally the "little guy's" dress dagger. The background goes much deeper than this meager explanation and I would highly suggest buying George T. Wheeler's book "Seitengewehr: History of the German Bayonet 1919-1945". This book was published in 1999 but can still be found with a little effort.
Is that the correct name for this type of dress bayonet that I'm showing? The correct name is KS-98 Extra-Seitengewehr.
Were these normally not dated or numbered? They were not dated or numbered, but anytime we make a definitive statement in this hobby, something comes up to contradict it.
Although I personally do not like doing it, this lack of numbering or marking of scabbards makes switching/swapping easy for someone wanting to upgrade a piece.

What's the best way to repair the seam in the frog? Personally, I would probably retire the frog to a warm quiet place in a drawer for the rest of it's life. If you really want to repair it, I would highly recommend contacting Jerry Burney who goes by the name of lugerholsterrepair on the internet. His email is lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net. He will do a superb job for you. By the time you factor in postage, you will probably have $30/35 extra cost.

Thanks for the patience through all my questions!

Leigh

Click to expand...

Leigh,
I'll try to answer your questions as best I can. Hope this helps.
An additional comment - there are many different and interesting variations of the KS-98 and many collectors collect these neat little pieces exclusively. Coupled with the variations, there were a huge number of different manufacturers and authorized distributors. Some collectors attempt to acquire one of each. I know several collectors that have literally hundreds with no two being the same. It can be a fascinating and enjoyable hobby unto itself.

In a separate post I will show some of the more unusual and interesting trademarks & distributors.

scabbards

I wrote a small book on Dress bayonets and part of it was on scabbards. Attached are some of the pages.